D Ifisitar. 



CONDUCTED CY ISAAC HILL* 



'Those who labor in" the earth are the choheS people of C-d, whose ore 



?T3 MB HAS M\DE HH I-ECl'LIAR DEFOSITE FOR 3UB^TaWTIAJ, AND OCNUINE ^IRTHF." — Jefffr.^On. 



VOLUME V. 



CONCORD, N. H. AUGUST 31, 1043. 



NUMBER 8. 



THE FARMER* S MONTHLY VISITOR, 



PUr.T.ISHF.IJ JU" 



ISAAC HILL, & SONS, 



ISSUED ON THE LAST DAY OF EVERY MONTH, 



At No. 3, Hill's Biick Block. 



!)CrRENF.n»L AoENTs.— B. CooK, Keenp, N H. ; Thomas 

 R. IUmptdn, VViisliingtdli Cily, n. C; John Marsh, Wash 

 ington yt. Boston, iMas?. ; i:h.\ri,f9 Wahken, liriiilfy Row, 

 Worcester, Mass. 



TERMS.— To single- siibscriljr-rs, Fifty Cnit.i. Ton jii-r 

 cent, ivill be allowed to the person who shall send more than 

 one subscriber. Twelve copies will be sent for the advance 

 payment of Fipe Dollars; tweiily-five copies for Ten Dollars i 

 sixty copies for Twaittj Dollars. "The payment in every case to 

 be made in advance. 



{f^Jtoncy and subscripthnsy by a reirulation of the Post Master 

 Octural, may in all cases be remi'tlcd by titc Post Master, free of 

 postaTe. 



{gJ-.Vll gentlemen who have heretofore acted as Agents ate 

 requested to continue their Agency. Old subscribers who 

 come under the new terms, will please notify ns of the names 

 already on our books. 



^I)c i!Ioitt!)[n llisttor, 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Captain Topliff— The Sailor Farmer. 



or all the men not lii-ed to fanning, and wlien 

 the earlii^.^t part of lif; is over, fancy retirement, 

 gi-een fields and singing hii'ds, perhaps sea-faring 

 men succeed the he.st. Your merchant buys a 

 thrin ; s|)eii(ls liis money ficely ; sets out his 

 trees in tivenues; has plenty of heads hesides hi.'J 

 own to ilirect him in the (i[ierations : and so with 

 almoi:t all other callings; hut an e.vceplion has 

 been noticed in the sea captain ; he knows no- 

 thing of fanning, hut he comes to it naturally and 

 hindly. In tlie first plaee,habits have been form- 

 ed for anticipation ; he ij ever looUiiig ahead of 

 the time to be in readiness when the wind shifts, 

 imd generally anticipates the change. When he 

 is so accustomed to command, and to feel that 

 the responsibility is upon him, that he takes his 

 own coimse! only, and follows no advice but his 

 own ; and then the treacherous elements of winds 

 anil waves admonish him to have a place for 

 every thing and to keep everything in place — 

 a practice that is both time and money with si 

 farmer. 



T have known a nmnlier of instances of men 

 who until some forty-tive or fifty years of age 

 ploughed the deep, lake their savings and buy 

 small farms, and they ahnnst always loake the 

 ends meet. They generally locate wiihin sight 

 or the smell of the ocean, and are among those 

 that may ho seen in a neat litlle anat in summer 

 gliding over ihe waves of our inner harbois, tak- 

 ing a lew fish and then returning to llieir neat 

 lilile homes; for one of their merits is never to 

 piu'chase much land. 



These farmers too, I know not why, are apt to 

 be distant in their manners; they do not gener- 

 allv associate familiarly with ihe neighboi-s, but 

 maintain tow.ards theni a sort of ship-boai-d dis- 

 tance ; but w hen tliey are approachetl on business 

 are courteous and polite. 



