374 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



"You cook them in so many delicious ways," said Jerry, 

 "that they take the place of all other vegetable. If you lived 

 at Mrs. Drune's awhile, you might well long for something else. 

 I was there two months, and she had fried potatoes three times 

 a day every day I was there, and you may judge from that there 

 was not much variety in anything else. Some fried meat and 

 poor bread was the regular fare. And I don't wonder they were 

 all cross and selfish. No one can live on such food, and have 

 good health, either physical or mental." 



"That explains about Joe Crawldon," said Madge, "I have 

 heard it intimated that he was going to lose his farm. He has 

 lost all interest in it, and I've always heard he had so much 

 ambition when young. He has such a nice farm, it does seem 

 strange that he cannot have everything comfortable and beauti- 

 ful around him, but Troll and I spent the day there several 

 years ago, and the dinner was the poorest I ever sat down to. 

 There was salt-rising bread in the first place. Now, when made 

 exactly right and fresh, it is eatable, but that was like chips ; 

 some milky butter, a few little pieces of fried salt pork, swim- 

 ming in grease, and a tablespoonful of green gooseberry sauce, 

 completed the dinner for us. There was also tea ; but, as Troll 

 and I never used it, it was no addition to our dinner." 



"And not even fried potatoes?" said Jerry. 



"Not even a potato. It was too early for their new potatoes, 

 probably, and I suppose the old ones were gone; but did you say 

 there were beans in the garden?" 



"O, I was in hopes you would forget about them. The peas 

 are looking nicely, and will soon be ready for use; but, I am 

 sorry to say, there are no beans." 



"What is the matter?" said Madge. 



"Why, I suppose," said Jerry, with an unwilling tone to his 

 voice, "it may not have been just the right time to plant them 

 when the peas were planted." 



"Why, no; how could you?" 



"I'll never do it again, and I can plant now for summer use. 

 But the radishes were nice, you must admit. The round white 

 ones are the best; they are so sweet, and not a bit strong. I'll 

 have only those next year; the seed came from Germany. And 

 the strawberries are getting ripe, with promise of a large yield. 

 What shall we ever do with so many?" 



"We can send some to Mrs. Drune that you said never had 

 such things ; maybe it will suggest to them that they can raise 

 them, too, and they are so easily canned, I can put up some for 

 winter." 



So, one day Jerry came into the kitchen when the deed was 

 done, and said, with astonishment: "Why do you turn your 

 strawberry cans all upside down?" 



