WESTOVER





WITH an auger in his hand, by means of which a hole could be quickly
bored into the soil to a depth of three or four feet, Percy joined
Mr. West for the tramp over the plantation.

In general the estate called Westover consists of undulating upland.
A small stream crosses one corner of the farm bordered by some
twenty acres of bottom land which is subject to frequent overflow,
and used only for permanent pasture. Several draws or small valleys
are tributary to the stream valley, thus furnishing excellent
surface drainage for the entire farm. In some places the sides of
these valleys are quite sloping and subject to moderate erosion when
not protected by vegetation. Above and between these slopes the
upland is nearly level. As they came upon one of these level areas,
grown up with small forest trees, Mr. West stopped and said:

"Now right here is probably as poor a piece of land as there is on
the farm. This land will positively not grow a crop worth harvesting
unless it is well fertilized."

"If we were in the Illinois corn belt," replied Percy, "I should
expect to find the land in this position to be the most productive
on the farm. Our level uplands are now valued at from one hundred
fifty to two hundred dollars an acre. A farm of one hundred eighty
acres, five miles from town, sold for two hundred and fourteen