92 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



tremendous mow of shredded corn fodder and an 

 immense pile of half-husked ears. For the use 

 of the machine and the wages of the ten men I 

 paid $105. Poor economy ! Before next corn- 

 shredding time I owned a machine, smaller in- 

 deed, but it did the work as well (though not as 

 quickly), and it cost me only $215, and was good 

 for ten years. 



The weather had favored me thus far. The 

 wet August had put the ground into good con- 

 dition for seeding, and the dry September and 

 October had permitted our buildings to be pushed 

 forward, but now everything was to change. A 

 light rain began on the morning of the 15th (I 

 did not permit it to interrupt the shredding, 

 which was finished by noon), and by night it 

 had developed into a steady downpour that con- 

 tinued, with interruptions, for six weeks. No- 

 vember and December of 1895 gave us rain and 

 snow fall equal to twelve and a half inches of 

 water. Plans at Four Oaks had to be modified. 

 There was no more use for the ploughs. Nos. 10 

 and 11, and much of the home lot were left until 

 spring. I had planned to mulch heavily all the 

 newly set trees, and for this purpose had bought 

 six carloads of manure (at a cost of $72) ; but 

 this manure could not be hauled across the sodden 

 fields, and must needs be piled in a great heap 

 for use in the spring. The carpenters worked at 

 disadvantage, and the farm men could do little 

 more than keep themselves and the animals com- 



