729 
When Jim Ferguson Went Back 
By the Brown Owl 
Part II. 
That Winter was a very happy one. 
Jim and Kate turned their attention to 
the inside of the house, and between them 
they managed to repapor and paint all 
the downstairs rooms. They had plenty- 
of good books to read, and as they had 
always taken several of the best maga¬ 
zines they renewed their subscriptions at 
the new year. 
“We can’t begin to economize on our 
magazines, Kate,” said Jim. e will 
just mark them down as ‘necessities’.” 
The children grew rosy and fat. 
Warmly Avrapped, they took the Aveather 
as it came, and played like so many boar 
cubs in the snow. 
AVhen Spring came it found Jim eager 
to begin. They counted their remaining 
money carefully and planned it anx¬ 
iously. The horse they had bought could 
not do the Spring A\-ork alone. If they 
bought a neAV horse thej' Avould have to 
get one new Avork harness. The plow 
that Avas in the barn had plowed its last 
furroAV years before, and most of the 
other tools were in a like condition. 
They finally decided to have some ground 
fitted for corn, potatoes and grain. By 
trying his band at the “dicker” bu.siness 
.Tim got the Avork done for somewhere 
near a reasonable price, and with his 
old horse fini.shed up the Spring Avork. 
They decided that it Avould bo the g.-irden 
that was going to yield the harvest, so 
th<*y planted a fine one. 
After the Spring Avork Avas itaid for, 
and the grain, grass and clover seed and 
necessary fertilizer bought, the balance 
at the bank Avas frightfully low. Jim 
began to look .scared. Nothing could in¬ 
duce him to go in debt for a penny's 
Avorth. Their coav had freshened in 
Jlarch and Kate had made butter. AVhat 
was not needed for family use brought a 
good price at their grocery store. The 
hens AA-ere laying Avell but they used all 
the eggs. They kept the children's 
cheeks rosy and saved the meat bills. 
As Jim Avorked in his potatoes and 
corn and in the garden he Avondered jn.st 
hoAV things Avere coming out. How Avas 
the haying to be done? There w.as not 
enough money left to hire it done, and 
it Avould be next to impossible to do it 
alone Avith one hor.se and such tools as 
Avei'e on hand to Avork Avith. 
f)ne Saturday near the middle of .Tune, 
there came a letter from a toAAn not 
very far aAvay. A firm Avas in desperate 
need of a man by the folloAving Woiulay, 
and finding that Jim Ferguson Avas in 
that vicinity Avrote asking him to “come 
Monday if possible.” The Avages Avoiild 
be the same as he AA-as in the habit of 
receiving for his work. .Tim read the 
letter and Avithout a AA’ord handed it to 
Kate and then, after she had read it 
thoughtfully, they AA'ent together into the 
garden. If there is anything to be 
thought out Avhat better place is there 
than up and doAvu betAveen the rows of 
cabbage and tomatoes? Finally .Tim said, 
‘‘Do you think you could do it, Kate?’’ 
“I could try, anyAvay,” she ansAvered, 
That was all. It Avould be easy now to 
arrange for the haying. 
doing to a neighlau' Jim stated the 
situation and asked if he could hire his 
haying done. Of course he could. 
“Only too glad to be able to help you 
out Mr. Ferguson.” 
“The price? O, aa'cH, I don't knoAV 
Avhat they are going to ask this year, 
hut I'll find out and I’ll see to it the price 
Avill be all right, Mr. Ferguson.” 
lie stuck to his AA'ord, and AAheu the 
haying Avas finally done and the bill pre- 
.sented it Avas just a day more than 
the highest price paid in that AA-hole vi¬ 
cinity. Jim paid it Avithout a Avord, but 
he declared to Kate that it Avould be the 
last time he Avould be caught in a deal, 
and it Avas, And yet the odd thing about 
it to .Tim Avas. that the same farmer 
Avho “soaked” him w'ould be the first to 
offer aid Avith his team for days if neces¬ 
sary and AA'ithout a cent of pay, if any 
disaster should have befallen the Fergu¬ 
son family. 
