(3;i)c iTttnncr'a iHcintl)Ii) lltaitor. 



31 



iirifadiiif,' ucliievi'iiioiits of a Fi'iiiiUlin uie lo lie 

 siirpassud. Tlie maiden, too, «itli teaitul oje, 

 as she luiiis over tin; devoted |)ai,'cs, and onliiins 

 tliB writer in tlie shadowing of more timn Kast- 

 ejii heanlies, or Persian maf;niliecnce, hnihls her 

 fnist-wojk castles to bo wasted hy the soher sun- 

 sldne of after years. Yet <iven lliey Unow not 

 the sweet imagiiMngs, the velvet lawns, the 

 shadowiiij; forests, the sUirlcd meads, the lerlile 

 perfntnc-hrenthiriLr intervales of your gen niin? 

 Iiook tin'nier. 'I'his world, this scene of joy and 

 hope, deferred Iki|u', has not _\el finiiished an in- 

 stance of one of his soheresl e,\|iectalionK real- 

 ized. " At fifty — rich," says a tooth of the ol<l 

 saw, and there is no hetter age for a hooU farmer 

 than that, if perchance joiir snhject has hnried 

 his first wife and is again married to a pretty 

 woman of about tweniy, so mncli the better. — 

 His tnalnred wisiloin Jiiakes a ("jetty coimlerpart 

 to her youtlifiil couception.s. The iidtialoj-y slep 

 is to r<'ad a few works upon aijricultmi', and 

 then, while still a resident of the city, to fill up 

 his winter evcidngs by becoming a contiibiuor 

 lo a neighboring agricultural publication. For 

 it is a veritable truth, that thi'ory precedes prac- 

 tice. A man must tiist lliiiik and then he acts 

 in accordance with th.it wise proveib, of "think 

 liidbre sou speak," wliieli 1 take to be just as true 

 as that Ihe ilawn of (kn light preeeiles the rising 

 of the sun. 



Sealed then by his fire-side, with gown and 

 slippers on, his pretty partner near, the [len 

 should preclude the plough; and excellent essays 

 upon the ai ts of husbandry go forth. There are 

 no drawb.-icks, no bad wealher, cut-worms, 

 breailiy catlle, or short crojjs ; and the spring, 

 that vernal season, why it lasts all the year 

 round, a sort of seed time, which leaves the mind 

 to make the crop as abimdant as the heart could 

 wish. 



There must a lieginning in order to accom- 

 plish all earthly purposes, and we must get our 

 book tanner into the country. He has written 

 that farming is the basis of civilized life; that 

 all other tnodes of living depend U[)on it; that it 

 is the heallhiesl, most natural stale of existence, 

 and the next thing is to prove it; but he is not 

 quite ripe enough yi!l. .I(me, sweet Jime — the 

 monlh of dowers, of bini nuisic, and of spring, 

 for we in fact have no poetical springf^ before this, 

 June comes: — the happy pair go out when the 

 south wind is breathing, to see and feel whatt)ie 

 visions of winter evenings had promised. And 

 what, kind readei', is beyond a transit in the 

 country in this month, with a clear conscience, 

 no debts, a creditable hor.se and chaise, and a 

 pretly wife, to amplily the beauties of nature 

 that open at every turn of the road, and are sub- 

 limely laid out in the mountains that lie beyond 

 and limit the view. Is there any thing strange, 

 and is it not one of the most iialmal things in 

 the woild that a man so situated, and his t'acid- 

 ties for city smoke, counting rooms and trade, 

 having become torpid, should decide to become a 

 farmed', atul to put into pra<'liee soirie of his the- 

 ories. " Hosv sweet and fragrant, niy dear, is 

 that orchard, nothing surpasses the blossoms ol 

 the apple. What little things are our city green 

 house.-;.' This is the garden after all, and all our 

 attempts out of season, are vain and insiiruificant." 

 Such a l)Ook farmer, with a well lined pocket, 

 during that perioil while he is changing from 

 town to country life, may well be envied his en- 

 joyment. In his day dreams and night visions, 

 excellence and prrfectioM are spread out belnic 

 him. A well chosen liltle larm and buildini:> 

 are purchased, and he has thus re.uly lo his use 

 that which has cost much time and toil. It will 

 do he says for the youth in the gristle of man- 

 hood to enter upon new unclaimed land, but the 

 farmer who begins at fifty is a difierent sort of a 

 man — and is he not right r thanks lo the truths 

 found in the useftil books and v^ritings, some ol 

 which are his own eftusions. 



