20 



^l)c jTarmcv's iHjntl)ln bigjtor- 



paid for my money. My harness^, boots anH shoes 

 wear out without becoiiiiiifr harilaiitl crackiii!; to 

 pieces. For more than five years past, 1 have 

 iiiaile u.'ie of an article called Bakei^s water proof 

 Oil Bluekiii!.', inniiufactiircd in Newport, N. H. 

 lam perfectly satisfied that t.here is Dutliing in 

 the composition tlial id injurious, hut on the con- 

 trary it has tlic qiialily ofsofieuiiig and prevent- 

 ing water from penetrating; and 1 find that a 

 very small quantity sufiices, after the first or sec- 

 ond ai)i,lic!itiun. ■ A MECHANIC. 



Newspapers. — Travelling one day into the 

 country, we fell in company with a man, whom 

 we Boon ascertained to be a well-to-live-in-the- 

 world liirmef. In the comse of conversation 

 upon various stibjects, priucipally agricultural, 

 we found tliat lie was just leiurninj; from our 

 town, where he had that ilay contracted for the 

 eale of 500 bushels of wlieat at 75 cents per 

 bushel. From this subject our conversjition 

 turned to that of ticwspapers; and upon ascer- 

 tainine that he was not a subscriber to any paper 

 we offeied him ours. But the man had "so 

 many ways for his money," that he coidd not 

 afford it. We then askeii him if he would be- 

 come a subscriber in the case we would convince 

 liim that if he had taken the paper, lie would 

 have saved in one barfrain aliine live limes the 

 cost of it in a year. H« agreed to this, and we 

 took from onr |)Ocket one of the latest papers in 

 which was an advertisement, offering to contract 

 for any quantity of wheat at 81 cents-|)er bushel. 

 Thus we illustrated to our liirmer friend, that if 

 he had been n reader of our jiaper, he might 

 have gained six cents on each of his 500 bushels 

 of wheal ; making a total of 5s30 — sufiicient to 

 pay for the paper 15 year.*. He paid us two dol- 

 lars and left, growling at himself for having been 

 so negligent of his true interest. — Erie Penn. 

 Observer. 



Fires from Ashes. 



The records of our Fire Insurance offices 

 show that the most common cause of fires is the 

 use, or rather abuse of stoves ; and the next in 

 fre(]ueiKy is the deposit of ashes ill wooden ves- 

 sels, or oiher iinsale places. Strange as it may 

 seem, not one-halt of the divelliiig houses in this 

 country are provided wiili sule places of deposit 

 for the ashes daily acciuiuilatiiig fioui uur woiid 

 fires, and in a niajnriiy of llifiii a liariel or box 

 performs the office thai shoiihl devolve on an ash 

 iiouse of brick or stone. This v\oodeii deposito- 

 ry is not unliequeiilly placed in ihe wood fjouse, 

 or some olher of the ont-bnildings, ready at any 

 time to ignite, or ifdislurbed by winds, to liirnisli 

 tlie spark that will kindle a destruciive coufia- 

 gialion. It is generally considered the extreme 

 of prudence, if llie ashes, when laken from the 

 liearth and glowing wiili red hot embers or coals, 

 are placed in holes dug in the centre of the sur- 

 face of ihe i-old ashes, and slightly covered wiih 

 them, and not allowed to come in actual contact 

 with the sides of the bux or barrel. To us it 

 seems most sirange that niuler such circumslan- 

 ces fires from ashes do not more lieqiiemly oc- 

 cur, and the great danger of such a disposilion 

 of ashes would prevent its recurrence were the 

 evil fully uuderstood. 



Almost every family that is uuproviilcd with 

 an ash house of brick or stone, ami that is in the 

 habit of using a weiod substiluie, must have m.el 

 with cases in which, in spite of all their care in 

 depositing their ashes, serious danger from fire 

 has arisen, the boxes have been burned, charred, 

 or (le.<troyed, greatly to the wonder of the parties 

 interested. Houses are burned, and the misfor- 

 tune is placed to the account of the incendiary, 

 when it should be placed to the account of the 

 ash box. There are some ("acts connected with 

 this subject that should be more generally known, 

 us they might have the efiecl of placing house 

 keepers an<l house builders more on llit-ir guard. 



