320 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



DESIGN FOR A COUNTRY SCHOOL-HOUSE. 



Perhaps we cannot better subserve the inter- 

 est of the reader, in one issue, than by present- 

 ing him a pleasant and convenient design of a 

 country school-house. We think our people, at 

 present, are a little inclined to show and extrav- 

 agance in the construction of their school-houses, 

 and sometimes burdtin themselves with taxes 

 that are 7iot fully paid by the feeling of gratifica- 

 tion, or pride, which they realize in the view, or 

 contemplation of their handsome building. It 

 Is evidently economical to erect a substantial and 

 well-arranged school-house, as well as an evi- 

 dence of a high degree of good taste, of civili- 

 zation, and a desire for progress in what ennobles 

 and makes man better. But when we go beyond 

 this, and add fanciful decorations that are some- 

 what questionable, and certainly expensive, we 

 build monuments of folly, and load the commu- 

 nity with burdens which they ought not to bear. 



We copy this design by consent, from JoHON- 

 NEt's country school-houses, published by Icison 

 & Pliinney, New York, and suggest to those en- 

 gaged in building or altering school-houses to 

 send for the book. 



Soap Suds for Currant Bushes. — A cor- 

 respondent of the Indiana Farmer says : "I 

 have found the cultivation of currants to be very 

 profitable. By care and attention I greatly in- 

 creased the size of the bushes and the quality 

 of the fruit. My bushes are now about six or 

 eight feet in height, and are remarkably thrifty. 

 The cause of this large growth, I attribute in a 

 great measure to the fact that I have been in the 

 habit of pouring soap suds and chamber lye 

 around their roots during the summer season. 

 I am satisfied from my own experience and that 



of some of my neighbors, that this treatment 

 will produce a most astonishing effect upon the 

 growth and product of the bushes, and would 

 advise others to give it a trial." — Ohio Valley 

 Farmer. 



BOI.LES' PATENT EOCK LIFTER. 



This famous machine was in operation at the 

 Shaker Village in Harvard, on Tuesday, May 31, 

 and we had the curiosity to look at its operations 

 again, to see whether its achievements would cor- 

 roborate our former good opinion of it. On arriv- 

 ing upon the ground we found the machine in op- 

 eration, and it only required a few moments' ob- 

 servation to satisfy us that no question with re- 

 gard to its ability was left open — it did all that 

 was required of it, in so brief and quiet a manner, 

 that no opportunity was given for doubt or ex- 

 citement. So, after looking at it for an hour, we 

 hurried off to a machine-shop to catch a little ex- 

 citement among trip-hammers, turning-lathes 

 and morticing-machines, leaving the Rock-Lifter 

 to an admiring crowd of men and women who 

 wore few, if any, hoops ! They stood aghast to 

 see rocks of five tons' weight exhumed at the 

 rate of six or eight per hour, and probably won- 

 dered "what in natur' would happen next." It 

 was said by good judges present, that the ma- 

 chine, aided by three men, a pair of oxen and a 

 horse, accomplished more in one day, than six 

 men and two pairs of oxen could have done in a 

 week. We believe they were correct. 



We are under obligations to Deacon Augus- 

 tus Grosvenor for "the key to his office," and 

 for pleasant invitations to "take tea" within his 

 neat and orderly precincts. 



