147 



XXV. 



THISTLEDOWN BLOWS. 



In spite of much unseasonable rain, the corn in the 

 Home Close still looks promising enough ; and if we 

 only get a little overdue sunshine for the ripening of the 

 grain, we may yet save a decent harvest this critical 

 summer. But the field is full of thistles, as it always 

 is ; and nothing one can do seems to be of much good 

 in eradicating them. The down continually blows over 

 from Shapwick Grange, the next farm, as it is now doing 

 mdeed at this very moment ; and so long as the Shap- 

 wick people go on neglecting their Further Croft, there 

 IS no chance of our Home Close getting really clear of 

 the troublesome intruders. 



Nature, indeed, has been very prodigal to thistles • 

 she has given them every advantage and no enemies on 

 earth, except farmers and donkeys. Just look at such a 

 head as this that I have cut off clean with a swish of my 

 stick, and then consider what fraction of a chance the 

 wheat or the wheat-growers have got against it. Each 

 stalk supports some dozen heads of blossom at least ; 

 and each head contains a hundred separate flowers, every 

 one of them destined to produce in due time a vvinged 

 and tufted seed. The thistles are members of the great 



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