®l)c lavnufs iilotttl)!!} faisiton 



147 



iind almost siiitl, artifici;il liis- 



i'a'ir ill natuiul 

 loi-v :^ 



"Aiiioiif! the iioviiUies now striving to arrest 

 nItuMtion, is ilie cccaleoliion, or liatciiini.' iiiu- 

 c'liine. Its iiiiposii]!; imine is derived from two 

 Greek wordt^, 'I liring loi:!) lilc.' It is alioiit hs 

 liM-iie iis a liiirean, consistiuf; of a series of small 

 ovens, warmed liy pipes conveying stearn. Tliu 

 nniforinilv of lemfieratiire prevents the possilnl- 

 il_V of addled eiigs, which are produced liy varia- 

 tions from heat to cold, occasioned liy the hen's 

 unsteady perllirmance of her domestic duties. I 

 fell some resistance to this sulistitiition of ma- 

 chinery for motiiers; and if I were a hen, I 

 vKiidd ^Tt np a protest a^'ainst heint; thus thrust 

 aside from the uses of cre.-iliou. Tiiis is an ulti- 

 mate form of ihe mechanical spirit of the age, 

 wlierein men construct artificial memories, and 

 teach frranmiar hy a machiuc. in which the active 

 verl) is a little hammer ponudiui;- on theohjective 



case. 



Hut what i.- Ihe use of iiuarrelliuf; vyiih itr— 

 Does not the eccaleobiou hatch witii peil(?ct 

 certainly every ei;if that is not stale or imper- 

 fect .' Does it not turn out Hfly chickens a day, 

 or twenty thousand a year? And will not this 

 rednce the price of poidlry to the heart's content 

 of the epicure ? 



These machines are sold for $120, and $75 is 

 charged for one of half the capacity of produc- 

 tion aliove descrihed. Some of the farmers in 

 Jersey and Louir Island are investinir capital in 

 this way, with the expectation of profit. 



The chicUens thus hatched almost invariahly 

 live, and seem healthy and lively. When cold, 

 ihey run into holes under the ovens. The hard, 

 silent bo.x seemed to me a jioor suhstilute for a 

 mothers heart warmth, and the friendly chick- 

 ing voice vvhicli iralhers them under her brood- 

 injr win^.s. 15nt Ihe little things seemed well 

 i'Odtented with their lot, never having known 

 anything better. Those a few weeks old, though 

 phinip and iluiviug, have rather a loaferisli look, 

 us if their mothers didn't know they were out, 

 jind coiieeijjieiitly had not wjished their iiices or 

 comhed tiK'ir leathers. The older ones some- 

 times take to hrooding the newly hatched, who 

 run aflec them with great eagerness, and strive 

 with each otiier to obiain their caresses. There 

 IS Bonie'.hiug quite atiectiug in this relation be- 

 tw4»en the Ujreaved orphans and their eldersisters. 

 This Aiuericrtii UHichine is doubtless a great 

 improvement upon the famous Egyptian mcm- 

 mf((«, <»r iiatching ovens, and upon the Chinese 

 method of (ising up the men, by having thein sit 

 <lay after liay on nests of eggs, covered with 

 feather cushions, h is a pity, though, that the 

 <ieinagogue3 and ofiice seekers of this country 

 couldn't be as usefully employed. If a tithe of 

 them were to turn tlieir attention that way, there 

 would be a rapid diminuition in the price of 

 poultrv. 



The" exhibition of the eccaleobion is principal- 

 ly interesting from the opportunity it affords to 

 watch the progressive development of animal 

 life from the iirst little white speck in which 

 floats the embryo chicken, to the final projection 

 of the beak through the shell, which it has bro- 

 ken by vigorous pecking at its prison walls. The 

 only thing in which 1 took real pleasure, liovvev- 

 er, was in watching the first pulsation of the 

 heart, which becomes observable on the third 

 jiay. Though no bigger than a pin's head, it 

 xvorks with the vigor and precision of a steam 

 engine." 



able to cany their thick, round and heavy bodies. 

 Some oxen "of this breed, belonging to the Duke 

 of Sutherland, travelled 350 miles to the show.— 

 The first premium for the best two o.xen of any 

 breed or cross, was awarded to Archibald Sterl- 

 ing, for a pair of West Highlanders.— C««. 



