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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DR. LEE. 



Editors of New England Farmer : — I am not a 

 little surprised, by the strictures in your paper of 

 this morning, upon my communication in relation 

 to the Agricultural Fair at Pittsfield, on the Gth 

 and 7th of Oct. last. 



I spoke of the "disappointment" experienced in 

 not having the expected address from Dr. Lee, of 

 AYashington ; — and I meant to say, that this dis- 

 appointment was proportioned to the high reputa- 

 tion of this gentleman, for scientific knowledge of 

 agricultural subjects, and in no manner to charge 

 him with any fault for not being present. I only 

 knew, that his presence was expected, and ivaited 

 for, until 2 o'clock, P. M. 



Dr. Lee entirely misapprehended what I said 

 about "gentlemen farmers,'''' — when he charges 

 me with intimating that any class of farmers are 

 not gentlemen. I used the term gentlemen far- 

 7ners in that popular sense, which embraces those 

 who have book knowledge only without practical 

 experience ; — and not as impairing their character 

 in the least, as gentlemen the in ordinary sense of 

 the term. One moment's reflection, by a man of 

 Dr. L.'s intelligence, must have satisfied him of 

 this. 



In speaking of Dr. L., I used the term science, 

 because I have been accustomed to look upon his 

 communications as more thoroughly scientific than 

 any others I meet — comprehending knowledge ob- 

 tained from practice as well as books — this being 

 the only knowledge of value on agricultural topics. 

 I will not say, that a man cannot acquire much 

 knowledge of chemistry, geology &c. &c, in his 

 library, and thereby inform himself most perfectly 

 in the analysis of soils — but I will say, that some- 

 thing beyond this is necessary to make him a com- 

 plete farmer, or to enable him to teach others to 

 be such. 



It has become so common of late, in selecting 

 speakers for public occasions, to look for those who 

 have acquired a far-famed reputation, that modest, 

 unassuming men stand no chance. I intended to 

 communicate the idea, that these town and coun- 

 ty meetings are fit occasions fur such men to be 

 brought forward to try their skill ; — and that men 

 of eminence will always find opportunities enough 

 to show off, and hearers enough to listen, without 

 any special appointment. 



Far be it from me to place Dr. Lee in a wrong 

 ■position before the public, or to give him any just 

 cause of offence. No man could have regretted 

 his misapprehension of his engagement with the 

 President of the Berkshire Society more than I did ; 

 as no one could have been more anxious to hear his 

 instructions. I travelled more than one hundred 

 miles, almost expressly for this purpose. That the 

 Dr. may long live and continue to do good, with 

 all his might, is the worst wish I have for him; 

 and that he will heed the maxim, "think twice be- 

 fore he speaks once," is the best advice I can give 

 him. * 



Nov. CM, 1852. 



Dartmouth College. — We have received the 

 catalogue of this College for 1852-3, illustrated 

 with a beautiful engraving of the college buildings. 

 The Medical students are in number fifty-two ; 

 Undergraduates, two hundred and twenty-five, and 



those of the Scientific School seventeen, making a 

 total of two hundred and ninety-four. Among the 

 names we notice many from this State, from Maine, 

 New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D. C, and 

 the southern States, as well as from New Hamp- 

 shire. The institution appears to be in a flourish- 

 ing condition. We are probably indebted to Oli- 

 ver P. Hubbard, M. D., for the copy received. 



A CHEAP, HOME-MADE TELESCOPE. 



Eds. Rural : — In the autumn of '42, being then 

 nineteen years of age, and naturally of a mechani- 

 cal turn of mind, and having read some in different 

 works on philosophy and astronomy, I undertook 

 to make a cheap telescope ; and, as a knowledge 

 of the process may not be uninteresting to all 

 your readers, I give it for what it is worth. I 

 bought a common convex spectacle glass of three 

 feet focus, and a small glass one-half an inch in 

 diameter, one inch focus, both costing 75 cents. 



I then proceeded to make a tube as follows : I 

 took a piece of two inch plank, sawed it out two 

 inches square, put it in my lathe, and merely 

 rounded one end, but the other end I diminished 

 to about one and one-fourth inches. I then ap- 

 plied it to a fine circular saw, splitting it in two 

 halves. Then I hollowed out each part, leaving 

 them about one-fourth of an inch thick, and paint- 

 ed the inside black, with lamp-black and spirits of 

 turpentine. I then fastened them firmly together 

 with glue, and made another tube in the same 

 manner about four inches long, small enough to 

 slide closely into the large tube. 



I placed the largest glass in the large end of the 

 long tube, and the small one in the small tube near 

 the end, then by sliding the small tube into the 

 large one so as to bring the glasses about three 

 feet and one inch apart, (the sum of their focal 

 distances,) and applying my eye to the small tube, 

 I was astonished and delighted at the clearness 

 with which I could discern distant objects. I 

 placed it upon a sort of standard, in such a man- 

 ner that it would turn in any direction, and I could 

 then view the planets with great facility. It is 

 true, all terrestrial objects appeared inverted, but 

 the eye soon became accustomed to it, and the 

 clearness compensated for the absence of the oth- 

 er two glasses. On pointing it at Jupiter, I could 

 plainly distinguish his moons but not his belts. — 

 Saturn's rings can be seen with it, but not his 

 moons. Venus appears like a small moon through 

 it, presenting the different phases of that lumina- 

 ry. But the rocky and mountainous portions of 

 our moon present the greatest field for observation, 

 being the nearer celestial objects, and though I 

 have since looked through better telescopes, there 

 is not that difference which one would naturally 

 suppose between a telescope costing $2, and one 

 costing $200. Venus being now morning star, and 

 in the best part of her obit for observation, pre- 

 sents a beautiful appearance. 



But I will close, merely saying, that such 

 sketches have always been of interest to me, and 

 thinking that others of your readers might have 

 similar phrenological "bumps," I submit it to you 

 to lay before them or not as you think proper. — 

 R. C. Norton, Guilford, Chenango Co., N. Y., 

 1852.— Rural New- Yorker. 



