296 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[April 7 



From the Massachusetts Yeoman, 



" CAST STEEL" SCYTHES. 



It is the commonly received opinion of those 

 uninformed a^ to the nature and properties ot 

 iron and step], that cast-steel will m ike a good 

 scytlie, because it is successfully usfd in the 

 Biaiiutacluringf of razors, penknives, and, in 

 shnrt, all (he fine riilleries. But it is not so, 

 unless It ha^ heen )iroperly reduced, ami brought 

 to the consistency' of well refined German steel; 

 in ivhich case it would doubtless hold a su|)eri- 

 ority over any other kind. But as the ex[)ense 

 of such a process, in addition to the first cost, 

 would amount to an exclusion, the farmer must 

 not expect to he furnished with cast steel 

 scythes, short of special a[>plication to the most 

 ingenious of our scythe makers. It is an indu- 

 bitable fact, that German steel is the only kind 

 used for scythes, with now and then an excep- 

 tion by way of experiment. But I must think, 

 indeed I know, that the worthy farmers of the 

 northern and western sections of our country, 

 have been grossly imposed upon by some of our 

 New-England scythe makers and scythe pedlars, 

 who have been, and still are supplying them 

 with scythes, stamped " Cast-Steel," when, in 

 fact, they are no such thing — and thus the farm- 

 er is defrauded in the sum of 25 or 30 cents for 

 each and every scythe he buys, stamped " Cast- 

 Steel." 



The imposition practised upon (he farmers, 

 is not, however, the only evil produced by this 

 piece of high handed fraud. It excludes the 

 hoaest and upright manufacturer from a fair 

 competition in the market ; and unless he will 

 stoop to join the delVaiiding clan, stamp his 

 scythes '• Cast-Steel," and become a liar there, 

 by, he must make large deductions from the 

 standard price, in order to elfect a sale, or oth- 

 erwise tiol sell tiiem at all. 



1 consider it an evil, fraught with severe con- 

 .sequences. It is not only it.jurious to the inter- 

 ests of the t".\rmers, who are the permanent biij- 

 ers, but to many of our persevering and most 

 deserving manufacturers of the article. 



The names of Waters, Farewell, Passimore, 

 and Blanchard, are pre-eminent in the business, 

 and their scythes have been sought in the mar- 

 ket with avidity ; and it is riot matter of sur- 

 prise, when it is considered they have been long 

 before the public. Besides, they claim facili- 

 ties beyond most other establishments for mak- 

 ing scythes— one of them, to my certain knowl- 

 edge, imports his own Steel lor the special pur- 

 pose of making scythes. Still, because these 

 manufacturers disdain any thing \\ke false stamp- 

 ing, they are liable to sufl'er in their sale*. — 

 And, I only add, it is matter of much regret, 

 that too many of our enterprizing and industri- 

 ous scythe-makers have been so regardless of 

 right, and their own characters, as to suffer their 

 scythes to he carried to the market, with the 

 imposing stamp of-' Cast-Steel," as a kind of al- 

 lurement for unrighteous gain. J, \V. 



A ChristeniiifT. — On Sunday last, the Rector 

 of a parish in Somersetshire, was duly apprised 

 by the clerk that there was to be a christening 

 after the service ; and at the appointed hour 

 the clergyman repaired to the font, where he 

 found two men and two women, all of whom 

 had long ago reached their "years of (h'sc;-eao»," 

 5>nt who on this occasion, proved their deticien- 



Icy iu another faculty of the miud, for when the; 

 clergyman inquired upon which of the party 

 he was to perlorm the ceremony, one of the | 

 men turned round, with a most sagacious look,! 

 exclaiming, "Dang it. Dame, if we ha'n't lelt 

 the child at whoiiin !'' The Dame's response 



j was, "Zo we av, zure enough !" and the cler- 

 gyman was obliged to wait until one of the par- 



; ty brought the child from a neighbouring farm- 

 house. 



A certain Surgeon Dentist was called upon by 

 a person of great rnaxiliary dimensions, for his 

 i assistance to dislodge a tooth, which had begun 

 I to raise a mutiny among his nerves. The pa- 

 ! tient being seated on the floor, so as to accom- 

 i modaie his length to that of the doctor, began 

 ; to open his mouth, nearly in manner and form 

 ; of an old fashioned fallback chaise; and the 



AOKTH AMERICAN REVIEW. 



T lis Da 

 at iNo. 



ay Published by Frederick T. Gray, 



CO.\TENTS OF No. LI. 



Art. I. Verpianck's Essay on Contracts. 



.An Essay on the Doctrine of Contracts ; being 



an Inquiry how Contracts are affected in L^w and 



Morals, by Concealment, Error, or Inadequate Frice. 



By Gillian C. Verplanck. 



Art. II. t^amaritan and Hebrew Pentateuch. 

 De I'eutateuchi Samaritani Origine, Indole, et 

 Aurtoritale, C'ommentatio Philulogica-crilica. 

 Scrip^it Gulielmus Geseuius. 

 Art. 111. PercivaTs Poem. 

 Poem delivered before the Connecticut Alpha of 

 the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Sept. 13, 1826. By - 

 Janus G. Percival. - 



Art. IV. Sandwich Islands. 

