1S59. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



509 



in purpose and process with the laws of nature 



and of God ! 



They come from every walk of life — both sexes 

 and of every age. Welcome all ! thrice wel- 

 come ! This is the day of the people — a regular 

 bread and butter day. Hosts and guests are one! 

 We come to see and hear, what is, and what is 

 to be in the kitchen and the parlor for the com- 

 ing year — what shall be the order of our life, and 

 how to accomplish it? What is the size of po- 

 tatoes, and how many in a hill.-' How about the 

 rot? (Thank G d, not a sign of it yet.) Where 

 are the fattest cattle, and how are they fed? 

 Who has the fastest nag, and what is his time? 

 Let us see the reaper that rides the field like a 

 ship at sea, and cuts down the yellow grain as 

 the Italians and French did the Austrinn-s at Sol- 

 ferino? Is there any improvement in the peo- 

 ple ? Are the young to grow up wiser and bet- 

 ter than their fathers ? These are the things we 

 desire most to know. 



'iVe are the people ! 

 Kot ooe i= for a party 

 But all are for the State 5 

 The rich man htlps the poor 

 And the poor man loves the great. 

 Oar lands are fairlj portioned, 

 Our products fairlv told. 

 And we are what our fathe rs were 

 As in the honest da^s of old. 



We come just as we are. There is no sh?me 

 in us. If we are intemperate, profligate, idle, 

 vicious, disorderly, you will see it. If we are 

 quiet, inquisitive and interested — if order vainly 

 seeks for disorder, with a policeman out of em- 

 ployment to aid her, you will know it. It is vain 

 for a multitude to assume virtues to which it has 

 no Utle. We have a life interest in all things 

 here. It is by them we live, and in the triumphs 

 of industry over all obstacles is our hope of pros- 

 perity and happiness. * * * 



Physical recreation is essential to our mental 

 and moral culture. It is as essential for artisans 

 and farmers to knov*' how a man with a voice 

 like a willow whistle can be transformed to a full- 

 chested and strong lunged stentor, how tiny limbs 

 and puny frame, by exercise and right I ving, may 

 attain something of the tendons and flesh of 

 Hercules, as to know by what process cattle may 

 be reared in three years for the market, instead 

 of six. Why not? Are not 7iien of as much 

 consequence to the world as the most delicious 

 of tenderloin steaks? One who can hear a mus- 

 ket-shot at his ear without moving a muscle of 

 his face, has an attribute of power which none 

 of us have; and at the first public disaster, a ri- 

 ot, or conflagration, or scene of danger, we should 

 see the superiority of his training over ours. If 

 ever\ man knew his full capacity of power, it 

 would be a different world in which we live. — 

 "Measure us" should be our constant cry. * * * 



in conclusion, it was remarked that he had 

 seen in our own New England homes, life stripped 

 of everything but the barest existence and the 

 dullest labor — no fruits or flowers — not a shot- 

 gun-- not a saddle-horse — scarcely a vegetable? 

 growing- nothing that ministers ti>the beautiful 

 — all the old sports dropped — not a jest left to 

 throw at a dog. If we hope to retain our young 

 men on their paternal acres, we must show them 

 that it does not doom them to the joyless labor 

 of the galleys, the fasts of Anchorites, or the 



solitudes of Celibates. Let it be seen that if 

 agricultural or industrial toil does accumulate in 

 our iron coffers the golden sorrows of the mil- 

 lionaire, it returns for honest labors the only sub- 

 stantial and permanent independence. Let its 

 serene contentment and laughing pleasures, as 

 well as its solid compensation of health and hap- 

 piness, be written in our countenances, seen in 

 our enjoyments here, in our industrial festivals, 

 as it is redolent in the atmosphere of our pros- 

 perous, laborious, happy homes. 



The address was not a superficial one, — but 

 had evidently been prepared after much research 

 and thought, as it abounded with philosophical 

 remarks and illustrations. Gen. Wool, Mr. 

 GiDDlNGS, of Ohio, and several other distin- 

 guished gentlemen, were present. 



An esteemed correspondent in Vermont writes 

 us: "It is very gratifying to me to observe the 

 gradual improvements of our people from year 

 to year. These annual gatherings enlarge ideas, 

 improve manners, and practices in agriculture, 

 also. Gov. Banks gave us a magnificent address 

 — sound, sensible, able and practical, and we 

 were all pleased with him as a man." 



Will some one of our able Vermont corres- 

 pondents tell us, by-and-bye, what the several 

 State fairs have done to help or hinder the pro- 

 gress of farming in their State. Indeed, it is 

 time, now, that a careful review should be made 

 in every State, and also in their several coun- 

 ties. Who will do it ? If made after proper in- 

 vestigation, and by a competent hand, such ser- 

 vices will be more valuable than any other labor 

 in the cause. 



CONTRACTION OP HORSES' FEET. 

 THE CAUSE AND REMEDY. 



The tendency of a horse's feet, in a healthy 

 condition, is to expand whenever the weight of 

 the body is thrown upon them. Being a very 

 complicated piece of mechanism, they are very 

 easily disarranged, and once out of order, are 

 difficult of repair ; hence the necessity of preserv- 

 ing them in a sound condition. 



Contraction is caused — 1st, by cutting away 

 the bars of the feet, which are the main stays for 

 the support of the quarters. 2d, By (opening the 

 heels, as the smith calls it) cutting away a por- 

 tion of the frog, in consequence of which the 

 moisture of the frog becomes absorbed, losing 

 its elasticity, and destroying its function, thus ex- 

 posing the feet to injury by concussion. 3d, By 

 standing upon plank floors. 4ih, By improper 

 shoeing. 



An ordinary observer will, upon an examination 

 of the common shoe, notice that it inclines from 

 without inwards at the heels, th s forming a con- 

 cavity for the feet to rest in ; the consequence 

 is a lateral resistance to the expansion of the 

 hoofs, when the weight of the animal is thrown 

 upon them. The effect of this resistance is to 

 force the heels together, creating pressure upon 

 the sensitive parts within the horny case ; estab- 



