INTRODUCTION. xiii 



like to sell in lots to suit purchasers ; in fact, it is 

 five acres of such lots the five acres that this book 

 is all about. I owned this superior investment when 

 &quot; Ten Acres Enough&quot; led me to thinking that if the 

 author could make such a delicious thing of a plot of 

 sand in New Jersey, as much could probably be done 

 with half the area in the fine soil of Flushing. Un 

 fortunately, my land had no improvements, but then 

 it was a magnificent level square, precisely like a 

 block in the city, and admirably adapted to building. 

 Otherwise my five acres were full as good as the half 

 of his ten acres ; the grass seemed to be abundant, 

 for the cows of the entire neighborhood had grazed 

 on it from time immemorial ; a previous owner had 

 been once known to plant cabbages, and the tradition 

 is that they grew and came out cabbages, and did 

 not, as they usually do, spread themselves and be 

 come very fine but rather loose leaves. The soil 

 was deep, a well having been sunk on the adjoining 

 property without descending beyond it, or reaching 

 any water worth speaking of ; and the exposure was 

 as sunny as could be desired there being only six 

 trees, and one of those in doubtful health, on the en 

 tire five acres. Teachers generally say, on receiving 

 a new pupil from another master, that there is more 

 trouble to unlearn than to learn ; here there was 



