The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
BACK TO TOWN. NO, STREE!
THIS FARMER ON A ROCKY HILL
Is sATIsFIED.
n,s wife nua Chnaran Are well ana Happy
asa me's Fat and Se,iS re Works Hard.
bat Hes l~nnependcnt, and Re,Ghbsrs
Are Kindly nna Life II worth LivinR.

asa me's Fat and Dolly - He Works Hard.
brt HeAs independent, ana Ne,shbsrs
Are ktndiy and Life h worth Living.
READING, Pa, Jan. ga canvasscr OF this
city who travels on foot In many counties in
eastern Pennsylvania said:
Talk about making a living on n small invest
ment, tho other day in the Rockland hills I
came across u small farmer, and as / was In
terested In how himself and small family got
along 1 asked him for details. He told me that
he had paid $120 for his little home, consisting
OF n small house and twenty acres OF land,
much of which contained huge boulders and
rocks. Tho house contained throo rooms down
stairs and one large room upstairs. Tho man
had a wife and two children, girls 10 and IL
years old. The house was old, but in good re.
pair. He had a small barn for a horse and two
cows There was a wagon shed and n pig pom.
In the loft of the pig pen was a chicken house.
He was fat, jolly and happy, and smiled as no
told his story:
a." .1 used to live in the city and work at labor
ing. 1t was hard for ne to get along. One day
l went on n vacation and told my wife / would
be gone for q trip In the country. ! went over
land-footcd II. 1 came up tho Schuylkill
Valley. left the railroad and branched over the
mountain. finally came across this place.
The house was empty and the place deserted.
Doors and windows were boarded up and nailed
shut. 1 soon learned who owned the place and
when I spoke TO the Squire he said he'd be glad
for me to come and settle IL I was an honest
man. Igave him reference then and there,
and he said he'd give me q clear title deed TO
the whole place II 1 worked on 1t and became q
taxpayer In the township, for $3.50, and l could
pay when l pleased. l went home, told my
wife, she agreed to move to the country, the
girls.were satisfied; we packed up and came.
~ paid the Squire cash money down, and / at
once became the owner of this place. This
was last spring. l bought a horse for $50, O
right good horse. Next l bought q cow for 1856
from the Squire. He said she was worth $45.
I had to buy a little hay, cats, and corn for the
stock as q starter. Next I bought a flock of
hens Mt three vendues in the neighborhood, to-
gether with a wagon, some harness, a plough,
harrow, seed corn, seed potatoes, rakes, hoes.
chains, and odd things l needed to start work
on the land. Mind you, 1 never knew q thing
about farming, but my friend. the Squire, saw
1 had good health and strength, pluck. and a
determination to succeed, and he told me. /
spent about $40 for stocking tho place, and
paid cash. For tho balance of the $500 cash
l had brought with me, that is $40, l bought
flour, lard, ham, potatoes, cabbage, turnips.
apples. and other house supplies from my next
door neighbor, a large farmer. He lot me have
them cheap, and I paid spot cash. / began to
hH ny, my WIZ "hltOWdSucu, buo Two BlrlB
played and worked about the garden, which
was old. but contained flowers and plants and
currant bushes, which the last tenant did not
To make a long story short, 1 p%loughed and
narrowed, planted corn and potatoes, and we
put in turnips and cabbage and vegetables.
Wherever there was ground we planted some
thing. The children were soon rosy checked,
and my sickly wife became strong and stout.
IL d was Ion Lonesome, but we soon got used TO the
work a little hard, but 1 was my own boss.
Rainy days fixed up at the barn, Our things
STsT Ea Te things Eyi iG selI.s d gTSs sSiefans By iyid J nnSS
four shoats in the pen; The girls fed them and
Wen have hams. shoulders, and sausage for all
summer. The women neighbors showed us how
sour I4e ap All All la sain Summer M0 an Hsv autumn E 9nrrel M 20,
put away away things for winter; have hay and
S nSrR e ana Sn M foF th 5ita horse fo milk W sn have met two Sn COWS
can earn on the COWS toT her clothes: She
think. The girls go to school al winter. we
have a good teacher.
5000. l am satisfied here. We like the pco-
pie ana our new life in the country; Taxes are
e ssrEE i season ! s ead s ssqn sn.9 tho a road a%y a fd 5eT ts aays
the I can nei 1Ea h farmers. They allow me 80 cents
making and harvest. WHY, they already
elected me assessor. and we belong to the
Sau ~ IN u pay CuNECh u ouT TWO
children have been confirmed already in the
church, and we are received kindly wherever
we, go. People here don't put on airs. l go to
bed early and in winter got up when / please.
wheat; 1t don't pay. l can buy flour cheap
enough. AS for straw, the girls gather all the
dry leaves we want for bedding the cows and
the horse. The children come in very handy.
much schooling ruins, many young people.
Next summer I will tend market and go into
trucking a little more. ! will have 100 chickens
mat are layers, | can buy and sell and do n
little huckstering, and l may get another horse.
i could have bought u good match for my bay
marc the other day for $50, but ! have no use
f firs another IN he until next July; Even II we do
thing brought TO the door, such as bread. gro
ceries, dry goods, anything we want to, order
from the hucksters or the travelling baker
our first winter. in the country. and we are
thriving. The girls have neighbor girls to visit
them and they are happy. Haven't had the
doctor put once; He brought US a baby boy.
vided of by, a curtain. The chi dren sleep in
one part and we in the other; The next thing
my wife wants to get is a cabinet organ. She
own way when she gets tho money together.
No, we would not think of moving back into the
city. Give us farm life on our own little place.
right. We own it. We're happy and content
ed better than ever. It's a wonder thousands
Independent. No use going to the Kiondiko.'
This mans experience" added, the can
vasso.r. lis the exper ence of others who are able
to raise "A few hundred dollars and buy a place
pay cash., and enough left for n little starter.
Then, II they are sober and Industrious, they'll
get ahead, ;hetter than eyer. i could be at home
at such II place myself"