418 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



Connecticut Farming — Reverse of the Picture.^ 



[New York Aynerican Agriculturist, 9:266-67; Sep., 1850] 



[August ?, 1850] 



Having been pent up in the close atmosphere of the 

 city for some weeks, after my return from my south- 

 ern tour, I felt as though the sight of something green, 

 besides the scanty grass in the park, or doubtful hue of 

 the trees, would be soothing to a spirit that loves the 

 green hills and sweet air of the country, I started off in 

 pursuit of such a scene. It so chanced I took the New- 

 Haven Railroad. As we passed Norwalk, I thought of the. 

 farm of Mr. Stevens,'- of which you published a notice in 

 April, and would gladly have called to look at his im- 

 provements, if I had known he was at home. However, I 

 concluded to defer that, and rolled onward, noting that 

 even Connecticut farmers are becoming sensible that the 

 rocky hills and gravelly knolls may be made more produc- 

 tive, by a more judicious system of cultivation. 



As we approached the busy, bustling, beautiful little 

 city of Bridgeport, I discovered about a mile off to the 

 left, a singular-looking structure which a friend informed 

 me was a Coyinecticut farm house, as it was the residence 

 of Farmer Barnum. I determined at once to make him a 

 visit. No doubt many of your readers, as they have 

 caught a glimpse of this most remarkable edifice, as it 

 shows its head, or rather heads, among the trees upon the 

 plain, back of the town, have wondered what prince, or 

 eastern nabob, had come here to the land of steady habits, 



^ The editors prefaced Robinson's article as follows : "It will be 

 recollected that we published some letters of Mr. Robinson, last 

 fall, which gave slight offence, because, as was alledged, he selected 

 an extreme case or two of negligence and bad farming to be found, 

 and exposed them to the public gaze. We are certain his object 

 was only to awaken a spirit of improvement among the cultivators 

 of his native state, and not to ridicule, nor find fault with things 

 as he found them. We now give another letter of his, in which a 

 brighter shade is given to the picture." 



* The farm of L. M. Stevens is described in the American Agri- 

 culturist, 9:123 (April, 1850). 



