never heard nothing of 'em since. Have you got an auger to
investigate soils with?"

Percy was compelled to admit that he had an auger and that he was
trying to learn all he could about the soil.

He had driven to Mr. Jones' farm because his land happened to be
situated in a large area of Leonardtown loam, and he felt free to
stop and talk with him because he had found him leaning against the
fence, smoking a cob pipe, apparently trying to decide what to do
with some small shocks of corn scattered over a field of about
fifteen acres.

Percy stepped to the buggy and drew out his soil auger, then
returned to the corn field and begun to bore a hole near where Mr.
Jones was standing.

"That's the thing," said he, "the same kind of an auger them
fellows had three years ago. Still boring holes, are you? Want to
bore around over my farm again, do you?"

Percy replied that he would be glad to make borings in several
places in order that he might see about what the soil and subsoil
were like in that kind of land.

"That's all right, Young Man. Just bore as many holes as you please.
I suppose you'd rather do that than work; but you'll have to excuse
me. I've got a lot to do today, and it's already getting late. I
can't take time again to tell you fellows how to raise tobacco. Good
day."