The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-06-08
Henry Ward Bsschsr's Farm.

, Mark Twain has written Of Mr.. Beech
ers old farm on the Hudson River NJ fol-
lows:
'Mr. Beecher's farm consis +. OF thirty
six acres and is carried on on strict scen-
tific principles. He never puts in any
part of crop without consulting his book. !.
He plows and reaps and digs and sows ac-
cording to the best authorities, and the
authorities cost more than the other farm
ing implements do. As soon as the library
is complete the farm will begin to be a
profitable Investment. But book farming
has its drawbacks. On one occasion, when
it seemed morally certain that the hay
ought to be cut, the hay y-book could not
be found, and before it was found it was
too late and the hay was all spoiled. Mr..
Beecher raised some of the best crops OF
wheat in the country, but the unfavorable
difference between the cost of producing
it and its market value after it is produc-
I ed has interiered considerably with its sue
cess commercial enterprise His spe
cial weakness is hogs, however. He con-
sidefs hogs the best game farm can pro-
duce He buys the original pig for sl50,
feeds HIM $40 worth OF meal and then sells |
him for about 80. This is the only crop
lie ever makes Auy money on. He loses
on the corn, but he makes $3.50 on the |
hog. He does not mind this, because he |
never expects to make anything on corn.
And, anyway it turns out, he has the ex-
ctement of raising the hog. whether he
makes anything on him or not. His straw
berries would be success il the robins
would eat turnips, but they won't and
hence the difficulty.
One Of Mr.. Beecher's most harassing
difficulties in his farming operations comes
of the close resemblance OF some sorts OF
seeds and plants to each other. Two years
ago his far.sightedness warned him that
there was going TO be great scarcity OF
watermelons. Therefore he put in crop
OF twentyseyen acres of that fruit. But
when they came up they turned out to be
pumkins, and dead loss was the conse-
quence. Sometimes portion Of his crop
goes into the ground the most promising
sweet potatoes and comes up the. Internal {
est carrots-though have never heard him :
express it just in that way. When he I
bought the farm he found one egg in ev. {
cry hens nest on the place He said that t
here was Just the reason that SO many far q
mers failed; they scattered their forces /
too much; concentration was the idea; so a
he gathered those eggs all together and v
put them under one experienced old hen. v
The hen roasted over that contract night a
and day for eleven weeks under the anx- 3
Ious personal supervision Of Mr.. Beecher r
himself, but she could not phase those 4
sggs. Why? Because they were those in !,
famous porcelain things that are used by Il
ingenious and fraudulent farmers as nest n
,ggs. But perhaps Mr.. Beecher's most p
disastrous experience was the time he tried n
o raise an immense crop Of dried apples q
ae planted $500 worth, but never one OF q
hem sprouted. He has never been able II
o understand to this day what was the Il
natter with those apples. 81
Mr.. Beecher's farm is not q triumph. II
would be easier on him il he worked IL ON Il
hares with some one; but he cannot find ei
nybody who is willing to bear half the h
Expense, and not many that are able Still lie
persistence in any case is bound to succeed. b.
was very inferior farmer when be be- sa
IAN, but prolonged and unhinching as fo
ault upon his agricultural difficulties has
ad its effect at last and now he is fast ris-
ng from afiiuence to poverty"