i 3 oTATo CULTURE: m 



thing more about friend Terry's system of farming, you will 

 find his other books noted and described on the cover a pleas- 

 ant sequel to this one. 



UNDERTAKING TO CABBY ON A GREAT MANY ENTER- 

 PRISES ALL AT ONCE. 



In several places in this book, friend Terry has earnestly 

 cautioned against this sort of thing. In fact, it is well known 

 that Terry advocates specialty farming, selecting one branch, 

 or perhaps, rather, one line of work, and doing that well. I 

 believe he also refers to myself as a man who is able to carry 

 on a good many kinds of business, having always plenty of 

 help that can be called on in an emergency. '1 his is true ; 

 but notwithstanding I am satisfied that Terry is right. I 

 have had, perhaps, as much experience as almost any other 

 one man in keeping a great number of industries going all at 

 one and the same time. I have all my life, however, found 

 that this is true : The kind of business that I give most of 

 my personal attention and supervision to always pays best; 

 and where I trust entirely, or almost entirely, to hired help, 

 the result is often loss instead of gain. Some people do car- 

 ry on two or even three farms at once. I have never tried it, 

 and I am sure I could not do it. I find by experience that it 

 is very hard for me to make any enterprise pay unless I can 

 look over the work, say every forenoon and every afternoon ; 

 and where several men are working together, I very much 

 prefer to look in upon them every hour. Where a man has 

 a good-sized family, say of grown-up sons who want some- 

 thing to do, the whole family can frequently manage so as 

 look after different enterprises with profit. If the father 

 grows potatoes, the sons can grow strawberries, take care of 

 bees, or any similar line ; and even the grown-up daughters 

 often manage bees and strawberries, and such other indus- 

 tries, very nicely. In fact, friend Terry has told us how his 

 daughters grew strawberries, and made money at it. When 

 selling the berries, however, the father's help seems to have 

 been a very necessary part in making the business pay. 



