FAEMERS' INSTITUTES. 255- 



that old-time industries are not entirely things of the past; by the presence of 

 numerous books and papers that heads as well as hands are given an opportunity 

 of exercise; and by the appearance of tlie walls that there is no nook or corner 

 in all the land where the voice of the chromo-man has not been heard. 



A strong contrast to this is the indifferent farm house, yet bearing some- 

 times such a resemblance as regards first intention as to appear a mere caricature 

 of what it might have been. An indefinable atmosphere of discomfort emanates 

 from it, the yard and grounds are unkempt and uncared for, the windows are 

 broken, the steps rickety and unsafe, and the very fences seem to have caught 

 an air of discouragement from their unfortunate owner. It is not a pleasant 

 picture. The shortcomings of such homes have been all too frequently held 

 up to view ; indeed one might think that they form part of the stock in trade 

 of novelists and story-writers, so frequently have their powers of sarcastic des- 

 cription been exhausted upon the subject. The existence of many such blots 

 npon the landscape cannot be denied ; that they are growing less we dare not 

 alRrm ; it is to be hoped that both their cause and cure will be made manifest 

 by the wise men of the future. 



From these glimpses we cannot but conclude that the home of the farmer, 

 though to some extent the exponent of his taste and individuality, is, to a far 

 greater degree than is the case with men of other professions, expressive of 

 what circumstances permit him rather than of what he wills or wishes. On 

 this point interesting statistics could no doubt be collected, showing mysteriously 

 occult connections between a rise in the price of wheat and tiie absolute neces- 

 sity of repairs and alterations, between a strong upward tendency in wool, and 

 the cheerful countenances of furniture dealers. Let us trust that ere another 

 century has passed the public, taught by keener penetration, wider ranges of 

 observation, and larger charity, may attain a higher degree of wisdom, and 

 judge of men no longer by their houses or their hats, but by what they are. 



Mr. Jessup Wood read the following paper on 



" SHEEP HUSBANDRY : " 



Mr. President and Brother Farmers: The history of sheep is coextensive 

 with that of man. From the time that Abel brought of the firstlings of his 

 flock and offered them in sacrifice, to the time when the shepherds watched 

 their flocks by night on the plains of Bethlehem, and from that time until now, 

 sheep have occupied a prominent place in the husbandry and commerce of all 

 civilized nations. 



This of itself is a conclusive argument that he is adapted, if not absolutely 

 necessary to the comfort and happiness of mankind. That he is in fact not 

 only an ornamental but a very useful animal. But it is no part of my object 

 on this occasion to give an account of his history, but rather to offer some prac- 

 tical suggestions on his breeding, feeding, and general treatment, in order to 

 turn him to the most profit, for we are very likely to estimate the value of a 

 thing by what we can get out of it proportionately to the cost. Therefore, we 

 rightly conclude that if a thing cost us more than it comes to, the less we have 

 to do with that kind of property, the better for us. 



lite Science of Breeding as a Fine Art. 



Wo admire, and rightly, the artist who has power and skill as a painter to 

 draw on canvas the likeness of a friend, a scene in nature, or the representa- 

 tion of some thrillinof event in historv. 



O ml 



