12 WE FARM FOR A HOBBY 



the ten last years of his life. To a normal human 

 there could be no more repellent prospect than a 

 meatless existence. Back in 1932 the problem of 

 meat supply looked like the most difficult one we 

 should have to face. It was certainly the one of 

 which we knew least. It was the first one we 

 tackled, and we solved it satisfactorily. 



But we still buy meat from time to time. Not 

 because we should otherwise go meatless but be- 

 cause we fancy a kind or cut of meat not imme- 

 diately available on the farm. In putting Medlock 

 Farm on a production-for-sustenance basis we have 

 not bound ourselves to an ideological wheel. If 

 we were to carry out our program to immoderate 

 extremes we could make a better showing on 

 paper. There were two weeks last summer while 

 our daughters were away that, just to check up on 

 ourselves, Mrs. Tetlow and I lived on a total out- 

 lay of thirty-eight cents for two pounds of coffee. 

 Lest the too hasty skeptic assume we did so at the 

 expense of existing inventories let me add that 

 our food purchases for four weeks before and four 

 weeks after that fortnight were below average for 

 the year. Furthermore, we entertained two lots of 

 dinner guests and one week-end couple. No one 

 complained of the fare. But as a general proposi- 

 tion we are not out to establish new highs or all- 

 time lows. 



It is more fun to be not too damned efficient. 