The best of ploughs, and other implement- 

 are selected, and in this last his new iici;;hborN 

 are very friendly; they are so rejoiced that In- 

 has couie amoni;' them that they are willing t'l 

 part «ilh some cows and horses of superior tpial- 

 ities and fimltless dispositions. "But wait, m\ 

 friends,'" he says; " wait until my Durhams ar- 

 rive, which I have ordeied froiii England. 1 

 mean to try for ihe premium at the next cattle 

 show, and improve the breed of tlie country." — 

 In this way we see, and how often have we not 



seen and read that our book fanner originates 

 blessings on his age and generation, antl upon 

 posterity. 



The man wilh means, believes that no cattle 

 eipial the improveil breeds abroad, lie imports 



specimens our own acidiinated stock are 



brought into competition — a rivalry springs up — 

 the book fiirmer, sure of out-doing our old fash- 

 ioned yiHunanry, ih'lennined not lo be outdone ; 

 and who bul must see that in the ellbrts made, 

 anil altciilioii thus drawn, great .iiid pei'manent 

 lienefits result. We learn truths I'rom rivals, as 

 well as enemies. And alihough we may not 

 deem it our interest to pay the prices for fiireign 

 catlle, even if wc had the money to spare, yet 

 we may in these catlle with greater facility learn 

 to improve our own. 



Our book farmer is the man with plenty of 

 money, he has plenly of manure; and this, with 

 a well prepared soil, gives him a prenuum crop, 

 and "that respeciable looking man, with the 

 young wife, look the last premium for iho best 

 cow," is ihe height of his ambition. And yo who 

 travel over ihe alHietions of your race for glory, 

 how are you not surpassed by this book fiirmer, 

 whose career is strewed with blessings and beii- 

 elit--,breathiiig peace and happiness to all around ; 

 Your book firmer is the best of heroes, but lest 

 we should lose ourselves in his praises, let us see 

 how prizes are lo be won. An imporled cow, 

 then, should have an imjiorted tlairy maid, be- 

 cause they are already used to one another. If 

 we would win a premium, or accomplish any 

 other object, we must appropriate means; and I 

 would, thcreliue, recommend a lair daughter of 

 the " Emerald Isle," as a dairy niaiil for premium 

 bulter, the prettier the better, because her good 

 ajipearance must have its ellects upon the judges, 

 if they should not be too old ; and because, in a 

 nicely balanced scale of compclilioii, the hand- 

 somest woman, if present, will even be fiiuiid to 

 make the best flavored butter. Another thing 

 must be considei'cd, and that is, to have your 

 Durham well milked ; if a silver oiip is to be the 

 premium, worth thirty dollars, orti.'r fifteen lo the 

 dairy maid, in case you shall gel it; the hope of 

 reward is said to sweeten toil, and we venture to 

 say that ii will increase the quality of inilk, to a 

 surprising degree, considering liow liltle the rest 

 of your native cows will give at the sa.me time. 

 Irish butter is noted for its excellence. Of 

 course, a bulter maker from that country, will 

 have a similar advantage as may be found in the 

 cow. If the maiden has touched her pretty 

 warbling tongue to Ihe blarney stone of thai 

 charming Island, so iriiich the better, for blarney 

 butter is known lo lake the most salt, and will 

 outweigh any other. A point further may be at- 

 tained, by leiting the wifij hint to the butter man- 

 ufacturer that her success may have its influence 

 upon some ol' the young farmers present who 

 have not yet married. This is apt to do more 

 than any olher rewards, and there c.iii 1 trust be 

 no doubt of the solidity of such a choice, fiirasa 

 race, can ihe Irish be surpassed u|inn the broad 

 face of the earth, and who heller than they can 

 cither till the soil or defend.' The youth, there- 

 fore, who finds a fine girl of that nation, skilled 

 ill the art of making butler, and baking ban- 

 nocks, may consider himself as a fortunate man, 

 besides hearing how smoolli and agreeable the 

 rough English language may lie made, by a twist 

 of the tongue. Our book farmer by this time, 

 has attained three or four objects, each of them 

 desirable. In the first place, reduced the anxie- 

 ty and care alwavs allendant upon too full a 

 pursi;; next, renovated his lieallh by the more 

 salubrious residence in the country ; then im- 

 proved the art of agriculture by exp-eriments ; 

 further added lo the permanent weallh of his 

 country, by impoiliiig a siqierior bull and cow, 

 that won the premiums lliat adorn his sideboard, 

 and lastly d.-mccd at ihe wedding of the prelty 

 maiden "all forlorn that milkeil his cow with the 

 eriimpeled horn." 



