1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



295 



I have roofs covered with slate from Col. Allen's 

 quarry of viottled slate, (prohably the one men- 

 tioned by "Rusticus,") from the Western Ver- 

 mont Slate Company's quarry offast and 07ie col- 

 ored slate, (annihilated by '"Rusticus,") and from 

 the quarries of the Eagle Slate Company, to 

 whose skirts "Rusticus" endeavors to fasten Glen 

 Lake. These three quarries represent the dif- 

 ferent varieties mentioned, and are those most ex- 

 tensively wot Iced for roofing slate. All have a 

 wide reputation, and have been unable to supply 

 the demand upon them. Their owners have de- 

 voted their energies to the building up of the 

 trade, and sustaining instead of destroying each 

 other. The mottled slate has been laid upon my 

 roof si'x years. It exhibits no sign of disintegra- 

 tion or change of color. 1 have examined roofs 

 covered with this slate in 184S and '49, which 

 are now in good condition. The slate from 

 the quarry of the Western Vermont Slate Com- 

 pany has been laid nearly six years. It presents 

 the same beautifill purple color as at first, and ex- 

 hibits no sign of disintegration. Roofs covered 

 with this slate in 1850 and '51 are now in good 

 condition. The slate from the Eagle quarry has 

 been laid four years, and gives good satisfaction. 

 Although it has changed color badly, there are 

 no signs of disintegration. Some veins of slate in 

 this quarry do not change color as much as others, 

 it splits freer than the others mentioned. There 

 can be no doubt about the durability of all these 

 varieties. The quality of slate manufactured 

 from those and other younger quarries is gradual- 

 ly improving, both in material and workmanship. 

 For cottages and roofs which are conspicuous, a 

 fast colored slate would no doubt improve their 

 appearance materially, but in many instances the 

 owners have no preference as to color. No Ver- 

 mont slate will absorb sufficient water to injure 

 it. I have experimented, and found that slates 

 from the same quarry vary in the (juantity ab- 

 sorbed. In conclusion, let me advise your nu- 

 merous readers to use slate upon their roofs. It 

 is economical, safe and durable. Give a suffic- 

 ient underlap, and nail firmly. They require but 

 trifling repairs and have often proved a safeguard 

 against conflagration. Pro Bono Publico. 



For the New Eii!>lnnd Farmer. 



THE ADVANTAGE OF FORMING HABITS 

 OF INDUSTRY EARIiY IN LIFE. 



Mr. Editor : — As far as my observation ex- 

 tends, children are naturally disinclined to per- 

 severe in steady labor ; their restless and active 

 propesities are manifested in every variety of an- 

 tics, in preference to doing the dreaded — what is 

 called — work ; they will make efforts at what they 

 consider to be play, which in an adult would be 

 considered most severe labor ; they will lug a 

 heavy sled up a steep hill in anticipation of the 

 pleasure of riding down, frequently to the risk of 

 their lives. These feelings seem to be natural 

 to all active children. When these active, pro- 

 pelling powers are directed in the right channel, 

 as the child advances in years, the habits of use- 

 ful industry are formed, or become what is called 

 second nature. 



When parents neglect the opportunity of di- 

 recting these natural propensities to activity in 

 their children, at an early age, and let them grow 



up without any definite plan of business for life, 

 I they will compare with training four-year-old 

 steers to the yoke, and instead of making of 

 jthem good, industriotis citizens, "ten to one" if 

 jthey do not imbibe the habits of idleness and 

 j rowdyism, and at bfst make an addition to that 

 class of characters, in all conscience already nu- 

 merous enough, who have no definite object in 

 view, but are ready to improve every opportuni- 

 ty to speculate upon the industry of others, make 

 grabbing trades, and if satisfactory success does 

 'not attend such respectable efi'orts at business, 

 they have an eye more directly to a fortune at 

 the gambling table, or "investigating" the pock- 

 ets of ladies and gentlemen ; peradventure a for- 

 tune may be there. 



"How can the Ethiopian change his skin, or 

 the leopard his spots ;" or how can the child, 

 grown up in idleness, become accustomed to hab- 

 its of useful industry ? It is a hard case, noth- 

 ing is more difficult than correcting bad habits 

 and forming good ones. The colored preacher 

 said his converts "would vart back again," and 

 so it is apt to be with those grown up in the nat- 

 ural way. 



It was with the greatest difficulty that the ab- 

 origines of this country could be induced to per- 

 form any kind of manual labor ; the horrors of 

 starvation, or the pleasure of indulging a crav 

 ing appetite with food, were not motives suffi- 

 ciently powerful to induce them to forsake their 

 old habits of indolence, and casting oflT thought 

 for the future. 



1 have no doubt but there have been instances 

 of reformation among adults who have never 

 been taught the habits of industry, but such in- 

 stances are as uncommon as conversions at the 

 eleventh hour. I have known many instances of 

 these hopeful characters who knew more than 

 father and mother combined, that grew up with- 

 out a trade, and ultimately proved an affliction to 

 their parents and all concerned. A neighbor of 

 mine possessed one of these promising loafing 

 sons, and a friend of the father inquired why he 

 did not set his son to work ; the father replied, 

 "O, let him alone, he will do well enough when 

 he grows older." The fact was, he had already 

 got to be too old for his father ; he got married, 

 ill treated his wife and left her, enlisted into the 

 army, (the best place for him,) and finally died 

 a vagabond in the poor-house. 



We often see the effects of early habits of in- 

 dustry in examples of aged people who have 

 been so long accustomed to a diligent business 

 life, that working seems almost as necessary to 

 their existence as their daily bread, and when 

 the time arrives that deprives them of the etijoy- 

 ment of their favorite employment they feel a 

 melancholy vacancy in their minds which ap- 

 proaches nearly to unhappiness. There are nu- 

 merous instances of men of wealth who, having 

 become weary of business, and retired from it 

 under the Impression of living easier lives, after 

 jgratifying tiiemselves with a full supply of imag- 

 inary happiness in the anticipated leisure, have 

 returned again to their toils as less burdensome 

 than the pleasure of doing nothing. I have heard 

 [young people say they wondertd why old people 

 I need work; that they had pro])erty enough to 

 I carry them through, and that they might sit down 

 'and enjoy themselves. 



