The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-09
AT MR.. MOUNTS FARM
WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED WITH
BRAIN As WELL AS DRAWN.
His Wonderful success-Farmhouse
With all OF the Modern Improve
ments-An Interesting Family.


in public affairs. His acquaintance Is al
most entirely with the agriculturists. aid
there is hardly a single up-to-date farmer
in the State who has not either heard Mr..
Mount address gathering on some live
topic pertaining to the interests of farmers
or read the substance of such an address
in some agricultural paper. For years he
has been one of the most popular and val
liable of the lecturers who are drafted by
the farmers Institutes. He has, during this
time, spoken in every county seat in the
State, and on numerous occasions has gone
outside the State by special invitation. In
the summer of 1894 he was the principal
speaker on Farmers day at Chautauqua.
The only other speaker was Governor Flow
er.
As practical farmer Mr.. Mount has
been a wonderful success, and it has been
through the application of the theories
which ne advocates that he owes his sue
cess. He farms on scientific lines, long
since having come to the conclusion that
1t is not always the muscle and Drawn of
the farmer that bring the best results. He
has exercised his mind as well as his ply
steal strength, and has sought to take adj
vantage of the experience OF others who
have made farming scientific study, and TO
impart to others the result OF his own study
and experience.
His own farm in Montgomery county and
the prosperity he has attained from his
life upon the farm shows how we'll such
course of life has paid him. He lives two
and a half miles northwest of Shannondale,
Montgomery county, on what is known TO
the residents of that portion of the county
as the .Overcoat' road, so called because
when farmers turned out fifty years ago to
cut the road through it cold that all
worked with their overcoats on. The farm
embraces about five hundred acres, though
there is a strip of land nearly a quarter of
a mile in extent separating the two parts
of it. Mr.. Mount inherited nothing. though
he now lives upon the farm where he was
born. He began life upon rented farm,
and by hard work and careful saving was
able after a few years to purchase a tract
Of 10 acres. This was added to from time
to time until he acquired the present valua-
BILE farm of five hundred acres OF as good
land as there is in that section of the State.
Mr.. Mount attributes his success partly
to his watching the markets and studying
the needs of the country. He has always
done general farming business, devoting
himself to the raising of all kinds of farm
products-wheat, corn, oats, rye, etc., and
hogs, cattle, sheep and draft horses. He
has never been a specialist, and, no matter
what the condition OF the markets, he could
always find something of his variety for
which the demand was good. But he has
been careful, nevertheless, to study the in
dications, and nearly every season ne will
make a favorite Of a particular crop for
which he foresees the demand will be great
est. His foresight has proved very accu-
rate. and thus he has always managed to
when Others about him found their crops
slow and undesirable. He has his farm
equipped with all the latest and most i'm
proved farm machinery and Is one OF the
that the farmer should keep abreast of the
times as well as those in branches of in
dustry in the city.
HIS CROP THIS YEAR.
The land comprising Mr.. Mounts farm is
rolling and very productive. 1t is crossed
by little stream commonly called Big run.
This year Mr.. Mount has $50 acres in corn,
about eighty acres in wheat thirty-six in
rye. twelve in oats. forty acres in clover
and the greater part OF the remainder in
orchard and pasture. OF course, there is
the garden. which is no small consideration,
though little of its product is ever market
ed. The orchard is described as one Of the
best for it's size in the State. There are
equal number Of young trees Like the gar
den. this is an Important factor in farm
life, but Mr.. Mount rarely sells any fruits,
no matter. how large the crop. There are
neighbors who are not so well to do, and
he always allows them to come and gather
whatever surplus of fruit and berries there
may be.
recently erected new and modern residence
-one which Is in every respect appropriate
TO its surroundings and suitable to the
wants OF a man of such tastes as its own
and to his interesting family. IL is a
two-Story frame structure, containing four
teen rooms, besides bathrooms. basement
and small rooms, such as pantry, c3ina
closet. etc. The house is heated Throughout
by the most modern appliance, andis sup
piled with water by system of water
genuity, the water being pumped by wind
pumps into tanks IN the garnet OF the house.
With the water works thus created the fam
lily IS able 10 enjoy the use of the garden
hose, and the front lawn and flower beds
are among the most noticeable attractions
to those passing along the highway:
His wife is graduate Of the Lebanon
Academy, a school not now in existence,
but famous in its time for the thoroughness
of its instruction. She. like Mr.. Mount, has
devoted herself to the study of the needs of
the farmer and the farmers family. She
has spent much time in missionary work
along the line of improving the condition
OF domestic life on the farm. In this way
she has addressed the numerous gathering
or farmers and farming people, and her
papers on subjects pertaining to the farm
nave been read in almost every farm jour-
nal published in the State.
HIS FAMILY.
To Mr. and Mrs. Mount have been born
three children The eldest is Mrs Halle Lee
Butler. the wife OF Charles f. Butler. a
young farmer living three miles from the
Mount homestead Mrs. Butler is twenty
seven years of age. The other two children
are twins, aged twenty-four years. They are
Helen N. and Harry n. Mount. The latter
graduated with the highest honors from Wa
bash College In 1894. where he took the
Baldwin oratorical prize. He is now study
ing for the ministry at Princeton. Miss
Helen graduated from Coates College in 1895
and is now taking some postgraduate stud
les The eldest daughter also has a college
education.
Mr.. Mount Is man who has never aspired
to any other political position and has never
occupied any office within the party organ
ization. His only political Office was that of
State Senator, TO which ne was elected in
1883 His name was suggested early in the
canvass for available material and the party
leaders sought him and asked him 10 make
the race. He refused and also refused when