The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-09-24

| in month or so VIII cut out this
eternal grind and get acquainted with
my wife and baby"
Could he afford it9 Answering
| the query he proudly returned
with thousand in the bank, no
debts, and a 100 acre farm fellow
can afford nearly anything he wants.
I am going to rest up during the
balance of this. year, then move my
family out to the farm and take per-
sonal charge-to enjoy the God given
privileges of country life, untram-
meled with the sordid, grasping sell
fshness of commercialism."
Adams warmed up on the subject
and told his experience, which, for
shrewdness and common sense judg-
ment, is seldom equaled in the present
generation of wage workers.
''I have been a white slave all my
life," he continued. "Have aver
aged twelve hours day for the last
ten years and never got more than
$75 month forit. The future look
ed awfully dark and my faithful lit
tie sweetheart was waiting for the
clouds to lift so we could get married.
The sunshine came all right-three
years ago.
''I was spending my vacation on
a farm-irst farm I ever saw, and to
me my host was the happiest, most
independent, and care-free man in
the whole world. His pure bred
hens gave him fresh eggs, the Jersey
cows produced pure, sweet milk and
butter; the bacon, hams. and lard
came from the herd of hogs; and
fresh vegetables in great variety were
supplied by a well-kept garden.
When I realized that this mans land
produced all the table luxuries the
heart and stomach could desire, and
later noted the fields of corn and oats,
I mentally figured the possibilities of
such an institution as this, and also
mentally swore to own a farm my
self. But how to do it with an in
come of SIS a month was the prob
My host oifereu 20 rent me a
piece of land, 100 acres in extent, at
$4 per acre yearly; this meant an
initial expense of $64o, which l
didn't have. My friend said it
wasn't necessary, and suggested that
/ get some young farmer to take the
land with me and work it on shares
and the crop would secure the rent.
He gave me a thirty day option, with
the privilege Of purchasing at $40
per acre at the expiration of the lease.
"About this time met a husky
young country fellow who had just
finished course in agriculture at
one of our state experiment stations.
He was the son of renter, but
wanted to start out in life independent
of his father. proposed to pay the
rent, buy the farm implements,
horses, seeds, etc., and give him one
third of the net proceeds. Between
us plan was outlined and we formed
partnership for the first year. The
lease was signed and we took posses
sion of the property early the follow
ing January.
Horses, wagons and farm imple-
ments were purchased on the easy
payment plan. and with $500 I had
saved we purchased the necessary
seeds and FIVE well bred hogs. My
partner had small amount of money,
sufficient to carry him until spring
vegetables camein. He planted twen-
ty-five acres to onions, seventy-five to
corn, twenty to oats, ten to rape for
our hogs, and reserved the remaining
| thirty acres, rich field of clover, for
pasture and hay purposes. He made
garden to supply his table and did
his own cooking and housework.
"The crop of onions was harvested
during the midsummer and from the
twenty-five acres we got 5000 bush
els, which brought us $I.oo per bush
Ella total of $6, $40. The total cosI
Of planting, cultivating, and havest-
ing this crop, including extra helT
and rental, was less than 81 900, SC
our net profit was nearly $1,000.
with part of the proceeds Of the
onion crop my partner bought from
various farmers in the neighborhooC
forty yearling steers at prices ranging
from $40 to $3o per head. These an
imals had been on grass all summer
and were a pretty even lot of cattle
The oats had been cut and threshed
so we alternated the steers on the
clover pasture and oat stubble. Al
this time we had made one cutting o
clover and the hay loft in the barr
was well filed. We had forty-twt
pigs Just ready to wean we bough
forty more to make up carload ant
put them on ration of cut clover hay
and ground oats. The straw wa!
stacked to be used as coarse feed TO
our steers. We sold 1000 bushels
Of oats at 40 cents bushel.
''Soon our corn crop was laid by
and when harvested showed yielt
Of sixty-fve bushels per acre, tota
of 4,875 bushels. We sold 2,oot
bushels at 40 cents and kept the bal
ance for feeding to the hogs and cat
tie. In December we marketed tw'
carloads of cattle, which brought d
$2, 600, and one car of hogs, which
brought 81, 500.
"In summing up the years worl
| the gross receipts were $I2, $40 il
cash. Deducting rental, cost Of farm
| implements, seeds, extra labor, etc.
we had net balance of $o,o82.
gave my partner his share of one