10 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
much more money than was really necessary on 
the place, and in the ornamentation of Four Oaks. 
This, however, was part of the experiment. I 
asked the land not only to supply immediate 
necessities, but to minister to my every want, 
to gratify the eye, and please the senses by a 
harmonious fusion of utility and beauty. I 
wanted a fine country home and a profitable 
investment within the same ring fence. 
Will you follow me through the search for the 
land, the purchase, and the tremendous house- 
cleaning of the first year? After that we will 
take up the years as they come, finding something 
of special interest attaching naturally to each. 
I shall have to deal much with figures and sta- 
tistics, in a small way, and my pages may look 
like a school book, but I cannot avoid this, for 
in these figures and statistics lies the practical 
lesson. Theory alone is of no value. Practical 
application of the theory is the test. I am not 
imaginative. I could not write a romance if I 
tried. My strength lies in special detail, and I 
am willing to spend a lot of time in working 
out a problem. I do not claim to have spent 
this time and money without making serious 
mistakes; I have made many, and I am willing 
to admit them, as you will see in the following 
pages. I do claim, however, that, in spite of 
mistakes, I have solved the problem, and have 
proved that an intelligent farmer can live in 
luxury on the fat of the land, 
