160 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Dec. 1, 1828. 



MISCELIiAIVIES. 



From Dintmmond's First Steps in Botany. 



ST. JOHN'S DAY. 



In times more unciilighteued than the pres- 

 ent, a numher of superstitious ceremonies wore 

 practised on midsummer eve, and on the fol- 

 lowing morning, or St. Jolm'.s Day. They bore 

 some resemblance to tliose of Hallow-eve in Scot- 

 land, being thought to j)rognosticate the good or 

 bad fortune of yoimg men and maidens as to their 

 obtaining partners for life. Some of these are 

 still practised on tlie Continent ; and in Lower 

 SaXony, the young girls gather sprigs of St. John's 

 wort on niidsumraer-niffht, fasten them to the 



A small subscription is due ; "the society does 

 not want it — the sum is so small that it can make 

 no difference." But the society does want it. If 

 every member did as you do, there vvoidd be no 

 funds in the hands of the treasurer ; and your ne- 

 glect is dissolving the society as far as your own 

 item of influence goes. That influence goes thus 

 far to discourage schemes of benevolence, and to 

 destroy public confidence. You inspired a hope 

 which you crushed again. 



An editor's payment is due — ^^"he does not want 

 it." But he does want it. And this very ])lea of 

 yours gives him more trouble than all the others 

 put together. 



Of truth, there are few excuses for neglect more 



,, P I . , , J, , r 1 ( freriuenlly given to the remindiugs of conscience 

 walls ol then- bedchamber, and by the state of the , ,. ■ i. » i -.u .i 

 : .1 ', •' . . , , Ithan this expression. It sets aside, with the ver- 

 iest sophistry, the s|)irit and essence of moral ob- 



.sprig on the ensuing morning, anticipate whether 

 or not their state shall soon be changed from one 

 of" single blessedness." If the jilant remain fresh, 

 (which will entirely depend upon the dampness or 

 dryness of the wall,) a suitor may be expected ; if 

 it droop and wither, the willow-garland must be 

 their fate for the ensuing year. This superstition 

 lias given origin to the tbllowing beautiful and af- 

 fecting lines from tte German : — 



The younj; maid slole Ihrough the cotlage-donr, 

 And blusb'd as she sought ilie plan! of power; — 

 " Thnu silver glow-worm, O lend me Iby light ! 

 1 must gather the mystic St. John's wort lo-night, 

 The wonderiul herb wimse leaf will drcide 

 If the coming year shall make me a bride. " 



And the glow-worm came, 



AViih its silvery flame, 



And sparkled and shone 



Thro' the night of Si. John, 

 And soon has the young maid her love-knot lied. 



With noiseless tread 



To her chamber she sped, 

 Where the spectral moon her white beams shed ; — 

 ■' Bloom here, bloom here, thou plant of power, 

 To deck tlie young maid In her bridal hour!" 

 But it droop'd its head, that plant of power, 

 .\nd died the mule death of the voiceless flo^\■er ; 

 \Qt\ a witheied wreath on the ground it la_\-, 

 iMore meet (or a burial than bridal day. 



And whenii year was pass'd away 



All pale on her bier the young maid l.ty, 



And the glow-worm came. 



With its sib'ery flame. 



And sparkled and shone 



Thro' the night of St. John, 

 As they closed the cold grave o'er the maid's cold clay. 



ligation. — Charleston Observer. 



Squinlin/;;. — Children, when they first begin to 

 perceive, always turn anxiously to the light. Be- 

 sides the agreeable sensation, the retina isstrengtli- 

 ened by the action of the rays. Whenever there- 

 fore, care is not taken .so as to place the infant that 

 the light may strike both the eyes equally, one 

 generally becomes stronger than the other ; and 



MUNROE & FRANCIS havejust published the 2d edition 

 the House Servants' Directory, or a Monitor for Private Fami- 

 lies ; comprising hints on the arrangement and performance of 

 Servant's Work, with general rules for setting out Tables and 

 Sideboards in first order. The art uf Waiting in all its branches; 

 and likewise how to conduct Large and Small Parlies with or- 

 der ; with general directions for placing on Table all kinds of 

 Joints. Fish, Fowl, &c. &c. Nov. 28. 



