The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-09-25
AN ABANDONED FARM s.

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looks with wonder and admiration on
the exhibit of D. j. Etz of Mendon, which
occupies space just beyond the center
of the hall. There is card placed about
the middle of the exhibit which tells
that the articles exhibited were raised
on an abandoned farm, but the card does
not by any means tell the whole story.
In fact good many people who read the
grasp the full meaning of the inscription.
They looked at the things nearest the
card with an expression of surprise that
such products could be raised on an
abandoned farm, but they did not realize
that the exhibit from the bandoned farm
covered the entire space on either side
of the card for 20 feet or So Those who
did realize it wondered still more, and
the exhitit was looked at more carefully
perhaps and handled more than any 9TH
er on the grounds.
Mr.. Etz exhibits % varieties of pota-
toes, several varieties of wheat oats,
barley, rye and beans, onions, pumpkins,
squashes, melons, beets, carrots and tur-
nips. 1t is such display as might be
made by a carefully tended farm with all
the advantages of cultivation and it at
tracted good deal of attention from
the farmers, who asked many questions
of the man who had worked such SEEM
ing wonders.
Mr.. Etz is sturdy, self-relant man of
middle age, who apparently takes keen
delight in farming and is proud of what
he has done with his abandoned farm"
He was kept busy explaining how he OBJ
tanned such results.
Mr.. Etz told a Herald reporter some
thing about his farm and his work. He
has 81 acres, he said, ON Inc other side
OF Bald Mountain on the old country
road. II was an abandoned farm when
he bought it five years ago for 81 an acre.
The exhibit which he makes at the fair
is from his fourth crop. He has % acres
under cultivation. The soil is a sandy
loan, good for orchards or for grain. He
is very veil satisfied with his experiment
and he is getting better results every
year.
hIr. Etz has tried farming in New York,
Iowa and California, and he says he finds
work ON his abandoned farm as pleasant
as he has found it elsewhere. He has
travelled good deal and seen much of
farming in different States. He said he
came to Vermont at the time OF the gold
excitement at Tyson, happened to find
this abandoned farm and bought it. He
seems very well pleased with his venture.
A feature of his method of work as
shown by his exhibit is the crossing of
different varieties. This is best illustra-
ted in the exhibit of potatoes, cucumbers
and grain. The potatoes are for tine most
part seedlings and show careful cultiYa-
ton. Farmers who looked over the ex-
l.o,t appeared much interested in the
explanations given by Mr. Etz of his
method Of crossing different varieties.
Whec asked how he REGARDED farming
AiAt1 - ' u LiOlAO 40 SOili pulCu WIN OOAlOi
States, Mr.. Etz said that there was no
difficulty in getting along well on Yer
mont farm if a man studied how to pro-
duce the best results. They could raise
bigger crops in the West and had better
equipment for carrying on farm work.
But" said Mr.. Etz, II can raise more
to the acre on my farm"
Mr.. Etz said he did not have such adj
vantages as farmers in the ne.ghborhOod
OF RG.IaLd and other towns had, espec-
ia,'- In the facilities for getting manure.
E-s made some manure on lis farm and
used some fertilizer, but he depended for
his results mainly on careful cultivation.
He liked the work and took pleasure in
it. He did not claim to be getting rich,
but he said he was getting along very
D,,fTa,J TJo,,II