working together to
dig the field. Wherever they found rich earth they threw it up to take
the place of the fallow. But their work was not enough. The field must
be planted, as well as dug and enriched and cleaned, before it could
grow. So the field called again to Mother Nature, and Mother Nature
spoke to her children in feathers and soft coats.

"Birds and Four-Footed Children in soft coats," she said, "will you
bring seeds and scatter them over the field? The four winds have swept
it clean, and the trees have given their leaves to make it rich. The
earth worms have dug the field, but it must be planted before it can
grow."

Then the birds brought all kinds of seeds in their feathers, and the
squirrels and the chipmunks and the sheep and the cattle passing
through brought seeds in their soft coats and scattered them over the
field. But this was not enough. The field must be nourished as well as
planted, and dug, and enriched, and cleaned before it could grow. So
the field called again to Mother Nature, and Mother Nature spoke to
the sky.

"Sky," she said, "will you send rain and sun to the fields? The four
winds have swept it clean, and the trees have given their leaves to
make it rich. The earth worms have dug the field, and my children in
feathers and soft coats have planted it, but it must be nourished
before it can grow."

So the sky sent down spring rains and golden sunshine to the field,
and the field's great wish began to come true. Where there had been
only rough clods and between the heavy stones the field began to grow.
The seeds of green grass, and of bright flowers, and of many different
kinds of grain sprouted and pushed up through the earth. An apple seed
sent up a shoot that would be an apple tree some day. An acorn sent up
a tiny oak tree that would grow and grow until it was large enough to
be cut for the beams of a house or the sides of a ship. But that was
not enough. The field must be tended as well as nourished, and
planted, and dug, and enriched, and cleaned before its great wish
could really come true. So the field called for the last time to
Mother Nature, and Mother Nature spoke to her humble child, the toad.

"Toad," she said, "will you tend the field? The four winds have swept
it, and the trees have given their leaves to make it rich. The earth
worms have dug the field, and my children in feathers and soft coats
have planted it. The sky has sent rain and sun to nourish it, but it
must