OR, WITH BRAINS, SIR. 263 



" Can you not help me a little, Harriet?" 



" With pleasure." 



" I want these potatoes cut, so that I can plant them." 



" Plant them ? How can you ? The ground is still frozen 

 hard." 



"Without a word he went to the next room, and procur- 

 ing a book opened it and pointed out a paragraph. I read it. 



" So you intend to force potatoes." 



" I mean to try something of the kind. I have no hot- 

 bed; but as it is nearly April, I am going to attempt 

 ' forcing' by the aid of the sun alone." 



"But can you do it?" 



"I don't know. I can try it, and find out." 



" A good idea," said I, seizing a potato, and preparing to 

 cut it in two. 



" Wait a bit. We don't know how to cut our potatoes 

 yet. Let us see what the books say on the subject." 



" Precisely." 



Then my husband read, as follows : 



" ' Cut each root into two, three, or more pieces, according 

 to the size, minding, particularly, that each piece be fur- 

 nished with one or more buds or eyes.' " 



In an hour I returned to my sewing, having finished the 

 potatoes. During the greater part of the day, heavy teams, 

 loaded with manure, had been toiling through our gate and 



