THE FARMER AT HOME. 157 



the nature and value of every description of live stock ; likewise a 

 perfect acquaintance with the various methods of buying and selling, 

 and the constant state of different markets and fairs. And, besides 

 these, there are other minutiae which are of equal importance to the 

 success of the farmer. The advantages of farming differ materially 

 according to the nature, situation, and circumstances of farms as well 

 as the care and management that are bestowed upon them. 



FARRIER. Is the designation of the smith who devotes his 

 attention chiefly to shoeing horses, and to curing them of all kinds of 

 diseases. It was probably owing to the opportunities afforded to the 

 smiths, while shoeing horses, of observing the various diseases of the 

 foot, and consequently of haranguing on the subject, that they, in 

 time, acquired an undue reputation ibr perfect ability in not only that 

 particular, but for a general knowedge of whatever related to the 

 animal at large. 



FARINA. This is an article of food manufactured from the flour 

 of wheat, and usually cooked for a desert on the dinner table. It is 

 a new mode of using wheat, and is becoming very popular. One 

 house in New York manufacture 800,000 pounds annually, which 

 requires 80,000 bushels of wheat ; a bushel of the grain furnishing 

 only ten pounds of farina, the rest of the wheat being converted to 

 other purposes. Hence, it is seen that farina is made only from the 

 finest portion of the flour of wheat; and, the process of producing it 

 is a long one ; the grain passing through eight different run of stones, 

 every one of them bearing its part in breaking the kernels and reduc- 

 ing the particles to the required size, the different parts being separated 

 also thereby ; and finally it is screened by passing through a hand- 

 seive. 



FAT. An oily matter contained in the cellular substances of 

 animals, of a white or yellowish color. It seems to answer several 

 important purposes ; it facilitates the motion of the various parts 

 where it is lodged ; it fills up interstices in different situations ; and 

 as it is a bad conductor of heat, it appears to contribute to the preser- 

 vation of the temperature of animals. It is used with other animal 

 substances as an article of food ; and where the digestive powers are 

 strong, it proves highly nutritious. Those animals which sleep all 

 the winter, are generally fat at the commencement of their long slum- 

 ber, and come out of it very lean, owing to the fat having been 

 absorbed and carried into their system for the purpose of nutrition. 

 Fat has a tendency to accumulate very much in some persons who 

 live luxuriously, using great quantities of animal food, with porter and 

 other malt liquors, anl who take little exercise, Others without such 

 causes, seem to get corpuleivt from peculiarity of constitution. It 

 sometimes proceeds to such an extent as to be a real disease, incapac- 

 itating the individual from exercise and from performing the duties of 

 life, besides rendering him liable to apoplexy and other diseases 



