THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



judge of trees and fruit, I resolved to appro- 

 priate $25 of the $75 to use in resuscitating 

 the trees. 



The number of flickers and bluebirds which 

 congregated at nesting time suggested hol- 

 low trees. Traces of sawdust on the bark 

 near the ground, I learned, were unmistakable 

 signs that the borers were at work. Then there 

 were patches of scaly and moldy growth here 

 and there all signs that a general over- 

 hauling was necessary. The trees had evi- 

 dently been intelligently pruned and tended 

 until a few years prior to our tenancy, so the 

 main growth was well proportioned, though 

 suckers and water sprouts had run riot. Sev- 

 eral of the holes appropriated for nests had 

 undoubtedly been caused by branches being 

 broken off, either by the winds or carelessness 

 at gathering time. 



The ground was covered with sod in which 

 clover predominated, and it did not seem nec- 

 essary or advisable to plow, especially as the 

 old-fashioned custom of piling stones round 



133 