Life has been compared to a lottery, anil may 

 we not put down the experimenter u|.uii book 

 farming as him who draws one of the liighesl 

 [irizes. The man who is a farmer — praclically 

 such liom his youth — why, he knows preiiy well 

 what to expect — no pleasing images float liefore 

 him to joy him onward; he plods on with a sort 

 of rational composure, and chews llie cud of 

 life as sedately as the ox of the stall, but your 

 book fiirmer is an animal of another breed ; he 



lives on hopes — reads and enjoys — patronize^ 

 some dozen editors of works upon the an, and 

 enjoys in their perusal Ihe richest of harvests. — 

 Wli.-it so n.-uural and just as that ihe wealth ac- 

 quired in cities and towns by trade in llie pro- 

 ducts of the soil, should be liirned back again lo 

 bless and fructify the source from whence it 

 came ? Let us no longer llien indulge i ii har- 

 casms u|ion book farming, since ii has ils advan- 

 tages, and aiiiong ihem is linind— small to be 

 sure in amount — ihe speculations of a 



/•'c6.5, 1845. 



BOOK FARMER. 



To a Hen. 



" Hail to tlicc ! blithe spirit ! 

 Bird itioil never well '." 



Slirllcy to a Slijjlark. 

 Tliou \KT .1 '' biril," ;i pretty liiril, thou ainiable lion, 

 Ami a "s[jirit" Iimi. iIhju Iinverosl about the bariis of men ; 

 .\ meek and quiet sjiiril, thim art rather seen lln-ii jienrd ; 

 .\nd I love Ihoe lur thv gentleness, lliou sweet domestic 

 bird. 



A child of industry and pence, thou dost appear to he, 



And scratching round the world lor loud, is world enough 

 tor thee : 



There's judgment in thy countenance — there's shrewd- 

 ness in thine nir, 



\r.d the innocence ol'cliickenliood is ever dwelling there. 



Thy voice is somewhat cininorous : but while most oilier 



birds 

 I'ipe out their soft and love -I ike notes to sentimental words, 

 Thy ciieliliiig noli!, si itislic.il, in business style is made. 

 To proclamale to all around when thou an egg linst laid. 



1 grant it lacks in sentiment, and possibly mii;ht seem 

 A little ostentatious too 3 but, in this age of sleam, 

 When self-display is "all the go," and "statistics" are 



" the rafre," 

 ft surely is in keeping wilh " the spirit of the age I *' 



And ihy gentle voice too oft is heard, entreating from the 



mud, 

 For thy cliickcns some of them lo come and light upon a 



bug. 

 And at eve thy priv.ate " curlew bell"' — thy clucking tongue 



is loosed. 

 To bid the chicks forsake ihe world, and come wilh thee 



to roost. 



Thus calmly thou dost pass thy days, thou amiable hen, 

 Renouncing woods and pocty, for the bustling haunts of 



men : 

 The lark may sing, the eaalo soar, tlie vulture joy in strife, 

 'Tis" glory enough'' for thee to be " domestic" in thy 



life. 



And now, farewell I — be thou with joy and corn abundant 

 blest, 



And be thy last declining days, thy brightest and thy best ! 



Wilh this I cease, and my harp I hang, like Jews by Ba- 

 bel's streams, 



No more thy praise to warble forlh, bird of my sweetest 

 dreams. 



Adva.ntage of kkeping Maxure covered. — 

 An experiment, conducted by the president of an 

 agricultural society in England, shows that 

 manure which was kept covered by nine inches 

 in depth with earth, .so that no evaporation 

 escaped, produced four bii;,hels more of grain 

 per acre, thiui the Siiiiie ipiantity and kind of 

 manure applied lo the same extent and qiianlily 

 of laud, bul whiidi had lain from Ihe l:!lh of 

 January to the 4lh of April exposed to the weath- 

 er.— ./J/ian^ C'uUh'aloi: 



Proi)er Depth of Seed. 



Various experiments have been tried lo deter- 

 mine the jiruper de|>tii at which llie seed should 

 be put. 'I'he following is ihe result of an exper- 

 iment wilh Maize, or ludi.in corn. That which 

 was planted at the depth of — 

 No. 1. 1 inch, came up in Sh days. 



yl " 



10 » 



Wi " 



" Vi " 



13 " 



rsh " 



17i 



The Nos. 8, 0, and 1 1, were dug up after tw en- 

 ty-two days, and it was i'oimd that No. 8, had an 

 inch more lo grow to reach the surfiice of the 

 earih. Nos. 0, and II had jiisl sprouied, and 

 were sliori, and three inches below the sur/iicc. 

 No. 10, came up in seventeen days, but the len- 

 der leaf remained only six days green, and then 

 withered. There is no experiment uhieh shows 

 more clearly the advantage of a shallow plan- 



