Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-20
A BLIND FARMER.
How he Cooks His Meals, Plants His
 Garden and Runs His Farm.

How he Cooks His Meals, Plants His
 Garden and Runs His Farm.
 From the Philadelphia Timesl
 man with bandage over his eyes and stout cane in his hand walked briskly down alley of this little village. He walked with the strong, confident steps of one who knows where he is and where he is going. At his heels followed a little black-and-tan dog, which, according to all conventional ideas of blind men, should have been in the front, leading his master by string. The man crossed the street few steps into the alley on the opposite side, when he hesitated and felt about with his stick to ascertain the lay of the ground. He then retraced his steps to the street, skillfully stepping over small pile of boards, and then down the sidewalk to 8 small gate, which he opened without hesitancy and entered.
 'tYapl yapi" said the little black -and-tan, finding himself shut out.
 'sWhy, Sam, didn't you get in?'' said his master and again opened the gate.
 The man was Benson Taylor, well known in this locality as the blind farmer, and the exploits of the blind flower girl of ''The Last Days of Pompeii' were not more re- markable than some things which are to this farmer everyday occurrences. His farm is between two and three miles from the will lage, and he thinks nothing of starting out, with TO guide but his cane and compan- ion but his dog, to come to the store for gro- ceries or go to any of the neighbors on an er- rand. He manages the farm himself, and while there are number of things which he cannot do, such as ploughing and seeding, yet there are so many things about the farm which he can and does do that he is fairly entitled to the name of farmer. He has cooked for himself for years, baking bread and pies with apparent ease, and even allows himself occasionally the luxury of a sponge cake. His kitchen garden is kept 8 very model of neatness and cleanliness, all the planting and tending being done by himself. He nilks and churns with the ease of dairy maid. The almost universal correctness of his judgment of stock and the skill he shows in raising it are indeed remarkable. He is gifted with wonderful memory, sell dom forgetting anything he cares to remem- Der, and is never so happy as when some friend reads to him. He has decided taste for the sciences, being especially interested in geology and botany.
 Not little interested in the man who has learned so we'll to do without eyes, the writer called upon him and found him past middle age, broad shouldered, dark hair and beard, and with intelligence and range of informa- tion much in advance of the average farmer.
 ''How is it that you can travel over the hills and hollows of this rough country the way you do?' he was asked.
 ''Oh, I learned the lay of the country when I was boy, and as I didn't go entirely blind until I was about fifteen I had mapped out in my mind the position of every gate, fence and road almost in the country. I never was lost but once, and that was one day when I had been out with a neighbor collecting some money. When he had got within mile or so of home I told him I could go the rest of the way myself got
 
 there should have been, according to my cal culation, fence running in certain direc tion, but there was no fence there that I could find. It was in the middle of winter, showing and blowing like all possessed, and I knew it must be considerably after dark. I was in quite quandary and listened for long time to hear the bark of dog or some thing that would give me idea of where I was, but could hear nothing, and it looked like it would be my last trip, for if I once got bewildered I would very likely have fro zen to death. The happy thought struck me that perhaps the fence had been moved, and when felt about in the snow with my cane I found few scattered rails that had been left, and I went on them and got home all right.
 "Yes, I'll put my judgment on the weight of stock against any man around here l sold lot of hogs short time ago and told the butcher they would average over 150 apiece. lie lauGn6Q ana SalQ they WOulon'G go over 40, but when they were weighed he found was correct. A few years ago I be- gan to make study of the color of horses from the feel of the hair, and now I can tell the color pretty nearly every time"
 "How do you do thatF'
 ''Wel1, you'll notice that bay horse gene rally has smooth, short hair, evenly distribu- ted over the body. If the hair of the legs is coarser it shows they are darker coloTed. Now a roan feels something like bay, only in rubbing your hands down you'll notice little offsets, as if it isn't even. Black horses have strong names and tails and hair gene rally little longer than other horses. In gray the hair has dull, dead-like feeling doesn't seem to have the life that others do. The mane and tail of sorrel are soft and fine and hair rather longer, with soft, smooth feel to it.
 s'I attend to my stock myself and they are very much attached to me. I owned at one time very intelligent horse of Arabian blood. I called her Julie and could ride her to any part of the country almost If put on my best suit she took me to church. If was dressed in my working clothes she would go to the store or the blacksmith shop. When I came where I thought was near the road I wanted to turn off at slie ht pressure on the rein of that side was all she needed, and she would turn off when she came to the road But I think of the most intelli- gent things she ever did was one time when the boys of the village got to making sport of me as I went to church. She would put back her ears and look mad at them, people said; but it was no use. They got worse ey cry Sunday. There are two roads from here to the church you know. The nearest is through the village and the other is more roundabout. Well, one Sunday when we came to where the other road turns off she struck into it. I thought there was some thing up, but let her go, and sure enough she went away around to the church. Wouldn't go through the village to be made fun of, you know She died few years ago and I have never been able to find another one as intelligent Even when she was dying she was considerate of me. heard noise out in the stable about the middle of the night and went out. She had got down crossways in the stall and pushed the boards off at one side. tore down the other side so as to give her room. noticed that in her strug Qles she would throw her head up so that I was afraid she'd knock her brains out, but if I held her head she would only strike out with her feet for fear of hurting me, you know.
 'sHer colt, Toag called him, was also a very intelligent animal. He would come to the fence just inside of the field over there, where he could look right into the window here, and call me time and again when he thought was slow about coming, out If went into the field he would gallop toward me so that you would have thought he would have run over me, but he would gallop past a little piece and come and put his head over my shoulder. would never have sold him but at the advice of my friends, who feared couldn't control him.
 "The most difficult feat ever performed was about 8 year ago. There's man lives about two miles from here who has borrowed