AGRICULTURAL HEAD-WORK. 27 



information. He is often the sport of the elements. He can 

 never be their superior by might, but only by mind. 



I do not svippose that the farmer has no rules deduced from 

 observation, and no science peculiar to his calling. But, has 

 he all that will be of benefit ? He has received, through a 

 long line of generations, many significant maxims and counsels, 

 which are old enough to be good, to say the least. In Massa- 

 chusetts, he yet reverently nails an old horse shoe — never a 

 new one — upon his barn, for a well-known purpose; and I 

 believe there is no recorded instance of its failure. He thriftily 

 kills his pig by the almanac, on the increase of the moon. This 

 has not been infallible, for I have heard complaint that the pork 

 shrunk, although the " moon was just right." In philosophy, 

 he is convinced that the moon changes once in an average period 

 of about seven days, seven hours and thirty minutes more than 

 it changes every day in the year, and prospectively arranges 

 his plans accordingly. Here is wisdom, part of which he 

 generously shares with other laborers. 



I have no purpose to quarrel with wisdom, let it come whence 

 it may, and in what form. There can be no particular dis- 

 advantage, in itself considered, and some good, economically 

 viewed, in nailing a horse shoe on the inside or outside of a barn 

 door ; it is surely less likely to be lost, thus secured, than when 

 lying about loose, or only hanging upon a nail. We quote 

 Ben. Franklin, who says, " a penny saved is tAvo earned." Nor 

 do I perceive any objection to butchering on the increase of the 

 moon, if the swine be fat, the weather favorable, the butcher 

 handy, and the farmer at leisure. And, if it will keep up any 

 one's faith in Providence to trust to the changes of the moon 

 for the changes of temperature, it will not prevent a six weeks' 

 drought, which has neglected so many times to break up accord- 

 ing to rule at the proper hour, from yielding in the middle of 

 one of these periods, whenever the atmospheric conditions shall 

 become favorable for shower or storm. 



Massachusetts, in all the history of her Normal Schools, has 

 had the good fortune to have many able instructors. But one 

 of them, who has now gone to his reward, had for the key note 

 of his instructions, the short, but very comprehensive word, 

 " why." By these three letters, he continually put his pupils 

 upon their own thoughts, and induced them to make such 



