8 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
is so much to be done before even a small per- 
centage of our six millions of farmers begin to 
realize their opportunities, that even the weakest 
effort in this direction may be of use. This is 
my only excuse for going minutely into the de- 
tails of my experiment in the cultivation of land. 
The plain and circumstantial narrative of how 
Four Oaks grew, in seven years, from a poor, ill- 
paying, sadly neglected farm, into a beautiful 
home and a profitable investment, must simply 
stand for what it is worth. It may give useful 
hints, to be followed on a smaller or a larger 
scale, or it may arouse criticisms which will work 
for good, both to the critic and to the author. 
I do not claim experience, excepting the most 
limited; I do not claim originality, except that 
most of this work was new to me; I do not claim 
hardships or difficulties, for I had none; but I do 
claim that I made good, that I arrived, that my 
experiment was physically and financially a suc- 
cess, and, as such, I am proud of it, and wish to 
give it to the world. 
I was fifty-three years old when I began this 
experiment, and I was obliged to do quickly 
whatever I intended to do. I could devote any 
part of $60,000 to the experiment without in- 
convenience. My desire was to test the capa- 
city of ordinary farm land, when properly treated, 
to support an average family in luxury, paying 
good wages to more than the usual number of 
people, keeping open house for many friends, 
