登陆注册
4620400000032

第32章

However, there was no feeling of disappointment in Hiram Strong's mind--and this fact somewhat surprised him. He had been so attracted by the girl, and had wished in the beginning so much to be engaged by Mr. Bronson, that he had considered it a mighty disappointment when he had lost the Westerner's card.

However, his apathy in the matter was easily explained. He had taken hold of the work on the Atterson place. His plans were growing in his mind for the campaign before him. His interest was fastened upon the contract he had made with the old lady.

His hand was, literally now, "to the plow"--and he was not looking back.

He finished the piece that day, and likewise drew out some lime that he had bought at Scoville and spread it broadcast upon all the garden patch save that in which he intended to put potatoes.

Although it is an exploded doctrine that the application of lime to potato ground causes scab, it is a fact that it will aid in spreading the disease. Hiram was sure enough--because of the sheep-sorrel on the piece--that it all needed sweetening, but he decided against the lime at this time.

As soon as Hiram had drag-harrowed the piece he laid off two rowsdown the far end, as being less tempting to the straying hens, and planted early peas--the round-seeded variety, hardier than the wrinkled kinds. These pea-rows were thirty inches apart, and he dropped the peas by hand and planted them very thickly.

It doesn't pay to be niggardly with seed in putting in early peas, at any rate--the thicker they come up the better, and in these low bush varieties the thickly growing vines help support each other.

This garden piece--almost two acres--was oblong in shape. An acre is just about seventy paces square. Hiram's garden was seventy by a hundred and forty paces, or thereabout.

Therefore, the young farmer had two seventy-yard rows of peas, or over four hundred feet of drill. He planted two quarts of peas at a cost of seventy cents.

With ordinary fortune the crop should be much more than sufficient for the needs of the house while the peas were in a green state, for being a quick growing vegetable, they are soon past.

Hiram, however, proposed putting in a surplus of almost everything he planted in this big garden--especially of the early vegetables--for he believed that there would be a market for them in Scoville.

The ground was very cold yet, and snow flurries swept over the field every few days; but the peas were under cover and were off his mind; Hiram knew they would be ready to pop up above the surface just as soon as the warm weather came in earnest, and peas do not easily rot in the ground.

In two weeks, or when the weather was settled, he proposed planting other kinds of peas alongside these first two rows, so as to have a succession up to mid-summer.

Next the young farmer laid off his furrows for early potatoes. He had bought a sack of an extra-early variety, yet a potato that, if left in the ground the full length of the season, would make a good winter variety--a "long keeper."His potato rows he planned to have three feet apart, and he plowed the furrows twice, so as to have them clean and deep.

Henry Pollock happened to come by while he was doing this, andstopped to talk and watch Hiram. To tell the truth, Henry and his folks were more than a little interested in what the young farmer would do with the Atterson place.

Like other neighbors they doubted if the stranger knew as much about the practical work of farming as he claimed to know. "That feller from the city," the neighbors called Hiram behind his back, and that is an expression that completely condemns a man in the mind of the average countryman.

"What yer bein' so particular with them furrers for, Hiram?" asked Henry.

"If a job's worth doing at all, it's worth doing well, isn't it?" laughed the young farmer.

"We spread our manure broadcast--when we use any at all--for potatoes," said Henry, slowly. "Dad says if manure comes in contact with potatoes, they are apt to rot.""That seems to be a general opinion," replied Hiram. "And it may be so under certain conditions. For that reason I am going to make sure that not much of this fertilizer comes in direct contact with my seed.""How'll you do that?" "I'll show you," said Hiram.

Having run out his rows and covered the bottom of each furrow several inches deep with the manure, he ran his plow down one side of each furrow and turned the soil back upon the fertilizer, covering it and leaving a well pulverized seed bed for the potatoes to lie in.

"Well," said Henry, " that's a good wrinkle, too."Hiram had purchased some formalin, mixed it with water according to the Government expert's instructions, and from time to time soaked his seed potatoes two hours in the antiseptic bath. In the evening he brought them into the kitchen and they all--even Old Lem Camp--cut up the potatoes, leaving two or three good eyes in each piece.

"I'd ruther do this than peel 'em for the boarders," remarked Sister, looking at her deeply-stained fingers reflectively. "And then, nobody won't say nothin' about my hands to me when I'm passin' dishes at the table."The following day she helped Hiram drop the seed, and by night he had covered them by running his plow down the other side of the row andthen smoothed the potato plat with a home-made "board" in lieu of a land- roller.

It was the twentieth of March, and not a farmer in the locality had yet put in either potatoes, or peas. Some had not as yet plowed for early potatoes, and Henry Pollock warned Hiram that he was "rushing the season.""That may be," declared the young farmer to Mrs. Atterson. "But I believe the risk is worth taking. If we do get 'em good, we'll get 'em early and skim the cream of the local market. Now, you see!"