Wants a Situation. 



A young man lately from England, well acquainted with 



farming. Testimonials for sobriely, honesty and capability will 



be produced. Apply at this office. nov 28 



Suh.'!criptionfor Vine stock for the finest table Grape. 

 A. Parmentier, at the Horticultural Garden, l^rooklyn, corneil_ 

 of the Jamaica and Flalbush road, two miles Irom New York, 

 having been urged by several lovers of the vine to propose setl-^ 

 of tlie l>esl kind for sale by subscription, oflers to the public setts 

 of a dozen vines, with good roots ol the most select and choice 

 grapes tor the table ; many of which are quite new in this 

 counlrv, and all ol which will ripen perfectly in any situation 

 cither in town or country. 



JVames of the Iwelvf Sorts. 



1. White Chasselas,with large fruit 



2. Chasselas of Fontaiubleau. near Paris 



3. Yellow Chasselas of Thomery, near Paris 



4. Golden Chasselas, the real genuine 

 .5. Musk Chasselas 



tj. Chasselas, with very large black fruit 

 7. Red Chasselas 



3. While Jluscat, or black Constantia 

 9. Red Muscat 



10. Black Muscat, or black Constantia 



11. Black Orleans, bears very well the frost 



12. Black Garnet, yields a second crop of blossoms and 

 mil when the first are frozen. 



Nos. 11 and 12 are as fine for vineyards as for the table, the 



fruit is not so excellent as that of the preceding kinds, but is 



it is sufliciently known to parents and nurses, that i equally valuable on accoum of the certainty of a large crop an- 



one primary cause of 'occular indecision' (as we I "",?,''y- .... - . n u ■ ik., j- .„„„,. 



• ;..,,. . 1- . . i The subcription receipt will be accompanied by directions on 



have heard it styled,) is an inequnlity in the the best mode of cultivation, planting and pruning the vine. 



strenght'of the eyes. — London Weekly Review. 



" Oh ! he does not tvant iti" 



But he does want it. And even if he did not, 

 your engagement has nothing to do with his pri- 

 vate circumstances. 



Such is the self excusing of niony a careless 

 creditor, and such the proper answer. 



It is to be lamented that there is no charge to 

 >vhich many, who may be good men, are more 

 subjected than the want of punctuality in the pay- 

 ment of Uttle debts. And there is no plea by 

 which conscience is more readily satisfied, than 

 that of the declaration that the creditor does not 

 need the amount. The same thing applies to a 

 hundred little borrowings. 



A book is lent ; it is detained until the lender is 



Rump Parliament Records. — A late number of 

 the Providence American has called the attention 

 of the public to a curious collection of MSS. which 

 are in the possession of the New York Historical 

 Society. The manuscripts are eiglitecn in num- 

 ber, and purport to be the Journal of the House of 

 Commons during the protectorate of Cromwell. — 

 As to their authenticity there can be no doubt, 

 from the various arguments by which it can be es- 

 tablished. These are the hand-writing, which cor- 

 responds with that of the age of Cromwell ; the 

 binding and paper ; and the improbability that any 

 one woulil take such a vast deal of trouble as it 

 would require to forget them. 



The probahle manner in which thoy came into 

 the country is explained as fitllows. Three of the 

 regicides, GofF, Whaley, and Dixwell, fled to this 

 country, and brought these records with them. — 

 They then passed through various hands, till they 

 came into the possession of Gov. Livingston of 

 New Jersey, by whom they were presented to the 

 Historical Society of New York. 



This Society has been for some time in a de- 

 cayed state, and these Journals, with some other 

 papers of value, have lain neglected in their library. 

 We must confess that we are astonished that these 

 Records have not before this excited attention ; 

 and especially that they should have been first 

 brought before the public by a Providence editor, 

 when there are so many on tho alert in New York 

 to communicate the earliest intelligence. It would 

 seem as if they had all been too much engaged in 

 I)olitics to pay any attention to these minor and 

 unimportant matters. 



