Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-05

Now, have told her until she knows the
story by heart, the results of my last year s
attempt to achieve success In the agricul-
tural line. Moreover, she was an eye-wit-
ness of the annoying incidents, the mental
anxiety, the worry and discontinue con-
nected with that same failure. Yet she
urges me to pass through the same trying
scenes once more. Her motto is TRY, trY
Rgain'-a rule of conduct that is well
enough for some people to follow-but
hardly the principle I care to observe in
gardening. When 1 try thing, do nv
level best, and on reckoning up the result
find have had my labor for my pains, i
generally quit. 1 think it is time. 1
bought that quarter of an acre Of ground
adjoining my humble homestead in the SUBJ
urbs at very low figure, yet If were to
cultivate it every year it would soon cost
me more than large farm.
A man always has an ambition to do
something be cannot do. In the spring of
1888 my ideas and Miranda's were exactly
alike. l thought it would be pleasant and
profitable to have a garden patch. Time
has dispelled the pleasing illusion from my
mental vision. Time viii have to get up
earlier and become more agile in his move
ments than 1 have ever yet seen him if he
succeeds in getting her to abandon notion
that has once found lodgment in her active
brain. A year ago embraced my wife's
views on the subject of vegetable raising
with enthusiasm. bought farming imple-
ments to the value of 81 so. Then found
it would be necessary to have the ground
plowed before I could use them. / spent
half day looking for man, a plow and a
team. I succeeded in finding boy, and an
old fashioned instrument that might have
been 8 plow once and q pair of mules.
paid the boy s. in advance. He didn't come
on the day he agreed to and
1 had to go after him. He
said he could plan. He lied. He could only
drive the mules around the lot. The fur
rows he made, when be made any, which
was about one-third of the time, were from
three to eighteen inches in depth, and no
two contiguous unless by accident. He
ruined my ground, and the mules ran over
and destroyed three choice fruit trees worth
at least $40.
Next day got another s. hand with a
team and harrow. ] couldn't see that he
did much except to raise dust-the land
still remained as uneven as the plowman
had left it. Then went to work with !
spade, rake and hoe. Working two hours |
a day for two weeks got the |
ground in shape to plant I also got
blisters all over the palms of my hands. |
Then invested s. in seeds and SIC in fes |
tiliEers. also bought some tomato ane |
cabbage plants to set out, as it was too late |
to SOW the seed. These cost s. go. 1 had |
patches of potatoes and corn, beds planted |
10 onions, squashes, eucumbers, melons, |
etc. There were also string beans, peas and |
two rows Of tomatoes. I also planted some
beet seed, but Il produced only turnips, and
those were Of the big, strong kind that are
fed to hogs and cattle. may remark in /
parenthesis that the turnips were the only
vegetables Of retpectAble size that the gar
den produced.
In due time the seeds sprouted-that is,
few did-and I began to take good deal Of
pride in my field. 1 was somewhat humbled
one evening while at work when neighbor
came along and pointed out the fact that
some very thrifty plants. which 1 believed
% be radishes, were nothing but ragweeds.
BE asked me If I had pulled up any weeds