The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-04-16

7 UST about twenty-five years ago bought
a fcw sheep. and shortly after took Horace
Grcolcys advice and went west with them
I md about 125 OF them. 1 remember: also
two COWS. fow swarms OF bees and lot
OF Brown Loghorn hons These wero all
small things calling for small investment
but. you SEQ. they wcrc all productive. IL IS
the unproductvc things-things that arc
neither growing nor producing-that drag
down fellow who is trying TO pay lor
piece OF land.
went from Waup1ca county, Wisconsin.
10 whcro ] now live in Dakota and at the
samc time another Wisconsin man landed
In tho same ncighborhood. This man did
not bring any hens but lac unloaded four old
horses, thrcshing machine and a binder
When tho sun went down on our ilrst day in
Dakota ] noticed that my cows were chewing
their cuds, made OF something they had
found going 10 waste: my sheep were fun OF
grass and weeds. gathered on the unbrokcn
prairie my bees had made tho acquaintance
Of many wild flowers, and my hens had gono
TO roost with full crops. containing mostly
buge, worms and weed seeds that otherwise
would have done harm instead OF good but
the old binder which my nciChbor had
brought with him had not made IA movo OF
any kind; neither had the thrcshing machine,
and the horses were eating oats which their
owner had to pay 10 cents bushcl for. DO
not understand mo as saving that old horses
and old machinery have not n place in farm
economy; but l did nnd that. while begin
ming, the less unproductiyo property OF this
kind kept around me tho better
For three years / did not own team
kept the little money / had In chickens. bees
and sheep. and gave two days work for n
team and man one day whenever ] needed
one Although / came from New England
originally l had run into debt for most of my
,1.b H, I.
sheep. whilc tho poultry's little job was TO
take care OF myself md family You know
down In Now England II "A man wishes 20
borrow 500 nc VIII consult all his ncighbors
about 1t, talk II over with his family for
weeks and lie awake nights thinking about It
for months-and then he won't borrow It;
but Let that same man take one snin OF
northwestern air and he VIII run into debt
Tor steam throshcr. a $4,000 stallion and
GO acres OF land without oven speaking TO
his wife about IL.
did not go into debt for all OF these
things. though. Tor [ have often said I hal
rather have ono good live. business hon to
start 10 make a living with than a steam
throsher-I know how TO run a hon and
don't know how TO run n threshcr Is one
reason Tor it-and again, tho right kind OF
hon VIII do whole lot Of business with
very little outlay for repairs.
Well. to mako long story short. tho
sheep paid for my land and put up the
gre0ter part OF my buildings. but all the time
they were doing It Tho hens fed and clothed
my faunly--yes hnd paid the taxes ON the
land md sheep There was much sickness
II my family during those curly years. With
many seasons OF d'scouragluS drought and
blight, and do not believe that without the
help OF my poultry / should be the owner to-
day Of what I think Is one OF the best farm
homes IN the two Dakotas.
For years I kept a strict account OF what
my hens did ! had to keep accounts in those
days: / could not afford to make mistakes:
l had to make money and found that with
the right kind OF hens. properly handled. l
could clear about 81 head above cost.
These accounts were carefully kent you un-
dcrstand, for when ! began l had SO little
that TO break an cgE was a pretty serious
matter. and II l tumblod down and broke q
dozen or so going to town 1 broke the news