The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1869-11-12
Henry Ward zseocher's Farm
iMs.j
DY MARK TWAIN.

Mr.. Becchcr's farm consists oil
thirty-six acres, and is carried on,
on strict scientific principles. III
.nevcrputs in any part Of = crop with.
out consulting his book. Hc plow.
and rcaps aud digs and sows accord
ing to the best autLorities--and the
authorities cost more than the other
farming implements do. As soon as
the library is complete, the farm will
begin to be profitable investment.
but book farming has its drawbacks.
Upon one occasion, when it seemed
morally certain that tho 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 oil
spoiled. MIR. Bccchcr raises some OF
the finest crops Of wheat in the coun-
try, but the unfavorable difference
between the cost Of producing it and
its market value after it is produc CT
has intcrfcred considerably with it.
success as a commercial enterprise
His special weakness is hogs, huwcv
CIR. lie thinks hogs the best gam,
"a farm produces. He buys the orig.
inal pig for dollar and a half, AM
feeds him forty dollars worth Of. corr
and then sells him for about nine dol
lars. z This is tho only crop he ever
makes any money on. lie loses or
the corn, but he makes seven dollars
and half on the hog. He does not
mind this. because lie never expects
10 make anything on the corn any
way. Ard any way it turns out, be
has tho excitement Of raising the
hog, anyhow, whether he gets the
worti, OF it or not. His Strawberries
would be comfortable success if the
robins would eat !tnrnips, but they
won't, and hence the difficulty.
One of Mr.. Beccher's most harras
sing difficulties in his farming opera
rions comes Of the close resemblance
Of different sorts Of seed to each
other. Two years ago, his far-sight-
cdncss warned him that thcrc was
going to be q scarcity of water mel
ons, and therefore, he put in crop
Of twenty-seyen acres Of that fruit.
But when they came up, they turned
out to be pumpkins, and . dead loss
was the consequence. Sometimes I
portion Of his crop goes into tho
ground tho most promising sweet po'
tatoes. and comes up tbs infcrnales
carrots--though l never heard hin
express it just in thattway.s i Whel
he bought his farm he found ono eg,
in every hens nest on the place
He said that hero was just the rea
son why SO many farmers failed--thc,
scattered their forces too mach--con
centration was the idea. So h'
gathered those together and pu
them under ono; expcriesnod old hem
The hen roasted over that contract
night and day for eleven weeks, un
der the anxioas personal supcrvisio,
Of Mr.. Bcccher himself. Lut sh.
could not .'phasc" these eggs. Why
Because they were those infamous
pore claim things which arc used b.
ingenious and fraudulent farmers a
ii"ncst eggs But perhaps Mr.
Beecher's most disastrous expclienc,
was the time he tried to raise an i'm
mense, crop Of dried apples. III
/, planted fifteen hundred Iollars' wort
but never q. one Of them sprouted
He has never been able to under
stand. to this day, what was th
matter with those apples. ..g-
! Mr.. Beecbcr's farm is not . tri
fumph. 1t would be easier on him
he worked it on shares with som
one !; bat he can not fipd anybod