The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-07-21
FANCY FARMING.
Henry Ward Beechcr's Farm-A Humorous
Account OF His Agricultural Operations.
Marx Tpdin.

| ""N wan.
Mr.. Beecber's farm consists of thirty-si,
| acres, and Is carried on on strict scientif,
principles. He never puts In any part OF ,
crop without consulting his books. He plowi
and reaps, and digs and sows, according te
the best authorities, and the authorities cos
more than the other farm implements do
As soon as the library Is complete the farm
will begin to be profitable investment. Blu,
book-learning has Its drawbacks. On one
occasion, when 1t seemed morally certain
that the hay ought to be cut, the hay bool
could not be found, and before It was found
1t was too late, and the hay was all spoiled
Mr.. Beecher raises come Of the firest crops
Of wheat In the country, but the unfavorabls
difference between the cost Of producing II
and Its market value after 1t 10 produced ha,
interfered considerably with Its success As q
commercial enterprise. His special weak.
ness Is hogs, however. He considers hogs
the best game farm produces. He buys
the original pig for $3.50 and feeds him $40
worth Of corn, and then sells him for abou,
50. This Is the only crop he makes any
money on. He loses on the corn but makes
$3.50 on the hog. He does not mind this
because he never expects to make anything
on corn. Aud, any way 1t turns out, he has
the excitement Of raising the hog, whether
be gets the worth of him or not. His straw
berries would be q comfortable success IL the
robins would eat turnIps, but they won't and
hence the difficulty.
One of Mr.. Beecher's harassing difficulties
In his farming operations comes Of the close
resemblance of differeat 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 wateImelons, and
therefore he put In crop Of twenty seven
acres of that fiuit, but when they came up
they turned out to be pumpkins, and dead
loss was the consequence. Sometimes u
portion Of his crop goes into the ground the
most promising sweet potatoes, and comes
out the fhfernalest carrots--though l have
never heard him express 1t just In that way.
When he bought his farm he found one egg
In every hens nest on the place. He said
that here was just the reason so many farm
ers failed they scatter their forces too much;
concentration was the idea. So he gathered
those eggs together and put them all under
one experienced old hen. That hen roasted
over the contract night and day for eleven
weeks, under the anxious personal supervi-
sion of Mr.. Beecber himself, but she could
not "phsse" those eggs. Why? Because
they were those Infamous porcelain things
which are used by ingenious and fraudulent
farmers Us "nest eggs" But perhaps Mr..
Beecber's most disastrous experience was
the time he tried 10 raise an immense crop
Of dried apples. He planted 1850 worth,
but never one Of them sprouted. He has
never been able to understand to this day
what Was the matter with those apples.
Mr.. Beecher's farm Is not . triumph. It
would be easier on him II he worked ii on
shares with some one; but he cannot find
anybody who IS willing TO stanc half the
expense, and not many that are able. Still
persistence In any cause Is bound to succeed.
He was q very inferior farmer when he FIRST
began but prolonged and unfinching Is.
sault upon his agricultural difficulties has
had its effect at last, and he Is now fast rising
from affiuence to poverty.