ow are, to stimulate the fruit buds
and to retard activity in the roots until the danger from late frosts is
past. As a result of this kind of treatment, many varieties of apple
trees will give moderate crops when the roots are seven, and the trunks
are six years old. Fruit buds showed in abundance on many of my trees in
the fall of 1897, especially on the Duchess and the Yellow Transparent,
and I looked for a small apple harvest that year.

CHAPTER LV

THE OLD TIME FARM-HAND

With all my industries thus increasing, the necessity for more help
became imperative. French and Judson had their hands more than full in
the dairy barns, and had to be helped out by Thompson. Anderson could
not give the swine all the attention they needed, and was assisted by
Otto, who proved an excellent swineherd. Sam had the aid of Lars's boys
with the poultry, and very efficient aid it was, considering the time
they could give to it. They had to be off with the market wagon at 7.40,
and did not return from school until 4 P.M. Lars was busy in the
carriage barn; and though we spared him as much as possible from
driving, he had to be helped out by Johnson at such times as the latter
could spare from his greenhouse and hotbeds. Zeb took care of the farm
teams; but the winter's work of distributing forage and grain, getting
up wood and ice, hauling manure, and so forth, had to be done in a
desultory and irregular manner. The spring work would find us wofully
behindhand if I did not look sharp. I had been looking sharp since
January set in, and had experienced, for the first time, real
difficulties in finding anything like good help. Hitherto I had been
especially fortunate in this regard. I had met some reverses, but in the
main good luck had followed me. I had nine good men who seemed contented
and who were all saving money,--an excellent sign of stability and
contentment. Even Lars had not fallen from grace but once, and that
could hardly be charged against him, for Jack and Jarvis had tempted him
beyond resistance; while Sam's nose was quite blanched, and he was to
all appearances firmly seated on the water wagon. Really, I did not know
what labor troubles meant until 1898, but since then I have not had
clear sailing.

From my previous experience with working-men, I had formed the opinion
that they were reasoning and reasonable human beings,--with
peculiarities, of course; and that as a class they were ready to give
good service