Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-06-28
NJ and n1rs sparrowerass
RETIRE FROM THE CITY TO ENJOY RURAL LII
From The June KnickerboekeT.

RETIRE FROM THE CITY TO ENJOY RURAL LIFE.
From The June Kniekerboeker
When Mrs. Sparrowgrass and ! moved ln'o
the country, with our heads full of fresh butter
and cool crisp radishes for tea; with ideas entire
ly lucid respecting milk, and looseness OF cal
culaiion as 10 the number in family it would take
good laying hen 10 supply with fresh eggs eve
nv morning; when Mrs. Sparrowgrass and NOV
cd into the country, We found some preeonceYed
notions had to be abandoned and some departures
made from the plans We had laid down in the III
tie bnok parlor in avenue G..
One of the first achievements in the country l.
early rising with The lark with the sun,whle the
dew is ON the grass. .nnder the opening eye.ds
of the morn" and 81 forth Early rising Nhat
can be done with five or six o'clock IN town.
What fnny not be dome at those hours IN the conn-
try, with the hoe, the rake. the dibbe, the spade
The watering pot! To plant, prnne, drill trans,
plant. graft, train, and sprinklei Mrs. ;. ana l
agreed to rise early in the country.
Early rising in the country is not an instinct
il is "A sentiment and must be cultivated.
4 friend recommended me to send to the south
side of long Island for some very prollhc pota-
toes, the real hippopotamus breed. Down went
nv man. and what with expenses of horse-hlre,
tavern bills. toll gates, and breaking wagon tie
hippopotami cost as much apiece as pine-appies.
They were fine potatoes though, with comely
features and large anguishing eyes, that prom
worked my own garden, for which hired land-
scape gardener at two dollars per day 20 give me
instructions,) | concluded that the object of my
first experience in early rising should be the
planting of the appropriateness. ! accordingly
rose next morning at FIVE audit raned. rose
next day at five, and it rained! The next, ana 1t
rainedl 1t raned for two weeks! We had splen-
said to MIS- spa d4sg FIX Eg dinner. My dea,'
those fine potatoesl' "Why," said she innocent
e Al. IL.
last of the hippotamuses were before me, peeled
and boiled, and mashed and baked, with a nice
thin brown crust on the top!
| was more successful afterwards. / did get
some fine seed potatoes in the ground. But some
thing was the matter; at the end of the season |
did not get as many out as put in.
Mrs. Sparrowgrass, who is notable house
wife, said to me one day; "Now my dear,we shall
soon have plenty of eggs for have been buying
a lot of young chickens" There they are, each
one with as many feathers Il grasshopper, and
a chrp not louder. Of course we locke forward
with pleasant hopes to the period when the first
caekle should announce the milk white egg warm
ly posted in the hay, which we had provided
bountfally. They grew finely, and one day |
ventured to remark that our hens had remarka-
bly, large combs, to which Mrs. S. replied, Yes,
indeed, she had observed that, but if wanted to
have real treat | ought to get up in the morn
ing and hear them crow" 'Crowl' said |, faint
"; our hens crowingl Then, by the cock that
crowed in the morn TO wake the priest all shaver
and shorn,' we light rs well give up al hopes of
having eggs, said |; for, sure you live, Mrs
S., our hens are all roostersn And so they were
roosters that grew up and fought with the neigh
boris chick MS until there not whole pair of
eyes on either side of the fence.
A dog is good thing to have in the country.
have one which | raised from pup. He is IA
good stout fellow and hearty barker and feeder.
The man of whom | bought him said he was a
thorough bred, but he began TO have a mongrel
look about him.--He is n good watch dog though,
for the moment he any suspicious looking
person about the premises, he comes right into
the kitchen and gets behind the stove. At first
we kept him in the house and he scratched all
night to get out. Then we turned him out, and
he scratched all night to get in. Then we tied
him up at the back of the garden, and he howled
SO that our neighbors shot at him three times be-
fore daybreak. FINALLY we gave him away and
he came back; and now he is just recovering from
fit, in which he has torn up the patch that had
been sown for our spring radishes.
A good strong gatei necessary article for
our garden. A good strong heavy gate with n
disloeated hinge, SO that it will neither open
shut. Such one had last year. The grounds
before my fence are in common, and all the neigh
bors' cows pasture there. ! remarked to Mrs. S.,
as we stood at the window in June last, how pla
eva ana picturesque the catlle looked, us lhey
stroed about cropping the green heritage. Next
morning found the innocent creatures in my
garden. They had not left green thing in it
The corn in the milk, the beans ON the poles, the
young eabbages,the tender lettuce, even the thri-
wing shoots on my young fruit trees had vanish
cd. And there they were, looking quietly on
the ruin they had made. Our watch dog too was
foregathering with them. 1t was too much, SO
got large stick and drove them all out, except n
Young heifer, whom chased all over the flower
beds, breaking down my trelliscs, my woodbnes
and sweet briars, my and petunias, until |
cornered her in the hot-bed, had to call assis-
lance to extricate her from the sashes, and her
owner sued me for damages and recovered. be-
| lieve | shall move into town.