The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-06-28
.FARME MERS' COLUMN.
MARX Twain on Hoooher,r Farming.


Henry Word Beeoher has long owned
and run a farm on the Hudson river, and
occasionally, or scmi occasionally, goes up
/, see 1t and give directionsj but with h q
varied other occupations we suppuse g
finds it a somewhat expensive toy, and
would no doubt subscribe to the trile say
ing, "He that hy the rlow would thrive,
must either hold himself ur drive" Though
Mr.. Clemens MARK Twain) intimates in
th bit Of extravagance below that the less
personal attention Mr.. d. gives to his
farm, the better for his own pocket But
Mark Twain always sees a humorous side
to everything, or will make one on the
smallest possible foundation, for his own
amusement or for that of others. For tho
latter purpose we print the following Ed.
Prairie FJrmer:l
Mr.. Beecher's farm consists OF thirty six
acres, and is carried on strict scientific
principles. He meyer puts in any part of
crop without consulting his book. He plows,
and reaps, and digs, ani sows according 10
/
more than the other farming implements
do. AS soon as the library is complete the
farm will begin TO be n profitable inTest.
ment. But book farming has its drawbacks.
| Upon one occasion when il seemed morally
certain that the hay ought to bo cut, the
hav book could not be found and before
| il was foul nd it was too late and the hay
was all spoiled. Mr.. Beecher raises some
Of the finest crops Of wheat in the country,
but the unlav irdble difference between the
cost NJ producing it and ito market value
O ter it is produced has interiered consider
ebly with lis sucress as a commercial enter
prise. Ills special weakness is hogs, how.
ever. He considers hogs the hest game a
IA IN pro luces. lie buys the original pig
for $l.5l, and feeds him $40 worth Of corn
and then sells him for about $9 THIS il
the only crop he ever makes any ihoney
on. H. luses on the corn, but he makes
$3.50 o. the hog. He dies not mind this
berauoe he never expects to make anything
on corn, anyway. Aud any way it turns
o 1t, he has the excitement ol raising the
hog anyhow, whether he gets the wdith oI
him or not His strawberries would be a
comfortable success il the robins would eat
turuips, but they won't, and hence the
difficulty.
One Of Mr.. Beechers most harassinG
difficulties in his tanning operations comes
of the close resemblance Of different sorts Of
seeds aud plants to each other. Two years
ago his far sghtedness warned him that
there was going to be a great scarcity oi
watcrmelnns, aud Therefore he put in crop
Of twenty seven acres OF that fruit. But
when u ey came mp they turned out tn be
pumpkins, and loss was the consequence
Sometimes portion of his crop goes into
the ground the nost promising SWEET
potatoes, and comes the IN !ernalest carrhls
though never have heard him express
It in Just ;rat way. When he bought his
farm he found one -gg in every hens nest
IN The place. liz said that here was just
the reason whv 81 Hany farmers Jailed -
| theN scattered lhtlr InFtes 10 mucn -c"H-
c,niration was the idea. So he gathered
t t,".e eggs together ami put thcin all under
one experienced old hen. That hen ruost
ed over that Contract night aud day for
eleven weeks. under the ANXIOUS personal
supervision of Mr.. Beechcr himself, but she
could not "phase" those csgs. WhyP Be
cause they were those infamous porcelain
things which are used by ingenious and
fraudulent farmers as "ncst eggs" Blu
perhaps Mr.. Beecher's most disastrous
experience was the time he tried to raist
an immense crop Of dried apples. He plant
ell 81 800 worth, bGt never a one Of then
sprouled lie has never been able to under
stand what was the matter with those apples
Mr. B-echer's farm is not triu uph. l
won Il hs easier un nm If he worked II OF
shares with some ore; but he can not fnt
anyUpdy who is willing 10 stand fa!f th
exurnse, and not many that are able Still
persistence in any case is bound tn succeed
He was a very inferior farmer when h
first began, but prolonged and uuelnchin
assault upon his agricultural drfRculti1
had its elTe,t at last, and he is now fast rls
ing from allluence to poverty The Prairi
Farmer.