Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasure, by John Thomas Simpson

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Title: Hidden Treasure
Author: John Thomas Simpson
Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5870] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on September 15, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIDDEN TREASURE ***

Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

HIDDEN TREASURE
THE STORY OF A CHORE BOY WHO MADE THE OLD FARM PAY
BY
JOHN THOMAS SIMPSON
COLORED FRONTISPIECE BY E.H. SUYDAM AND 16 ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
1919

PREFACE
A few years ago the author visited the farm in Western Pennsylvania on which he had lived for a number of years when a boy. Much to his surprise there was not a boy of his acquaintance still on the neighboring farms, many of which had passed into other hands, and in some cases even the names of the original owners had been forgotten.
He bumped over the two short miles of road, still deep with mud, between the town and the farm, and could scarcely recognize in the weedy fields before him, with their broken-down fences partly concealed by undergrowth, the fertile acres of his boyhood.
The orchard, once kept so neatly pruned, was now with trees that were gnarled and broken--while rich bottom land, so productive in years past, was foul with all manner of rank growth. The lane leading up to the house from the main road was in such bad repair that he had to leave his automobile on the main road and complete his journey on foot.
Investigation showed that many of the farms in the neighborhood were in a similar rundown condition; that farm work was generally considered unprofitable or uncongenial; and that the boys and girls born in the country usually took the first opportunity to leave the farms, often for harder and less profitable work in the cities.
In the hope that many boys and girls now living on farms, as well as others, who, if they knew of the advantages of labor-saving machinery and modern farm buildings (to say nothing of the interest of outdoor work), would take up this, the most profitable and independent of all occupations--FARMING--this story of Hidden Treasure is written.
THE AUTHOR FEBRUARY, 1919

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author begs to acknowledge his indebtedness for valuable information to:
A.A. Drew, Superintendent of Agencies, of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, Newark, New Jersey, for Constructive Banking and Life Insurance.
Bucyrus Company, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for Trenching with Steam Shovels.
Waterloo Cement Machinery Company, Waterloo, Iowa, for Concrete Mixing Machines.
Hercules Powder Company, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, for Progressive Cultivation and Trench Digging by Dynamite.
International Harvester Company of America, Chicago, Illinois, for Tractors and Farm Machinery.
George M. Wright, owner of Indian Hill Farm, Worcester, Massachusetts, for Holstein Cattle, Dairy Methods and Poultry Raising.
John W. Odlin, Publicity Department, Wright Wire Company, Worcester, Massachusetts, Wire Fencing.
C.P. Dadant, Editor American Bee Journal, Hamilton, Illinois, Bee Culture.
The Sharpies Separator Company, West Chester, Pennsylvania, for Milking Machines and Cream Separators.
D. & A. Post Mold Company, Three Rivers, Michigan, for Concrete Fence Posts.
A.A. Simpson, Indiana, Pennsylvania, for much data regarding crop production and market values in that vicinity.
The Domestic Engineering Company, Dayton, Ohio, for Electric Light and Power for Farms.
The Portland Cement Association, Chicago, Illinois, for Concrete Buildings and Road Construction.
United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., for Farmers' Bulletins covering the great range of subjects referred to throughout the story.
The Country Gentleman, Philadelphia, Pa., for much helpful data on general farming and stock raising.
K.C. Davis, Knapp School of Country Life, Nashville, Tenn., for a final reading of the proof sheets.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
THE OLD HOMESTEAD
II. A DAY'S WORK
III. A RAINY DAY
IV. DRAINING THE POND
V. SELLING TURTLES
VI. SELLING SAND
VII. THE NEW AUNT
VIII. THE SALE
IX. POWER AND BANKING
X. RUNNING WATER
XI. TONY
XII. THE DAIRY HOUSE
XIII. VISITORS
XIV. RUTH AND THE STRAW STACK
XV. NEW METHODS
XVI. RUTH AND JERRY
XVII. FILLING THE INCUBATOR
XVIII. THE NEW IMPLEMENTS
XIX. THE STORM
XX. GOOD ROADS
XXI. FILLING THE SILO
XXII. THE FAIR
XXIII. CHRISTMAS AT BROOKSIDE FARM
XXIV. COST ACCOUNTING

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Afternoon was Spent Examining the Buildings and