Introductory. 7 



have to look all through the book to find what he wants to know 

 on any particular subject. In the first chapters you will find a 

 connected history of our starting out, after which the experience 

 in each line, from beginning to end, will be given by itself. 



The title of this book is OUR FARMING. You will notice 

 it is quite a broad subject. It gives us a chance to tell all about 

 our farming, not only our success in raising crops, but what the 

 real object of our farming has been. By the way, this reminds 

 me of an editorial in The Ohio Farmer ; written by Mr. M. E. Wil- 

 liams, in 1887. I will hunt it up and quote a few lines. 



''We visited Mr. T. B. Terry last week for the first time. 

 * * * It is of his home, however, that we wish to speak in 

 terms of strongest praise. It is elegantly and handsomely fur- 

 nished and every room as well as the surroundings speak of peace , 

 comfort, refinement and culture. One is impressed by the fact 

 that this the home is the real objective point of Mr. Terry's 

 efforts. He may feel a just pride in his successful farming, in his 

 fertile fields, his nice barn and convenient tool -house, but after all 

 they are only the necessary agents in building up and maintaining 

 a model home and contributing to the education and welfare of 

 the family." 



It does one good, friends, to have his efforts so thoroughly 

 understood at a glance by a visitor. Most kindly is he thanked 

 for these words, and with all my heart will I try to induce others 

 in the following pages to live as it seems to me is the only true 

 way. Right glad am I to be able to prove in advance by such a 

 cultured gentleman as Friend Williams that I practice what I 

 preach. I assure you that in every line treated on in this work I 

 will preach nothing but what I would practice, and very little that 

 I have not practiced. It is a good plan to " do a thing first and 

 tell of it afterwards," but I may be able to give some valuable 

 advice from the experiences of many good farmers that I have 

 met, that is a little out of my own line, and hence not put into 

 practice. 



In connection with the home I shall have to tell you, of 

 course, about the small fruit garden, the strawberries, raspberries, 

 currants, etc. I shall not only urge you to grow enough for your 

 own use of these delicious fruits, but tell you plainly and simply 

 just how to do it. If you wish to go into strawberries largely, 

 and want a complete and full work on the subject, send forty cents 

 to The Practical Farmer for The A, B, C of Strawberry Culture, 

 written by my friend, A. I. Root, and myself, and published by 

 the former. You can obtain likewise from The Practical Farmer, 

 at the same price, forty cents each, my books on Potato Culture and 

 Winter Care of Horses and Cattle, sent out by the same publisher. 

 The two latter were written some time ago, when filled with the 

 first enthusiasm of success. I shall, of course, draw largely on 

 the substance of what is in them for these pages, for which due 



