Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1882-10-04
HExRY WsRD BErcHrRs FARM.

Mr.. Deecher's farm consists Of thirty
ok acres, and is Carried On ON strict
scientific principles. He never puts in
any part OF crop without con ulting
his book. He plows, aud reaps, and
digs and sows according to the best n.
thoritieS, and the authorities cost mors
than the other farm ug implements do.
As soon as the library is complete the
farm will begin to be a profitable invest
ment. But book learning has its draw
backs. Upon one occasion, when it
seemed morally certain that the hay
ought to be cut, the hay could not
be found, and before it was found it Was
too late. and the hay was oil spoiled.
MIR Becker raises snme Of the finest
crops u wheat in the country, but the
uniasprabis difference between tho cost
Of producing it ant. its market value
after it is produced has interfered con-
siderably with its success US a CONNER
cial eht' rprise. His special weakness is
hogs, however. He considers hogs the
best game farm produces. He buys
the original pig for 81 81, aud feeds him
$40 wo, tn Ct corn, and then sells HIM
for about 80. This is the only crop he
ever makes any money on. tie loses
on the corn, but he makes 81 80 Oh the
hog. He does not mind this. because
he never expects to make anything on
corn. And. amy way IL tur-s out, he
has the EXCITEMENT of IA sing the hog,
whether h. gets the worth of HIM or not.
His Strawberries would be comfort
able success # the robins would ext tur-
nips, but they won't, aud hence the dlf-
ficultv.
One Of Mr.. Beeche.'s most harassing
diff 'ulties in his farm.n, operations
comes of the close Resemblance of Diff
ferent sorts of are Ia and plants 10 each
other. Two wears ago his far-sightol-
ness warned him that there was going to
be great scarcity Of watermelons, ard
therefore he put in crop of twenty
seven acres Of that fruit. But when
they came mp they turned out to be
pumpkins, and den loss was the con-
sequence. Sometimes q portion OF his
crop goes into the ground the most
promising sweet potatMs. AMI comes
out the infcrualest ctrrots though I
have nev X heard him express it just in
that way. When he b-hyht his farm he
found on cg5 in every hens nest on the
place. IL said that here was inst the
reason SO many farmers failed; they
scattered their forces too much concen.
tration was the idea. So he gathered
thos, gs tog tlev, And put them all
un Ter ono xperenced old hen. THAI hen
roasted over hat c 'ntract night and day
for even weeks, under the anxions per-
sonal supervision OF Mr.. Deecller him
self, but The could not "pbase" those
eggs. Why? Because they were those
infamous porcelain 'hiues which are used
by ingenious and fraudulent farmers as
"nest eggs" But perhaps Mr.. Beech.
er's most disastrous experience was the
time he tried to raise an immense crop
of drie' apples. H. planted Sl.5))
worth, but never one OF them sprouted.
H. has never been able to un l-rstand
to this day what was the matter with
those apples.
Mr.. B-echer's farm is not triumph.
! It would be easier ON him # he worked
It on 81 ares With some one hut he eau
not fluid ANYBODY Who is wiling to
stard halt the expense, and not many
that arr allie. Still. persistence in any
cause is hound to succeed. He was o
yery inferior armer when he first be-
gan, bnt ged I nm liaching as
saut upon his agricultural difficulties
h had it, effect Ut last, and he is now
fast RISING from e!lncnce To poverty
Mark 7uGin.