HEDGES AND SHEDS — METHOD. 307 



the barn, stables, cribs, hog pens, and feed lots. These are far 

 enough from the dwelling to prevent our being annoyed or 

 bothered v/itli the filth and stench incident to the barn yard. 



HEDGES/ 



The hedges are mostly from four to eight years old. The'y 

 are kept neatly trimmed, and Avbven down, so as to make them 

 hog tight. The hedges along the road, which is sixty feet 

 wide, have ten feet of dirt thrown up to them from the road. 

 Between this ten feet of dirt and the road proper, are ditches 

 on each side that drain the road. Between this ditch and the 

 hedge there is a row of forest trees planted on each side, 

 just one rod apart. Along the hedges through the fields, the 

 dirt is tlirown up to the hedge again, making good turning- 

 rows and wagon roads all around the fields. Around the 

 hedges the weeds are kept down by constant mowing. 



SHEDS. 



Sheds are prepared annually for all kinds of stock that 

 we are able yet to Winter. We find it is much cheaper to 

 have good shelter than to feed an extra amount of grain. Our 

 hogs are fed on wooden floors, and in close pens, off the 

 ground. Enough feed can be saved every year in fattening 

 a lot of hogs, to build the pens that hold them. 



METHODS. 



Our method is to do the work amongst ourselves, with as' 

 little hired labor as possible. We never attempt to raise any 

 more of any one product than we can properly handle and save 

 without waste. If we make more of a specialty of one crop' 

 than any other, it is wheat. We make it a rule to hurry our 

 work, but never allow our work to hurry us. I have never yet 

 found any thing that would pay if turned off in a slovenly 

 fashion. What is worth doing is always worth doing well. T 

 never venture into wild speculations. When I find that any 

 particular crop will not pay expenses, I drop it. I have never 

 adopted a rotation of crops yet, but think I will after th.e soil 



