432 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



for its force was not yet abated, and completely 

 uncovered one side of the roof, and breaking in 

 about half the windows, besides otherwise injur- 

 ing it ; probable damage fifty dollars. After 

 leaving the meeting-house, the whirlwind was 

 too high to do any very serious damage, until it 

 passed over the village, although even then it 

 moved every article in its way, which a high 

 gale of wind would scarcely do. 



Its next demonstration of power was on a high 

 hill back, of the village. It struck two barns be- 

 longing to Mr. Whicher, (if I mistake not,) and 

 completely demolishing one, and unroofing the 

 other, besides doing some damage to his house, 

 and tearing up almost every tree in his orchard ; 

 and himself and hired hand came near going the 

 same road that Elijah of old did, but however, 

 they managed to keep on terra firma, except 

 their hats, which they knew it was useless to 

 look for. The wind did no farther damage, ex- 

 cept the destruction of fences and timber. After 

 leaving Mr. W.'s, it struck Ryegate Mountain, 

 which probably stopped its wild career, as we 

 hear of it no farther. 



We are having a hard drouth : the pastures 

 are all dried up, and most of the springs, as well 

 as the cows, corn and potatoes. Hay is mostly 

 harvested, and is good ; grain is fair. T. P. B. 



South Eyegate, Vt., August 2, 1859. 



A FAKMER'S SONG. 



We envy not the princely man, 



In city or in town, 

 Who wonders whether pumpkin vineB 



Run up the hill or down : 

 We care not for his marble halls. 



Nor yet his heaps of gold, 

 We would not own his sordid heart 



For all his wealth thrice told. 



We are the favored ones of earth, 



We breathe pure air each morn, 

 We sow — we reap the golden grain — 



We gather in the corn ; 

 We toil — we live on what we earn, 



And more than this we do, 

 We hear of starving millions round, 



And gladly feed them, too. 



The lawyer lives on princely fees. 



Yet drags a weary life ; 

 He never knows a peaceful hour — 



His atmosphere is strife. 

 The merchant thumbs his yard-stick o'er— 



Grows haggard at his toil ; 

 He's not the man God meant him for — 



Why don't he till the soil? 



The doctor plods through storm and cold, 



Plods at his patient's will ; 

 When dead and gone he plods again 



To get his lengthy bill. 

 The printer, (bless his noble soul,) 



He grasps the mighty earth, 

 And stamps it on our welcome sheet, 



To cheer the farmer's hearth. 



We sing the honor of the plow. 



And honor of the press — 

 Two noble instruments of toil, 



With each a power to bless, 

 The bone and nerve of this fast age, 



True wealth of human kind — 

 One tills the ever generous earth, 



The other tills the mind. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 COAL ASHES. 



A few years ago I was impressed with the be- 

 lief that anthracite coal ashes possessed no little 

 manurial value ; hence I placed it in liberal quan- 

 tities around apple trees and a few currant bush- 

 es. I thought they gave some vigor to the latter; 

 but of this I am not confident. Upon the trees 

 I could percei\e no eff'ect. 



Coal is supposed by geologists to be the result 

 of vegetable compression and decay, or transfor- 

 mation — although this doctrine is questioned. 

 At any rate, it appears to us with more of the 

 characteristics of a mineral than of anything 

 else. The late Prof. Norton analyzed a peck of 

 the ashes of white ash coal, and found only about 

 twelve per cent, of it soluble in acid. (3f im- 

 portant fertilizers — it contained only twenty-two 

 parts of one per cent, of soda ; fifteen of one 

 per cent, of potash ; and eighty-six of one per 

 cent, of sulphuric acid ! Nevertheless, some 

 European analyses have shown a better result. 

 The coal across the waters must certainly be rich- 

 er than ours. 



My experience has taught me this. If the soil 

 is in any degree light, it better not be used ; be- 

 cause it will accumulate in the soil, and so little 

 of it being soluble, it will show itself for years, 

 without doing any good ; for its mechanical ef- 

 fects, in rendering the soil more porous, on such 

 land, is not needed. But if the soil is heavy 

 and cold, its tendency will be to improve it, by 

 making it lighter, besides adding whatever of 

 fertilizing matter it may possess. 



From the above, it will be seen that I entirely 

 disagree with your correspondent F., of July 

 3()th, who advises it upon light lands. No doubt 

 coal ashes are a disinfectant. So is virgin, or 

 even common soil, and perhaps a better. But a 

 special disinfectant around trees, or upon grass 

 land, is quite useless, unless it will arrest the 

 ammonia or nitrogen of the atmosphere, and this, 

 probably, coal ashes will not do. 



W. Medford, Aug. 1. 1). W. LoTHBOP. 



Remarks — See article among selected items 

 in another column. 



Maine State Agricultural Society. — The 

 Fifth Annual Show ami Fair of the Maine State 

 Agricultural Society will take place at Augusta, 

 on the 20th, 21st, 22d and 23d days of Septem- 

 ber next. There is to be a thorough trial of 

 plows, and a heavy silver medal is ofi"ered for the 

 best one in each class. Manufacturers can send 

 their implements on any line of railroad, or for- 

 ward by any steamer in the waters of the State 

 without charge. We learn that the Trustees 

 have made the most careful and liberal arrange- 

 ments for the show, and mean to have it excel 

 any other that has taken place in the State. 



I^" Vice and folly may feel the edge of wit, but 

 virtue is invulnerable ; aquafortis dissolves the 

 base metals, but has no power to dissolve or cor- 

 rode gold. 



