as the first picking had begun, the chests, containing quart-boxes, were despatched to his address per railroad. We had only three chests the first time: but, as they were among the first in the market, they brought the handsome price of seventy-five cents a quart; and, as each chest contained sixty quarts, this first shipment brought us the snug little sum of a hundred and twenty-six dollars. Next market-day we did better; for they began to ripen rapidly, the weather being warm; and we sent ten chests to the station, which was fortunately so near our place, that we were able to pick until within an hour of starting-time. The afternoon "market line," as it is called, stopped at every station or cross-road, and picked up the produce that was waiting upon the platform; and thus our freshly-gathered strawberries arrived at New York before daylight, in good condition for market. Our second shipment brought us sixty cents per quart, the price having fallen somewhat ; so that we received three hundred and sixty dollars. After this, the number of chests shipped every day or two increased considerably; until, by the close of the strawberry season, we had sent to market, as the proceeds of our ten-acre patch, five thousand quarts, which had netted us an average of twenty-five cents per quart, or about twelve hundred dollars for our crop. This was doing quite as well as we expected; for our predecessor had not left the strawberry-grounds in clean condition. In fact, nearly onehalf of it was fairly run down with grass, weeds, and old age; and ought, in strict propriety, to have been ploughed under.

We had all been as busy as bees during the whole time. About a dozen neighboring children had been employed as pickers; the smart ones readily picking seventy-five quarts a day, for which, at two cents a quart, they would receive a dollar and fifty cents. So popular was the business amongst the laboring-classes, that both women and little children were ready to come into the service. My mother and I found constant employment in assorting and arranging the berries in the chests. This was done in our large shedkitchen, into which the pickers delivered their quart boxes as soon as filled. As to our own children, little Mary and Johnny, aged respectively ten and twelve years, they had worked so vigorously in the field during all the season, that, by the time it was over, they had quite a little purse between them, which was safely deposited in my keeping to await the addition of further. Besides the strawberries, our pease yielded very well; and they were

sums.

amongst the earliest in the market, which, of course, added greatly to our aggregate profits. Had we been a few days later, the price would have been much less.

The crops now came on in quick succession. In a week or two after the last strawberries were gathered, we began with our raspberries; and these were literally loaded with fruit of a bright-red color, large and luscious. There was scarcely an acre of the favorite Philadelphia Raspberry, and these of the previous year's planting: they were, as yet, too costly for one to stock a plantation with. The few that we had, however, bore so profusely as to prove their great value; and it was resolved that every sucker and offshoot should be assiduously cultivated, so as to propagate the variety, and increase the number of plants for another year. Had we wished to part with these new plants, we could have done so very readily at a high rate, so great is always the demand amongst fruit-growers for desirable kinds.

As many of our raspberry-plants were new, and therefore not in full bearing, we thought ourselves fortunate in being able to send to market two hundred quarts of fruit; from which we netted forty cents per quart, or eighty dollars for the whole. A long drought of some three weeks had dried up the fruit considerably, and, of course, lessened the amount for market; but we could not complain. One of our near neighbors, who had a single acre of these new raspberries, cleared four hundred dollars from the crop, in spite of the dry weather; and ours only needed time to do as well. Simultaneously with the raspberries, sundry patches of beans, potatoes, and squashes, came into bearing, together with occasional baskets of early corn and cabbages. For these we found a ready market at the stores in town; and, by the usual plan of produce exchange, we were thus always well provided with the necessary groceries and dry-goods called for in a family. I confess that this balance of credit at the store was a very great convenience. After luxuriating ourselves in the greatest variety of fresh and wholesome vegetables, we had enough over to buy most of our clothing and groceries. My mother, I know, felt richer than she had ever .felt before. Our wardrobes were in better order, because we could so freely replenish. My father had kept the fruit proceeds in reserve as a separate fund, hoping we should have our living out of the vegetables

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in the way I have described. But we were not entirely able to secure this result. We were all new hands at this growing of truck as they call it here, and made some total failures. Some seeds were planted too early, and others too late. In fact, we fell far behind our neighbors, whose long experience insured success. Then the long spell of dry weather dried up many of the young plants, and caused us great disappointment. Thus we discovered, before the season was half gone, that we had many things to learn.

Had we followed the example of some of our small-minded neighbors, we might have done with less for ourselves, and therefore saved more; but comfort and plenty were not thus to be sacrificed. We were healthy, and had good appetites, which could only be satisfied with a sufficiency of the relishable things around us. At our old home, we had been accustomed to raise a few common vegetables; but never had we enjoyed so great a variety of such splendid quality as were produced on our present farm. This was owing, first, to the condition of the soil, originally a light, sandy loam, but highly enriched by constant dressings of manure; and, secondly, to the quick growth of the vegetables themselves. The plants drew their vitality from the ground, not slowly as from a heavy clay-soil, but vigorously. They seized upon the fertilizing principle, and rendered us immediate and rich returns for our expenditures. Our next neighbor's farm afforded us a good opportunity for comparison; for he was so anxious to make money, and so grudged to lay out a dollar on his land, that very little was applied to enrich it beyond the production of his own barnyard. My father and he often compared notes on the expenses of their farms, and there was a difference of several hundreds of dollars in this one item; yet, when the season was over, the balance was very encouragingly in our favor. His crops had fallen short of ours both in quality and quantity, while the exhausted soil appeared to be incapable of any further production. Ours was in good condition, and would require a less expenditure for fertilizers the next year. H.

BURLINGTON, N. J.

PRESIDENT PEAR.

THIS noble-looking pear is another of Dr. Shurtleff's Seedlings, and one of the best of them. It is quite remarkable that the doctor should have

raised so many seedlings of such good quality. It takes many years to fully determine the value of any new pear; and the public are slow to admit any

new candidate for public favor when we have so many really fine varieties, unless they are in some respect superior or fully equal to those now in cultivation. The pear we are now describing has certainly the merit of large size and good quality to recommend it, and, on a more extensive trial, will, we doubt not, prove a valuable addition to our collection of this fruit.

It fruited for the first time in 1862; in size large, often weighing a pound or more; form roundish, inclining to obovate; diameter four and three-fourths to five inches; length five to five and a half inches; surface somewhat irregular; slightly angular; the greatest diameter through the middle, growing somewhat narrower towards each end; color greenish-yellow, with some russet, especially about the stem and calyx, pale red on exposed side; stem about half an inch long, rather stout, slightly curved, and inserted in a narrow and rather deep cavity; calyx medium size, rather open in moderately deep basin; flesh rather coarse, yellowish-white, melting and juicy, with very pleasant sub-acid flavor. Somewhat gritty about the core, which is of moderate size for so large a fruit. Time of ripening, Nov. 1. Not inclined to rot at core, nor does it ever crack. It is an abundant and regular bearer.

PORTULACA.

- This plant is the best we have for the summer decoration of a bed of spring-flowers. The roots do not strike deep enough to injure the dormant bulbs, nor do the plants seem to impoverish the soil. From the middle of June until October, the bed is a blaze of bloom.

The colors are orange, yellow, crimson, red, and white, with all possible variegations of these colors. Seed may be sown at any time, it being only necessary to throw it broadcast over the bed. After the first year, the plant will sow itself, and young seedlings, by myriads, come up every year.

GRAPE-VINES. The past season has been so wet and cold at the North, that many of the grape-vines have failed to ripen their wood as usual even the Concord and Hartford Prolific, two varieties that are known to be among the most hardy, show much immature wood. Some of the varieties, such as Allen's Hybrid, will not ripen their wood. If the winter should be very severe, such vines may suffer.