256 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



upon the subject of sheep, has just returned from 

 France with a new importation of one hundred 

 and fifty ewes and fifteen bucks. The latter are 

 fourteen months old, and weigh about 200 lbs. 

 each ; all purchased from the best flocks in France. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 "DON'T KILL THB BIRDS." 



BY A. TODD. 



Notwithstanding much has been said and writ- 

 ten in regard to the destruction of the feathered 

 tribe, it may not be out of place to revive it occa- 

 sionally in the hearing of those who are prone to 

 destroy these harmless and musical little warblers. 

 Did every one love birds as well as I do, — did eve- 

 ry one delight in hearing their merry and glad- 

 some notes, few would be the birds destroyed on 

 the farmer's premises. But cruel as it is to take 

 the life of the birds that build their nests and rear 

 their young among the shrubbery around our mea- 

 dows and pastures, and even under our very win- 

 dows, I have myself, in days gone by, been guilty 

 of such acts of cruelty. Gladly would I, if I could, 

 restore to life every innocent bird I have been guil- 

 ty of destroying; but it is too late. 



For mere sport, multitudes of the feathered tribe 

 are destroyed every year by the gun of the fowler. 

 For having been guilty of such acts, I almost think 

 I can, in part, excuse myself, from the fact that I 

 was taught to believe that birds were great depre- 

 dators. The kingbird must be killed because he 

 caught the honey-bee ; the blackbird and brown- 

 thresher must be destroyed because they pulled up 

 the farmer's corn, and so on, different birds doing 

 different kinds of mischief ; and for this reason lit- 

 tle partiality was shown, and I thought the more 

 were the birds killed, the less would the farmer's 

 crops be destroyed. Philosophical reasonings, tru- 

 ly ! I can call to mind many times when I have 

 been well nigh affected to tears in witnessing the 

 death-struggles of the little warblers that have 

 fallen at my feet, pierced with leaden missiles. — 

 Often have I called to mind what L'Estrange in 

 his Fables says in regard to the observation made 

 by the frogs to some frolicsome boys — "Children, 

 you do not consider, that though this may be sport 

 to you, it is death to us." 



Like other boys, I was fond of sport, notwith- 

 standing such sport resulted in the death of those 

 creatures that had an undoubted right to live. I 

 will mention an instance or an incident that I wit- 

 nessed in my sporting days that cured me of in- 

 dulging in the cruel habit. It used to be rare 

 sport for me to "bark" squirrels from limbs of tall 

 trees, with the single bullet, or sever their tails 

 from their bodies and let them go free. On one 

 occasion, as a pretty red squirrel sat eating his 

 nuts, with his bushy tail spread over his back, I 

 fired a bullet, and not only severed his tail, but 

 inflicted a death-wound in the hind part of his bo- 

 dy. Never shall I forget how my feelings were 

 wrought upon, as the little fellow fell to the 

 ground. With what a pitiful look did he cast his 

 eyes towards me, and with fore paws raised for 

 protection, seemed to say, — What have J done? 

 Need I say this was the last time I ever indulged 

 i this cruel sport? 



Sporting for pleasure, and destroying the inno- 

 cent creatures God has made, (and for which he 



has provided ample room,) is indeed a cruel plea- 

 sure. To me it seems right to spare the creatures 

 He has made, (especially the birds,) inasmuch as 

 every thing was made for some good and wise pur- 

 pose. The earth is wide, and room enouo-h for 

 them and us. Each have their privileged space, 

 and — 



"He that hunts 

 Or harms them there, is guilty of a wrong; 

 Disturhs th' economy of nature's realm, 

 Who, when she formed designed them an abode." 

 Smithfield, R. I. a. t. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 WORN OUT SOIL. 



The exhaustion of the soil, which for to long a 

 time has been carried on in New England, will not 

 be fully realized till there ceases to be any unoccu- 

 pied land in this country. It is generally admit- 

 ted that land which a few years ago would pro- 

 duce fifty bushels of grain, has been so impov- 

 erished, that it will not produce fifteen bushels. 

 It has been truly said, that "there is nothing lost 

 on a farm, unless it be burned or drowned." 



But I think that it can be truly said, that what- 

 ever is burned or drowned is not lost. For the 

 burning combustibles ascending to the clouds in 

 smoke, return to the earth in the genial dew, and 

 refreshing rain, and the carbon which is thus dif- 

 fused in the atmosphere is absorbed in vegetation. 



From our over-tasked soil, yielding her abund- 

 ance of produce, which is sent to foreign shores, 

 there is nothing left to restore its healthful vigor. 

 This fact should teach the farmer the utility of so 

 diversifying his labor, that it would be less ex- 

 hausting to the soil, and check the desire of ex- 

 porting the best product of the land, and receiving 

 in return that which will yield him nothing but 

 leanness of body and barrenness of soul. 



Quite a difference in this respect exists between 

 this country and England. The latter exports her 

 metals and her manufactures, and her various pro- 

 ductions from under the surface of the earth. Also 

 the various manufactures of silk, cotton, and wool. 

 She imports vast quantities of food from her less 

 provident neighbors, all of which is consumed by 

 her various operatives in the manufacture of 

 metals, wool, &c, &c, a part of which is returned 

 to the soil, which so enriches it as to produce 

 threefold more than it would otherwise do. We 

 on the contrary import metals and manufactures, 

 which will never mingle with the soil, and export 

 vegetable fertilizing matter the bulk of thousands 

 and thousands of acres. 



England retains all the elements of her fertiliza- 

 tion existing in the refuse of her own crops, and 

 also that of her imported food, while instead of 

 encouraging the creation of consumers in part, in 

 the place of producers alone, we compel the Amer- 

 ican agriculturist to export a large part of the fer- 

 tilizing elements of each crop to nourish foreign 

 production. d. 



April 26, 1852. 



Blind Teeth in Horses. — William Little, of Po- 

 land, Ohio, relates a case of a stallion of his hav- 

 ing gone entirely blind without any apparent cause. 

 A friend who examined him, found "blind or wolf 

 teeth," which were immediately knocked out, and 

 the horse soon recovered his sight. — Albany Culti- 

 vator. 



