But during 1870 a series of humorous articles appeared in the Hartford Courant, detailing his experiences in the cultivation of a garden.  Warner had become the owner of a small place then almost on the outskirts of the city.  With the dwelling-house went the possession of three acres of land.  The opportunity thus presented itself of turning into a blessing the primeval curse of tilling the soil, in this instance not with a hoe, but with a pen.  These articles detailing his experiences excited so much amusement and so much admiration that a general desire was manifested that they should receive a more permanent life than that accorded to articles appearing in the columns of newspapers, and should reach a circle larger than that to be found in the society of the Connecticut capital.  Warner’s previous experience had not disposed him to try his fortunes with the members of the publishing fraternity.  In fact he did not lay so much stress upon the articles as did his readers and friends.  He always insisted that he had previously written other articles which in his eyes certainly were just as good as they, if not better.

It so chanced that about this time Henry Ward Beecher came to Hartford to visit his sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Warner was invited to meet him.  In the course of the conversation the articles just mentioned were referred to by some one of those present.  Beecher’s curiosity was aroused and he expressed a desire to see them.  To him they were accordingly sent for perusal.  No sooner had he run through them than he recognized in them the presence of a rare and delicate humor which struck a distinctly new note in American literature.  It was something he felt which should not be confined to the knowledge of any limited circle.  He wrote at once to the publisher James T. Fields, urging the production of these articles in book form.  Beecher’s recommendation in those days was sufficient to insure the acceptance of any book by any publisher.  Mr. Fields agreed to bring out the work, provided the great preacher would prefix an introduction.  This he promised to do and did; though in place of the somewhat more formal piece he was asked to write, he sent what he called an introductory letter.

The series of papers published under the title of “My Summer in a Garden” came out at the very end of 1870, with the date of 1871 on the title-page.  The volume met with instantaneous success.  It was the subject of comment and conversation everywhere and passed rapidly through several editions.  There was a general feeling that a new writer had suddenly appeared, with a wit and wisdom peculiarly his own, precisely like which nothing had previously existed in our literature.  To the later editions of the work was added an account of a cat which had been presented to the author by the Stowes.  For that reason it was given from the Christian name of the husband of the novelist the title of Calvin.  To this John was sometimes prefixed, as betokening from the purely