The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-04-21

of fruit from those things for which | paid
the twenty y-five dollars, in five years
Done. Ill stand you: SO your trees will
cost yon fifty dollars sure, in money, besides
the time thrown away in setting them out. or
taking care Of thcm.'
AS for the time spent in setting them out.
or taking care Of them, it is as good exercise
as playing ball, wicket or any thing else
While we were setting them out, one OF your
boys came to get my boys 10 90 over to Mr..
Mooiy's where he said there was to bc a
great time playing ball and have no doub.
your boys spend just as much time playing.
as mine do with our trees and SO forth and
then something is done, but in playing, the
strength is all laid out for nothing.
Well it don't cost anything to play ball,
but trees cost money
The foregoing conversation occurred in the
shop between :wo ncighborS, both boot ma
kcrs in town not more than thirty miles
from Boston.
Mr.. Briggs. in whose shop the converse
ton took ? lace, was "a man OF more than or
binary in,cIlisc for one of his advantages
and circumstances in life. lie had been a
poor boy, and by industry, observation and
economy, had worked his wav on in life and
reared AMI well educated family of children.
who, like him self, were industrious and
steady. For the few wears past, he hal be-
come Interested IN horticulture, and both for
exercise and aln,,>eln mt. and turned his at
'cntion to cultivatin. his one acre farm'-
His attention was first called to this bv nran>
Of a back number OF the New England Far
me: which was pat round some things bongli
at the store. Mr.. Briggs found this SO inter
e>tiny, that he purchased another at the ,~-
rlodica! depot. and then he became regular
subscriber. His sons soon became inter estc,i
in the same direction, and the interest of the
father and sons. increased to the pitch inIi-
Gated in the foregoing conversation.
In time, every inch OF that acre Of ground
Wa, brought under the spade. and a!mos,
every best variety OF fruit had place
there. and the father and sons found pleasure
anl profit in the garden after being co","',l
up in the shop till the '>t-nt' was done. and
the exercise was far more profitable than the
>!N>modic violent cxerci>c taken in games.
Mr.. Chapman. the other nri.hhor. was a
man ot common sense H.. looked upon
~. ,....'.- 49,.
nonsense. and was ready 10 Snecr at every
one who stepped ASIDE from the common
track. 1t looked simply silly to him to see
a man stay at home from muster or train
ing. or shows and spend his time in cult
waiting gardens: or, instead of loitcrinc away
the evening at the store, smoking, or hear
in. or tcllin. a deal of nothing or worse. ,o
spend the evening ~ nome. rcAlIn. such
nonsense as the Farmer and llortirulturis,
; affords.
) Years pass. and Mr. Briggs 'onc acr.
farm shows that he and his boys have moi
read tn" papers in vain. They have learn
) rl how 10 set ont a tree. and how 10 tax,
care of /: after it was st ont. E,crv'hn.
showed it received The ri.ht kind of oyi an,
care. and >frai .htwav bean 10 brin. tor,l
fruit meet inr good cultivation. In a >hor
time thc wants of ,i,r family were more thar
supplied. and the surplus found ready mar
ket with the nrishhor> at good prices.
Those carly apples. SO rich and tempting
when all other apples were so green am
hard; and then such pears they went a
r fast as the sun and house could ri,~n then,
" at three. four, and five cents apiece. TheI
u such rich, ripe grapcs-too tcmptia. for tn
Il coolest TO pass without watering mouth
MIR. Chapm ms family were among the bcs
customers FOR the tempting trui:-first hav
ing learned their excellence hy the libcralit
e of Mr.. Briggs, who never failed to send
specimen of his best to his neighbor
It The fifth season came 1t was a fruitl
year. Apple, pear, peach, plum. and a
Is other trees were loaded with fruit Kccpm
in mind his conversation with Mr.. Chapman
Mr. Briggs had directed his family to $.
down every cents worth of fruit sold TO NJ
p Chapman or his family. This year. as it haI
n pencd, was wear of extreme hard times
e The boot business was at its low cbb litl
e work and very low wascs-and vet the prir
of every kind of provisions was up to til
st highest notch, and money extremely tight.
| But there was one family that did not see
ID to be in the least affected by the hard time
low prices of labor, high prices Of provision
p or the scarcity of money; Mr.. Briggs an
IN bis two oldest sons, all Of them had lii,
spare change to let ON short time with il
k. tcres.' to their needy ncighborS.
/ One day Mr.. Chapman, who was shor
ut applied to Mr.. Briggs for half for aqua
As ter, meaning fifty dollars tor three months.
Yes said Mr.. Briggs, have half or
rs whole, Just as You like
" What, hundred dollars by you, the
ne times; don't see how it comes. You AZ
OF your boys don't work any harder than AZ
$, my boys do, and We can hardly get alom;
t. We are saving and punching as can lc. to
es times are 50 dreadful hard, aud everything
IS family has to buy is 80 dreadful high, al
ut wages so low /; p ,tatoes a dollar bush.
| beef fifteen cents pound, pork sixteen cen,