PREFACE. XXI 



advance, and from their sale and that of 

 his own produce, realized a clear profit of 

 $2,000. This made him again a free man, 

 and he has kept so ever since. 



It has already been stated that his 

 present knowledge has been obtained after 

 many unfortunate failures. As a case in 

 point, he mentions the fact that he once 

 hired the cellars of three large grain ware- 

 houses, at a rent of about $200, with a 

 view to storing his celery throughout 

 winter. He carefully carried the plants 

 a full mile from his farm to the cellars, 

 carted in his dirt, and counted upon his 

 prospective profits to meet certain heavy 

 expenses. Alas for his calculation! the 

 whole crop, which should have netted him 

 over $2,000, was a dead loss, and he had 

 to cart his dirt "to the place whence it 



