THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



farm where poultry, fruit and vegetables 

 should, at least, reduce living expenses, had 

 to be sought. 



The finding of a dear, old-time homestead 

 and twelve acres of land, amid picturesque 

 scenery, which we could lease for three years 

 at the ridiculously low rent of $180 a year, 

 somewhat reconciled us to the practical, even 

 before we had experienced the glorious invig- 

 oration of the industrious outdoor life on a 

 farm, where each day reveals some new inter- 

 est. Impecuniosity compelled our commen- 

 cing at the bottom of the ladder a few hens, 

 a few ducks, and so gradually through the 

 poultry family, to the dignity of a cow; after 

 whose acquisition the home rapidly became 

 self-supporting, even showing a surplus profit 

 at the end of the third year. 



Of course the work was hard at first, be- 

 cause want of knowledge caused many blun- 

 ders; but study, illustrated by daily happen- 

 ings, soon furnished the practical experience 

 which smoothed away the difficulties, and 



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