同类推荐
  • 晋春秋

    晋春秋

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 丹霞子淳禅师语录

    丹霞子淳禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 皇明名僧辑略

    皇明名僧辑略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说无量寿经

    佛说无量寿经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 四巧工传

    四巧工传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 男配,求你移情別恋

    男配,求你移情別恋

    那座万年蒙尘的大门缓缓浮现在两人面前时,闻人咲与祁安相视一望,这恐怕就是千万年来令群仙们争相寻觅、通往无上神界的唯一通道。门后究竟是何番景象,无论作为凡人还是真仙,她从未迟疑过,但此时她却不由自主地却步了……她明白,曾经束缚她的一切未知与因果即将在这扇门敞开之后真相大白。闻人咲望向那座大门,此刻,有祁安在身旁,她便无所畏惧。随后彷佛心有灵犀一般,两人同时伸出手覆上门面,那扇尘封数万年的大门咿呀开启。瞬间,门后似有万千光华绽放。
  • 风尘王妃:朱门深庭斗芳华

    风尘王妃:朱门深庭斗芳华

    苏浅月原是御史府千金,因父亲被人诬陷而落难,成为烟花巷落红坊卖艺不卖身的头牌舞姬,因惊鸿舞跳得好,被称为“凌波仙子”,与救过自己的萧天逸互有好感,但并未表明心意。荣王府二公子容煕倾心于苏浅月,与哥哥容瑾商量对策,想迎娶苏浅月,不料后来容瑾却对苏浅月一见钟情,以权势逼迫容煕退让,费尽周折迎娶了苏浅月。苏浅月入府后,容瑾处处体贴宠爱,苏浅月渐渐爱上了容瑾,却因府中争斗受尽委屈,屡次被陷害,还失去了孩子。容瑾因为诸多顾忌不肯为孩子报仇,又因与容煕的感情纠葛被容瑾怀疑,让苏浅月性情大变。后来又得知一直以来对自己帮助良多的萧天逸竟是敌国奸细……苏浅月只觉得生无可恋,漫天飞雪,身着大红舞衣跳舞辞别以往岁月,翩然离去,后来容瑾知道自己错了,辞去官职,遍寻苏浅月……
  • 竹岩集

    竹岩集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • N的异世界生活

    N的异世界生活

    那些在屏幕之中已经完结的故事,在她的世界里还在继续,不管是起义之后的和平生活,还是纠缠不清的爱恨情仇,又或者是........“但是这些和我又有什么关系呢。”N有些无奈,“我知道你们两个美男子谈恋爱不容易,但是能能不能别来找我。”“但是之前那对男女不是你帮忙撮合的吗?”“给钱啊!”
  • 极夜王朝

    极夜王朝

    “我极夜是人族历史上最伟大的人,没有之一!”光明新历元年,极夜大帝在人族史册的扉页上亲手写下。“什么?你不同意?来来来,我最是通情达理了,咱们单独理论一番!”
  • 雪庵从瑾禅师颂古

    雪庵从瑾禅师颂古

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 盛宴之后

    盛宴之后

    帅气的老公跟大方和善的姐姐苟合在了一起。她被打的遍体鳞伤,不但孩子不保,最后还被关进了精神病院。她跪在那个她叫着姐姐的女人面前,求她放过她妈妈。女人却一阵冷笑,咬牙切齿的看着她:“谭小雅,这辈子,你已经输了,你没有资格跟我谈条件……你这个贱种,跟着你妈一起下地狱吧。”谭小雅疯了一般的想要跟她拼了,最后却惨死在自己老公的手下。本以为自己这辈子就这么败了,可冥冥之中,竟又重生归来。他们给了她精神和肉体的双重摧残,欢享一场饕餮盛宴。且看盛宴之后,她如何逆天改命,将前世负了她的,一一讨回来!她要让所有给过她屈辱的人,全部跪倒在她的膝前,卑微乞求她的原谅。
  • 靛草青靛草蓝

    靛草青靛草蓝

    外婆牵着我的手,让我进入这个故事。这个古老而又悲怆的故事,对于那时幼小的我来说,只有从它的结果进入。因为只有它在我的心中完全成熟了,我才能将它完整地讲出来,而这个成熟过程需要五十余年,半个多世纪的时间,孕含着我对生命的体验和思索。现在,在我记忆里,我描述的是巴水河边的九月重阳。
  • 自我升华

    自我升华

    从习惯、学习、阅读、时间等多方面,来说明学习中可能遇到的种种约束与瓶颈,告知读者如何克服,并在学习中得到快乐与自我的升华。
  • 三元参赞延寿书

    三元参赞延寿书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。