AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



sank safely to the bottom, having been laid in 

 sixty-three feet of water, half a mile in length, in 

 one hour and twenty-two minutes. In the fall, 

 when we leave the island, the pipe is disconnected 

 at the shore ends and the whole lies safely on the 

 bottom below the possible action of ice or frost. 

 It has worked to perfection for several years past, 

 and water flows freely into our tank, giving us an 

 ample supply at all times. 



It was a matter of not a little difficulty to turn 

 some acres of woodland into a lawn. Of course 

 I could have cut down all the trees, and with 

 plough and harrow quickly graded it into proper 

 slopes, but I would willingly do anything rather 

 than lose my trees. They were the beauty of 

 the island, and grass and flowers would be a poor 

 exchange for these monarch Birches, Pines, and 

 Spruces. Growing in the thick woods, covered 

 with moss and ferns, the roots of even the largest 

 trees were close to the surface. Cutting out the 

 underbrush let in the sunlight, which killed the 

 ferns and moss, leaving bare the great roots. So 

 earth had to be mounded over them, and, to 

 avoid tearing the roots, the tilling of the soil had 

 to be done slowly with shovel and pick, instead 

 of rapidly with plough and harrow. But it was 



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