Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-07-05
Life in the Country

EXPERIENCE or MR.. AND MRS. sPARRow6RAss.
1t is good thing to live in the country. I
escape from the prison-wals Of the metropolI
the great brckery we call the " city AN
TO live amid blossoms and leaves, in shadow an
sunshine, in moonlight aud starlight. in rain
mist, dew, hoarrost, and drought, out 10 tn
open campaign, and under the blue dome tina
10 bounded by the horizon only. 1t is goOC
thing to have well with dripping buckets, {
porch with honey-buds and sweet bells. hive
embroidered with nimble bees, sun-dial mossed
over, ivy up the caves, curtains of dlmity,
tumbler OF fresh flowers in your bedroom, a
rooster On The roof, and dog under the piazza
When Mrs. Sparrowgaass and moved into
the country, with our heads full Of fresh
butter, and cool, crisp radi.hes for tea with
IDEAS entirely lucid with respec. to milk, and a
lu0eeness OF calculation us to the number in
Iamlly 1t would take good laying hen to sup
Ply with fresh eggs every morning when Mrs.
Sparowgrass and | moved into the country, we
found some pteconceiyed notion had to be aban-
doned, a1d some departures made from the
plans we had laid down in the little back parlor
In avenue G.
Ono Of the first achievements IN the country
Is early rising with the lark-wth the sun
while the dew Is onthe grass, " under the open
eyeids of the morn, and so forth What can
be done with five or six O'clock in town. What
can be done at those hours H. the country
with the hoe, the rake, the dlbbe, the spade,
the waterlhg.rot? To plant prune, drill,
transplant, graft tram and sprinkle Mrs D.
and agreed to rise early 10 the country.
Richgrd nd Rohtn wore tvo ut.uv r.n
They lad In bed I'll the clock slrGck tn
Up jumped Richard and looked at the sky
3, brother Robin the suns psry high"
Early rising in the country is not IN instinct
II is a sentiment, and must be cultivated
friend ecOnmended me to send to the south
side OF Long Island for some yerf prolific pota-
toes-the real hippopotamGs breed. Down went
my man, and what with expenses Of horse hire,
tavern bill, toll-gates, aud breaking d wagon,
the hippopotlm cost as much as plne-appl,s
They were hue potatoes though, wIth concly
features, and large, languisbing eyes, that
promised increase OF family without delay. As
| worked my own garden, (for which hired
landscape gardener at two doll Is pr day to
give me instructions) | concluded that my first
experience in early rising should be tie planting
ol the hippopOtamuses. | accordingly rose
next morning at five, and it rained rose
next day atiiye, and it rained The next, and it
raned 1t rained for two weeks We had
splendid potatoes every day for dinner
Ny dear" said | to Ms Sparrowgrass,
/" where did you get these fine potatoes ?"
Why said she innOcently, out Of that
basket from Long Island -
The last Ol the appropriateness were before
me, peeled, and boiled, and mashed and baked, |
with 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 was a notable house
slie, said to me one day
" Now, my dear, we shall soon have plenty
u eggs, for have been buying lot Of small
chickens.
There they were, each one with as many
as grasshoppers, and ! chrp not louder,
)f course We looked forward with pleasant
ropes to the period when the first cacke should
mlik.white eggs, warmly deposited in |
he hay which had been provided bountifully.
Iney grew finely, and one day yentured to re-
mark that our hens had remarkably large
ombs, to which Mrs. S. replied
Yes, ind ed, she had observed that but if
wanted real treat, ought to get up early in
he morning and hear them crow"
Grow, said |, family, L" our hens crow
NJ Then, by
The cock that crowed in the morn
To wake ths priest ali shsven aud shorn,n
We might give up the hopes of having any
ggs, SAID 4" lor as sure as You live, Mrs. S.,
ur hens are all roosters ~
And so they were roosters that grew up and
ought with the neighbors' chickens until there
Eas not whole pair OF eyes on either side of
ho fence.
A dog is good thing 10 have in the country
have one which ! raised from pup. lie is a
ood, stout fellow and hearty barker and feed
?. The man OF whom | bought him said be
'as Thoroughbred but he begins to have
longrel look about him. lie is good watch
og though, for, the moment he sees any sus.
person about the premises, he
Dmes right into the kitchen aud gets behind
no stove. First we kept him in the house. and
c scratched all night 10 got out. Then we
armed him out, and he scratched all night To
e, In. Then We tied him up at the back OF the /
arden, and he howled so that our neighbor =
lot at him before daybreak. Finally, we gave
lm away and he came back and now be is
ist recovering from II fit IN which be has torn
p tho patch that had been sown for our spring
ldishes
A good, strong gate Is necessary article .or
our garden. A good, strong, heavy gate, with
dlslooated hinge, 80 that it will neither open
OI shut. Such an ono had | last year. The /
rounds before my fence are in common, and all q
le neighbors COWS pasture there remarked /
Mrs, s., as we stood at the window in June I
st, how placid and picturesque the cattle look. /
/, as they sirolied about, cropping the green ,
lrbage. Next morning ! found the innocent
eatures in my garden, They had left no green !
iing IN 1t. The corn in the milk the beans on q
le poles, the young and tender lettuce, even Q
ie thriving shoots on my young trees had van
he'd And they were there looking quietly on "
e ruin they had made. Our watch.dog was II
with them. II was too much, so
got large stick and drove them all out, ex
pt ayoung helier, which chased oil over the s
'wer'beds, breaking down my trellises, my ro. k
s and petuulas, until cornered her In a hot 4
u, had to cali for assistance TO extrlcate IA
7 from the sashes, and her owner sued me for
images and recovered. believe shall move
to town.