OR, WITH BRAINS, SIR. 271 



CHAPTER IV. 



SEED-TIME. 



Two days after this Mr. Kempenfielder had completed 

 the ploughing and harrowing, and he and the laborers went 

 away. In their stead Robert hired a lad from the village to 

 work for us during the summer. He found a boarding 

 'place near by, and was to be employed on our farm all and 

 every day, Sundays excepted. After tea, on the day the 

 ploughing was finished, we walked out to inspect, and to 

 make up our minds where we should place our various crops. 

 Our land consisted of a single unbroken field, with the 

 house and barn placed near the road in the centre. Directly ( 

 through the centre a path or road-way had been laid out 

 from the barn to the woods in the rear. This gave easy 

 access to all parts of the place without wasting much space. 

 All the remainder of the land had been thickly spread with 

 manure and ploughed one way. Then it had been cross- 

 ploughed in the opposite direction, and after being har- 

 rowed again and again the soil was reduced to a fine 

 level surface. Little as we knew of such matters we could 

 not fail to notice the thorough manner in which the work 

 had been done. 



