“Why, you can take a hoe, and hoe about in the ground as long as it amuses you to hoe; and then you can plant your seeds, and water and weed them just as long as you find any amusement in it. Then, if you have any thing else to play with, you can neglect your garden a long time, and let the weeds grow, and not come and pull them up until you get tired of other play, and happen to feel like working in your garden.”
“I should not think that that would be a very good plan,” said Rollo.
“Why, yes,” replied his father; “I do not know but that it is a good plan enough,—that is, for play. It is right for you to play sometimes; and I do not know why you might not play with a piece of ground, and seeds, as well as with any thing else.”
“Well, father, how should I manage my garden if I was going to make work of it?”
“O, then you would not do it for amusement, but for the useful results.[pg 104] You would consider what you could raise to best advantage, and then lay out your garden; not as you might happen to fancy doing it, but so as to get the most produce from it. When you come to dig it over, you would not consider how long you could find amusement in digging, but how much digging is necessary to make the ground productive; and so in all your operations.”
“Well, father, which do you think would be the best plan for me?”
“Why, I hardly know. By making play of it, you will have the greatest pleasure as you go along. But, in the other plan, you will have some good crops of vegetables, fruits, and flowers.”
“And shouldn't I have any crops if I made play of my garden?”
“Yes; I think you might, perhaps, have some flowers, and, perhaps, some beans and peas.”
Rollo hesitated for some time which plan he should adopt. He had worked enough to know that it was often very tiresome to keep on with his work when he wanted to go and play; but then he knew that after it was over, there was [pg 105]great satisfaction in thinking of useful employment, and in seeing what had been done.