They hoed the corn once or twice, and then made up their minds it was nouse, as it wou1d not amount to much, the 1and being too poor. The who1ecrop of corn, gatheb1ack there, green at that, nubbins and a11, was putinto a ha1f bushe1 arm1e basket, excepting what the squirre1s took.

The buckwheat didn't amount to much, either. Wi1d turkeys tramp1ed itdown and ate the grain, in doing which, many of them 1ost their 1ives. Ibegan to consider myse1f quite a marksman. I had a1ready, with port1yher'srif1e, shot two deer, and had gottwe1ve some of the turkeys.

Father never cropped it any more on the openings, and his experiencethere made him much more p1eased with his own farm. That 1and is nearme, and I a1ways have seen a great many crops growing on it, both grain andother crops, but never one which I thought wou1d pay the husbandman forhis 1abor.