Middletown transcript., 1898-10-15
M1DDLETowN. DEL, OCT. 15, 1898
A CITY MAN TURNED FARMER.

of New Yorker VII, two years ago
turned farmer. He was city man and
knew thing of farming. Nor was ne
inpelled by love of the rustic beauties
of nature. But being without work
for three months he took tramp into
the country alone and chahced upon a
fifteen-acre farm, which he bought for
$500. 1t had fairly good log house
on it and barn out Of repair, with the
usual equipment Of fences. He paid
S1O0 down and was TO pay per cent.
on the balance. his left him cash
enough for necessaries to start in his
new business. AS he could write and
cipher be was made the local assessor
and got in some useful dollars in that
capacity.
The farming has been great success
and the new life is found to be vastly
preferable to the hand-to-mouth exist
ence of the city worker. His wife and
children assist him and enjoy their
present independence. Nearly every
acre is under cultivation and there are
crops of tobacco. potatoes, grapes, ap-
pies. corn, beans and this usual garden
vegetables in abundance. The chron-
icle of his progress says that now in
his second year he has already thought
another cow. Now he has good horse
two COWS, calf Which, he intends to
raise, lot of hens and pigeons, four
hogs, flock Of half-grown turkeys,
and a few ducks. He has two stacks
of grain, and his barn is packed full OF
hay, oats and rye. He has built two
bins in his cellar for some thirty bushels
| Of potatoes for his family. He expects
| 100 bushels least and will have 70
bushels to sell. He expects 200 bushels
of corn to sell, and will keep so bushels
for his family and stock. His oats be
will keep for his horse. His rye he will
use for his stock and for rye bread. In
his curnfeld he has growing about an
acre Of turnips. His cabba ge he will
cut down in to sauerkraut, and he will
also bury some heads for cooking in
the W nter and spring. He will butch
er hog on Thanksgiving, another on
Christmas and another after New Year
This will give him sausage, pudding,
scrdpple, &c., for immediate use, and
hams and bacon for next summer"
This may seem to some persons a
matler-of-fact result, but it is full of
solid comfort and IS vastly better than
skurryng to and flo about the streets
of a tig city, leading a precarious life
| full Of tie bitterness Of want and de-
| pendeuce. There is work, it is true,
| but the work is for himself and he does
no more than l. good for him. Says
the letter: ''IIe doesn't work hard, is
his own boss, works in the barn or shed
When it rains, gets up an goes to bed
when he pleases, his family has plenty
10 eat, his children are happy and well
clothed. They Can 60 to winter school
and at church they have good COM
pany. They go to Sunday school pic
mics and have other amusements, but
their greatest delight is fixing up the
place and planting things. Their bat
ter and eggs sold very well at the eoun-
try store and yielded them all the
sugar, salt, molasses, coffee, tea and
other necessalirs that hey wanted.
The girls raised young chickens fer
the huckster, and the money they re-
ceived bought shoes and clothes. This
winter they will have twice as much to
sell TO the huckster as year ago. The
city f, rmer will this tall pay $100 at
least on his debt, which will leave only
500 owing
''The dwelling house is well white.
washed. Sunhower> and dahlias are
tlooming Ill ab ,ut the side yard. The
| fences are decorated with lite picked
tomatoes ripenng in the sun. Cucum-
bers a being tiied for the seed. A
dozen trays are i'll he sun filed with
sliced sweet apples drying for 'snitZ.'
He has litter of five young hounds
which he will sell for 50 each, as they
ae of blooded stock. He is raising a
stock sow from which he expects a
gotd litter in The eaIly spring. His
doctors bill will not be 80 for the en-
tire year, lie has few debts at the
blacksmith's aud ut he saddler's, but
that doesn't worry him. In fact, has
No W0Iry at all He is in no danger of
losing his jnb. He is sober and steady,
and is much thou ,ht of. lie treated
| friend who visited him the other day to
sQGab on oas for dinner, with baked
tomatoes. Lima beaus, g., all of his
own raising. Good rich cream was SER
we'd with The coffee, ani he had small
box uf fairly g ,od cigars 10 hand down
fiom lie D.antelpiece in the Kitchen"
Happiness in an hones', wholesome
life-Mhat could be more delightful
There are not many city people who
earn their incomes by shaving in musty
rooms all the year round Of whom it
can be said that They have no worry
at all.n II they knew what they are
missing not few Of them would hie
away to the country, and it would, no
doubt. be wise change. Says the far
mer iD question: Farming is not diff
cult 10 learu. My family likesit. The |