EEO-TIME AWO HAB¥EST. 
7 
•‘Because,” he continued, “neightor 
Burns wanted a few seeds badly, if we had 
any to spare. I thought surely there would 
be a pint or more left. Tell John to plant 
beans in every hill of the rows that contain 
no pumpkin seeds. 
“If I had only known he intended having 
beans planted in one row and pumpkins in 
the next, I never would have buried those 
seeds,” I thought, standing there conscience- 
smitten. But to me there then seemed no 
help for what I had done.' 
Each day for two weeks I secretly visited 
that grave of pumpkin seeds in the center 
of the cornfield, to be sure there was no 
cracking of the earth to let green germs 
through into the sunlight, but I found no 
sign that there was life beneath. Then I 
relaxed my vigilance, and in a few weeks 
had forgotten—not my sin, but the possibil¬ 
ity of the seeds sprouting. 
The last of July father was able to creep 
over his fields lying near the house, by the 
help of his cane. In one of his walks I 
joined him, and together we passed through 
the cornfield, the hills now waving with 
corn a foot in height, and pumpkin vines 
just branching over the ground between 
the rows. 
Our footsteps were arrested by a perfect 
tangle of vines, whose matted network cov¬ 
ered a large circular spot plainly visible in 
the corn. 
“Why! how is this?” said father, stoop¬ 
ing to critically examine the ground. “Here 
are vines by the score, dwarfed because so 
thickly planted, but pumpkin vines surely.’’ 
My heart gave a great thump as the truth 
flashed across my mind. This was the very 
spot where I had hidden those seeds, and 
owing to the depth of soil that covered 
them they had germinated slowly, but had 
struggled into the light at last to condemn 
me. 
I dared not speak, and father remained 
silent, poking his cane in the ground among 
the vines until he had unearthed a heap of 
swollen seeds, some decaying, but more 
with coiling, long pale sprouts creeping from 
their shells, and others with well developed 
cotyledonous leaves. 
At last he looked up, and keenly scanning 
my crimson, conscious face, said, “Daugh¬ 
ter Helen, is this your work ?” 
There was such a ring of love and grief 
in his tones I was conquered at once, and 
throwing myself at his feet I sobbed forth 
the whole story. 
Father did not scold. He said my own 
remorseful thoughts and loss of self-respect 
were punishment enough; but going home 
he told me in his impressive, beautiful way 
that bad habits and bad motives in life may 
be hid, like seeds under the ground, from 
the eyes of the world for a time, but sooner 
or later their rank growth will push their 
way through any cloak of hypocrisy that 
had been carefully drawn over them. 
When I see young people indulging in in¬ 
temperate habits of any kind, secretly fa¬ 
voring the society of immoral, unprincipled 
associates, though their own conduct before 
the world may seem irreproachable, I think 
of the nest of bloated, sprouting pumpkin- 
seeds that would not remain out of sight* 
and how, like them, the living germs of 
bad thoughts and habits will very soon 
crop above ground in the fairest life. 
“Trifolium Incarnatum.” 
German, French, or Long Headed Scarlet 
clover, as it is variously called, is, I believe, 
a hybrid of red clover. It is largely used 
in the South of England, where it was in¬ 
troduced from France, as a catch crop* 
where the red clover fails in standing. It is 
an excellent improver of soil, and good 
preparation for corn, either turned under or 
cut for hay and stubble roots turned under. 
It is an annual, sown in this latitude (Vir¬ 
ginia) from August 15th to September 7th. 
It should be cut from 8th to 10th of May 
for feed or hay. It presents a very pret¬ 
ty appearance when in full bloom. Soil 
light dry sandy loam. It will grow on 
land too poor for red clover—still the 
land must be tolerably good, or made 
so, to produce a paying crop. It is apt to 
lodge on very rich soil. It should be cut as 
soon as bottom part of bloom begins to 
wither—as from its rapid growth, after put¬ 
ting out bloom, it soon turns woody. Plow 
very shallow; apply manure or fertilizer; 
harrow till fine; sow seed 6 to 8 quarts per 
acre, and roll with heavy roller or cover 
