224 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



wire-fence. The children are, of course, greatly cut up, 

 but I am not very sorry myself, seeing how young horses 

 accumulate, to be after all so unsaleable. It is a good 

 excuse, too, to issue the death-warrant of the dam, 

 which, an excellent mare in her time, is long since past 

 work. One of the boys employed to watch one of the 

 wheatfields has had, I find, great trouble in keeping 

 away the rooks. On hearing this, I walked the piece, 

 and, at the root of several yellowish plants, found wire- 

 worms. No wonder our friends were so pertinacious. 

 The moles, too, had scented their prey, for I found no 

 less than five traps set for them, which I at once sprung. 

 We ought rather to be thankful that nature's remedy is 

 so promptly applied upon the appearance of disease in 

 a crop. Poor old Melon is in a terrible state of mind. 

 His son, whom he educated as a gardener, obtained a 

 good place lately, where he was in sole charge. He was 

 sent with a cart to fetch some articles which his master 

 had purchased at a neighbouring sale. It was a bitterly 

 cold day, and a chill struck deep into him. He lies in 

 most excruciating agony from an attack of rheumatic 

 gout. If, instead of riding, as lads are so prone to do, 

 lightly clad, he had used his legs, he might have been 

 saved this torture. 



I have a report of the delicious crooning of the turtle 

 dove having been heard in the woods a few days since ; 

 but I doubt it. It is rather soon for the arrival of the 

 dear little stranger. The bailiff just now made a remark 

 to me, which has often occurred to me before : "I won- 

 der some one doesn't sow charlock ; for the minute the 

 sheep get a new pen, they pitch into it before the 

 turnips." 



One field of swedes came up so slowly that it was 



