62 Our Farming. 



too, when we come to consider the interests of the crops. It did 

 not look businesslike to have a break in the crop, and quite a 

 large one, too. And there were trees enough, thousands in every 

 direction, to look at, and shade is not necessary in the fields on 

 our little farm. The beauty of a perfect, even, uniform crop, 

 from end to end, is as fine, in its way, as an extra tree or two in 

 the landscape, and then it brings more dollars, and they can buy 

 as beautiful things to put in our home, that we can look at and 

 enjoy every day in the year, I argued. But you shall judge. 

 The last and far most costly tree to get out was a wide-spreading 

 maple. I would give $100 in a minute now for it, if standing just 

 where I wanted it, and, perhaps, would then. But it was near the 

 middle of a little field, and on our very choicest land. The land 

 spoiled by shade and roots amounted to four rods square, or one- 

 tenth of an acre. The first year after it was taken out the land 

 was planted with Hubbard squashes, and the squashes that grew 

 on that one-tenth of an acre, taken from the field direct to 

 market, brought us at wholesale, by the ton, $24. Putting a few 

 more dollars with this, I got in Grand Rapids, Mich., the finest 

 ash bedroom set made in. that noted furniture town, and it stands 

 in our room, a comfort and a beautiful thing to look at every day 

 in the year. The tree was only beautiful part of the time, and we 

 have others fast growing up where they are equally beautiful to 

 look at, and do not spoil the beauty and uniformity of any crop, 

 nor lessen the profits of farming. We never pasture our fields 

 that we cultivate, you know. The loss in crops might be made 

 good by comfort of animals where fields are pastured. We have 

 shade in our permanent pasture, I assure you. It took about $5 

 worth of labor to get that big maple tree out, root and branch a 

 pretty heavy bill, but we made it pay tremendously. We decided 

 our land must be entirely clear from all obstructions, and when- 

 ever we invested any money, or labor, which was just the same 

 thing, as it cost money, we arranged to get it back quickly, with 

 large interest. This is the way one must do in all directions to 

 make improved farming pay. Clearing and underdraining and a 

 silo, etc., must be followed up, and made to shell out the profit. 

 But all our tree clearing did not pay quite as well as in the 

 instance given. This was an extreme profit, as was also the cost 

 of getting out the tree itself. But do not forget- this one point : 

 We decided on what was businesslike and, theoretically, should 

 pay, and then just forced our new departures to pan out. 



You might like to know how we got out those trees. It is 

 best done in the early spring when the ground is very wet, but, of 

 course, you would not want water to stand in the hole when you 

 was digging around the tree. After digging and cutting the out- 

 side roots off, rather further from the stump than we did when 

 getting stumps out, I got all the chains we had, and borrowed 

 from neighbors, and fastened one end near top of tree and put a 