Not long since a friend ol' ours on taking [los- 

 eessiou of a place which had been unoccupied 

 for seveial weeks, when he came io take up the 

 first ashes made from his tires, Ibiind that his 

 predecessor liad used an old ho'.'shead, and on 

 examination this was found about half liill of 

 Bshes, covered so as to exclude the rain. A hole 

 was made in the centre of iliese old ashes and 

 the new ones deilo^iIpd. The next day there 

 was ail alarm of fire,and ihe hogshead was found 

 lu flames. Fortunately the tire occurred in the 



day time, or his buildings, valuable as they were, 

 would most certainly have been destroyed. This 

 occurrence is not an iinusnal one, and the fre- 

 quency of losses (Vom this source induced Prot. 

 H., of Vt., to enter upon a series of experiments 

 to ascertain the cause. From instances that had 

 fallen under his notice, he was induced to be- 

 lieve that when embers or live coals arc placed 

 among dry ashes, no matter what may lie then- 

 age, or how long they have been deprived ol 

 fire, a second ignition takes p.hice, which some- 

 times does not cease until the whole mass has 

 been burneil over, although it is freqnenily ar- 

 rested belJire it has reached this extenl. Bo.\es 

 filled with cold ashes, had a (pianliiy of red hot 

 embers and live coals from the hearth placed in 

 their centre, and then caiefiilly covered ami clos- 

 ed. It was found that the heat gradually in- 

 creased, the fire extended through the whole 

 mass, the box bexame charred on the inside, and 

 when air was admitted, cumhustioii ensued at 

 once. The same result took place when the box 

 was burned through to the outside, lu order to 

 determine whether the eomhuslion of the ashes 

 took place in conseipience of the coals which 

 are usually left in ashes, boxes filled with silted 

 ashes were tried in the tame way, and ignition 

 took place as before; proving either that a suf- 

 ficient quantity of fine pariii-lesof coal remained 

 tosiqiport combustion, or that a sufiicieni amount 

 of iiilrous mailer was obtained frmn the atmos- 

 phere to allow ignition Io take place. In either 

 supposition, the maimer in which numerous fires 

 annually take place seemed clearly eslablished, 

 and thedauiier of plai-ing ashes iii wood vessels 

 of any kind clearly siiown. Nolhins but abso- 

 lute necessily should allow the praciice of hav- 

 ins; barrels oV boxes of ashes about our ilwellings 

 orout-hnuses. A salij ash house is as inrlispen- 

 sable as a kitchen, and no house should he built 

 where this receptacle is not (irovided. To the 

 fiirmer, ashes are of great value, am! to waste 

 them or sell them as many do, is the woi-st kind 

 of prodigality. Leached, or uideached, they are 

 one of the best promoters of ferliliz.-ilion, and 

 should lie saved willi great care; but never al 

 such iVightfol risks as the destruction of ihe farm 

 buildings. Of ibis there is not the least necessi- 

 ty ; the cause of the danger once uiidcrslood it 

 can be readily guarded against, and if insurance 

 companies would look to this matter in their poli- 

 cies, Ihe evil might be arrested without diflicully. 

 —Jllb. CuU. 



Wooden Nutmegs outdome. — .i new tm;/ to 

 raise Ihe icind. — One of our ciiizens, a few days 

 since, purchased of a couutiyman a lot of hniler, 

 in balls, which to all appearance possessed those 

 qualities we are wont to exjiect in u i;ooil arlirle. 

 .Afterwards, oil culling one of the balls, it was 

 tiiimd to cuiisisi of tallow, with the exception of 

 about half an inch of uiiod butter, nicely cover- 

 ing the oulside. A furlher examinalinii led to 

 the discovery that the eiilire lot was uianufacliir- 

 ed of ihe same material! The man who sold 

 the butler (!) was probably a stranger, as he was 

 unknown to the f;enileman, and no trace of hiin 

 can be fliscovered. — .Veic London Jhkocitte. 



I Told you so. — " Wife, wife ! our con's dead 

 — choaked with a turnip." 



" I told you so — I always kiiow'd she'd get 

 choaked with them turnips." 



"But it was a piimi'kin — a darned big one." 



" Wal, il's all ihc same. I know'd nil along 

 how it would be. Nobody but a ninny like you 

 would feed a cow on |uimpkins that wasn't 

 chopl." 



" The pumpkins it'os chopt. And 'twasn't the 

 pum(ikins neither, what choaked lirr." 



"Twas the tray — the end on't sticking out of 

 her iiiouih now ?" 



" Ugh ! ugh ! There goes my bread tray. No 

 longer ago than yesterday, I told you the cow- 

 would swallow that tray !" 



Oldeu Time. 



