36 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



of attachment between the farmer and his farm, stronger than 

 can be found elsewhere. 



There is a healthy pleasure in country living in observing the 

 myriad forms in nature, as well the graceful curve of a blade 

 of grass, as the wavy swaying of a field of grain, or in viewing 

 the woodland, the hills and the whole broad landscape, under 

 the varying aspects of the procession of the seasons, — a pleasure 

 which never cloys, which though old is ever new. 



It is a mistake of our time, to neglect the cultivation of that 

 faculty which enables us to derive pleasure from these sources. 

 We are noted as a practical, matter-of-fact people, dealing with 

 the hard realities of life rather than its graces. We take a cer- 

 tain pride in our rugged and robust ancestry, and place little 

 stress on the more genial qualities they lacked. 



" Beauty will not make the pot boil," is an old saw we take 

 for our motto, forgetting that if it does not make the pot boil it 

 furnishes a most piquant and relishing sauce to the contents. 



We are endowed with the perception of beauty as a means of 

 happiness ; and it is neither unthrifty or effeminate for the 

 farmer to prove all the pleasures 



" That valleys, groves, or hills or field 

 Or woods or steepy mountains yield." 



The most gifted men, from Xenophon and Cato and Virgil, 

 down to our own day, have found their solace and delight in 

 rural pursuits. 



Let us, then, as farmers, make the most of our opportunities,, 

 not only to increase our store, but to derive from our surround- 

 ings as much as possible of enjoyment for ourselves and those 

 about us. 



If our gains are less than those of other callings, let us 

 remember that the deficiency is partly made up by the compara- 

 tive freedom from the perplexities and turmoil to which they 

 are exposed, and by the healthy vigor of body and mind which 

 is the usual accompaniment of rural life. 



