54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



custom of scraping around and picking up things, and of which he is justly 

 proud). He says we may play overseers for an hour or two, while he drives 

 Mrs. 0. down to town to dispose of her butter and eggs, and make a few pur- 

 chases for household requirements ; with this the farmer drove away at a spank- 

 ing rate, assuring us that he would be back soon. 



But before entering, let us take a peep over the fence and see what the farm- 

 er's chickens are doing. 



Yes, there is Harry, a fine, manly young fellow of eighteen; he has just set 

 his line and now commences with a sharp spade to pare the edges of the border, 

 while the two younger, Frank and Charlie, boys of fourteen and twelve, are 

 taking turns about with a light-running lawn mower. How smooth and close 

 they clip the grass. Why, it looks for all the world like a bed of green velvet. 

 Note how carefully they run around the rose bushes and shrubs, and never even 

 injure a leaf. 



But look yonder, there indeed is a sight for a picture. The farmer's two 

 blooming daughters; what a glorious picture, indeed. Kose, a prepossessing 

 brunette just out of her teens, and Lillie, a piquant blonde, with bright 

 golden hair and soft blue eyes, and a complexion partaking of the rose and the 

 lily ; she is sweet sixteen to-day, and the younger brothers, to mark the occasion, 

 have bedecked her head, neck, and shoulders with the brightest flowers of the 

 garden. 



Rose has just mounted the step ladder and is in the act of tying up some 

 climbing roses on the front of the veranda, wliile Lillie, with hand trowel and 

 fork, is engaged in cultivating and weeding a bed of many colored tulips. And 

 all appear happy and joyous, each having both a pride and a pleasure in the 

 work they are performing. 



But it is not good taste to be thus hiding ourselves when in such close prox- 

 imity to others. Let us go iu and enjoy all those beauties together. Every 

 thing here seems to charm the senses — the trees are greener, the flowers smell 

 sweeter, the birds sing more joyous, and everything seems to partake of the 

 innocence of Eden. 



We enter and are cordially received by the young ladies and the young gen- 

 tlemen also, for be it known to you tliat the farmer's children are both ladies 

 and gentlemen in the fullest sense of the term. With the farmer and his 

 excellent wife no opportunity is lost to improve the mind as well as the farm. 

 His whole labor is governed by system, and order drops into every department 

 of his affairs. 



His custom is to devote five days of the week to his regular farm labor, and 

 when Saturday comes he and the boys take hoe, rake and wheelbarrow and 

 repair to the vegetable garden, where the forenoon is spent iu givmg everything 

 a thorough cultivation; weeds are then raked up and removed to the compost 

 heap or manure pile. While this is being done Mrs. 0. and the girls are 

 attending to the duties of a weekly cleaning up; that is the whole house must 

 be thoroughly swept and dusted, and dinner must be on the table at high 

 twelve, and all are looking forward with pleasure to an afternoon out. 



In the afternoon Mr. and Mrs. 0. go to town, as we have seen, while the 

 young folks attend to the cleaning up out of doors, that everything, them- 

 selves included, shall look their best on the Sabbath. 



But as Harry has finished his borders we find him engaged with the hoe 

 scraping off such weeds as may have presumed to show their heads in the walks, 

 and the younger boys follow with rake and barrow to complete tlie work. 



Rose and Lillie having tied up the climbers and with trowel and fork stirred 



