10 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



much more money than was really necessary on 

 the place, and in the ornamentation of Four Oaks. 

 This, however, was part of the experiment. I 

 asked the land not only to supply immediate 

 necessities, but to minister to my every want, 

 to gratify the eye, and please the senses by a 

 harmonious fusion of utility and beauty. I 

 wanted a fine country home and a profitable 

 investment within the same ring fence. 



Will you follow me through the search for the 

 land, the purchase, and the tremendous house- 

 cleaning of the first year ? After that we will 

 take up the years as they come, finding something 

 of special interest attaching naturally to each. 

 I shall have to deal much with figures and sta- 

 tistics, in a small way, and my pages may look 

 like a school book, but I cannot avoid this, for 

 in these figures and statistics lies the practical 

 lesson. Theory alone is of no value. Practical 

 application of the theory is the test. I am not 

 imaginative. I could not write a romance if I 

 tried. My strength lies in special detail, and I 

 am willing to spend a lot of time in working 

 out a problem. I do not claim to have spent 

 this time and money without making serious 

 mistakes ; I have made many, and I am willing 

 to admit them, as you will see in the following 

 pages. I do claim, however, that, in spite of 

 mistakes, I have solved the problem, and have 

 proved that an intelligent farmer can live in 

 luxury on the fat of the land. 



