THE TIM BUNKER PAPEKS. 123 



husbandry that no body practices in this neighborhood. 

 I had read of it in my Agriculturist, and thought it was 

 just the thing for lots too far off from the barn to be ma 

 nured from the stable. The trouble was to get the green 

 crop to turn under. 



I thought the guano would probably start rye, and 

 with this I could make a beginning. I plowed up five 

 acres two years ago in October, and put on five bags of 

 guano, or about one hundred and fifty pounds to the acre. 

 The rye came tip well, and looked a remarkably dark 

 green, and by the time snow fell, the ground was well 

 covered with a thick mat of rye. That rye made a good 

 deal of talk, and even on Sunday it used to be discussed 

 between meetings, when folks ought to have been think 

 ing on other matters. It passed the winter well, got a 

 good start in the spring, and by the middle of May, 

 the heads began to appear. It stood thick, and was 

 thought to be one of the best looking pieces of rye in town. 

 It went against the grain amazingly to turn it under, for 

 according to the look, I should have had fifteen bushels to 

 the acre. 



About the middle of June, John and I went into it, 

 with two teams, to plow it under ; for I had made my plan, 

 and was not to be turned aside by the talk of my neigh 

 bors. Tucker and Jones said it was a great shame to 

 spoil such a field of grain, and even Mr. Spooner remark 

 ed, that making manure of bread stuff did not seem to be 

 very good economy. Now, you see, I did not care so 

 much what George Washington Tucker and Benjamin 

 Franklin Jones said, but I did not like to be undervalued 

 by the minister. So said I to Mr. Spooner : &quot; A thing al 

 ways looks homely until it s finished; and you just wait 

 till I get through with this field, before you make up your 

 mind.&quot; 



The rye was plowed under, and the ground turned up 

 about two inches deeper than ever before. In about a 



