Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-12-04
A Tale Horticultural.

vored me especially. I had the EARL.
est and best kinds Of fruits. But l
was greatly perplexed for long time
with thieying boys. Almost every
night in the season Of fruit, my gar
den was visited, trees damaged, and
rich flowers trampled down. ! tried
various ways 10 protect my grounds
had watch dogs, but they were shot or
poisoncd-set traps, but they never
caught anything except now and then
one Of my own cats. As Jown Hobbs
says:
Traps. every one knows is no safe guard to
apples, s
Big dogs seldom bite one, and guns never
shoot;
The chivairous school boy each obstacle crap.
pies,
And never desists till he pockets the fruit"
Finally l built wall of solid ma
son work about my garden such as the
Catholics have about their nunneries;
but that did not answer. 1t was only
by accident that / found out tae scay
to save ones fruit; and noticing in the
papers divers cautions to young rogues
Il think it worth while to publish
somewhat Of my experience.
| have come to the conclusion that
boys are as much influenced by malice
as by love of good eating in such
thieving.. IF they know a man to be
close listed, they will wrench open his
fingers in some way. When | was a
Freshman at the University, people
about the college complained very
much of their fruit being stolen by the
students; and only one man escaped
and he was the only one who sent a
cart load of excellent apples and dis
tribu,ed them among the college stu
dents. q
/ might have known, if had tho't
Of my own boyhood, that the way to
manage boys is, to treat them kindly.
They have a natural code Of honor
which forbids them to do him an in
Jury who shows regard for them. It
is no compliment to man that boys
love to vex him. 1t is pretty true
sign that they have not any soul to
speak of
'What do you say 10? Shall we
come the grab over them melons TO-
night? It's going to be as dark as
thunder. Old Swipcs will be snoring
like ten men before midnight
i should like the melons well
enough, but we have to get over that
pesky wall, and --
.Oh, pshaw. 10! l know a place
where it's easy getting over, | know
the way like book. Come, 10! will
you 60 it"
Now, dislike extremely to be an
eaves-dropper, and usually convey my
self elsewhere rather than allow my
ears 10 be highway for words not
intended for me. But the above con-
versation so intimately concerned me
and my melons, which | had taken
some pains to raise, that | kept quiet
and listened to the whole plan of the
young scape graces-so that | might
make it somewhat bothersome for
them.
Ned proposed to get over the wall
on the south side by the great pear
tree, and cut directly across to the
summer house-juss north OF which
were the melons.
10 was clever, thick Tipped fellow
loved good fruit exceedingly, that is
to say, as well as he did to lounge in
open summer time in a sunny place,
and smoke cigars-ard obstinate as an
ass. Get him once started to do
thing and he would stick to it like
mud-turtle to negro boys toe, in
spite of kicks or what not, till be had
accomplished it. The other was a
frey daredcvil-did'n care so much
for the melons Of for the real fun of
getting them.
made all necdful preparations for
the visit; put on brads, pretty thick. in
the scantling along the wall where they
intended TO get over; uncovered large
water vat that had been filled for some
time from which in dry weather was
accustomed to water my garden; dug
a trench foot deep or SO, and placed
slender boards over it, which were
covered with dirt, and just beyond
them some little cords fastened tight
Iy--some eight inches from the ground.
] picked all the melons | cared to pre-
serve, leaving pumpkins and sqnashcs
4 Il n