A VAGABOND GARDEN 27 



a section of land which was literally six hundred 

 and forty acres of grain. " The flowers ? " echoed 

 every voice at the table but one. " I guess I saw 

 you carrying an armful the other morning when I 

 was out with my gun," observed its owner. " It's 

 the weeds she means," he explained in a tone that 

 authorized gentle dealing, and those who succeeded 

 in arresting their titter merely said, " Well, there ! " 



From the far end of the expensive pleasure- 

 ground I dropped into another round luxuriant 

 slough which marks the centre of a sheltering slope, 

 and yields from eight to ten tons of hay, and shelter 

 from every wind that blows across the North- West. 

 To the right another stretch of virgin soil climbed a 

 forbidding hill which later on I compelled to the 

 service of wheat. From that point to the western 

 boundary the eighty-acre field stretched north and 

 south, and I reached the plain- featured cottage well 

 content with its surrounding land. 



It was past supper-time and the meal was in pro- 

 gress. My brother had persuaded our neighbour 

 to join us. We talked of the storm, which had 

 caught him also on the trail. Then we talked of 

 the crops, and I inquired of him the full meaning 

 of the term summer fallow. 



" Summer- fallow land," he explained, " should 

 mean that particular third section of one's crop-land 

 which should be permitted to lie fallow every year. 

 Canadians will give you many good reasons for this 

 system of farming ; the ruling reason is that 

 Canadian soil is not only the finest in the world 

 for wheat, but also for weed. This third year out 

 system gives the farmer an opportunity of keeping 

 down the weed through careful surface cultivation 



