PHASES OF FARM LIFE 



absentee from the yard, when he heard something 

 in the brush, and out stepped a bear into the path 

 before him. 



Every Sunday morning the cows were salted. 

 The farm-boy would take a pail with three or four 

 quarts of coarse salt, and, followed by the eager 

 herd, go to the field and deposit the salt in hand- 

 fuls upon smooth stones and rocks and upon clean 

 places on the turf. If you want to know how good 

 salt is, see a cow eat it. She gives the true saline 

 smack. How she dwells upon it, and gnaws the 

 sward and licks the stones where it has been depos- 

 ited ! The cow is the most delightful feeder among 

 animals. It makes one's mouth water to see her 

 eat pumpkins, and to see her at a pile of apples 

 is distracting. How she sweeps off the delectable 

 grass! The sound of her grazing is appetizing; the 

 grass betrays all its sweetness and succulency in 

 parting under her sickle. 



The region of which I write abounds in sheep 

 also. Sheep love high, cool, breezy lands. Their 

 range is generally much above that of cattle. Their 

 sharp noses will find picking where a cow would 

 fare poorly indeed. Hence most farmers utilize 

 their high, wild, and mountain lands by keeping a 

 small flock of sheep. But they are the outlaws of 

 the farm and are seldom within bounds. They 

 make many lively expeditions for the farm-boy, 

 driving them out of mischief, hunting them up in 



