Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-08-20
AN OBJECT LESSON
IN GOOD FARMING
The Reporters Representative
Shown How Much Money can
be Made on a Small Farm,

SeVeral Gays ago this office was the
recipient of a cordial invitation from
Eric Nelson, who resides at 67O-3rd
avenue north, to call at his home and
view the results of his efforts in in
tensive farming.
We very willingly accepted Mr..
Nelson's invitation and called at his
home yesterday morning and merely
to say that we were pleased at what
we saw would barely suffice to express
our mental condition at the time.
The fact is we were very agreeably
surprised at what thorough knowledge,
practical experience, and unremitting
industry will accomplish i'm the way
of intensive farming, even in this
much abused and i'll reputed land of
short summers and long winters.
Mr.. Nelson, by the way. is all ex-
perienced horticulturist, a descendant
OF family of expert gardeners. He
was born in Norrkoping, Sweden, in
1899, and at the age of Is was ap-
prenticed to the vocation of horticul-
ture, and received his papers as an
expert gardner at the age of twenty.
He was first employed at Hunsgerdet,
Sweden, and afterwards in the kings
garden, where he remained until 1865,
when he emmigrated to America, re
siding while in North Dakota and
10 or o0ninu ta Crorl Do
The tract of land which constitutes
his FARM" is no larger than two Or
ninary city lots, with a frontage of
1872 feet and the same depth. Part of
this is occupied by fair sized house
and the necessary outbuildings: fully a
third is lawn or grass plot. and the
balance, barely IS feet square is
utilized for gardening purpose And
yet the profits resulting from the sale
of the products that come from this
small patch of ground are almost
ample to support himself and family
of five, besides providing an abundance
for his own household.
One thing in particular to which
our attention was directed and which
would naturally attract it of it's own
accord, was a long row of tomato
vines. or trees rather, for they re-
sembled the latter more than they
did the former. The vines were sup
ported by wire tIelliSe, and were
! from six to eight feet in length They
we're carefully pruned and fairly
| breaking with an abundance of choice
fruit; much of it already ripe and ready
to be picked, We were told by Mr.. Mel
son, that in more genial cline than
this latitude affords, especially in
Japan, from whence this special va
riety formerly hailed, the vine when
properly supported on trellises attain
height of from ten to twelve feet.
Time and space will not permit the
writer to 60 into further details as to
in this little garden spot. how one and
the same patch of ground, owing to
it's intense productivity is made to
produce, not only one but two fully
matured crops of vegetables in a sea-
son. 1t is sufficient to say that a
visit to this home is certainly an OBJ
ject lesson in intensive farming, and
well merits the time and attention of
any one thus interested.
Walking through these we'll kept
premises, Immediately contiguous to
tract of mature unadorned" their
perfect beauty and loneliness is es-
pecially striking.
This spot once as unsightly and I'M
attractive as its surroundings, has
grown into loneliness under his hand;
and yet the operations that have pro-
duced this pleasing effect are scarcely
apparent. The we'll trimmed hedge,
the shade trees neatly trimmed and
carefully pruned, the brilliant green
of the grass plot before the door, the
little flower beds bordering the walks.
the wood bine trained up against the
wall and hanging it's blossoms about
the lattice, all bespeak the influence
of taste and a master hand.