The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-10-15
A Systematic Farmer.

Mark Twain, who has been looking
over Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's farm
sums up his success rs q farmer after this
fashion:
Mr.. Bcecher's farm consists of thirty
six acres. and Is carried on on strict SCI
entifc principles. He never puts In any
part Of crop without consulting his
book. He plows and rcaps and digs and
sows according to the best authorities
and the authorities cost more than tho
other farming implements do. As soon
rs the library Is complete tho farm will
begin to bc profitable investment. But
book farming has Its drawbacks. Upon
ono occasion, when II seemed morally Ger
tain that the hay ought TO be cut the hay
hook could not be found-and before Il
was found Il was too late and tho hay
was all spoiled. Mr.. Beecher raises some
Of the finest crops Of wheat In the coun-
try, but the unfayorable difference bc-
tween the cost Of producing Il and It's mar
kct valuc after II Is produced has intsrfcr-
cd considerably with In success NJ COM
mercial enterprise. Ills especial weak
ness Is hogs, however. He considers hogs
the best game farm produces. He buys
the original pig for dollar and hall,
and feeds him forty dollars worth OF corn,
and then sells him for about nine dollars.
This Is the only crop he ever makes any
money on. He loses on the corn but ho
makes seven dollars on the hog. He does
not mind this, because he never expects To
make anything on corn anyway. And
anyway II turns out, he has the excite
mcnt Of raising the hog whether he gets
the worth of him or not. His strawber.
rics would be comfortable success II tho
robbins would eat turnips, but they won't
and hence the difficulty.
One OF Mr.. Becchers most harTassing
difficulties In his farming operations
comes of the Gloss resemblance Of different
sorts of seeds and plants TO each other.
Two years ago his far-sightedncss warned
him that there was going TO DO great
scarcity Of water melons, and therefore hc
put In crop Of twenty-seven acres OF that
fruit, but when they came up they turned
out to be pumpkins, and q dead loss was
the consequence. Sometimes portion Of
his crop goes into the ground the most
promising sweet potatoes, and comes up
the most infcrnalcst carrots-though I
have never heard him express II just In
that way. When he began his farm. he
fonnd one egg In every hens nest on tho
place. lie said that here was just tho
reason why 70 many farmers failed-they
scattered their forces too much-concen-
tration wns the idea. So he gathered
those eggs together and put them all un-
der one experienced old hen. That hen
roasted over that contract night and day
for eleven weeks, under the anxious per-
sonal supervision Of Mr.. Beecher himself,
hut she could not "phase" those eggs.
Whya Because they were bose Infamous
porcelain things which are used by ingcn-
ious farmers rs '.ncst-cggs." Mr.. Beech
er's most disastrous experience was tho
time he tried to raise m immense crop Of
dried apples. He planted fifteen hundred
dollars worth, but never one OF them
sprouted. Hehas never been able TO un-
dcrstand, TO this day. what was tho mat
ter with those apples.
Mr.. Beecher's farm II not . triumph. IL
would be easier on him IL he worked II on
shares with some ono; bat hc cannot find
ANYBODY who is willing TO stand half tho
cxnenss. and not many That arc able.
S,iiI nersistsnco In any ono cariss Is bound
IN m,ccced. He wss very Inferior farm..
cr when he first began, but prolonged
and unfiinching assault upon his agricul-
turai difficulties has had In effect At last,
and hc Il now fast rising nom influence
Tn poverty. -