CHAPTER XIV 
PLANTING OF THE TREES 
SEPTEMBER proved as dry as August was wet, 
—only half an inch of water fell; and the seed- 
ings would have been slow to start had they 
depended for their moisture upon the clouds. 
By October 1, however, green had taken the 
place of brown on nearly all the sixty acres we 
had tilled. The threshers came and threshed 
the wheat and oats. Of wheat there were 311 
bushels, of oats, 1272. We stored this grain in 
the cottage until the granary should be ready, 
and stacked the straw until the forage barn 
could receive it. My plan from the first has 
been to shelter all forage, even the meanest, and 
bright oat straw is not low in the scale. 
On the 10th the horse stable was far enough 
advanced to permit the horses to be moved, and 
the old barn was deserted. A neighbor who 
had bought this barn at once pulled it down 
and carted it away. In this transaction I held 
out several days for $50, but as my neighbor was 
obdurate I finally accepted his offer. The first 
entry on the credit side of my farm ledger is, By 
one old barn, $45. The receipts for October, 
November, and December, were :— 
88 