.Tim Avas able to go home every three 
or four Aveeks for over Sunday, and then 
the Avhole family Avould go Avith him to 
look at the corn, potatoes and grain, and 
best of all the garden. IIoav things did 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
grow! Kate AVorked early and late in 
that garden and her plans Avere many 
for surprising .Tim Avith the amount of 
money she Aims going to make. There 
had been no green pea.s to spare for sale, 
but soon after the first of August the 
tomatoes began to riiien. Their farmer 
neighbors marvelled at tin* Ferguson gar¬ 
den. Their OAvn gardens Avere for the 
most part failures, having been left for 
the last, and then the planting done hur¬ 
riedly and the Avhole thing left for the 
women folks to look after. Tvate had 
fine early cabbages beginning to head, let¬ 
tuce carefully tran.splanted and beauti¬ 
fully headed, and quantities of other vege¬ 
tables. (To be continued) 
Care of Easter Lily After Blooming 
What should be done Avith Faster lily 
bulbs after they go out of blossom? 
Should they be taken right out of the 
dirt and dried or how should they be 
treated? a. t. u. 
Windsor, ^*t. 
Florists do not save lily bulbs after 
forcing, but amateur groAvers find it quite 
Avorth Avhile Avhere it is a good strong 
bulb. The bulb should not be shaken out 
of the soil, but should be kept in the pot 
through the groAving season after fioAver- 
iug. As the Aveather becomes Avarmer it 
is a good plan to plunge the pot in the 
garden. The plant should have abun¬ 
dance of sunlight and be Avell Avatered 
Avhile it is making groAvth : about Au¬ 
gust groAvth Avill gradually cease, and 
the foliage AA'ill become yelloAA' and Avither. 
'Water should be gradually Avithheld. as 
the foliage dries off, and Avhen the stems 
are dead the pot should I)e stored in the 
cellar.' Avhere it Avill not dry out entirely, 
until time to repot. In ()c<:ober shake 
the earth off the bulb, and repot in a 
clean pot. using tAVo-thirds good garden 
soil and one-third Avell-rotted manure. 
Set the bulb in the center of the pot. 
Avith tAvo inches qf clear space above it; 
just barely cover Avith soil. More soil 
is added later as a mulch in Avhich the 
stem roots run. Keep the pot in a cool 
cellar, or plunged in a frame outside 
until roots are Avell formed. Avheii it may 
be brought inside. 
Comparison of Sweet Corn 
IIoav do the folloAving Auirieties of 
SAveet corn rank as to SAveetness and high 
table quality? Early ^lalakolV. (Jolden 
Bantam. Buttei’cup. Carpenter’s (Jolden 
SAveet. Black Mexican. Improved StoAA’- 
ell’s EA’ergreen? T. o. r. 
I’ine Hill, N. Y. 
The Golden Bantam sAvect corn is prob¬ 
ably the highest quality of any that Ase 
have. The Black ^Mexican is also of es¬ 
pecially fine quality, but its color is ob¬ 
jectionable. Carpenter's Golden fiAveet 
and Buttercup are very fine. Improved 
StOAvell's Evergreen is the heaviest yielder 
of all, and is of very good (juality aaKou 
picked at just the right time. It is a 
great favorite Avith the corn canners. I 
do not knoAv the Early IMalakoff. E. D. B, 
Mii.apy'.s IIof.SK Flams, by F. E. 
1’aimer. Every Avoman Avho grows plants 
indoors meets Avith troubles and difficul¬ 
ties that could largely be removed by in¬ 
telligent advice, and Mr. Faliner's little 
A-olume meets those difficultie.s, carrying 
the house plants throughout the year, 
potting, Summer care, and all the AVork 
needed to prepare them for their return 
to the liou.se in the Fall. The potting 
instructions given are excellent and help¬ 
ful, for thi.s Avork always pre.sents diffi¬ 
culties to the noA-ice. There is a very 
interesting ch.-ipter on “ISun Parlors as 
Plant llooms.'’ Avith suggestii>ns on con¬ 
struction and heating. There are lui- 
merous illustrations of educational value, 
giving details of actinil AA'ork, such as 
potting, making cuttings, etc., and many 
plant portraits. The book contains 17(> 
pages and a copious index, and is pub¬ 
lished by A. T. De I.a iMare Co., Ncav 
Y ork; pric<‘ in pai)er covers (JO cents; 
in very attractive cloth binding ,$1. 
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