Grass-bound Orchards

"Lend ye the old eovv and pigs ! - What upon airth do ye want with them?" "Want to turn thera into iny orchard to root up the grags," said I. "I'vo got Iot8 of milk and rye brau to feed lier on and I should like to drive herrigbt over this morning." "Toke her along - take her olong !" cries bluff neighbor Butler. "Maybe it'll do the old critter good to bo out a epell. She'll lift that sod for ye ia a week. She's do ton-hour worker, either but will strip 'er right through.from sun to sun! Guesa if I git the swillpail sheUl follow me right over." Thia was about sun-riso on a Hay moruing, with the robius singing : "Jack anti Jillet, Bcour the skillet, Scour it bi-ight, Scour it cleau '" Iike mad - and ali manner of song-sparrows, blue birds and a thrush or two, teeping sucb a jotly warbling din that neitber grown peoplc nor cbildren, oould sleep tbrough it. Butler held the swill-pail, stirring it coaxingly witb a stick, and calling "chug, chug, obus !" while I drew out a couplo of bars from hia pen. The oh] sow was inolioed to be frisky on gainitig ber liberty, aud the pigs - lusiy, ones of six or seven wet ks' growtb - very muoh so, tbough they bad rooted out of the pen overy other day. In fact, 1 got the idea of borrowiog 'em froin .eeiat: a sample of thf-ir work in the owcer's door-yard. But the sow was a a kind Ij old bcast, and used to büing driven ; - and with some dodgingand ooaxiug, the short distance diagonally across the road to my orcbard bars was overeóme, vtitb little to remitid m.3 of Leigb Huot's pig-diiver, when bis tricky charge - there was but oie, I believe - broko and ïau "dowa all manner of treets." After etitin? her break f.ist and taking a general survey of b( r enclosure, the oíd sow coiiiinenced business. For tho first day slic eeemed to be prospectitg in different part of tbe orcliard - testiiif; the quiility and eizo of tlie wnrms. Jiy the peco mi day ba ha'l settled nn tlie south ea-t córner, which hiid more reccutly been cuUivated - the trees bfÍDg small'T, muí tlie grasa and worms very litcly bigg( r. Tbere was about an ocie and a half on the orchurd enelocd in a Btone wall. I had my doubtg whether the old brute vrould make a clean sweep of it ; for tho June grass fiod was of the toughest, and requircd cODiiderable power to titarl it. A hog's ihoulders and fore legs make a tolera bly firm fulcrum, aad their lever has plenty of "baek-bone" in it, while the short end - tliat is the snout end - is f very insinuating affair, lifting and breaking the turf in pieces just largo enough for an "old man" to fling at a "rtide boy." There is a very nice adjustmont of forco in the bog to this wirk, bo as Dot to damage the trees ; for should tlie lever become entaiigled in large root9, instead of tearing thern out nnd over turninpr the tree, all that could happen would be that the other end of the lever would be thrown into the air. Tbi$ governing principie seemed to be well underslood by theswine, and they worked cauliously for fear of throwing themselves. At nrst thero were eome skins lett along the wall.s, but these proved easier digginp, having a gelvage edge to get hold of, and with an occasional encourging oversight and plowiog froni the okl one the pigs made clean work. Despite an occasional quarrel and ccamper ia play, tho pigs were capital help iu fining and pulverizing the soil. ïwo or three - there were nine of them - always stood ready by their mother's head to root for the otlier half of any liapless angle-worm tbat cbanced to be broken ia lier openüious There was uo gystem of right lines and regular approaches in the old sow's noodle. ïho face cf her work wag deeply indeuted at times with bayg snd inlets as she iudustriously iollovved sorae "lead" peculiarly rich n grubs Once or twice I observed that she lnft an isiand of sod, so to gpeak, behind her for a while ; but after some nap - fl;it on her sida in the Bun, during whichthe ig s would refresh themselves from the maternal fou'.ituins-f he f urveyed the position of things anew, and invariably led her forcé to tho rectificaiion ot such oversights. In eight daya phe hnd finished the job, and eeemcd rcady for i rottier. I returned her to her - rather beiter tlian worse for the excursión. As lliere happened to have been uo rain ■while the work was in progresa, it huw ad to the best advuntage. Every turf waï lifted aud broken, and an iuch or tvro of earth mawo s mellow and liglit 8 naw-dust. ïhe apple trees gained a Lold on thctop-eoil that suinmer which . tbey etitl reuio ; and I am uure that bv no other ineaus conld I havo o cüeaply giveu such timely litlj) to a ! graES-bouiid orefcard. J. B. O. " Ma," aid a little boy, " bas untie got bets in her mouih ?" " No, my dear ; uhy do you ask ?' " Cause Captain Jou- caught h'id of her, and Baid lie was g'iing to iko lioney from her ips ; und 6be baid, ' Weli, mske Imito ' "