The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-02-02
TX MARVEL THE FARMER,

|
The IdylIo Life Of the author o "Dreal
Life" and "Keveries Of u BachelOr"-
chat with I'm about hawthorne, Kiplin
and other uen aud subjects.
From the N W York Times.l
Tx Marveps love Of nature not only crop
out In bis writings, but In bis conversation
The trees, the flowers, the brooks, t
stretches of green grass are constantly wit
him. Combined with this artistic rurs
taste be has the tate of practical farmer
He wants to understand how to raise beet
as well as to be able TO appreciate fine land
scape. He Is always experimenting. A
present he Is engaged IN raising French arii
with success. Henry Ward Beecher arc
Horace Greeley were two other famous SC
entitc farmers As farmers. Mr.. Mitchell
had MOI the highest appreciation OF them, fo
neither OF them made farming paw.
MIR. Greeley went In too much for sub
soil drainage and that sort of thing" be said
1.-The land could not support such expend'
lures. visited bis farm His great exer
else, remember, was chopping. He thought
knew no hing about II and challenged me
to prove the contrary. | took up the ak, and
sitter few blows be confessed bis mistake
Beecber made little attempt at practical farm
Ing. He cared more for fine expsnse OF
greensward, dotted with tree. Before be
built bis house, upon the Hudson he came
here to ace my house, and in the main was
very much pleased with 1t. He spent great
deal of time considering different designs
and was greatly bothered In making cnoice.
Even when he had made 1t he was constantly
worried lest the architect should not carry
out bis pIans.'
Mr. Mitchell had always stunned publicity.
IL don't like to ace that be said when the
visitor produced notebook. He much pre-.
ferred, even oils youth, chair bv the fire IN
bis study to being the lion of literary receipt
ION. And now It Is very hard to coax him
away from nome under any circumstances
Solitude. his thoughts. and his loving wife
are bis dearest companions. Only one door
leads into his study, and there Is a character
sketch 10 this vPrs fact. Once. number OF
" ars ago. he undertook a lecture tour. Bp
found 1t, despite the kindly way IN which he
was received. the most disagreeable tbing he
ever did Riding In railroad trains, waiting
at functions, and swallow ing ones breakfast
on the run, he declared were neither to his
taste nor for the good Of bis health. Occa-
stonally be lectures at Yale, or, rather, SRive.
= talk Yale. bis alma mater 10 verv dear to
him. and this explains why he chose bis
home so near New Haven instead of In east.
,ern Connecticut, where he spent bis younger
lays.
ut is a great pity" be said. In speaking oil
ale. THAT the college ts SO cramped. am
almost sorry they did not n owe 1t out of the
own several years ago when the proprietv OF
ioing 30 WAS under discussion. FoOtba |? l
believe In exercise with all nv heart But ]
hink the athletes of our colleges to day are
training the point little"
There ia letter from Nathaniel Hawthorne
o Mr.. Mitchell IN frame upon the wall.
'rataing one OF his earlier works Owing 10
lis own secluded ways. MIR. Mitchell met very
ew eminent literary men of his line. But
be two greatest American prose writers,
hawthorne and Irving. be knew very we'll
Il has written bis connection with Irving In
he preface Of "Dream Life" H. believe.
bat the coldne.s which history attributes 10
,wthorne WA pure modesty. II saw him
. Washington at one time during President
'ierce's administration. You rem mber that
Q and Mr.. Pierce were classmates At college,
nd their friendship was a. firm In later as
! earlier years A gentleman sent up hi. |
ard asking the favor to introduce his young
aughter to the great author think Hs~-
horne was quite as embarrassed as the little |
irl."
In speaking of the writer's Of this genera
on, Mr.. Mitchell confessed he was not 80 /
ell read as he thought he should be. Blu
e was willing to say that be found Kipllng |
onderfuly clever; that be liked Howells /
Try much; that he felt Thomas Hardy had
ot kept the promise Of his early works,
h'cn was to place him 10 the front rank OF |
ngish novslists.
$50 many hooks are published now" be
Id. $50 many, at least, COMPARED with the |
lmber published 80 years ago" In tbis re.
ark was hint, muddy pu', which suggest
that 1t would b better II there were fewer
,oks Of q better quality instead of 20 many
An indih-Ient gu Atty.
During the last few years Mr.. Mitchell has
ased oil but 10 acres Of bis farm. which be
tsins for his own cultivation. Most of his
me In the summer Is spent 10 his garden
2 best garden In Connecticut.
II do not want 70 boas,y' be answered IN
. mild way. at does very we'll. 1t gives
all Of the table substantiais and deIicsctes
, wish. and some to spare for friends. We
Q al very fond Of salads, and make q
efer the simple, old-fsshioned kinds. Nv
lighter has email conservatory, which she
DIS great pleasure 10 caring for during the
inter-.
Il think that the failure of most farmers 10
9 to thu fact that they do not go to work in
clentitic manner. They do not study their
] or make any experiment., but follow the
ID their ancestors have trod for two CEN
'ips."
No shooting Ia allowed at Edgewood. Every
d IL welcome visitor there ave the saucy
lie English sparrow, which drive the snow
ntings away from The cit, these winter
rs. In summer the robbins for miles around
N 10 MAKE tie great white barn, the ivy
On the house, and the trees at Edge " God
fr rendezvous. No music 10 SO sweet to
ears of Its owner as the singing Of the
ds and the twftter of the gray squirrels,
o show that they appreciate the liberties
Y are allowed by scampering around your
I. La the woods what times Mr.. Mitchell
with bis dumb companions, no one know
himself. "Gladv I welcome nv little
nds he says "Their company is worth
more than the cherries and grapes thev
Yes l will trade the cherries for notes
be robin any day, and feel that am get.
!. the better of the baigsin'
which would you prefer to live. your life
literary man or as an agriculturist?" he
asked.
| have no choice. II anything have
item is worthy of living, l shall be glad II
..y. II not, 1t is better that 1t should
ct one cannot think other than that his
Ing Is toward agriculture. He has done
. literary writing for 80 years. Magazines
. sought him In vain for articles which be
to agricult iral papers for lit
'ay. His literary table is covered with
wings and notes made by his own hands
'lans for plotting out bis ground when
ngtin comes. He does every thing even
70 laying out OF bis beet beds, with %
b eXactness as an engineer would con.
Ct bridge. To him, farming "a an art,
sure, and . science. Tell him that be
9 bis reputation bv "Reveries of 4 Bach.
!" and be win reply with . very consid- -
lie show Of fire; mo, no had been for -
,g time q contributor to farm papers be-
that. My name was quite we'll known p
e readers OF the Country Gentleman,