t food for hens, hogs, and, in
limited quantities, for cows, and is much relished. When used dry, it is
always cut fine and mixed with ground grains. In this shape it is fed
liberally to hens and hogs, and also to milch cows; for the latter it
forms half of the cut-food ration.

While the crops are growing, we will find time to note the changes on
the home lot. Nearly in front of the farm-house, and fifty yards
distant, was a space well fitted for the kitchen garden. We marked off a
plat two hundred feet by three hundred, about one and a half acres,
carted a lot of manure on it, and ploughed it as deep as the subsoiler
would reach. This was done as soon as the frost permitted. We expected
this garden to supply vegetables and small fruits for the whole colony
at Four Oaks. An acre and a half can be made exceedingly productive if
properly managed.

Along the sides of this garden we planted two rows of currant and
gooseberry bushes, six feet between rows, and the plants four feet apart
in the rows. The ends of the plat were left open for convenience in
horse cultivation. Ten feet outside these rows of bush fruit was planted
a line of quince trees, thirty on each side, and twenty feet beyond
these a row of cherry trees, twenty in each row.

Near the west boundary of the home lot, and north of the lane that
enters it, I planted two acres of dwarf pear trees--Bartlett and
Duchess,--three hundred trees to the acre. I also planted six hundred
plum trees--Abundance, Wickson, and Gold--in the chicken runs on lot 4.
After May 1, when he was relieved from his farm duties, Johnson had
charge of the planting and also of the gardening, and he took up his
special work with energy and pleasure.

The drives on the home lot were slightly rounded with ploughs and
scraper, and then covered with gravel. The open slope intended for the
lawn was now to be treated. It comprised about ten acres, irregular in
form and surface, and would require a good deal of work to whip it into
shape. A lawn need not be perfectly graded,--in fact, natural
inequalities with dips and rises are much more attractive; but we had to
take out the asperities. We ploughed it thoroughly, removed all stumps
and stones, levelled and sloped it as much as pleased Polly, harrowed it
twice a week until late August, sowed it heavily to grass seed, rolled
it, and left it.

Polly had the house in her mind's eye. She held repeated conversations
with Nelson, and was as full o