Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-13
Grant,- Fnr,,,.

To whatever advantage there may be in the
name of the "farmer candidate" for the presi-
deney, General Grant has at least as much claim
as Greeley. A correspondent of the New York
World has lately visited his farm near St Louis
and writes as follows:
Our arrival at the gate was announced by the
barking of several dogs of various breeds, two
or three of whom bore a striking resemblance
to those "bull-pups" so familiar in Morgan's
earicatures for Frank Lese's. A stout, good
bumored looking man, who mad the appearance
oil an easy-going farmer, came out of the house
IN his shirt sleeves and Sauntered down the lawn
t0'receive us. He proved to be Mr. William
Elrod, of Cermont county, Ohio, superinten.
dent of the farm. ClermOnt county, il will be
recolected, is where the Grants came from,
and although Mr.. Elrod disclaims being any
relative of Grant, yet he admits that ''the Grants
and Elrods were always pretty thick"
We told him that we had called to see Grants
farm and stock, if he had no objections, and he
expressed an entire willingness to show US
around. The house is low frame house,
painted white, with porch running its entire
length in front. 1t is a very unpretending
structure, looking pretty much as it did years
ago when the Dents lived in it.
81 repaired the house spell ago." said the
superintendent, as he saw us looking at it,
"and Mrs. Grant gave orders tosleave it looking
as il used to when she was a girl, near as we
GOuIu. % uluu I change the general appear
ance of it any,"
"Does the president visit his farm any2
"Oh, yes; a couple of times a year. All he
wants is TO make frst-rate stock farm of it.
We don't try TO raise anything for the market,
but we have aright-smart chance for grapes this
year; more'n we can use
Then he invited us to look at the vineyard,
Just north OF the house, where are three and a
half acres of grapes under fine cultivation, and
promising big crop.
We found the superintendent to he pleasant,
chatty man, evidently quite familiar with farms
and farming. His family, consisting of a wife and
six children occupy with him the old home
stead. One OF his three boys, sturdy little
fellow, of five or six years, is named Grant e.
rod, i'll honor of the distinguished owner of the
farm.
There is a great deal of wood on the farm yet,
Notwithstanding Grants efforts for three or four
years to haul il off to st. Louis. The house
stands in little clearing made in handsome
grove, and although the view is circumscribed,
yet it is a cool and pleasant retreat well calcu.
lated to please one who was weary of public
life and anxious to retire from the eXasperatOns
and jOsteS Of the political world.
The farm consists of about seven hundred
acres, something more than the original Dent
tract. Grant having added a small irregular piece
lying on the southwestern corner. According
to the superintendent account Grant paid sos
an acre for the farm, but it is probably worth
$500 an acre.
One of our party remarked in a laughing way
that great many jokes were going around re-
garding Grants presents and asked how much
of the stock had been given him.
81 know there are lots OF stories about that, /"
said the faithful superintendent "but I'll tell
you honestly, gentlemen, there aint a critter of
any sort on this farm that was given to General
Grant except one old mare. She was one of
pair of carriage horses given TO him by the Mex
lean minister, Romero. One of the pair died.
taken care of; so that's all there is bout Grants
stocking his farm with gifts. He has bought
and paid for all he has"
There are twenty three horses mares, and
geldings on the place, nearly all blooded stock
Most of the mares are of great beauty. and Sc
lected with an eye to raising fine colts. We saw
a Hambletonian stallion of pure blood that must
be worth SIS, 900 or $40 600
The cattle numbered some thirty-five blooded
for the most part The most of the cows were
Of the Alderney breed and very superior at that
There were a few Holstein COWS and an imported
Holstein bull, worth from $1,000 to $1,000 An
AderneytDul, bought ofsome Kentucky breeder,
would attract the attention of any stock man in
the country.
There are one hundred sheep on a part of the
farm we didn't visit, besides about forty hogs
President Grant intends 10 make stock farm of
the Dent track, and he has certainly got very
good start, as there was no stock on tito speak
OF in 1868. The barns for the accommodation
OF the stock are ample, and nearly new.