The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-07-23

Thirty years ago. at the time his
health failed, Bob Seeds had been in
the transfer and retail and wholesale
business In Tyrone, Pa. for number
Of years, spending most of his time In
his office The local family physician
sent him to Philadelphia specialist,
who kindly advised him to 90 home
and arrange his affairs, for he was
about TO die But" says Bob, when
Mrs. Seeds began talking about what
she and her second husband expected
to do | made up my mind would not
die and bought an abandoned farm two
and onc-half miles from town.
"The old place had been abandoned
FOR seven years and business men who
knew me called me a fool. saying. II
! you wanted to farm why didn't you go
and buy good place.
The roofs were letting in the rain,
bricks were falling from the tops Of
the ehinneys. the gates had no hinges,
burdorks grew as tall as man all
around the buildings, stones Uttered
the fields. Mrs. Seeds cried when she
moved into the old farmhouse.
"She would cry Just as much II we
were to leave the old place now" says
, Bob Although an invalid. Bob Seeds
| coz hip,.olF 90 ,,r,ri. piot fuO ginnoc off
| the fields. filing holes and low places
around the buildings with them. His
neighbors laughed. But Bob kept on,
a picture Of his finished farm always
In his mind. He was the first farmer
In PENNSYLVANIA to raise alfalfa. lie
bought Holstein granddaughter OF
King of pontiacs. a $4,000 sire. and
a grandson OF King Segis with which
to start dairy herd-on farm aban-
doncd seven years His hogs are pure
bred Durocs. and they live In the
finest hog mansion bctween New York
and Pittsburgh Bob spent sixty days
building that mansion and when he
was through started out on n lecture
tour billed to talk on THE Influence
OF Home" but switched during the
course of his first lecture TO '"rhe In
fluel.cc OF the IIogpen."
The chickens ON his farm are pure
White Ieghorns, the barn is new and
clean and has concrete floors: the
spring house. or milk house. is fitted
...:,i, ,orornto trntfeb. tho old 90 RIM
house is rebuilt with wide Colonia
porch and fine lawn. with fifty grape
vines bordering II. He has built bird
houses In his trees and owns fnt
Scotch collie dog In short Bob Seeds
is a successful farmer-on an abandon
Cd farm.
His boy runs the farm now. while
Bob lectures. for he has become ont
of those whose time Is always filed
lie started ont To spread the goot
news about the alfalfa aud pure blood
cd stock But the people who heart
him would not let him stop at that
They asked him back again and again
AMI cnch time he went hack mean
| something new to talk about. The re
rlt X that Bob has many lectures n
his tongues end. one of the best o
which Is "Thc Mistakes of Life Tx
posed" humorous rolllcklng accoun
of some Of his personal mistakes, trag
lc no doubt at the time hut TRANSLATED
through his own courageous attitude
into malnSprings of success.
He has leciurcd up and down tn
country in the fur west. the middle
west and the east Two years ago h
was guest of honor ut the American
Bankers association banquet In New
York. lie sat beside eX-PreSiden
Taft for dinner. And n little late
when he BEGAN to speak he made thos
bankers forget all their troubles a
they seldom had before. They wante,
him back for the next year, hut Bob
! time was taken for that date Penn
D sylyania state college wanted him 70
> the same time To speak at the annua
banquet. but his date book took hin
west.