Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-10-08
Henry Yard Beecter's Farming
BY MARX TWAIN.

Mr.. Beecher's farm consists of thirty six
acres, and is carried ON on strict scientific
principles. He never puts in any part of a
crop without consulting his book. lie plows
| and reaps and digs and sows according to
the best authorities and the authorities
cost more than the other farming impliments
do. As soon as the library is complete,
the farm will beg to be n profatab in
vestment. But book farming has its draw
backs. Upon one occasion, when it seemed
morally certain that the hay ought to be
cut, the hay book could not be found - and
before it WAS found it was too late aud the
hay was all spoiled. Mr.. Deecher raises
some of the finest crops of wheat in the
country, but the unfayoraLle d ffeI ence be
tween the case Of pro- ucing and its mar.
| value after it is produced, has interfercd
| considerably with lis success as o amer
| ciai enterprise. His special weakness is
hogs, however. lie considers hogs the best
me farm produces. lie buys the origi-
| nal pig for a dollar and n half, and feeds
him forty dollars worth of corn, and then
sells him for nine dollars. This is the on y
crop he ever makes any money on. He
loses on the corn, but he mnkes seven dol
lars and half on the hog. lie does not
mind this, because lie does not expect to
way it turns out, he has tn, excitement of
raising the hog, any how, whether he gets
the worth of him or not. His Strawberries
would be a comfortable success if tie rob.
ins would eat turn'ps, bnt they won't, and
hence the dfficulry
One of Mr.. Beecher's most harra ssing diff
| fculties in farming ope' ations comes of the
close resemblance Of different sorts of seeds
| to e0cn other. Two years ago, his far
! sightedness warned him that there was GO
| ing to be n great scarcity Of watermelOns,
and therefore he put in u crop of twenty
| seven acres of that fruit. But when they
came up they turned out TO be pumpkins
and dead loss was the consequence, Some
times n portion of his crop goes into the
| ground the most promising swset potatoes.
| and comes up /! infeenalest carrots--th ugh
| never heard him express it in that way.
| When he bought Els farm he found one egg
in every hens aest on the place. lie said
| that here was just tho reason why so many
f,rmers failed-they scattered their forces
| too much concentration was the idea. So
| he gathered those together and Put them
under one experienced old hen. That hen
roasted over that contract night and day for
eleven weeks, under the anxious personal
supervision of Mr.. Beecher himself, but she
| cOulu not 'pnase tnose egBs. hny' DeCh"ee
they were those Infamous porcelain things
which are used by ingenious and fraudulent
farmers as "nest eggs" But perhaps Mr..
Beecher's most disastrous experience was
the time he tried - raise an immense crop
of dried apples. lie planted fifteen hundred
dollars worth, but never a one of them sprout
ed lie has never been able TO understand
to this day, what was the matter with those
applies.
Mr.. Beecher's farm is not triumph. 81
would be easier on him If he worked it OF
shares with some one, but he cannot fine
anybody who is wi Iingto stand half the ex-
pense, and not many that are able. Su!
persistence in any cause is bound to succeed
lIs was n very inferior farmer when he firs
began, but a prolonged aud unainchng as
sault upon his agricultural difficulties ha
had its effect at last, and he is now fast ris
| iu., frou, N nanea m noVRrfU