ing his team, and the other discharged himself at the week's end, to
continue his tramp. Once more I resorted to the city papers. This time I
was more fortunate, for I found a young Swede, square-built and
blond-headed, who said he had worked on his father's farm in the old
country, and had left it because it was too small for the five boys.
Otto was slow of speech and of motion, but he said he could work, and I
hired him. The other man whom I sent to the farm at the same time proved
of no use whatever. He stayed four days, and was dismissed for
innocuous desuetude. Still another man whom I tried did well for five
weeks, and then broke out in a most profound spree, from which he could
not be weaned. He ended up by an assault on Otto in the stable yard. The
Swede was taken by surprise, and was handsomely bowled over by the first
onslaught of his half-drunk, half-crazed antagonist. As soon, however,
as his slow mind took in the fact that he was being pounded, he gathered
his forces, and, with a grunt for a war-cry, rolled his enemy under him,
sat upon his stomach, and, flat-handed, slapped his face until he
shouted for aid. The man left the farm at once, and I commended the
Swede for having used the flat of his hand.

In spite of bad luck with the new men we were able to plough and seed
144 acres by May 10. Lots Nos. 8, 12, 13, and 14 were planted to corn,
and No. 15 sowed to oats, and the 10 acres on the home lot were divided
between sweet fodder corn, potatoes, and cabbage. The abundant water in
the soil gave the crops a fair start, and June proved an excellent
growing month, a rainfall of nearly four inches putting them beyond
danger from the short water supply of July and August. Indeed, had it
not been for the generosity of June we should have been in a bad way,
for the next three months gave a scant four inches of rain.

The oats made a good growth, though the straw was rather short, and the
corn did very well indeed,--due largely to thorough cultivation. Twelve
acres of oats were cut for forage, and the rest yielded 33 bushels to
the acre,--a little over 1300 bushels.

The alfalfa and timothy made a good start. From the former we cut, late
in June, 21/4 tons to the acre, and from the timothy, in July, 21/2
tons,--50 tons of timothy and 45 of alfalfa. Each of these fields
received the usual top-dressing after the crop was cut; but the timothy
did not respond,--the late season was too dry. We cut two more crops
fro