^74 &amp;lt; FIVE ACKES TOO MUCH. 



or useful, but to get the reputation of being the man 

 who originated a wonderful gourd, to go down to 

 posterity celebrated for this alone, to be spoken of in 

 horticultural works as the gourd-man, was too terri 

 ble a fate. Moreover, there was some danger in re 

 newing such an experiment ; on the second trial the 

 wonderful plant might have spread all over the 

 neighborhood, climbed upon crops, strangled trees, 

 surmounted houses, and invaded the village in such 

 a way as to make me liable for damages for trespass. 

 There are some things which a man does too well to 

 do often ; growing gourds was evidently one of those 

 with me, and I determined never to be led into such 

 an undertaking again. 



To counterbalance this wonderful success, it is 

 necessary to record a remarkable failure. &quot; Variety 

 is the spice of life.&quot; It is this variety which gives 

 agricultural pursuits their principal zest ; no two at 

 tempts in planting bring about the same results. 

 There may be the same circumstances of time, place, 

 and weather, but the conclusion will be altogether 

 dissimilar. All honest farmers must confess and 

 farmers are, like lawyers, without exception, upright 

 and truthful that the return from no two years has 

 been alike. One year the potatoes fail, another 

 leaves us without corn, a third is too much for the 



