lourish so well are natives of this part of the
world, and grow wild. Those which we have planted are foreign to the
soil, and grow after the fashion to which they have been trained by
cultivation. Nature is a better gardener than man, but fruits of the
soil that she produces and which flourish so bravely are not suited to
our requirements."

"Oh, I see," said Ned thoughtfully. "But what about the millions of
insects? Why don't Nature's plants get blighted the same as ours do?"

"They are," replied the doctor; "only in the enormous space and amongst
the millions of trees spread about, we do not notice that a part of them
suffer. It is only in the plantations and orchards and gardens set
apart by man for growing things quite foreign to the soil, that the
damage is so plain. Nature never meant groves of oranges to flourish
here, or they would have existed--at least, so it seems to me. As it
is, we choose to settle down upon wild land that has been the home of
the insects which annoy us ever since the beginning of time, and plant
those foreign trees, so we must take our chance of their succeeding.
Who's that coming across the plantation?"

"Mr Wilton," said Chris, running to the door.

"And father along with him," cried Ned.

"Tut, tut, tut! To dinner, I suppose," said the doctor dismally.
"Potatoes and damper! Oh, boys, I did think you would have had a dish
of fish."

CHAPTER TWO.

OUR YANKEE NEIGHBOUR.

The gentlemen named strode into the roughly-furnished kitchen-like room,
looking as unlike a clergyman and a lawyer as could be imagined, for
both were dressed in well-worn garments, half farmer, half back wood
settler, the one with a thistle staff or spud in his hand, the other
shouldering a double gun, which, following the example of his companion,
he set up in a corner in company with the spud and a couple of fishing
rods and a landing-net, before going to the broad shelf over the
fire-place, upon which he placed a cartridge wallet, glancing at the
same time at another fowling-piece and four rifles hanging across upon
hooks.

The whole place was untidy, giving the notion to an observer that no
woman ever entered the shanty; but the firearms looked clean and bright,
and the gentleman who had just deposited the canvas wallet on the
mantel-board was probably answerable for the absence of dust, for he
took an old silk handkerchief from his pocket, and using it liberally,
flicked away a few traces o