﻿192 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  May, 
  1907 
  

  

  flush 
  with 
  the 
  turf. 
  The 
  old 
  fellow 
  evidently 
  had 
  a 
  great 
  

   dread 
  of 
  going 
  into 
  the 
  pail; 
  it 
  was 
  so 
  deep 
  and 
  shiny 
  and 
  

   so 
  unlike 
  anything 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  familiar. 
  He 
  crept 
  

   up 
  to 
  it 
  and 
  around 
  it, 
  and 
  looked 
  down 
  into 
  it; 
  he 
  shrugged 
  

   his 
  shoulders 
  and 
  jerked 
  his 
  tail 
  many 
  times 
  before 
  he 
  finally 
  

   mustered 
  enough 
  courage 
  to 
  jump 
  down 
  and 
  feed 
  his 
  babies. 
  

   Yet, 
  after 
  all, 
  it 
  was 
  but 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  interval, 
  the 
  

  

  At 
  no 
  time 
  did 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  appear 
  distressed 
  by 
  their 
  

   captivity. 
  They 
  did 
  not 
  beat 
  themselves 
  against 
  the 
  wires 
  of 
  

   the 
  cage 
  or 
  make 
  any 
  frantic 
  endeavors 
  to 
  escape 
  from 
  the 
  

   pail. 
  They 
  preened 
  their 
  feathers, 
  stretched 
  and 
  slept 
  in 
  

   turn 
  contentedly. 
  They 
  never 
  became 
  hungry 
  enough 
  to 
  

   chirp 
  except 
  in 
  answer 
  to 
  the 
  interrogatory 
  pink 
  uttered 
  by 
  

   the 
  old 
  bird 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  each 
  time 
  he 
  arrived 
  

  

  A 
  Final 
  Portrait 
  of 
  a 
  Young 
  One 
  

  

  conquering 
  of 
  this 
  new 
  fear 
  — 
  about 
  twenty 
  minutes. 
  It 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  easy 
  to 
  have 
  trapped 
  him 
  in 
  that 
  pail, 
  and 
  he 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  realize 
  his 
  danger. 
  The 
  convulsive 
  movements 
  of 
  

   his 
  wings 
  and 
  tail, 
  as 
  he 
  stood 
  on 
  the 
  rim 
  preparatory 
  to 
  

   entering, 
  told 
  plainly 
  of 
  his 
  apprehension. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  Pail 
  He 
  Exhibited 
  No 
  Sign 
  of 
  Trepidation 
  

  

  with 
  his 
  provisions. 
  It 
  was 
  plain 
  parental 
  duty, 
  not 
  a 
  parox- 
  

   ism 
  of 
  anguish, 
  that 
  made 
  a 
  hero 
  of 
  this 
  bobolink. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  pail 
  he 
  exhibited 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  trepidation, 
  but 
  offered 
  his 
  

   grasshoppers 
  as 
  calmly 
  and 
  directly 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  his 
  chosen 
  

   home, 
  and 
  left 
  it 
  without 
  show 
  of 
  haste. 
  When 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  eventually 
  finished 
  the 
  captives 
  were 
  taken 
  out 
  and 
  

   restored 
  to 
  freedom, 
  but 
  not 
  before 
  a 
  final 
  portrait 
  of 
  one 
  

   of 
  them 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  tractability 
  

   of 
  bobolinks, 
  a 
  protrait 
  which 
  is 
  here 
  reproduced 
  and 
  which 
  

   may 
  be 
  considered 
  substantiation 
  of 
  the 
  author's 
  contentions. 
  

  

  Cultivated 
  Chestnuts 
  

  

  S 
  AN 
  ornamental 
  tree, 
  the 
  chestnut, 
  when 
  

   given 
  plenty 
  of 
  room, 
  is 
  very 
  handsome, 
  

   and 
  where 
  the 
  yard 
  or 
  lawn 
  space 
  is 
  ample, 
  

   a 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  trees 
  will 
  produce 
  a 
  very 
  

   pleasing 
  and 
  attractive 
  effect. 
  As 
  a 
  forest 
  

   tree, 
  to 
  plant 
  for 
  the 
  wood, 
  where 
  the 
  land 
  

   is 
  cheap 
  enough 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  

   planter 
  realizes 
  that 
  he 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  wait 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  years 
  for 
  his 
  first 
  returns 
  from 
  the 
  wood, 
  the 
  chestnut 
  

   is 
  a 
  desirable 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  to 
  plant, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  fairly 
  rapid 
  

   growth. 
  Where 
  the 
  fruit, 
  or 
  rather 
  nuts, 
  are 
  the 
  desired 
  

   quality, 
  the 
  sorts 
  and 
  kind 
  planted 
  do 
  not 
  go 
  to 
  wood 
  quite 
  

   so 
  rapidly 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  common 
  Sweet 
  American 
  Chestnut, 
  

   though 
  the 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  nuts 
  far 
  more 
  than 
  make 
  up 
  

   any 
  loss 
  from 
  that 
  condition. 
  A 
  grove 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  acres 
  

   or 
  more 
  of 
  grafted 
  or 
  budded 
  chestnut 
  trees 
  will 
  soon 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  a 
  very 
  substantial 
  crop, 
  in 
  fact 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  

   produce 
  a 
  few 
  nuts 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  after 
  planting 
  and 
  then 
  

  

  in 
  increasing 
  quantities 
  each 
  year 
  thereafter, 
  though 
  for 
  

   the 
  health 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  to 
  induce 
  a 
  vigorous 
  growth 
  the 
  

   first 
  few 
  years 
  at 
  least, 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  nut 
  clusters 
  

   when 
  formed, 
  and 
  not 
  permit 
  the 
  trees 
  to 
  bear 
  until 
  the 
  

   third 
  year. 
  Any 
  land 
  which 
  will 
  produce 
  good 
  corn 
  will 
  

   be 
  suitable 
  for 
  planting 
  the 
  chestnut. 
  They 
  should 
  be 
  

   planted 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  spring, 
  and 
  from 
  twenty 
  to 
  twenty-five 
  

   feet 
  apart, 
  the 
  land 
  being 
  cultivated 
  in 
  vegetables 
  for 
  the 
  

   first 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  — 
  but 
  never 
  wheat, 
  oats, 
  or 
  grass 
  — 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  ground 
  being 
  well 
  tilled, 
  well 
  fertilized, 
  

   and 
  a 
  fair 
  share 
  of 
  protection 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  land 
  by 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  the 
  growing 
  crops. 
  The 
  land 
  can 
  then 
  be 
  put 
  

   down 
  to 
  clover 
  for 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  years, 
  when 
  it 
  should 
  again 
  

   be 
  cultivated 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  seasons, 
  thus 
  getting 
  returns 
  

   from 
  the 
  same 
  piece 
  while 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  coming 
  into 
  pro- 
  

   fitable 
  bearing. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  sorts 
  of 
  cultivated 
  

   chestnut 
  is 
  the 
  Alpha, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  medium-to-large 
  nut, 
  a 
  

   regular 
  cropper, 
  and 
  brings 
  the 
  highest 
  price. 
  

  

  