THE HUNTING OF THE LAND
The location of the farm for this experiment was of the utmost
importance. The land must be within reasonable distance of the city and
near a railroad, consequently within easy touch of the market; and if
possible it must be near a thriving village, to insure good train
service. As to size, I was somewhat uncertain; my minimum limit was 150
acres and 400 the maximum. The land must be fertile, or capable of being
made so.
I advertised for a farm of from two hundred to four hundred acres,
within thirty-five miles of town, and convenient to a good line of
transportation. Fifty-seven replies came, of which forty-six were
impossible, eleven worth a second reading, and five worth investigating.
My third trip carried me thirty miles southwest of the city, to a
village almost wholly made up of wealthy people who did business in
town, and who had their permanent or their summer homes in this village.
There were probably twenty-seven or twenty-eight hundred people in the
village, most of whom owned estates of from one to thirty acres,
varying in value from $10,000 to $100,000. These seemed ideal
surroundings. The farm was a trifle more than two miles from the
station, and 320 acres in extent. It lay to the west of a
north-and-south road, abutting on this road for half a mile, while on
the south it was bordered for a mile by a gravelled road, and the west
line was an ordinary country road. The lay of the land in general was a
gentle slope to the west and south from a rather high knoll, the highest
point of which was in the north half of the southeast forty. The land
stretched away to the west, gradually sloping to its lowest point, which
was about two-thirds of the distance to the western boundary. A
straggling brook at its lowest point was more or less rampant in
springtime, though during July and August it contained but little water.
Westward from the brook the land sloped gradually upward, terminating in
a forest of forty to fifty acres. This forest was in good condition. The
trees were mostly varieties of oak and hickory, with a scattering of
wild cherry, a few maples, both hard and soft, and some lindens. It was
much overgrown with underbrush, weeds, and wild flowers. The land was
generally good, especially the lower parts of it. The soil of the higher
ground was thin, but it lay on top of a friable clay which is fertile
when properly worked and enriched.
The farm belonged to an unsettled estate, and was much run down, as
little had been done to improve its fertility, and much to deplete it.
There were two sets of buildings, including a house of goodly
proportions, a cottage of no particular value, and some dilapidated
barns. The property could be bought at a bargain. It had been held at
$100 an acre; but as the estate was in process of settlement, and there
was an urgent desire to force a sale, I finally secured it for $71 per
acre. The two renters on the farm still had six months of occupancy
before their leases expired. They were willing to resign their leases if
I would pay a reasonable sum for the standing crops and their stock and
equipments.
The crops comprised about forty acres of corn, fifty acres of oats, and
five acres of potatoes. The stock was composed of two herds of cows
(seven in one and nine in the other), eleven spring calves, about forty
hogs, and the usual assortment of domestic fowls. The equipment of the
farm in machinery and tools was meagre to the last degree. I offered the
renters $700 and $600, respectively, for their leasehold and other
property. This was more than their value, but I wanted to take
possession at once.