UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 237 



most likely to meet with and tap these concealed 

 springs, but by laying out the drains for him with 

 a levelling instrument, so that they should have 

 sufficient fall into the main ditch, or into a little 

 rivulet which skirts his farm. I could not have 

 conceived that science might be made so useful 

 even in common agriculture. 



Franklin is also ploughing a field for wheat 

 .and is going afterwards to plough up another 

 field that looks all rough and ugly but which 

 is to be left unsown the whole winter ; he 

 intends to plough it two or three times, and then 

 in Spring, after it has lain fallow in this way, 

 he will sow it with barley. Another grand opera- 

 tion is the preparing a piece of ground for an 

 orchard ; my uncle has promised him some nice 

 young fruit-trees for it ; and Franklin, very pru- 

 dently, brought over some American apple-trees, 

 which he says are very productive. 



The blind basket-maker sometimes walks to 

 the farm with the assistance of Bessy's arm; and 

 it is impossible to see the happiness of the whole 

 family without feeling the strongest interest in 

 their welfare. She now looks quite blooming 

 and healthy ; and she is so industrious that 

 besides her in-door occupations, she has per- 

 suaded her husband to give her an acre of ground 

 for flax, with which she hopes to do a great deal. 

 This will be a very uncommon crop in this 



