196 MY FARM. 



no bare-backed gladiators against each other, with 

 drawn swords, in our very presence ; but we send 

 armies out, of a hundred thousand in blue and gray, 

 and look at their butchery of each other, very coolly. 

 through the newspapers, and dine on pate de fois 

 gras. Of course we have improved somewhat in all 

 these ages, since Columella broke pigeons legs ; of 

 course we are civilized ; but the Devil is very strong 

 in us still. 



Is it Profitable f 



WHEN I have shown some curious city visitor 

 all these belongings of the farm have 

 enlisted his admiration for my crested, golden, Polish 

 fowls, for my garden, for the fruits ; for the wide 

 stretch of fields, and the herd of cows loitering under 

 the shadow of the scattered apple trees, he turns 

 upon me, in his city way, with the abrupt question 

 ing, &quot;Isn t it confoundedly expensive, though, get 

 ting land smoothed out hi this style what with your 

 manures, and levelling, and planting trees ? &quot; 



And I answer &quot; N n no ; no ; (somewhat 

 bolder.) There s a certain amount of labor involved, 

 to be sure, and labor has to be paid for, you know. 

 But there are the vegetables, the chickens, the eg^s, 

 the milk, and the fruit, which must come out of the 

 shops, unless a man have a home supply.&quot; 



