44 MY FARM. 



least, it was difficult to say where the province of 

 the poultry and calves ended, and where the human 

 occupancy began. 



There was a monstrous growth of dock and bur 

 dock about the outer doors, and not a few rank 

 shoots of that valuable medicinal herb stramonium. 

 There were the invariable clumps of purple lilacs, in 

 most unmanageable positions; a few straggling 

 bunches of daffodils; an ancient garden with its 

 measly looking, mossy gooseberries; a few straw 

 berry plants, and currant bushes keeping up inter 

 ruptedly the pleasant formality of having once been 

 set in rows, and of having nodded their crimson tas 

 sels at each other across the walk. There were some 

 half dozen huge old pear trees, immediately in the 

 rear of the house, mossy, and promising inferior na 

 tive fruit ; but full of a vigor that I have since had 

 the pleasure of transmuting into golden Bartletts. 

 There were a few plum trees, loaded with black 

 knot ; a score of peach trees in out of the way places, 

 all showing unfortunate marks of that vegetable 

 jaundice, the yellows, which throughout New Eng 

 land is the bane of this delicious fruit. 



There was the usual huge barn, a little wavy in 

 its ridge, and with an aged settle to its big doors ; 

 while under the eaves were jagged pigeon holes, cut 

 by adventurous boys, ignorant of curvilinear har- 



