The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-12-30
FARMER GARFIELD.
Round.

| EAhmEh UAhE1El4Ds
| The Farm. The improvements, the
stock, and the Crops-Abe IIewitts Pres
emit OF n Thoroughbred Alderney Bull
Calf and How IL Got Its Name.
| Especial Correspondence Chicago Tlmes.l
| MENTOR, O., December 16.--Gen. Garfield
finds much rest and recreation in attending to
the details of work OF his farm. Calling on him,
yesterday, found him tramping about his fields
in rough suit of cashmere, his pantaloons
| tucked into his boots, and SLOUGH hat, orna-
mented with hayseed protecting his head.
| While the General was engaged in inspecting
his winter wheat, and observing the condition
of his cattle, Mrs. Garfield was standing in the
back door Of the house, giving directions to the
''hands" about the shipment of dozen barrels
of cider which she was sending away to market.
| The scene led me to make some inquiries in re-
gard to General Garfeld's farm and farming,
and the facts elected may be interesting to
many readers.
The farm contains one hundred and ffty-fve
acres, all under cultivation, except few acres
of timber. 1t lies twenty-five miles east of
Cleveland, fronting on the old wagon road
from Cleveland to Buffalo, and the Lake Shore
Railroad runs through it. The soil is a rich,
sandy loan, and is very productive. The fences
| are kept in good repair, and are the best i'll the
township. When Gen. Garfield purchased the
farm, about eight years ago, there were eight
acres of swamp land near the centre of it,
which were considered almost worthless. The
Generals knowledge of engineering here came
into practical use, and under his personal SUI
pervision the swamp was drained. 1t Is now
very valuable land. Besides the drains furnish
constant and abundant supply of pure water,
which, by means of hydraulic ram is forced
up to the elevated site of the house and barns,
where it is used. The very simple and mex
pensive kind of water-works is a model farm
Improvement, which might be adopted with ad-
vantage by many farmers.
When Gen. Garfield made this improvement
IN a1 Oh he far i,
this vicinity, and many visitors came to see it.
One old farmer in Geauga County heard of the
hydraulic ram, but got wrong idea of its
nature. He came to see the general one day,
and said "Gen'ral I'm told you hev hy-
, what dye call it?-hydraulic ram. Now, 1
! don't know nothin' about thet breed, but I've
been improvin' my sheep O. late years. and hev
, got some mighty fine Cotswolds and merinos;
and thought as how, mebbe, as you were a
Congressman, you might got hold of sumthin
| little high-toneder; an jis druv over to-day
to see thet ram O. yourn.'
The old farmhouse has been entirely recon-
structed within the last year. 1t is now quaint
' but slightly building, apparently new through
E out, and containing about twenty rooms. 1t is
, plainly but tastefully furnished. The exterior
:, is painted white, with red roof and green win
dow shutters. There are forty windows. The
: Generals public Office is small building stand
Y ing few feet from the northeast corner of his
I house. In the rear, few rods away, are other
O outbuildings and the barns-one for horses and
| huOGuer IOI CdUtl6-UQe SQeQB IOr Calule, ana
l sheep, etc. The barns are models of neatness,
i cleanliness, and convenience. There are five
s horses, a matched team of light dappled grays,
V very fine pair of matched blacks, and Ken
y lucky mare which the General bought of Orville
J Grant.
]! General Garfield is not very expert horse
: man, and he sometimes shows little absent
: mindedness tn. amuses his neghbors. 1t is
d his habit to drive to church on Sundays with
- his family, unattended by servant. He will
: not allow his team to stand out in the cold dur.
8 ing service, but unhitches and puts his horses
S in friends barn near the church. Last Sun.
e day, after SERVICE he hitched his span of bacl
n colts to his wagon, and forgot to buckle tht
lines to the bits. The consequence was thai
r when he got into the wagon and started thu
> team he came very nearly having a runaway
When the team was stopped and the lines buck
led, an old farmer gravely remarked '' General
a you'll have to do better than that when you
?, take the reins of government, or the politica
te mules will git away with you"
OF cattle there is herd of twenty-six
> mostly grade Durhams, but there are three Al
l. derney cows and one thoroughbred Alderne.