We hope that these Records will be looked into 



The same sort of vines mav be had separately, price One 

 Dollar, except No. 4, Golden Chasselas, the genuine, which is 

 Two Dollars. Communications for the aliove. -.nd subcriplious 

 to his establishment post paid punctually attended lo. 



References, Dr. David Hosack, President of the Hnrlicullu. 

 ral Society, Dr. Pascalis, President of the Linnsean Society, Dr. 

 McNeven, Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Stevenson, and Hon. John Leivell. 

 _INi.v. 1 I 



Jl'ine and Table Grapes. 



A complete assortment of FRENCH VINE E,OOTS in 

 prime order, just received and for sale at a low price, by E. 

 Copeland Jr. at the Diipont Powder Store, GO Broad Slreet. 



(CPAMMUNITION as nsnaf. 3r 



unable to recollect the borrower— but then " he •'^fore many more months, and a full account of 

 does not want it— lie has many others, or he has *em be laid before us. It is time that we knew 

 read it already." But he does want it. If he has something about them, if they are really, as there 

 read it, it is no reason whv he may not lend it to '« ''"'e doubt, the true Records of the Rump Par- 

 others, as well as to yourself. . Hament.—jMass. Journal. 



Fall Seeds. 

 A small colleclion cf .seeds suitable for sowing in the mttiirmt 

 only, among which are the Lime Plant {Podnphyllimipeltatiim) 

 Snowberry f Sittnphoria raremosaj Dwarf \\'hitp Flowering 

 Horse Chestnut, Pink Mezereon, Marlngon and Superb Lilj, 

 &c. in papers of 12 cents each. — An accoiml of the Lime Plant 

 will be fourd in Fessenden's New American Gardener, png. 123: 

 we have but a small quantity of this seed. 



JVew England Farmer Seed Store, 

 No. 52 Norlh Market Str eet — Boston . 



MUNROE & FRANCIS havejust puMislied the 2d edition 

 of a work called Seventy-Five Receipts' for making Pastry. 

 Cakes, and .Sweetmeats. By a lady of Philadelphia. With "a 

 series of miscellaneous receipts for Dishes in use at Supper Par- 

 lies : also, a complete list of weights and measures, whercbv 

 weight can be ascertained by measure. 



Pear Trees and Grape Vines. 



For sale at the house of Samuel Downer, in Dorchester, 2fin 

 Pear Trees of the choicest varieties. 100 Isabella and Bland's 

 Virginia— 2 native and 2 Sweet Water Grape Vines from 

 2 to 3 years old. Also, a variety of Ruse Bushes, Ornamental 

 trees, white lilies. &c. Apply "to Rufus Howe on the premi.'Cs 



Dorchester Nov. 21. 



3t. 



J\rew England Farmer's Almanack, for 1829. 

 In press at the New England Farmer office, and will be pub- 

 lished to-morrow, the iVeio England Farmer's Almnnack fv, 

 1329. By Thomas G. Fessendeii, Editor of the New Englmiii 

 Farmer. For sale, wholesale and retail, at the N. E. Farmer 

 office. No. 52 North Market street, by Bowles & Dearborn, 5i- 

 Washington street, and by the booksellers and traders generally. 

 Some copies interleaved with writing paper, which will be vei v 

 serviceable to farmers, will be ke pt for retail at th e Farmerjffice 



Seeds for the West Indies. 

 Merchants, masters of vessels, and others trading to the West 

 Indies, can be furnished with boxes of Seeds, assorted, suitable" 

 for that market, at from S4 to S3 per bo.x.— Each bos contains 

 upwards of sixty difl'ereiit kinds of seeds, vegetable and orna- 

 mental, in quantities sufficient lor a common kitchen garden.— 

 Likewise the greatest varietvof seeds to be found in New Eng- 

 land, by tho pound or bushel, all warranted pure, and of the 

 growlhof 1827. 



