1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



103 



TKANSACTIOWS OF THE ESSEX AGKI- 

 CtJ-LTUBALi SOCIETY FOR 1858. 



By the kind attention of the indefatigable 

 Secretary of this society, we ai"e favored with a 

 copy of this annual. It is a handsomely printed 

 pamphlet of 224 pages, and contains, beside the 

 ordinary papers showing the operations of the 

 year, 100 pages at least of permanently valua- 

 ble matter, that will often be resorted to for 

 guidance and instruction. 



First among these are the papers relating to 

 the Treadwell farm. By the persevering efforts 

 of the late President of the society, this farm is 

 now in condition to be creditable and useful. I 

 trust it will, ere long, become a model farm. 

 True, it is not one of the best of farms — but if it 

 can become best improved comparatively, this 

 will be enough. 



This society was most fortunate in having 

 such orators as Everett and Loring to address 

 them at their annual show. Their speeches are 

 given in full, and will well reward perusal. There 

 are other finely written papers in the volume, 

 ■which will be read with interest. I am pleased 

 to see such respectful notice, as appears in this 

 pamphlet, of that model of Massachusetts farm- 

 ing, the late Moses Newell, of West Newbury. 

 He was worthy all that is said of him. I have 

 ong looked upon the publications of this society 

 as models for imitation — and the present, if I 

 mistake not, will be found equal to any that has 

 preceded it. 



Thorough Tillage. — At one of the Irish ag- 

 ricultural meetings, one of the speakers remarked 

 — and the truth may be well applied in this coun- 

 try : 



"What brought out the immense agricultural 

 wealth of Scotland ? and what enabled the small 

 farmer in Belgium, who, on seven or eight acres 

 of light, sandy land, was able to do better for 

 himself and his family than we can do on twenty 

 or thirty acres of land in this country ? It was 

 not by allowing three-fourths of a light tillage 

 farm to remain in poor herbage, and making the 

 other quarter pay the rent. It was because the 

 farmers in those countries he alluded to, made 

 agriculture a study, a duty, and a pleasure, and 

 because the farmers till their land to the best ad- 

 vantage, and because no man there would keep 

 one single acre of land more in his possession, 

 ban his capital and his means would enable him 

 to cultivate." 



To Measure Hay-Stacks. — "More than 

 twenty years since," says an old farmer, "I cop- 

 ied the following method for measuring hay from 

 an old publication, and having verified its gen- 

 eral accuracy, I have both bought and sold by it, 

 and I believe it may be useful to many farmers 

 Avhere the means of weighing are not at hand. 

 'Multiply the length, breadth and heighth into 

 each other, and if the hay is somewhat settled, 

 ten solid yards make a ton. Clover will take 

 from ten to twelve solid yards per ton.' " 



BOYS' DEPARTMENT. 



THE SLAVE BOY'S WISH. 



BY ELIZA lEE POLLEN. 



I wish I was that birtl, 



Up ia the bright blue sky; 

 That sings and flies just where he will, 



And no one asks him why. 



I wish I was that little brook, 



That runs so swift along ; 

 Through pretty flowers and shining stones, 



Singing a merry song. 



I wish I wag that butterfly, 



Without a thought or care ; 

 Sporting my pretty, brilliant wings, 

 Like a flower in the air. 



I wish I was that wild, wild deer, 



I saw the other day ; 

 Who swifter than an arrow flew. 



Through the forest far away. 



I wish I was that little cloud, 

 By the gentle south wind driven ; 



FloatiDg along eo free and bright, 

 Far, far up into heaven. 



I'd rather be a canning fos, 



And hide me in a cave ; 

 I'd rather be a savage wolf, 



Than what I am — a slave. 



My mother calls me her good boy, 



My father calls me brave ; 

 What wicked action have I done, 



That I should be a slave .' 



I saw my little sister sold, 



So will they do to me ; 

 My Heavenly Father, let me die, 



For then I shall be free. 



THE PINK. 



"O, dear mother, give each of us a flower-bed ; 

 me one, and Gustavus one, and Alvinaone, — and 

 each will take care of his own." Thus said little 

 Frederick to his mother, who granted his request, 

 and gave each child a flower-bed planted with 

 fine pinks. 



The children were overjoyed, and said, "How 

 splendidly it will look when the pinks are in 

 bloom !" For it was not yet the season for pinks; 

 they had only put forth their little buds. 



Little Frederick, however, was too impatient 

 to await the time of their blooming, and he wished 

 that his flower-bed might be in blossom before 

 all others. He took the buds in his hand, look- 

 ing at their green covers, and rejoicing when he 

 saw a yellov/ or red petal peeping forth here or 

 there. But he could r',t wait patiently: Freder- 

 ick opened the buds and unfolded the petals al- 

 together ; thf n he exclaimed with a loud voice, 

 "Look, my pinks are in bloom !" 



But when the sun shone on them, the flowers 

 drooped their heads, and before noon they all 

 looked mournful, faded and torn. Then the boy 

 cried about his flowers ; but his mother said, 

 "Impatient child ! may this be the last pleasure 

 of your life that you mar by your own fault, then 

 you will not have bought too dearly the great 

 and difficult art of waiting patiently." 