Show of the Highland Agricultural So- 

 ciety. — The annual show of this cidebrated so- 

 ciety took place at Glasgow, Scotland, on the 8th 

 of August. The weather was unfavorable from 

 rain, but the number of people in attendance was, 

 notwithstanding, great. The receipts lor the sale 

 of tickets for adniission to the show-yard, a- 

 inounted to no less than $7,389. The total num- 

 ber of lots was 1,401, among which were 222 

 Ayrshire cattle, 55 West Highlaiul cattle, IGO 

 horses, 118 sheep, 187 lots of butter, 83 lots of 

 cheese, and I7() implements. The largest num- 

 ber ever entered before was, 1014, at Edinburgh, 

 in 1842. 



In the .\yrshire breed, there were shown 61 

 bulls and "yj cows, said to be a very good and 

 even lot. The West Highlanders produced some 

 remarkable specimens of their excellent breed ; 

 the short legs of the animals seemed scarcely 



Opposite Opinions— Biids. 



" Woodman spare the tree— sporlinian spare the birds." 

 The fbllowinL' sensible remarks are found in 

 the Gardener's Chronicle, and are a_s^ applicable 

 here as in the vicinity of London. There is no 

 question at all with US, that the war waged in 

 some places against these "teiiasUs of the air," 

 is quite an injudicious one, and that although at 

 particular seasons of the year, some of thein are 

 a real annoyance to the farmer, upon the whole 

 they more than " earn their keep." Nuttall, in 

 his Ornithology, after ennmerating the many and 

 varied pleasures derived from their song and their 

 companionship, says, they " associate round our 

 tenements, and defend the various productions of 

 the earth on which we rely for subsistence, from 

 the depredations of myriads of insects, which 

 but for timely riddance by niinnmbered birds, 

 would be tbllowed by a general fidlure and fam- 

 ine." Public economy and utility, as he believes, 

 no less than humanity, plead for the protection 

 of the feathered viwe.—Phila. Fm: Cabinet. 



The various, and in some instances, contradic- 

 tory slatemeiilsof your correspondents, must, in 

 nia"uy minds, crciUe a tendency to scepticism; 