- bull. The latter was presented to Genera
Is Garfield by the Hon. A. S. Hewitt, before tn
to unfortunate unpleasantness growing out of tn
" Morey Chinese letter. ''Thereby hangs tale
II hot debates on the ''riders' to the appropra
~ tion bill, Gen. Garfield and Mr.. Hewitt wer
~ | engaged in friendly conversation. 1t will b
remembered that Garfield had denounced tn
y Hewitt: General, 1 have some very fine Al
VI derney stock, and will send thoroughbre
bull calf to your farm on one condition.
ey ssWhat is the condition ?" asked Garfield
n ''Thnt the bull shall be named by me-" sal
IT, Hewitt "All right" replied the Genera
If "and what name will you give him?" 'Revolu
LII ton" said Hewitt. ''Well," rejoined the Ger
o. eral, sit shall be that, if you say SO, but
d, think more appropriate name would be Cor
gressional Rider" The calf soon came to til
De farm, and bears the name that the donor CAV
", him.
d. The milk from Gen. Garfields dairy is carte
he to the railway station every morning and ever
~ ing, and shipped to the Cleveland market. Ne,
ay the barns is a small building in which is kept
ne steam engine, which was manufactured by Il
Its ]. I. Case Threshing Machine Co., Racin
ne | Wis, used for saving wood, cutting feed fl
m the stock, etc. Besides the stock already me-
- toned, there are eighteen thoroughbred Cot
ne void sheep and dozen swine of the Berkshi
10 and Poland-China breeds.
'ur Notwithstanding the alleged depredations
rs, visitors, very fair crops were harvested Il
IT'S result OF the past season 8 work. From fftet
.,I acres of corn there was husked one thousaI
'u' and thirty bushels; seven and one-third acr
of wheat averaged thirty-three bushels per acr
re- fourteen acres of oats yielded five hundred al
seventy-fve bushels; six acres of barley, tN
nd hundred and forty bushels; eight acres OF ry
two hundred and seventy-two bushels; frc
vas thirty-fve acres of meadow were harvest
OF seventy-fve tons of hay; and two acres
me mangel-wurzes yielded five hundred bushe
,ie+ There is also small buckwheat crop, not y
81 threshed. There are fifty acres of pastu
eai ! There is a small orchard, which BORE this ye
ing about five hundred bushels of apples. I
M farm, with the improvements made on 1t
Gep. Garfield, is estimated to be VOL
led $25, 900.
ie 'nd Gen. Garfield has the reputation among
lno neighbors of being good farmer-one of
un- best, indeed, in this region, where good far
!, q ers abound. They tell me that he manifest
led deep interest in everything pertaining to ae
ohn to,,s, anu nus s'ooh ld Iats tnLas hand
of if whenever he can tfnd time to do so.
is though he has three men employed on
was farm, and several servants ABOUT tne mousse,
is in the habit of doing any little chores
errands that may come in his way. 1t is
neI an uncommon thing for him to go to the pc
and Office, half mile away. on horseback and ca
but home on the pommel of his saddle a large
the well-flled mail bag. His plain and farm
ion manners and habits greatly endear him to
~ country people about him.
seq. 1t is unjust to n ention the other animals
ute Gen. Garfeld's farm and say nothing of
and big black Newfoundland dog, ssveto." He
and very kind and intelligent fellow, and seem
old share in the genial and hospitable spirit wi
- = peryades the premises. He expects recogni
y " from every visitor. Going into the Gener
rse Office. once, after few days absence, 1 gree
the gentlemen who were there, but did
lit speak to Veto. He looked at me expectal
cir from the opposite side of the room for a min
- - or two, and when, I still failed to speak
70 Va him, he saluted me with bow-wow-wow
here was perfectly comical in its peculiar tone OF
one proof, and then sprang across the room
the laid his head on my knee for the custom
ls to patting.
nsCe EXCEPT living man there is moth
. no' more wonderful than book mess
out- Nl.t- to us from the dead-from human sc
,f a. -. we never saw, who lived, perhaps, th