Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-22
What Blanche Bates KNOWS About Farming

It's all part, too, of a Embarrassing
dream L have.
In order to improve the impoverished
soil we have planted it to wheat rye,
cabbage and other crops, which have
usually paid for themselves, though
planted only as means to an END
The marsh 1 am reclaiming, though
thus far it has proved to be a morass
into which money disappears maglcally'
Most of the old orchard have con-
verted into good firewood and am now
blowing out the stumps with dyna-
mite.
The farm is a little shy of good
trees, cedars being its chief boast IN
that line; so 1 am planting ten shade
trees each year. That 1 have Hover
garden goes without aging.
My first venture in live stock was
horses, but that proved to. much OF
a good thing and 1 converted most OF
them into income the first two years.
1 now have only a few for farm work
and driving, including my Under Two
Flags" pony and one of Homer DaV-
enport's Arab stock.
My other live stock at present con-
sists of six cows-Guernseys and Jer-
seYs-And a thoroughbred bull; SIX
Dorset ewes and ram; plenty OF
chickens; several ducks, including
IldlldTuS anu 0Oulll AL lNoAAeJ
are the best eating in the world; six
dogs Q had sixteen), few pigs and
a Persian cat. So 1 have my own veal,
my own ham, my own sausages, my
own table poultry, eggs, cream, milk,
cheese, vegetables, berries, apples and
tho finest wild grape jelly you ever
tasted. Can you beat that at Sherry's?
I plan to raise one calf every two
months from each of my six COWS in
a,ro eri1Ti inn mil
all the time. This is more tina n
enough for my needs and the calves
are a source of profit.
My sheep are profitable, too. Last
year I bought six sheep for $36. From
them l sold wool to the amount of
$1150, and five lambs for $50. This
shows a gross profit of $3.50, for the
sheep required very little care and
were pastured on land that would sup
port practically nothing else, animal
or vegetable.
A farm like this is not great bur-
den if you can find a competent man
ager. l have a farmer (who has also
developed into an enthusiastic chauf-
feur and an excellent mechanic) and
one assistant (who serves at times as
coachman). Besides my house ser-
wants, these are all have. In the hay
ing season and at other busy times we
hire extra help by the day
There is no montony on the farm,
and in the morning mot very early
morning, | admiD l find that the
troubles of the night before have most
Iy vanished. I call the dogs and walk
out hatless, over my dear stony nils
and meadows. I discover the adder's
tongues or violets just bursting into
bloom, or the bluebirds are really
building here! Monotony? They have
Just plowed the potato field, and the
soil lies brown and moist in the sun
shine. or it is suddenly apple-blossom
| time, or the strawberries are ripe, or
there are six little new piggtes in the
pen, or the corn is up-or maybe 1t IS
the first brilliant splash of scarlet and
gold on a soft maple by the roadside.
| And always there is the glad greeting
of dogs and horses that love meZ1yes,
and cows and ducks, too. Maybe
shrewd old Ira Bailey got the better of
me in the bargain, but l m glad |
bought this farm.-Blanches Bales Ill
| Country Life in America