342 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



tation ? Is it undignified to speak of that demon- 

 strative knowledge which enables men to furrow 

 the ground ; and then to cover it with fields of lux- 

 uriant com, with carpeted meadows of green grass, 

 dotted here and there with fragrant clover heads, 

 and trailed over with exuberant vines, bearing clus- 

 ters of purple and golden fruit; all of which help 

 to form the picturesque part of nature's beauties ? 

 Was that woodman unrefined, who wielded the 

 axe which hewed those chips from the stately tree, 

 that awakened a train of thought in his mind that 

 enabled him to make that appropriate comparison 

 in referring to children and parents, when he said 

 "that the little chips were alwajs nearest to the 

 heart," and so he believed the little ones to be to 

 the parent. No ! my lady readers, he was one of 

 nature's pupils, and she teaches naught but purity, 

 and heart refinement in her lessons of wisdom. 



Did not our Saviour select themes connected 

 with the fields to discourse upon in parables, to vast 

 concourses of peoj)le ? Was it not a cornfield, 

 which received the impressions of his holy feet as 

 he plucked the silken ear to feed the hungry on the 



whole is then reduced to powder and packed up in 

 tins. The material is not necessarily kept air-tight, 

 but may be freely exposed to the air. The powder 

 is used in the ordinary way as eggs are, being mixed 

 with a little water, and is thus an excellent substi- 

 tute for milk on long voyages, besides capable of 

 being used for all cooking purposes in the same 

 way as the fresh egg. The powder will keep any 

 length of time without fear of deterioration. — Lon- 

 don paper. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE STUDY OF BOTANY. 



"A standing objection to Botany has always been, 

 that it is a pursuit that amuses the fancy and ex- 

 ercises the memory, without improving the mind 

 or advancing any rt-al knowledge ; and when the 

 science is carried no further than a mere systemat- 

 ic classification, the charge is but too true. But the 

 botanist, desirous of wiping off this aspersion, 

 should be, by no means, content with a list of names ; 



he should study plants philosophically, should in 

 Sabbath day? Was it not a garden which wasjvestigate the laws of vegetation, should examine 

 stained by Jesus' precious blood, when he was cru- the jiowers and virtues of herbs, should jiromote 

 cified for us, poor, blinded, helpless worms of the! their cultivation, and graft the gardener, the plan- 

 dust ? Was it not a garden, filled with trees, laden iter and the husbandman on the phytologist. Not 



with rich fruit and adorned with ambrosial foun- 

 tains, which formed an Eden for our first parents ? 

 Was not agriculture the first science in which man 

 ■was instructed, one which he was commanded to 

 pursue ? And yet, some call it unprofitable, undig- 

 nified and unrefined, com])ared with the mechanical 

 arts, and the different professions. 



But ho, ye women and daughters of New Eng- 

 land, of America, even, arise, and prove yourselves 



that system is by any means to be thrown aside ; 

 without system the field of nature would be a path- 

 less wilderness ; but system should be subservient 

 to, not the main object of, pursuit. 



"Vegetation is highly Avorthy of our attention ; 

 and in itself is of the utmost consequence to man- 

 kind and productive of many of the greatest com- 

 forts and elegancies of life. 



"The productions of vegetation have had a vast 



bright spirits which shall gladden homes, warm influence on the commerce of nations, and have been 



" ' ■ ' the great promoters of navigation. As every cli- 

 mate has its peculiar producer, our natural wants 

 being on a mutual intercourse, so that each distant 

 part is sup])lied with the growth of every lattitude. 

 "Instead of examining the minute distinctions of 



cheerless hearts, and inspire our young and old far- 

 mers with new zeal and new courage in the culture 

 of the soil. 



AVhen we can number the noble trees which 

 spring from little seeds that mysteriously float 



through the air, when we can calculate the flowers every various species, of each obscure genius, the 



that the summer shower and the summer sun causes 

 to spring into glad luxuriance from the gener- 

 ous earth, we may then, and not till then, be 

 enabled to estimate the benefits which may arise 

 •when right minded, highly educated and sympa- 

 thetic females begin to exhibit an interest and a ra- 

 tional knowledge of agriculture. Then, I believe 

 the readers of the "J^ew Eii^land Farmer" will 



botanist should endeavor to make himself acquaint- 

 ed with those which are useful. You will see a 

 man readily ascertain every herb of the field, yet 

 hardl} know wheat from barley, or at least one sort 

 of wheat or barley from another." — White'c jSfatu- 

 ral Historij of Selborne, 1778. 



This last remark reminds us of an instance in 

 our school days. With our good professor, we 



not be surprised to read a few ideas upon "Woman's j made many botanical and pleasure excursions out 

 Influence" in the agricultural department. Willi of the city. Returning once we were gathered 



they, Mr. Editor ? 



Remarks. — No, no! A few articles like this, 

 written by one who, herself, adorns the farmer's 

 home, and whose teachings spring from bright ex- 

 amples, will awaken many to a true sense of the 

 beauty, propriety and dignity of rural life. This 

 is good seed, madam, we will see that it is sown on 

 good soil, and it shall bring forth an hundred fold. 



Condensed Egg. — A process has been devised 

 by Messrs. Thurgar, of the Albion Mills, Norwich, 

 for drying eggs, so that they will keep good for any 

 length of time. This is effected by evaporation. 

 The yolk and white of the egg are exposed to a 

 slow heat, and the moisture is thus driven oft'. The 



about our teacher on the deck of the steamboat 

 talking over our specimeyis. Professor W. took up 

 one : "What is this young ladies ?" One guessed, 

 and another guessed, but none knew aught cei'tain- 

 ly. One exclaimed "O, isn't it pretty," another, 

 "what an odd thing," and another, "1 wish I had 

 found one for my herbarium, I wonder if it's rare." 

 Its sight seemed to revive some slumbering memory 

 within me. I was sure I had seen it in the rural 

 home of m-y early childhood. Yes! by patting 

 memory a little I could call up just the spot where 

 I had seen it — off in a neglected corner where 

 things came up of their own accord. But between 

 two I was undecided. There were tomato vines 

 there that came up every year of their own accord. 

 We called them "love apples," and when after care- 

 ful experiment and many misgivings, we children 

 pronounced them not poiso7ious, we considered 



