A CASE IN POINT. 



9 



assault, but by no means certain murder. On 

 some land the root would derive benefit from tlie 

 pressure ; and if, instead of this, it is torn up, it 

 brings with it sufficient encompassing earth to 

 carry on its growth in a new situation, and wheat, 

 like geraniums, will stand a good deal of cutting 

 and transplanting, and then spring up, like the 

 heads of the Hydra, vigorous as ever. 



I can fancy I hear Farmer Winnowwheat ex- 

 claim on hearing what I have stated, "What 

 can a chap that writes books know about wheat?" 

 ]\Iy reply to such an observation from the worthy 

 farmer would be,— I do not pretend to a great 

 amount of knowledge, but why I may know 

 something of wheat being ridden over is this : I 

 have had five hundred acres of land on my hands, 

 and those situated within a quarter of a mile of 

 a fox-hound kennel ; so my fields came in for a 

 full share, three or four fixtures being in my im- 

 mediate vicinity. I therefore may Imow some- 

 thing about this subject ; in fact, men of real lite- 

 rary talent would perhaps, despite the farmer, 

 hold that I know more of riding across wheat, 

 than of writing across a sheet of. foolscap. What- 

 ever may be the case, I can only say I never had 

 a field of wheat spoiled, or, as I could detect, 

 materially injured, by being ridden over. 



But I can bring a case in point. I had a small 

 nook on my farm of about an acre; this was wheat. 



