308 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



so as to give the occupants an opportunity to rusticate 

 among the thrifty, well-manured crop of "Jymsen weed," 

 (stramonium), that fills the lane to the right and left, 

 affording a fine shade for the old sow and pigs. On the 

 other side of the house, about half an acre of ground is 

 enclosed by a very ancient picket fence, which bears the 

 name of "the garden." Upon the south side, I suppose 

 with a view to give the vegetables a due portion of shade, 

 stand three enormous pear trees, that never suffered 

 from the pruning knife, nor from an overload of fruit. 

 Upon the east side of this garden, a row of very tall 

 quince trees effectually prevents the morning sun from 

 sending his rays into this sacred enclosure to interfere 

 with those plants that grow best in the shade. The other 

 two sides are ornamented with two thrifty rows of cur- 

 rant bushes, the rusty stalks of which bear evidence of 

 long occupation of the same ground. The centre is filled 

 up with pumpkin, squash, melon, cucumber, and gourd 

 vines, so arranged as to promote mixture, and perhaps 

 ensure some new and valueless variety, together with a 

 fine show of pole beans, sunflowers, and well-dried pea 

 brush. 



I like to have forgotten to mention that the old well, 

 with its crotch, swape, pole, and old oaken bucket, forms 

 a part of the line of fence in front of the door and about 

 twenty feet from it, with a very nice place for the pigs 

 outside, and ducks inside, to rusticate, or rather "mudi- 

 cate." 



A very useful little building, about a house, stands a 

 little back and near the garden gate, naked and una- 

 dorned, with its door standing wide open, and fronting 

 the road — as much as to say, there is no privacy about 

 this place. There is a little interesting spot, also, upon 

 the back side of the house, where a little brook meanders 

 away from the sink spout, down past the lye leach, 

 through the goose pond, into the pig-weed patch behind 

 the garden; but for fear of the cholera, I won't go to 

 look at that. 



