Litchfield enquirer., 1867-03-21
+Hlisrcllallp.
AGRICULTURAL.

The following letter from by. II. ". Beecher to the editor of the Orsapeste,'n Farmer, gives some of his carly gardening
 experiences, and will be read wih interest:
 F.. ...z.~0... t.f.. BROOKLYN, Jauary 12.
 "7o 4. Bland:
 "Dear Sir: an much obligd to you for the two numbers of the No,t3t,este,n Far mer. Three volumes of the IAiano Fiar- ,se,' aud Gardener were issued, under my auspices. Almost all the old nurserymen and amateur horticultarists # that day have ripened and dropped The whole state is wonderfully transformed, and h. dianapolis, which tiGct,lated l population from three to four thousand inhabitants, has risen. to the proportions If 8 great city. The little ten foot house in which l then lived is gone. But dwelling which Ibuilt and lived in for few mon!hs before my removal still stands, and is interesting to me from the fact that woslZed on it with my own hands, and, so fa, painting was concerned, performed almost the whole of 1t myself, inside and out In the grounds adjoining had & garden which would cut poor figure by the side ofistylish eastern gsgasnS gs6as phsssHces s sRsa H 5 eatens sz as did from my two city lots. I was toe poor to hire much labor, and was therefore my own gardener; and being an enthusias I always planned twice as much work as could possibly perform well, and so my garden was not very trim and clean. But things grew we'll in 1t, and that satisfied me. If blight has not done the work ot death there ought to be some pear trees nc " in their glory which 1 planted with m, own hands. In some sense my garden wa! missionary work. The whole city wa. given to politics and money making. remember bat two enthusiasts for fowelr- Dr. Meers and Mrs. Bobbs. l lived to SC, very general taste spring up for garden ing, in part from the education and grow ing refinement of the city through its ex cellent schools, and 1 hope also ill som
 small measure from my labors. Some ltl dicrous experiences abide in my memory Good old Daniel Yandes lived opposite te me when occupied what the old citizen
 will remember as the JCe Moore house
 Nv health was rendered feeble by chill
 and fever, yet would creep out and pain
 fully prepare ground for my bulbs an'
 roots of various kinds. The kind old ma
 came one day, and leaning on the iron
 fence, watched me for. a long time, as
 to be perfectly sure 9 that 1 was wastin
 thought on flowers. Well said he, I SUI
 pose you enjoy it. Indeed l do,' Ther
 with little sparkle in his eye, as if he ha
 felt the humor the thing, he said, Wei
 the prettiest flower in the whole garden,
 think, is a cabhager Being Pensylyani
 Dutchman T belleve) by birth, he cam
 honestly by his taste.ad But of the sam
 blood came also good old mother Bobb'
 and whoever loved flowers more exceeding
 Iy than she did? During my residence
 Indianapolis everybody kept pigs, and ev'
 rybody kept them in the street. Goyerne Noble presented me with, 2 pair, and ln tW
 years I found myself owner of herd, son thirty children of tue street, and of nt
 good conduct Their skill in openin
 gates, digging iato field under the rail
 or squeezing through them, went far
 convince me of the reasoning power {
 pigs My slow and wearisome labors wei
 proyokingly neutralized by a cunning ol
 sow who about twice week would. get j
 spite of all nails and strings, lat ches an
 hinges. The chins made a night excu
 sion dangerous to me, yet one naldnlgh I heard her eatingr and coul endure
 no longer, I seized my gun, omitted fo.
 malities of toilet, and dashed out af er he
 Away she scampered down the garden, an ' away went I down the central alley to ready for her return. She, stopped and stopped I could see nothing, hear notl I ing, and it began to strike me that ha
 rather the worst of it, and only needed spectator to appear decidedly ludicrou I Just then, with bark, she dashed by II on the left. took aim with my ear. au Il let off in succession both barrels TT soueal which each evoked was music to m She left the garden and never returne' nor do I recollect afterwards to have m }, her on the street. But if were to induls in all the recollections of Indianapolis tn come up should run on endlessly. Ihol that you may reap both credit and profit J a vocation that bears such an honorable, T lation to the thrift and intelligence of u great working state of Indiana. Nothir } that interests Indiana can ever be lndifie ent to me. I remember with vivid plea ) ure tie years tllatI spent in her bound : Happier ones I shall never see. Her n lble conduct in the civil v'ar, and the gl . rious good conduct of her soldiers, flle } me with pride almost as If they represe
 ted my own household. X Ny eldest so 5 who served through the whole war, is n 5 ashamed to. be called & Hoosier. .er.asC, I am truly yours, rr F "HESET WARD BHEcHrR,' 9