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The Fat of the Land: The Story of an American Farm
Paperback
Biographies GeneralAgricultureRegional: Middle Atlantic
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Publisher: Toridreams
Pages: 314
Weight: 0.93
Height: 0.66 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
THE HUNTING OF THE LAND
T
he 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 rail-
road, 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 some-
what 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 sta-
3 JOHN WILLIAMS STREETER
tion, 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 en-
riched.
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
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