130 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



insidious sets left for a new plantation. How glad 

 one feels to traverse the swede drills, and find only a 

 timid black grassling here and there, scarcely daring to 

 put in an appearance, being assured that its term of 

 existence is limited to the brief period that elapses 

 between its venture on the surface, and the time when 

 the first frost shall have so far burnt the turnip-leaves 

 as to allow a clear passage of inspection between to a 

 boy with hamper and fork ! Thank heaven ! these last 

 rains have made the layers cut like gas-pipe before the 

 plough, their previous dessicated condition having been 

 favourable to the hauling out of manure ; so that we 

 hope we have a glorious prospect of a wheat crop for 

 next season. May it so happen, we devoutly trust, 

 for this present exaggerated value of wheat is not 

 altogether of advantage to the farming interest, while 

 it is pregnant with deep care to the community at 

 large. 



But really we have scarcely time to dwell upon the 

 future — we have been and are so fully occupied. Our 

 local show is at hand ; and for the sake of filling the 

 yard, which is a main feature on such occasions, we 

 have made over a score of entries. All this delightful 

 morning through, notwithstanding the landscape attrac- 

 tion of the brown and yellow fern-clad hill, with the deep 

 blue rippling river below, and the ancient grey rocks 

 above, where abound colonies of rabbit, pheasant, hare, 

 and partridge, we have been most delightfully occupied — 

 we do not hesitate to say so — in handling and selecting 

 various assortments of sheep, until, I declare, one's 

 hand got so thoroughly greasy, that one had only to 

 pass it through one's hair to be prepared for to-morrow 

 (Sunday), the only drawback to this dressing being 



