The San Francisco call., 1910-02-13

leave. 1 did not even in beginning
know what bearing wood" was. So |
formulated my own plan and cut away
all branches that were twisted or
broken or marred the symmetrical out
line, or which shut out sun from other
branches. When 1 got through with my
first tree it looked too desolate for
tears. 1t isn't far from the cabin door,
and that fall was indirectly the cause of
much good work on brush and scrub,
for one glance at that poor tree and
it's mute look what you did to me-"
would kindle my Irish and make the
brush hook fly. When spring and bios
soming time came round, however, that
tree was wonder of beauty, and at
harvest it yielded eight boxes of very
best Spitzenbergs, so that L regretted
having tempered my method in dealing
with the other trees in the orchard
apple. peach, pear and plum.
I believe a woman alone can do all
necessary work for three acres of
orchard and a couple of acres of small
fruits, doing justice to it all and herself
as we'll in connection with bees and
chickens. The latter will be the main
source of revenue; the former supplies a
generous living, for what you don't use
you Will swap It's a pretty good
sized order for work. and If one gets
behind hand the drag of 1t is fe/$ $ful
for the procession of the endless days
moves right along. and every days a
working day with Mother Nature How
ever, IN any enterprise it is the long,
strong, steady pull that wins. My OBJ
servation is there is more demand for
system and less of it in practice by
the urbanites who take to farming
Since I was alone-and lonely-and
anxious to succeed and have all the
fun there was, too, l appointed myself
superintendent The superintendent
prepared a schedule which L faithfully
follow. OF course it varies with the
season. somewhat, but the summer
schedule runs about like this: An
early hour in the garden, with the bird
concert at its best; then feed time for
the animals; then breakfast time for me-
Next comes two or three hours in the
orchard; then two or three indoors
during the hottest part of the day,
sewing or sweeping or baking. Then
go as you please-maybe fishing, or
fence building, or land looking, occa-
sionally hunting. Then comes evening
chores and supper time; then bonfires,
after which 1 read as long as 1 like or
as long / can keep awake
There are no rush or bargain days;
mail day twice week is a sort OF
matinee day and is about the limit the
country affords for excitement unless
somebody gives a dance. When that
happens the young folks actually dance
the night through; they pretty nearly
have to, for they come such distances
and over such roads and trails that
dark travelling is dangerous. Older and
wiser ones bake cakes and make sand
wiches, and beg off and go home early
The music is marvellous. Can you fancy
dancing to a fiddle accompanied by a
cabinet organ?
My cabin? oh, yes. You enter the
kitchen. There isn't any other en-
trance. It is neatly and cheerfully pa
pered throughout with comic supple
ments. You'd never guess how inter-
esting it is till you see it. Then the
big living room. papered with blue
print maps. They make the incest kind
of a background for big groups of
photographs on one wall; guns, fishing
rod, Indian baskets on another. and a
constantly changing array of the