Produced by Bill Tozier, Barbara Tozier, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net THE FAT OF THE LAND [Illustration] THE FAT OF THE LAND The Story of an American Farm BY JOHN WILLIAMS STREETER New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1904 _All rights reserved_ copyright, 1904. by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up, electrotyped, and published February, 1904. Reprinted March, April, May, 1904. Norwood Press J.S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. To POLLY CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. MY EXCUSE 3 II. THE HUNTING OF THE LAND 11 III. THE FIRST VISIT TO THE FARM 14 IV. THE HIRED MAN 25 V. BORING FOR WATER 31 VI. WE TAKE POSSESSION 36 VII. THE HORSE-AND-BUGGY MAN 45 VIII. WE PLAT THE FARM 49 IX. HOUSE-CLEANING 54 X. FENCED IN 61 XI. THE BUILDING LINE 67 XII. CARPENTERS QUIT WORK 70 XIII. PLANNING FOR THE TREES 78 XIV. PLANTING OF THE TREES 88 XV. POLLY'S JUDGMENT HALL 94 XVI. WINTER WORK 101 XVII. WHAT SHALL WE ASK OF THE HEN? 103 XVIII. WHITE WYANDOTTES 110 XIX. FRIED PORK 116 XX. A RATION FOR PRODUCT 121 XXI. THE RAZORBACK 126 XXII. THE OLD ORCHARD 135 XXIII. THE FIRST HATCH 138 XXIV. THE HOLSTEIN MILK MACHINE 144 XXV. THE DAIRYMAID 150 XXVI. LITTLE PIGS 155 XXVII. WORK ON THE HOME FORTY 158 XXVIII. DISCOUNTING THE MARKET 164 XXIX. FROM CITY TO COUNTRY 169 XXX. AUTUMN RECKONING 174 XXXI. THE CHILDREN 178 XXXII. THE HOME-COMING 183 XXXIII. CHRISTMAS EVE 189 XXXIV. CHRISTMAS 194 XXXV. WE CLOSE THE BOOKS FOR '96 199 XXXVI. OUR FRIENDS 202 XXXVII. THE HEADMAN'S JOB 210 XXXVIII. SPRING OF '97 217 XXXIX. THE YOUNG ORCHARD 225 XL. THE TIMOTHY HARVEST 230 XLI. STRIKE AT GORDON'S MINE 236 XLII. THE RIOT 250 XLIII. THE RESULT 260 XLIV. DEEP WATERS 268 XLV. DOGS AND HORSES 274 XLVI. THE SKIM-MILK TRUST 282 XLVII. NABOTH'S VINEYARD 285 XLVIII. MAIDS AND MALLARDS 294 XLIX. THE SUNKEN GARDEN 298 L. THE HEADMAN GENERALIZES 303 LI. THE GRAND-GIRLS 308 LII. THE THIRD RECKONING 313 LIII. THE MILK MACHINE 317 LIV. BACON AND EGGS 328 LV. THE OLD TIME FARM-HAND 337 LVI. THE SYNDICATE 342 LVII. THE DEATH OF SIR TOM 346 LVIII. BACTERIA 352 LIX. MATCH-MAKING 355 LX. "I TOLD YOU SO" 362 LXI. THE BELGIAN FARMER 367 LXII. HOME-COMING 375 LXIII. AN HUNDRED FOLD 378 LXIV. COMFORT ME WITH APPLES 383 LXV. THE END OF THE THIRD YEAR 388 LXVI. LOOKING BACKWARD 394 LXVII. LOOKING FORWARD 402 THE FAT OF THE LAND CHAPTER I MY EXCUSE