Year: 1871

as | in my ignorance deemed them, in re-


gard to setting out onions, planting pota-


toes, melons, cucumbers &c., and sowing


vegetable and flower seeds according to the


Almanac signs, and in the light and dark


of the moon, at last resolved for once to


go precisely according to these signs and


theories, and thus practically prove them


to be of no account a


So, having engaged the services of COM


petent Astronomer, who was an Astrolo-


ger and Medical Almanac maker-one of


that kind who always truthfully (?) pre-


dict the sort of weather the coming year


will give us.-to calculate to an instant


the precise time when such and such plants


should be set out, and vegetables planted


and seeds sown to produce the most desi-


rable results. had my assistants station


ed at different parts of the garden, where


the soil had been previously prepared to
receive each sort of seed. The Astrono-


mor was placed in the center, watch in


hand, and at the exact point of time de-


sired, the signal was given. and each ore


sowed. planted, or set out his allotted part.


[ am obliged to confess myself actually as


founded at the results which followed


They have carried my convictions eB n1assc


clearover to the other side of the question!


Why, in some instances, the seeds hardly


touched the earth ere they began to ger


inmate and sprout, and some sorts which


are quicker in coming up than others, ac-


tually began to swell before they reached


the ground and we had to cover them in


''Jiffy" lest they should grow in mid-air


During the night succeeding this famous


garden making, we were hardly able to


get any sleep at all on account of the noise


hubbub, and commotion caused by the rap


id shooting up of the plants, which came


out of the ground with such a sudden


plunge, that they sent small rocks and


clods of earth flying hither and thither,


keeping up a continuous and tumultuous


clatter. BY daylight everything was up


and as far advanced IN growth as is gen


orally the case in six weeks after plant


ing; we dug mess of Early Rose Pota-


toes for breakfast. for dinner had cucum-


bers, radishes and May peas, while the
supper table was garnished with = string


beans,' and roasting ears!'' Such vege-


tables to bear never saw! One hill Of


potatoes furnished us with sufiicency of


that staple of Paddy's favorite food to last


US for month The stalks of corn grew
thirty feet high, and ears , feet in length
and all the way along from top to bottom F!
Parsnips and carrots penetrated so deep in
the earth, that they were cooked all ready
for the table by its central fires And the
squashes, of which we planted the Hub
bard variety-grew to enormous proper
tions, the rinds were eighteen inches thick
and after using the edible part, we made
of them chicken coops and pig pens, cut
ting out holes to let in air and light One
mammoth specimen out-stripped all the
rest. and acquired such extraordinary di-
mensions that we had serious thoughts of
it it into dwelling house or
public lecture hall To tell you the tenth
part of all the surprising results of 6 Plant
ing in the Signs" would tax your time
and patience, so I will close by relating
part of the history of one bean which al
most rivals that famous one of Jack, the
Giant Killer


Now, this bean we happened to plant in
a peculiarly rich spot, and more nearly up
on the precise instant in which all the
"signs were at the best possible juneture
The very first day the bean reached to the
top of pole sixty feet long, (for we pre-
pared for every emergency, we could
foresee and had consequently got the long
est pole we could) and then instead of the
top falling down and feeling around for
to cling to, as this species of
plants usually do. it kept straight on up
winding round and round upon itself,
making pole as it were, of its entwined
tendrils On, on, up, up it went, straight
as a die, day after day, till the top was
lost in the clouds. The whole vine from
top to bottom was covered with beans, each
pod three and half yards long, and look
ed like a great string of green snakes.
When this vine was about two weeks old
we went early one morning to look at the
garden, and away up, almost beyond the
reach of vision, we saw something bright
and shining apparently sitting among the
leaves of the vine OF course we were on
the ''quivive,'' to know what it could be
it some new production of the
wonderful vine In about half an hour it
began to move as if waking up out of a
sound sleep. and then all at once by a
series of short flights and agile leapes it
came down to the bottom and stood upon
the ground beside us. Language is en-
tirely inadequate to portray the exquisite
beauty of this lovely being who thus sud-
denly made its advent among us. 1t bore
the appearance of boy of some ten or
twelve years of age, the eyes were of a
deep blue and wonderously soft, sweet and
tender, the hair of bright golden hue.
fell in graceful curls about his neck and
shoulders. the face was perfect in regulari
ty of features, and more beautiful than
IS Poet ever dreamed of or Artist ever
and was lit up with the brightest
rarest, intellectually and Love, gentle
ness and amiability beamed from every
linement. The whole body was covered
with coat of soft, siiken, bright, waving
hair, more beautiful than any garment ever
devised by human skill or ingenuity. The
hands and face alone were naked, and the
skin of these was of a clear transparent
whiteness, tinged with the loveliest rose
hue color of health, and over and around
this lovely creature waved glimmered and
skimmered an arora of clear. soft, radiant
lightness from which the most delicious
perfume was waited on every side. As we
stood gazing in bewilderment of amaze
ment and admiration, it, meanwhile look
ing with curiosity upon us and its new sur
roundings. all at once there broke upon
the air the most ravishing enchanting
music that we had ever heard. This
beautiful inhabitant of some Fairy Rein
was evidently addressing us in its own ma
tive language, but finding that it failed to
make itself understood. it again became