56 



constituted my staff. They worked and 

 worked at these trees, but only stuck them 

 into the ground-, they did not plant them, 

 and the crookedness of the lines was an eye- 

 sore from every point of view. As a result, 

 the trees all had to be replanted double 

 labour quantities of them died from ex- 

 posure to the cold, and the next year bore 

 only a most miserable crop. The black and 

 red currants have "picked up" considerably 

 now, and make a fine show, but the goose- 

 berries are still the meanest little bushes you 

 could see anywhere, although the raspberries 

 deserve their name " superlative." 



Then another foolish thing was to order 

 17,000 cabbage plants; Wheelers Imperial, 

 \ remember they were, and they cost 

 ^6, iis. 6d. I was told that if planted in 

 November they would come on in May when 

 greens were scarce, and sell for i^d.each easily. 

 Seventeen thousand three halfpence, said I, 

 means 106, js., so of course the prospect of 

 cabbage growing seemed highly lucrative. 



