4 Old and New Homes. 



amongst the earliest in the market, which, of course, added greatly to our 

 aggregate profits. Had we been a few days later, the price would have 

 been much less. 



The crops now came on in quick succession. In a week or two after 

 the last strawberries were gathered, we began with our raspberries; and 

 these were literally loaded with fruit of a bright-red color, large and lus- 

 cious. There was scarcely an acre of the favorite Philadelphia Raspberry, 

 and these of the previous year's planting : they were, as yet, too costly for 

 one to stock a plantation with. The few that we had, however, bore so 

 profusely as to prove their great value ; and it was resolved that every 

 sucker and offshoot should be assiduously cultivated, so as to propagate 

 the variety, and increase the number of plants for another year. Had we 

 wished to part with these new plants, we could have done so very readily 

 at a high rate, so great is always the demand amongst fruit-growers for 

 desirable kinds. 



As many of our raspberry-plants were new, and therefore not in full bear- 

 ing, we thought ourselves fortunate in being able to send to market two 

 hundred quarts of fruit ; from which we netted forty cents per quart, or 

 eighty dollars for the whole. A long drought of some three weeks had 

 dried up the fruit considerably, and, of course, lessened the amount for 

 market ; but we could not complain. One of our near neighbors, who had 

 a single acre of these new raspberries, cleared four hundred dollars from 

 the crop, in spite of the dry weather ; and ours only needed time to do as 

 well. Simultaneously with the raspberries, sundry patches of beans, pota- 

 toes, and squashes, came into bearing, together with occasional baskets of 

 early corn and cabbages. For these we found a ready market at the stores 

 in town ; and, by the usual plan of produce exchange, we were thus always 

 well provided with the necessary groceries and dry-goods called for in a 

 family. I confess that this balance of credit at the store was a very great 

 convenience. After luxuriating ourselves in the greatest variety of fresh 

 and wholesome vegetables, we had enough over to buy most of our cloth- 

 ing and groceries. My mother, I know, felt richer than she had ever 

 felt before. Our wardrobes were in better order, because we could so 

 freely replenish. My father had kept the fruit proceeds in reserve as 

 a separate fund, hoping we should have our living out of the vegetables 



