CHAPTER XIV

PLANTING OF THE TREES

September proved as dry as August was wet,--only half an inch of water
fell; and the seedings would have been slow to start had they depended
for their moisture upon the clouds. By October 1, however, green had
taken the place of brown on nearly all the sixty acres we had tilled.
The threshers came and threshed the wheat and oats. Of wheat there were
311 bushels, of oats, 1272. We stored this grain in the cottage until
the granary should be ready, and stacked the straw until the forage barn
could receive it. My plan from the first has been to shelter all forage,
even the meanest, and bright oat straw is not low in the scale.

On the 10th the horse stable was far enough advanced to permit the
horses to be moved, and the old barn was deserted. A neighbor who had
bought this barn at once pulled it down and carted it away. In this
transaction I held out several days for $50, but as my neighbor was
obdurate I finally accepted his offer. The first entry on the credit
side of my farm ledger is, By one old barn, $45. The receipts for
October, November, and December, were:--

By one old barn $45.00

By apples on trees (153 trees at $1.85 each) 283.00

By 480 bushels of potatoes at 30 cents per bushel 144.00

By five old sows, not fat 35.00

One cow 15.00

Three cows 70.00

Two cows 35.00

Three cows, two heifers, nine calves 187.00

Forty-three shoats and gilts, average 162 lb., at 2 cents
per lb 139.00

Total $953.00

The young hogs had eaten most of my small potatoes and some of my corn
before we parted with them in late November. These sales were made at
the farm, and at low prices, for I was afraid to send such stuff to
market lest some one should find out whence it came. The Four Oaks brand
was to stand for perfection in the future, and I was not willing to
handicap it in the least. Top prices for gilt-edged produce is what
intensive farming means; and if there is money in land, it will be found
close to this line.

The potatoes had been dug and sold, or stored in the cellar of the
farm-house; the apples from the trees reserved for home use had been
gathered, and we were ready for the fall planting. While waiting for the
stock to arrive, we had time to get in all the hay and most of the straw
into the forage barn, which was now under roof.

On Saturday, the 26th, word came that sixteen immense boxes had arrived
at