RURAL LIFE IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY 



naturally well supplied with moisture, and consisted of 

 a hard clay loam soil rather difficult to plow but well 

 adapted to grass and clover. In keeping these meadows 

 productive Mr. Gold adopted the plan of liberal top- 

 dressing with stable manure and the sowing of clover 

 seed, either every year or every second year early in the 

 spring, when it would get a start without being incor- 

 porated with the soil. While the yields of hay obtained 

 under this system were not especially heavy, they were 

 always good and the labor economy of the system made 

 the cost of hay less than on many farms that produced 

 much more to the acre, but at the same time required 

 reseeding every few years. 



While Mr. Gold was interested in diversified farm- 

 ing, his most prominent work was in fruit culture, 

 mainly apple orcharding. From the earliest days of 

 the introduction of new fruits, he was interested in 

 testing and growing whatever would add to the comfort 

 and health of the family. In fact, this was true of all 

 lines of products. I never visited a farm home where 

 more of the food products of the table were supplied 

 from the farm, and always in great variety. For exam- 

 ple, one would not look for hot-house grapes of the 

 European varieties in Connecticut except on a few pri- 

 vate estates of men of considerable wealth, and yet, 

 more than sixty years ago, Mr. Gold grew these for 

 home consumption. So with pears, peaches, plums, 



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