Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-02-06
How ono Farmer Succeeded.

"Well, Wallace, you seem to be pretty
nicely fixed here on farm which. when
I left the country ten years ago, was
mean to say that this nice house and all
there Is In 1t, and those two extra barns.
and all the numerous other improve
ments grew out Of an old rundown
farm, do you?"
Cant say that they exactly grew
out of 1t, Uncle John, but they were
dug out of 1t by hard work, coupled
with good management and thrift. As
you say, the old place was all run
down, and many Of my friends said
was fool to settle down on western
New York farm in such shape as this
when l could go into the far west
and get hold Of prairie farm which
woud be SO much easier worked. But
Martha did not like to go very far
away from her old father and mother.
and besides, thought that saw possi-
bilities here of success, and SO l re-
solved to try it.
The farm was encumbered with
a mortgage for one-third Its
price. took possession the
last Of February, and after looking 1t
over pretty thoroughly, l staked or
four acres, lying on a sunny slope. and
prepared to devote this plat to market
gardening. went to the city and en-
gagged a gardener. and with his aid put
the ground in tip-top shape with fertil-
izers, as soon as 1t could be done, and
started plants in cold frames and hot
beds that might be on hand with the
earliest of the early vegetables. You
should have heard some Of the doleful
predictions Of my friends and neigh
bors. My extravaganza at hiring n
gardener and paying him considerably
more than an ordinary farm hand could
be got for was only to be matched by
my folly in supposing that could dis
pose Of such an acreage of green truck
II l succeeded In raising 1t. You see
market gardening was not carried on
then as much as 1t is now, and eight
miles from market was considered a
serious obstacle.
ITO cut the story short, the first
season my garden paid my help and my
household expenses. put new founda-
tion under my barn, and did some tile
draining. This left my hay. corn. po-
tato and such crops to be sold toward
reducing the mortgage. But oh, how
worked that summer and the three or
four following! Every other morning
In the week had to get up at 3 o'clock
and start OF to the city with load OF
green stun and 1t would be noon before
l could dispose Of 1t and get back.
Then, after good dinner and an hours 8
rest, I'd plunge into hard work again
and keep at 1t as long as l could see.
But was young and strong as we'll az
ambitious. My wife was my best as
sistant. for no matter how hard man
works outdoors, II the household mat
ters are not managed with thrift and
economy, he can't get ahead much. She
had a strong German girl to help her
but Martha was at the helm. early and
late. to see that things were going righ,
with no waste. She was never lacking
in expedients and tact
II see." said Uncle John. admiringly
you struck scientific track getting
out of the ruts that our fathers and
grandfathers logged along in."
You're right. Though l was brought
up on a farm, didn't think myself SO
wise that books and papers could no,
teach me anything. In addition to two
good rural papers. l procured every
other help could. and as you remarked
at the outset, have something to show
for book farming combined with hard
work. Now we're In circumstances to
take 1t easy and see something of the
world"
The writer's only excuse in prepar-
ing this sketch is that 1t Is written from
life, and the farmer described is not ye,
40 years old.-Helen L. Manning In
Farmers Review.