238 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



cipal object of their existence, and did not come up 

 to the promise made for them on their purchase, and 

 by them afterward. As shade-trees they did not 

 amount to much, and even as ornaments they were 

 rather thin; but as fruit-bearers they were a total 

 failure. 



Our strawberries had rather surpassed expectation. 

 The first lot, it is true, had died out, but those plant 

 ed in the spring seemed to feel called upon to re 

 deem the good name of the race. They grew ad 

 mirably, and not only covered themselves with blos 

 soms, but actually bore fruit not very luxuriantly, 

 but much more abundantly than I had any reason to 

 anticipate. We had quite a bowlful of them the 

 red, firm, ripe berries being a delicious contrast to 

 the soft, faded, stale things that are sold to us in the 

 city. When these were picked, the vines were still 

 covered with green fruit, and I expected to have 

 many a dessert from them. I am a great admirer 

 of strawberries and so are chickens in spite of the 

 crisp little seeds that somewhat injure them. They 

 have just the proper amount of acidity to render 

 them piquant when compounded with sufficient sug 

 ar. Raspberries are too sweet, and blackberries 

 have not sufficient delicacy of flavor, so that I pre 

 fer strawberries. But, unfortunately, as I remarked 

 above, so do chickens. 