One! of these captains who in the nieichant 

 service had accuijiiilatcd a comfortable [iroperty 

 l)ouglit an estate some two miles fiom Ihe sea 

 shore, in the centre of uhieh was a hill that com- 

 manded a line prospect of l.ind and waiei'. This 

 hill was ihe only uncleared land upon the place, 

 and alihongh there was a very suitable house up- 

 on the road which bordeied upon one side, our 

 captain fanner orei-ted a small oiiO on the apex 

 of iho hill with only two roonis and a kitchen, 

 having a little balcony or lo'ok out jdace for liis 

 summer afternoons and long mast-he.ad tele- 

 scope. The building of this house began the 

 wonder — no workmen of the neighborhood were 

 emp'oyed ; it was framed at the next town, and 

 was actually |)nt up before any one knew he in- 

 tended to build one. 



In the ne.xt place he e.vcliided a nnniher of idle 



persons, curious to know wliat lie was about, by 

 oidering them ofl" his piimiise.s. His faiin liands 

 were Germans, who had not yet learned enough 

 of the language to converse ; llie.se were put in- 

 to the house by the road side, and formed a sort 

 of advance guard to the captain and owner far- 

 ther inlainl. " As he attended public worship 

 regularly, riding a swilcli tailed liorse to and fro, 

 the Parson attempted to make avisit,but was told, 

 •'not at home." The farm began to wear aline 

 appearance, as he was out early ami late with 

 his workmen ; and if some of the neighbgrs ven- 

 tmcd to ask him by way of an introduction what 

 he intended to plant in the field he might be 

 ploughing, lie would answer in a maimer that 

 discouraged farther inquiry, and turn the other 

 way. All thought him rich ; some called him 

 proud — others said he had been crossed in love, 

 which was doubtless fomided upon the circum- 

 stance that he was a bachelor. His work was 

 all done in good time — his crops well adtipted to 

 his land, and many said ihal he must have been 

 a farmer in early life. Curiosity grew ti-oni day 

 to day. "What sort of a man is lie," would en- 

 quiie some certain-aged young ladies who had 

 expecteil that the Parson would certainly be able 

 to tell all about him. "What can he be doing up 

 ilicre with that glas.s," said others, as they saw it 

 glisten as he aimed it off daily upon the ocean. 

 "He is the jiroudest creature in tiie world,"otliers 

 would remark, " he thinks himself too good to 

 speak to one." 



Hut linv/ was this wonder increased when, one 

 afternoon, a six pounder iron cannon willi a 

 ship's gun carriage, was brought from the nearest 

 sea-port anil planted near his house upon the 

 hill! The whole neighborhood was in commo- 

 tion ; the news spread fiom house to house. 

 "Noliody has threatened liini that 1 know of," 

 said a very pretty widow, "that he need prepare 

 for a siege." 



What was their astonishment the following 

 calm morning when at dawn the six pounder 

 was heard tor s^ix miles round ! Every one listen- 

 ed ; those in doors came out — but one fire was 

 all. Again at the settingof the sun bang it went, 

 and the smoke rose in a little cloud above the 

 house at the top of the hill. Day after day, and 

 week after week this was repeated; and the hands 

 were sc6n lo turn out to their labor w hen the gun 

 was heard, and at evening they left the field and 

 went home upon Ihe same signal. 



Some boys that were sent to see what ihey 

 could discoV(;r, and who ciept through the bush- 

 es 111 quite near the house, reporled that at sunset 

 tlie captain rung u bell, upon which a negro man 

 with an apron like a cook came out and touched 

 off the gun, which was placed just before the 

 front door. He then re-!o:ide<l it, threw a painted 

 cover on, and retired. Curiosity like a |)lant,has 

 its giowili, maturity smd dediue, and in this case 

 after iiboiit three months of fruitless endeavors it 

 beg:in to wear away, and no other nolice was 

 taken than a passing remark of, '•there goes the 

 captain who lives on the hill and fires the big 

 guii." 



.As wonder diminished, also did the desire to 

 awaken it, .••.nd when noliody iijipeared lo notice 

 or care liir what he was about, he began to show 

 a disposition to give the infiirmalion. 



By degrees Captain Toplifl' was found oul to 

 be quite like other people. Ho bade the neigh- 

 bors good morniiig, and submitted all his plans 

 of larmiiig operulions, and if any one asked his 

 advice he gave it without hesitation, and what 

 a|ipeared r.vther surprising, his views iqion farm- 

 ing were so fraught with wiidoni that many who 

 had cullivaleil iho soil all their lives profiled by 

 his advice and wondered where he could liavc 

 got liis knowledge. 