 Journal of a Tour around Hawaii, the largest of 

 the Sandwich Islands. By a Deputation from the 

 Mission on those Islands. 



Art. v. Milton on Christisn Doctrine. 

 A 'Ireatise on C'aristian Doctrine, compiled 



By John Mil- 



; astonished operator, who stood before him, 



jfearing there might be a second edition of Jonah, I from the Holy Scriptures alone. 



i exclaimed with terror in his countenance, "you , ton. 



j need not extend your jaws any further, for 1 Art. VI. Memoir of Richard Henry Lee. 



intend to stand on the outside while 1 extract I Memoir of the Life of P.ichard Henry Lee, and 

 the tooth" \^'^ Correspondence with the most distinguished 



' ' Men in America and Europe, illustrative of their 



A writer in the National Banner, a paper ^'''^""'"',4''"'? "l^.""^ I''"'"'A"?''^'^,;"V'''*° '^^'" 

 „.,t,ii = l,„j „. TVT u -11 A .• I olution. By his Grandson, llichard H. Lee. 



published at Nashville, after noticing several j ^^^^ ^■^^ The Rebels. 



new works which have recently appeared in i The Rebels,' or Boston before the Revolution.— 

 the western states, turns his attention to two ; By the Author of Hobomok 



volumes of Miscellany, from the Tennessee 

 press, one by Clark, and another by Dorris, and 

 as specimens of the poetry of the authors, has 

 selected the following ; — 



"I'll try to write in poet's art. 



To write the life of Bonaparte, 



About his kindred to indite, 



Anil on the fate of France to write. 



A Corsican by birth was he. 



From royal blood his name was free." 



Clark. 

 "^Ve crossed the Coosa above the Falls, 

 Led on by Chinnube, Jim Fife and Bill Qiiarles." 



Dorris. 



A man had his pocket picked of a walch in 

 the police office of New-York, ivhich was offer- 

 ed to a pawn-broker and stojiped. 



He that a watch would carry, Uiis must do : 

 Pocket his watch, and watch his pocket loo. 



Epigrams. — The ancents had very difTerent 

 ideas of the nature of an epigram from the 

 moderns. In modern limes it must have wit — 

 it must convey a sarcasm — it must raiseasrails; 

 but among the ancients it was on j a well turn- 

 ed sentiment concisely expressed. One of the 

 most beautiful of the old epigrams is the fol- 

 lowing : it is what almost every worldling has 

 experienced ; — 



"When I was young, I ivas poor; when old, I 

 became rich. But in each condition I found 

 disappointment. When the faculties of enjoy- 

 ment were bright, I had not the means; when 

 the means came, the faculties were gone." 



The Hospital at the Salpetriere, at Paris, is 

 a most extensive establishment. The kitchen 



Art. Vlll. Shalers Sketches of Algiers. 

 Sketches of Algiers, Political, Historical, and 

 Civil. By William SUaler, American Consul Gen- 

 eral at Algiers. 



Art. IX. Miscellaneous Poems. 

 Miscellaneous Poems, selected from the United 

 States Literary Gazette. 



Art. X. Critical Notices. 



1. Atlantic Souvenir. 



2. Rawle's View of the Constitution of the V. 



States. 



3. Cubi's Traductor Espanol. 



4. Proposed Semiuary of Education in Massa- 



chusetts. 



5. Leisure Hours at Sea. 



6. Dana's Epitome of Chemical Philosophy. 



7. Claims of the United States on Denmark. 

 S. Report of the Ohio Canal Commissioners. 



9. Blunt's. Historical Sketch of the Formation 



of the Confederacy. 



10. Mexico 



II Swett's Notes on the Bunker Hill Battle. 



1-2. Currency and Banks of New England. 



Quarterly List of New Publications. 



Index. 



NOTICE. 



Hereafter the Publishing Department of the 

 North American Review will be wholly under the 

 charge of Frederick T. Gray, to whom all commu- 

 nicaiions from Agents and Subscribers are to be 

 directed. April I. 



TREES. — For sale by the subscriber, at his residence 

 in Roxbury, 



100 AMERICAN F.LMS, 



200 AMERICAN PLANES, or BUTTONWOODS, 



140 APRICOTS 

 They were raised from the seed, and the former are 

 rom three to four, and the others three years old. Price 

 37i cents each. H. A. S. DEARBORN. 



4t March 17. 



O^CRUDE ROCK SALT.— The Subscriber has 

 contains four boilers, each of which will hold i fn"" sale at No. 03 Rroad Street, 

 two oxen and convert them into soup. They 50 Tons Crude Rock Salt,-in large lumps for cab 



are calculated to contain 1200 pounds of meat 

 each. The extent of the wardrobe may be 

 estimated from the following specimens of the 

 lingerie, or store-room for clean linen, ivhich 

 contains 38,000 sheets, 19,.W0 pillow cases, 29 



000 women's neciierchiefs, 22,000 night caps The FARMER is published every Fridav. hy John B 

 and 3G,600 chemises. * Rossell, at $2,50 per auuum, in advance. 



tie, or for sheep. 



This article deserves the attention of Farmers, both 

 for its economy and utility ; being less ihan half the 

 eipensc of the common salt, and less lia'le to waste. 



Feb. 24. 3m. F. WILBY. 



