58 FRUIT RANCHING. 



it was very late, for our last tree was not put in until 

 May 18. By that time summer had fully come; the 

 days were hot, and the sun shone with considerable 

 power. I expected to lose some of the young trees; 

 but, even though only 50 per cent, survived, I should 

 have had so many trees one year ahead. As a matter 

 of fact, I lost no more than 12 per cent, of the whole. 

 The loss was principally in one variety of apples and 

 in the peaches. 



While we were waiting for the fruit trees to arrive, 

 we had dug over the little sheltered piece of garden 

 ground in which we sowed the cabbage, cauliflower, 

 lettuce, and radish seed; and there we planted 5,000 

 one-year-old asparagus plants which I had brought 

 with me, as well as hardy ferns and violets, and 

 sowed onion seed, French beans, and other vege- 

 tables. Then we tackled one portion of the bench- 

 land above, a space of about 1^ acre, which was 

 practically ready for the plough. Of this area we did 

 not get much more than one-half turned over with 

 the plough, owing to the trouble we had with our 

 horses. 



As soon as I understood that the horses were not 

 to be counted upon for breaking the virgin soil, I 

 sent to Nelson for a couple of extra spades. Every 

 now and then, as we worked, we came across 

 the half-drawn fangs of some former giant of the 

 forest. Then down went our spades, and up went 

 axe and mattock and crowbar, and we chopped and 

 hacked and hauled and lifted and levered and strained 

 until the last relics of the monster were upheaved. 

 Then we cither kindled a fire underneath him or 

 drilled a hole below him and inserted half a stick or a 