In the third year of his residence his farm 

 was adinilted lobe the most productive and best 

 in the whole town of equal dimensions', and on 



ihe meeting of the Agricultural Society which he 

 joined, he was(u))on being complimented wilh a 

 premium) asked how it could possibly happen 

 that a man who had until so receiiily all his life, 

 followed Ihe sea, could be so excellent a practi- 

 cal farmer ? His answer was " that before going 

 to sea on his last voyaiie, having made up his 

 mind lo quit the ocean for the land, he purchased 

 what he considered the cheapest article of the 

 book kind — the whole series from the com- 

 mencement of an agriculliual |)nblicatioii. This 

 he read upon ihe voyage, and bringing his judg- 

 ment to the selection of what was valuable he 

 found he was at home the moment he look pos- 

 session of his farm." 



But for this circumstance can we doubt that 

 bis effort would have been a failure, or nearly so? 

 And perhaps no money that is expended pro- 

 duces such an enormous interest as that for pe- 

 riodicals upon farming. 



Capt. TopliflT was soon acquainted wilh all the 

 neighbors, and among litem with Deacon Morey, 

 — whose three youngest daughiers had all mar- 

 ried in the neighborhood. Nabby, the eldest and 

 like many other oldest daughters the most capa- 

 ble of the liinnly, was left ; but Ctiptain Topliff, 

 who had seen much of the world was as good 

 liere as in sifting [leriodicals. He .saw her worth, 

 and was not so faint hearted as to keep it to him- 

 self. Nabby,who in earlii-r days had learned the 

 couplet of "There lives no goose so grey," &c., 

 soon took up her residence at the house upon the 

 hill. She was not partial to being waked up at 

 the dawn, and so the Captain upon her merely 

 hinting the mailer told ihe cooklo discontinue it, 

 and from that lime to look to IMi^s. Topliff for 

 order.-j. Yetir after year passed away; the farm 

 and the wife engro.sseil the whole of the Cap- 

 Iain's attention, and he was ofien heard to say, 

 that he began to be happy when he bought a 

 farm and improved it, but was only perfectly so 

 from the hour that Nabbv Morev becamo Mrs. 

 TopliflT. ■ DUXBURY, .MASS. 



I'Jlli June, 1843. 



KiCHT THINGS THAr DO NOT LOOK WELL. — It 



does not look well lo let the garden grow op lo 

 weeds, and then say iha! a garden is good for 

 nothing. 



It does not look well lo have a gate without 

 hinges, held up in the gateway by a prop in a 

 "slantindicular" position, leaving at the boiloni 

 an aperture through which some hog with a con- 

 venient nose can rub, and so slip around into the 

 garden. 



It does not look well fiir a man to thump and 

 abuse his liorse or oxen, just to try his whip ; or 

 to suffer his boys lo do so. 



It docs not look well to keep the horse in a 

 stable not cleaned, till his hind (i-et are 45 de- 

 grees higher than his fore feet, so that Ik; is obli- 

 ged to rear up lo get himself on a level every 

 time he wishes to swallow a little hay or oats. 



it does not look well lo have ihe woman hang 

 out the clothes on rough and i horny bushes, ami 

 tear them in getting them otfj uhi.'iia neat liiic 

 would save Ihal trouble. 



It does not look well for a ni.ui lo keep six 

 lank, hungry greyhounds, when lie can keep no 

 cow or ))ig ; and for no iinrpobc bnl to worry ihe 

 iieiglibors' cattle, and annoy tlj': neighborhood 

 with continual barking. 



It does not look well for fariinis' daughters to 

 be always tidkiiig about pi.iiio-phiying and the 

 irillings" of riiguor Caiilaniiii ; while Ihey do 

 not know of what butter is made, and pretend 

 lo suppose a cow a rhinoceros. 



It does not locik well for any body's daughters 

 to walk streets in kid sli|)s in Deceniber, and 

 lace ihemselves so cruelly that their voices waste 

 away, and their cheeks turn to the color of 

 moonlight. — Prrtirit Fanner, 



