CHAPTER LXVII 



LOOKING FORWABD 



I AM not so opinionated as to think that mine 

 is the only method of farming. On the contrary, 

 I know that it is only one of several good methods ; 

 but that it is a good one, I insist. For a well-to-do, 

 middle-aged man who was obliged to give up his 

 profession, it offered change, recreation, employ- 

 ment, and profit. My ability to earn money by 

 my profession ceased in 1895, and I must needs 

 live at ease on my income, or adopt some con- 

 genial and remunerative employment, if such could 

 be found. The vision of a factory farm had flitted 

 through my brain so often that I was glad of the 

 opportunity to test my theories by putting them 

 into practice. Fortunately I had money, x and to 

 spare ; for I had but a vague idea of \v~hat money 

 would be needed to carry my experiment to the 

 point of self-support. I set aside $60,000 as 

 ample, but I spent nearly twice that amount 

 without blinking. It is quite likely that I could 

 have secured as good and as prompt returns with 

 two-thirds of this expenditure. I plead guilty 

 to thirty-three per cent lack of economy ; the ex- 

 tenuating circumstances were, a wish to let the 