It is interesting to look back upon New Eng- 

 land history, some t^vo centuries, aiul observe the 

 ri;;id supervision which was exercised by the 

 Fathers of the colonies, over the employments, 

 habits and unM-als of the people. •Jlaiiy of their 

 legal eiiactmenis would unqneslionably be unjust 

 and tyrannical, imposed upon a communily sur- 

 rounded by more ausjiicious circumstances, and 



possessing a better knowledge of the science of 

 government, and doubtless there were in the 

 early days of the seltleinent, some admirers of 

 the largest liberty of human a(;tion, who were 

 any thing hut strenuous advocates of a strict 

 construction (d' such straight jacket, body tiior- 

 lilying regulaiions. But the motives which in- 

 fluenced the law makers of that day and genera- 

 tion are above repioacli; their legal restraints 

 were designed to meet the common wanl.«, and 

 were inoiluclive of general order and virtue. 

 Some specimens of the civil discipline oi' llie 

 colony of Plymoiith (united to Massachusetts in 

 Iti'Jl) are subjoined. 



In lO-.i(), the exportation of corn, beans nnd_ 

 (leas, were |iiiihihiied and the employment of 

 mechanics regulated. 



Ill l&'io, it was enacted that none should be- 

 come house-keepers, or build cottages, wilhout 

 the con.-ent of the Governor and Assistants. The 

 same autli„rity was afterwards granted to select- 

 men of towns. 



In l(j;i3, laborers' wages were fixed at twelve 

 pence per day with board, ^ind eighteen pence 

 per day without it. 



In llifill, the constables wei'e ordered to look 

 after all persons w ho slept in <-hurch, and report 

 their names to the General Court. The pro- 

 gress of popular freedom in tliis respect, is us- 

 tonishing. 



Chewers and smokers had to pay a heavy duty 

 on their tiivcrrite indulgence, unless they smii^'- 

 gled their tobacco into their port of entry. In 

 iray, it was enacted, that if any one was found 

 or seen taking tobacco in the sireets, or in any 

 biiihling, or field, vvilhin a mile of u dwelling 

 house, he should be fined twelve pence, and in 

 default of pecuniary means fi)r salistviug justice, 

 he was Io he put in the slocks or whipped. In 

 I<)41, imporlalloii of tobacco for home consnmp- 

 lioii was prohibited. In 1650, it was provided 

 that every juror who used tobacco should be 

 lined five"sliillini:.=i. What was the siipjiosed an- 

 tai;onistical influence of the use ol this weed 

 upon ihe fiiithfid exercise of their judicial jndjr- 

 menl, is lefi only to curious conjecture. In IGfit) 

 it was enacted that every person found smoking 

 in the streets on the Lord's day, going Io or re- 

 luming from meeting, wilhin Iwo miles of the 

 meeting house, should he fined twelve pence. 



In one respect it mu.--t be admitled lliat the 

 early sealers of New England suffer by a com- 

 parison with their more patriotic descendants; 

 we mean in their reluctance to hold public office. 

 In 1G32, a law was passeil, that if .Miy one was 

 elected lo the office (d" Governor, and refused to 

 serve, he should he fined £"20; and a provision 

 was inserted, that no person should he required 

 to serve two years in succession. How it vvoiild 

 have cheered the hearls of those who were wit- 

 nesses of such occasional reluctance to serve the 

 public, could they h.ive looked forward a couple 

 of cenlnrie;^, and seen a high ap(iointing power 

 receiving thousands of .-ipplications. 



The Son? of (Jie Fiog. 



A liffl in the muddy pond. 



A home in llie sla^n:int pool, 

 Where the tadpoles swim around, 



.\nd the hieeze liluws fresh and cool. 



« , « « # • 



Talk ahnut your purling broolis. 



On the banks of them I've stood-. 

 Or your " dark sequestered nooks,"' 



But noihinj is equ.il to mud. 



, » » » » • 



Thus croaked a fine fit Crnw, 



As in i.he mud for worms he dug. 

 When he caught sight nf a hog, 



And disappeared with a " CHUG !" 



Manufacturing ABTiritiAi. Marble. — The 

 Pittsburg Chronicle says an individual has a 

 mode of manufacluring marble whicli is pronoun- 

 eed superior to any other artificial stone or mar- 

 ble in use, and wifl supercede the use of lime 

 morlar in varied processes ol" plastering, will be 

 extensively used for stucco work, mosaic, stat- 

 uary, mantel work, table-slabs, atmospheric and 

 hvdiaulic cement, roofing of houses and paving 

 of streets, &c. It will set or harden in six hours 

 when applied in phistcrin;; houses. It will re- 

 sist the aciion oi' atmospheric heat, damp, fiost, 

 &c., and is susceplibli! of a liij;li polish, and can 

 be inanulacturcd at a cost little exceeding lime 

 mortar. 



