family.

With the addition of from a hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds in
money to the raw material, a good substantial and comfortable dwelling
can be completed. Two or three years should be spent in preparing and
collecting materials, so that your timber may be perfectly seasoned
before you commence building.

Apple and plum orchards should be planted as soon as possible, and well
fenced from the cattle and sheep. The best kind of grafted fruit-trees,
from three to seven years old, can be obtained for a shilling a tree;
ungrafted, at four shillings the dozen.

The apple-tree flourishes extremely well in this country, and grows to
a large size. I gathered last year, out of my orchard, several Ribstone
Pippins, each of which weighed more than twelve ounces, and were of a
very fine flavour. The native plums are not very good in their raw
state, but they make an excellent preserve, and good wine.

Some of the particulars mentioned in this chapter have been glanced at
in an earlier portion of the work; but I make no apology for the
repetition. My object is, to offer instruction to the inexperienced
settler, and to impress these important matters more firmly upon his
mind and memory, that he may have his experience at a cheaper rate than
if he purchased it at the expense of wasted time, labour, and capital.

CHAPTER XIV.

MY FIRST SHOT AT A BUCK. -- HUNTING AND SHOOTING PARTIES. --
DESTRUCTIVENESS OF WOLVES. -- LOSS OF MY FLOCKS. -- COWARDICE OF THE
WOLF. -- THE LADY AND HER PET. -- COLONEL CRAWFORD'S ADVENTURE. --
INGENIOUS TRICK OF AN AMERICAN TRAPPER. -- A DISAGREEABLE ADVENTURE. --
HOW TO POISON WOLVES. -- A STERN CHASE.

MY father-in-law had a large field of fall wheat, upon which, during
the night, the deer were very fond of grazing. Just before dark, the
herd used to make their appearance, and we tried repeatedly to get a
shot at them, but in vain. At the least noise, or if they winded us, up
went their tails, and they were off in an instant. I was determined,
however, not to be so continually balked. I had observed, by the
tracks, the direction they took in their way to the field; so, an hour
before their usual time of coming, I sallied out, and concealed myself
in the top of an old fallen tree which lay a few feet from the ground,
and about twenty yards from a path which I suspected had been beaten by
the deer, going backwards and forwards to the field.

The place I had selected to watch for them w