New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-08

| The receipt OF that most highly coored but en-
sharing deusion. the seed catalogue. reminds one
that the most fascinating time In the year for the
tenderfoot farmer is at hand; the season when you
sit down in your library in New-York and fill out
your proxy for the real farmer up in the Berkshres
whom you pay to conduct your book experiments
and so often 10 take the profits. if there are any.
Those first few evenings with the seed catalogue
fascinating. ones wife and children always
attend the caucus and the caucus rule prevailing.
the chairman is bound by the majority vote, when
is usually against him most essential points
Crops never considered until after a fun line OF
flowers, foliage plants and shrubs are selected The
theory OF the voting trust doubtless is in the IAN
guage OF the catalogue. that IAN attractive Hover
garden and picturesque borders give an air OF thrift
and prosperity to the farm that leads one to expect
large crops and intelligent husbandry."
The seed catalogue man is like the newsboy on
the train: first he offers you bound volumes then
weeklies at ten cents each. and finally. the daily
paper that you wanted ever since the train started
and many a man is betrayed into buying zone OF
the latest novels in sheer desperation while he
waits. SO the New-York farmer who conducts his
agricultural operations by typewriter instructions
prepared in Wall Street goes through the full list
Of prolific boomers before he gets to real bust
seeds MANY readers Will recall that most in
teresting article Of Judge Motifs. "a Farm for
Nothing" that was so widely copied three
years ago, and some Of them may remember an
article by Native commenting II and saying
that Berkshire farm II well located with refer
ence to the market. could be probably operated If
ntelligently conducted. Now claim to have sue
cessfuly demonstrated the soundness of that propo-
sition.
Just a year ago I persuaded the caucus that
had certain agricultural instincts that would more
than offset the lack Of experience that could not
well conceal and bought the old farm Of 200 acres
that had been TILED by Of my thrifty ancestors
70 years before. There many misgivings on
the part OF the leader of the OPPOSITION but that
profound conviction to my aforesaid instincts.
coupled with natural pride Of possession. won the
day. and FOR part Of the year. instead Of
turning up my trousers when it rains. tuck my
pants in my boots in which there is great joy.
So many of the sons Of New England are going
back to the hillside towns and buying the old home
steads that a word from the eXp"rionc" Of one Of
them may serve lead them on" | promised The
delegates that my farming operations should not
involve the estate. and knew instinctively that |
could make il pay. let mo sag first that nm honest
farmer Is the rarest wor; Of cod. I refer to the
kind that conduct agricultural experiments for
New York owners. / engaged the one who was
working" the farm when took possession. For
tunately for my farmer IS one Of the rare kind.
and he has continued working the farm and not
mo Otherwise should not be- pennlnG my eXpa-
rience. for a done-up farmer does not exactly like
to admit that his Instincts betrayed him.
| first impressed him with the idea that | was
not a carte blanche husbandsman That. IN con-
nccton with his rareness. the day. 1t was all
over In a minute. He asked M how many men |
wanted him 10 hire. | looked at him with an In
Jurel look and said slowly: How many? Why.
Turner Il call him by his last name 50 he won't
call me by my first according to CUSTOM. II you
can't this farm alone and show me IA thousand
dollars at the end OF the season. We are simply not
suited to another" He realized at once that
had instincts and not 50 tendorfootod as
looked / told him that In h1ylng season W. would
hut D. mo IA m np
would be the only regulars on the farm roster
We moved In early and II there Is any keener
pleasure than going out on your own farm and
standing around in the barnyard looking at your
own COWS. horses chickens and struttng turkeys.
while the warm but tickle April sun shines your
back. then don't know It. II there Is anything
more interesting than watching the struggle OF
your growing crops 10 be- on hand in the autumn In
that great survival Of the httcst, have not eX-
pcr!cnccl Il. We stocked up very cautiously. the
plan being to have enough cows 10 furnish milk
and butter for the family. sheep enough to keep
down the weeds. aud horses enough to make us
familiar with the surrounding country. As for the
rest the general scope and plan was that adopted
by stock brokers In this city; namely - furnish
facilities for others to acquire stock for modest
stipend. that - my friends and acIuain'ances paid
me for pasturing and wntcrng their brood mares
and colts. | had all the pleasure ~ seeing them
,:ambol on the green pastures without any OF the
risk Al time | afraid that one OF my
neghbors would ruin the business hy cutting rates
/ heard that he wintering horses for 81 p per
week | called line meeting and We both attended
/ said "Nelghbor. YOU will drive all American hus
handmen out of this business with your cheap
pauper wintcrae. II you keep mp this 81 . rate the
raw material costs more than that"
"Why. neighbpr I'VE all call each other ncighhor
up there when We trade horses discuss agricult-
ural problems) "ncighbor." said be-. you want to
feed ',m ON sheep shorts" Now 10 tell the real
a..
sheep shorts were scrapcd OFF the horns or pulled
ont Of the WOOL but / did not want to lose the pres
tige | enjoyed all-rounl instructive farmer
and | was betrayed into asking:
what kind Of sheep shorts do YOU feed and
whore DO you buy them?
He looked at me p.tyingly for moment. and
then said: "Why, nc.shbor. they Mt only one Kind
OF sheep shorts" then told him | had heard of
lambs short" down whore my Office in
Wall Street. but that sheep shorts was something
that had either forgotten all about. or else never
knew He then vouchsafed the information to me
that sheep shorts the resiluum left in the hay
racks after the sheep had picked through the hay
and eaten what they liked. Horses Will grow fat
as seals on IT," he said. concluded that catered
to "A different class of trade and notified my
boarders that they could be accommodated with
sheep shorts at 81 %. the regular at the old
rates My boarders are still with at $40 per
month.
The third month the accounts II keep regular
set Of books with the farm made II look as though
there would be deficit In the treasury but / nni
that sagacious bookkeeping has much to do with
establishing the profit or loss side OF the account.
/ supplied OF the summer hotels In the village
with vegetables and the profit side was made up
necessarily OF products of the soil
1t happened that when took the farm n few
months before there one of the floors OF the
dwelling house old but well-Dreserved carpet.
which had disposed Of for the sum OF 81 There
It stood in a separate account on the books. All
the delegates were I'm my library toward the end of
the month trying " help me make the profits and
sales cover the expense of labor. material and
maintenance. The children did help me out with
several dozen eggs that had been sold and not en-
tered in the books, when was In town. but the
account stood just so short of a balance when sud-
denly inspiration struck me- ana transferring