HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 235 



time to mend them at once; then before we 

 know it cattle and pigs/ have strayed into the 

 growing crops. Minutes would have fixed the 

 gates ; but now we've lost the labor of hours. 



We ought to have had a small blacksmithing 

 shop on the farm long ago ; but we've put that 

 off. Trips to town for repairs have cost ten 

 times as much as it would have cost to build 

 and equip the shop; and we could have saved 

 many a tool that has gone into the discard. 



It does beat the world how many losses of 

 that sort a farmer can count up when he really 

 puts his mind to it. I've had myself in train- 

 ing this year, making a tour of the place every 

 once in a while and noting holes in our scheme, 

 through which money is getting away from us. 

 It's been mighty good discipline, though I'll 

 own it's disconcerting to find so many things 

 that have been overlooked before. 



Some of these things are justified. We 

 haven't had time or money enough for bring- 

 ing every part of the farm up to good form. 

 Our forty acres of timber, with its abundant 

 water, ought to be well fenced and seeded to 

 grass and clover. We'd make money on that; 

 but we haven't yet been able to attend to it. 

 We ought to improve our water supply in the 