 tliat is to sav, where parties do not make |iracti- 

 cal observations and judge for themselves. One 

 stales that salt has produced him magnificent 

 asparagus— another .>iays that salt has destroyed 

 his plants. One advises carcasses as a manure 

 for vi]ie borders; another says they have nearly 

 destroyed his vines. One says that for thirly 

 years he has not snfiered from turnip fly, owing 

 to his steeping bis seed in oil, and powdering it 

 with sulphur— another says that be has tried it, 

 and still the vermin have inarched in military 

 array over his field, perlorating and consuming 

 his crop. One says persecute the rook and oth- 

 er birds— another encourages them as your best 

 friends. As great a contrast frequently arises as 

 to the quality of fruits- one staling a particular 

 variety to be excellent— another will not admit it 

 to be second-rate. How are we to reconcile such 

 statements, admitting, as we must, in resjicct of 

 parties with whom we are unacquainted, that 

 each IS entitled to equal credit ? In many in- 

 stances, no doubt, the old aphorism may be ap- 

 plied— " Circumstances alter cases," as wrth re- 

 gard to salt and carrion manure : a skillful gar- 

 dener, knowing the time, and watching the re- 

 sult of his experiment, follows up a perceptible 

 improvement, and counteracts the first appear- 

 ance of a retrograde movement before the disas- 

 ter becomes irremediable. In similar cases, the 

 rash or inexperienced fail. With regard to the 

 turnip fly also, there may be some peculiarity oi 

 tillage. "I have heard ofa whole field fiiiling, ex- 

 cept'^where a roller had casually been drawn— in 

 some seasons, that the plants are more liable to 

 attack when the ground is rolled. .'\s to fruit, 

 there can be not the least doubt that soil and as- 

 pect, or climate, will produce a nuicb greater dil- 

 ference than exists between the first .-md second 

 class. But with regard to the rook and birds 

 generally, 1 think there ought to be but one oiun- 

 fon, namelv, that their usefulness very greatly ex- 

 ceeds any 'injnrv committed by them, either to 

 the farm or garden. An instance is recorded up- 

 wards of a century ngo, I believe by Bradley, of 

 the inhabitants o"f a certain village destroying 

 the whole race of birds in their locality, by set- 

 ling a price upon their heads ; the consequence 

 of which was, jhat their entire produce was at- 

 tacked by insects and caterpillars innumerable 

 the following year, and they were glad to oli'er a 

 simihgor greater reward to have fresh colonies 

 brought to their assistance. Dr. Stanley also re- 

 lates, that a w hole district in Germany, was near- 

 ly deprived of its corn harvest by having destroy- 

 ed their rooks. 1 have myself seen a field of 

 Swedish turnips so infested by grubs, that from 

 three to ten were found under nearly every root 

 that was examined, the turnips having the ap- 

 liearance of warty excrescences, being quite hol- 

 low within. An immense flock of rooks, accom- 

 panied by u flock of starlings, covering more 

 than an acre, alighted upon them, and so busy 

 were they that they would allow a person to go 



within a few yards of them without flying up. — 

 They remained there a whole afternoon, and on 

 examining the turnips afterwards, 1 found scarce- 

 ly one that had not been cleared of the grubs. — 

 That piece of ground has been much more pro- 

 ductive from that time; and 1 think at least some 

 share of the improvement is due to the rooks, 

 though certainly not all. As to sparrows and 

 other small birds, particularly wagtails, a careful 

 observer may see them in breeding time follow- 

 ing the plough or searilier, dart their beaks into 

 crevices and pick out the wire worms incessant- 

 ly, then carry them to a smooth piece of earth, 

 lay them in a bundle, and then clap them firmly 

 in their beak and carry them off to their young. 

 Now suppose the rook in searching for grubs, 

 [lulls up the plant with it, would not the vermin 

 iiave ruined it in all probability if he had not? 

 And allowing that he pulls up some [lotatoes on 

 the moor lands, a little expense of watching ob- 

 viates that calamity. Also allowing that spar- 

 rows will do considerable damage to the wheat 

 crop from the time the grain is formed until har- 

 vested — a period of six weeks or two months — 

 wasting as much as they eat, yet u few old men, 

 lor a few shillings per week, may check their 

 depredations over an extensive farm. But by 

 what process, involving fifty times this outlay, 

 could man himself perform the service rendered 

 him by these active laborers, who never need be 

 calleil to their employment — are never idle when 

 there is any prospect of their working to advan- 

 tage — and wiio never call upon their protector 

 U])OU a Saturday night. Prejudices often lake 

 deep root, and are handed down from ancient to 

 modern times ; sparrow clubs are still in exist- 

 ence; and 1 was informed a few days ago, of a 

 person sending 3,000 heads to a member of one 

 club, and having to send 3,000 more to be exhib- 

 ited,as the genuine trophies of that individual. — 

 He also may consider he is doing man a service ; 

 but unless I receive further evidence to the con- 

 trary, 1 must continue in the opinion that bird* 

 are eminently serviceable to maji during at least 

 ten months out of the twelve; that there is no 

 known substitute for their service ; and that any 

 injury which they might effect during the rest of 

 the year may be easily and cheaply prevented. — 

 /'. /. Graham. 



Defect in Potatoes. — The subject of the de- 

 fect in potatoes, was discussed at a late meeting of 

 agriculturists in Scotland. There was a very great 

 diversity td' opinion in relation to the cause — 

 scarcely any of the speakers agreeing. The age 

 of varieties, the nature of the soil, the state of 

 the weather, cutting and not cutting seed, were 

 all mentioned as tending to (iroduce the effect. — 

 Professor Johnston summed up the testimony, 

 and as to a remedy, remarked that all appeared 

 agreed that sound healthy sewd, and a well pul- 

 verized and well drained soil, were the bent pre- 

 ventives of the disease, and best guaranty for a 

 good crop. 



From Mr. Laing's Prize Essay and tktlitr authentic sources. 

 Statistics of Great Britain. 



The united annual income of the people of 

 Great Britiau, is estimated from A;2;iO,000.000 to 

 £310,000,000. The national debt on the l.-t of 

 .lanuary, 1843, was £705,000,000, so that a little 

 more than two years and a half income would 

 pay it oftl 



There have been seventy rail-roads construc- 

 ted in Great Britain, at an expense of £00,000,- 

 000, and extending over asnrliice of nearly two 

 thousand miles. On these rail- roails, 25,000,000 

 of passengers were conveyed in 1843, at an aver- 

 age expense of about one penny and three-quar- 

 ters — not quite four cents — per mile, and with on- 

 ly one fatal accident to a passenger. These rail- 

 roads pay (ui an average five per cent, interest 

 on the capital employed ; the average cost of con- 

 struction has been about £34,300 per mile. Du- 

 ring the present session of Parliament, sixty-six 

 additional rail-roads have been petitioned for, of 

 which about fiirty, it is thought, will pass. Tlier« 

 are in Great Britain, one hundred and eighty nav- 

 igable canals, the aggregate length of which ii 

 2^082 miles, wliiidi cost upwards of £30,000,000. 

 The London and Birmingham Kail-way given 

 constant employment to near two thousand per- 

 sons. It is not generally known that the first 

 rail-way for the conveyance of paasengers, was 



pened in 1821, between Budwies and Linz, iu 



