CHAPTER XIV.

FARMING DUTIES.

The Bible read.-The bell rang.-The maids called.-The horsekeeper roused. The horses fed.-Calves suckled.-Cowhouse cleaned.Garden visited.-Ferry boat scooped dry.-Plough team examined.The water-trough filled.-The hogs fed.-Malt ordered.-Wheelbarrows set to work. Victuals cut for boys.-Wooden bottles filled.-Set ploughs to work.-Ditching.—Attending to the manure.—Weeding wheat. Set carpenter to work.-Hedging.-Picking thistles.

PERSONS unaccustomed to the country can form but a

poor opinion of the great diversity of things that require the attention of the industrious farmer. In all seasons and in all weathers; at sunrise and sunset; in the house and out of the house; on foot and on horseback; at home and at market, there are little things and great things that continually lay claim to his care.

The late Rev. Mr. Robinson of Cambridge was much attached to farming, and entered into it with great ardour. The following letter, written by him, will at once show his industry, and exhibit a specimen of the varied lesser duties to which farmers, in the course of a single day, have to attend.

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Rose at three o'clock; crawled into the library, and met one who said,- Work while ye have the light; the night cometh, when no man can work my Father worketh

hitherto, and I work.' Rang the great bell, and roused the girls to milking; went up to the farm; roused the horsekeeper; fed the horses while he was getting up; called the boy to suckle the calves and clean out the cow-house; lighted the pipe; walked round the garden to see what was wanted there; went up to the paddock to see if the weaning calves were well; went down to the ferry to see if the boy had scooped and cleaned the boat; returned to the farm; examined the shoulders, heels, traces, chaff and corn of eight horses going to plough; mended the acre-staff; cut some thongs; whip-corded the plough-boys' whips; pumped the troughs full; saw the hogs fed; examined the swilltubs, and then the cellar; ordered a quarter of malt, for the hogs want grains, and the men want beer; filled the pipe again; returned to the river, and bought a lighter of turf for dairy fires, and another of sedge for ovens; hunted out the wheelbarrows, and set them a trundling; returned to the farm; called the men to breakfast, and cut the boys' bread and cheese, and saw the wooden bottles filled; sent one plough to the three roods, another to the three halfacres, and so on; shut the gates, and the clock struck five; breakfasted; set two men to ditch the five roods, two men to chop sods, and spread about the land; two more to throw up manure in the yard, and three men and six women to weed wheat; set on the carpenter to repair the cow-cribs, and set them up till winter; the wheeler, to mend the old carts, cart-ladders, rakes, &c., preparatory to hay-time and harvest; walked to the six acres; found hogs in the grass; went back and set a man to hedge and thorn; sold the butcher a fat calf and the suckler a lean one. The clock strikes nine; walked into the barley-field; barleys fine; picked off a few tiles and stones, and cut a few thistles; the peas fine, but foul; the charlock must be topped; the tares

doubtful; the fly seems to have taken them; prayed for rain, but could not see a cloud; came round to the wheatfield; wheats rather thin, but the finest colour in the world; sent four women on to the shortest wheats; ordered one man to weed along the ridge of the long wheats, and two women to keep rank and file with him in the furrows; thistles many; blue-bottles no end; traversed all the wheatfield; came to the fallow-field; the ditchers have run crooked; set them straight; the flag sods cut too much; the rush sods too little; strength wasted; show the men how to three-corner them; laid out more work for the ditchers; went to the ploughs; set the foot a little higher; cut a wedge; set the coulter deeper; must go and get a new mould-board against to-morrow; went to the plough ; gathered up some wood and tied over the traces; mended a horse-tree; tied a thong to the plough-hammer; went to see which lands wanted ploughing first; sat down under a bush; wondered how any man could be so silly as to call me reverend; read two verses in the Bible of the lovingkindness of the Lord in the midst of his temple; hummed a tune of thankfulness; rose up; whistled; the dogs wagged their tails, and away we went, dined, drunk some milk and fell asleep; woke by the carpenter for some slats which the sawyers must cut, &c., &c."

In rural retirement we sometimes pick up local narratives of an interesting kind-tales that mingle much of the romance of life with its more sober and common-place realities. Such a tale I met with years ago, and as I loitered alone on the hill and in the valley, and wandered by the brook side and in the coppice, I weaved it into poetry. It affected me when related in plain prose, and is, therefore, not unlikely in verse to affect some of my readers.

A TALE OF LIFE.

I sat beside that man of years,

His busy fancy idly dreaming

Of by-gone days, and hopes, and fears :

All flaxen white his locks were streaming. He told me many a tale of truth,

Of hatred, love, revenge ;-and dangers That he had pass'd in earlier youth,

When I and this fair world were strangers.

He told me, too, a tale of woes,

So truly sad, so full of sorrow,

It fill'd my heart with grief, and rose

To cloud my thoughts on many a morrow. That aged man, infirm and frail,

Was wise, and good, and tender-hearted, And thus he told his mournful tale,

Then wrung me by the hand, and parted.

A little rosy Girl and Boy

My pensive memory retraces,
With holyday, and hope and joy
Depicted in their happy faces :
Along the winding brook they stray'd

And pluck'd awhile the flowery heather;

Then on the sunny hillock play'd,

And built their houses there together. Mid sterner care's engrossing power

How sweet it is-surpassing measure!

To witness childhood's holier hour

Of innocence and guileless pleasure.

My feet had there enchanted been,

Till from mine eyes a tear had started,

But, while I gaz'd upon the scene,

They kissed each other, and they parted!

They met again, when years had flown;
In different paths their feet had wander'd,
And many a summer breeze had blown,

And many a task at school been ponder'd :
With more of boyishness than grace

He seized the silken band that bound her, And, gazing on her smiling face,

He wreath'd his playful arms around her. Too young to blend their love with fear, What had their hearts to do with sadness! Then burst away the wild career

Of frolic, fun, and sportive gladness. But Time-that moves with heavy tread, Trips lightly with the happy-hearted, And soon their hour of pleasure fled; Too soon alas! and then they parted.

Again they met, in passion's hour;

In manly youth and beauty's bearing;
When feeling reign'd and love had power,
And every tender thought endearing.
"Twas not such love as bears the sway

When Sister meets a loving Brother;
They could have sigh'd their souls away,
And lived and died each for the other.
Then rose the generous purpose high;
Affection's softer spells had bound them,
And visions bright came flitting by,

And the fair future gather'd round them. But, while the secret subtile flame

Through both their conscious bosoms darted, An unexpected evil came—

It cross'd their love, and thus they parted.

They met again;-but oh! how chang'd!

Their cheeks had faded ere that meeting,

And each fond thought had been estranged;
Cold was their glance, and short their greeting: