S76 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAT 30, 1838. 



sffiffis^umm^'jiif'SJe 



ODE TO MAY. 



BY CHARLES WEST THOMSON. 



The winter is past and the rain is o'er, 



The flowers appear on the earth once more — 



And Nature from iej' fetters free, 



Starts into life, and song and glee — 



There 's a gentle hrceze comes over the land, 



From the warm south west hy the zephyrs fann'd, • 



And the frosts arouse when they hear the sound. 



And commence their march, for the arctic bound — 



A genial softness spreads o'er the scene. 



And tlie hills hegin to resume their green, 



And from the sunny realms of day 



Comes fleet o'er the mountains lovely May- 



At her approach the earth awaLes, 



And puts her rosy garment on. 

 And from her hand of beauty shakes 



Sweet dew-drops o'er the smiling lawn. 

 The primrose peeps from its lowly bed, 



And the fern is bright on the iar-spread heath. 

 And the cowslip is crushed beneath your tread, 



As you search the meadow to bind a wreath. 

 The young leaves burst from the dark gray trees, 



Like youth and age together entwined. 

 And spreading their petals to court the breeze, \ 



Soon cover with beauty the mossy rind — 

 The cherry tree stands like a ghost in the wood, 



Enveloped in blossoms as white as snow, 

 While numberless others their forms obtrude, 



All cover'd with leaves of a crimson glow. 



Now from the hills — the sunny hills — 

 Come bounding down the mountain rills, 

 With laughter rude and revelry, 

 Like young fawns, joying to be free 

 From the ice-prison where they lay, 

 While winter o'er the land had sway. 

 From the deep fountains where, unseeD, 

 They crept the rugged roots between, 

 They come with gay and gallant bound, 

 To irrigate and bless the ground ; 



Cheering the woods with pleasant chimes, 



That tell of balmy summer times. 



When heaven is bright and earth is gay, 



And clouds and storms have passed away — 



That tell of peaceful moon light eves, 



With soft winds rustling in the leaves. 



And odors that ascend above, 



And tranquillize the soul to love. 



The sun from his orient chamber 



Comes early to drink the dew, 

 And spreads his bright rays, like clear amber, 



On forest and moinitain blue — 

 All nature looks gay at his coming. 



The mists roll away from the hills, 

 And insects are cheerily humming, 



In tune with the murmuring rills; 

 The cattle in quietness going, 



To the meadows are winding their way, 

 And utter their joyous lowing, 



To welcome the coming of May. 



liut linrk ! the voice of melody, that breaks 



In gushing fulness from the shady prove, 



Where the wild warbler of the woodland wakes 



Opcemorc his song of harmony and love; 



The lively blaokbird and the plantive dove. 



The jay —the lark, and oil the numerous train 



That haunt the earth below or air above, 



All send their varied notes of joy again, 



Glad to resume the woods, from wandering o'er the main. 



And when the first ga^ tint of morn is seen. 

 Fringing with ruddy light the orient cloud. 

 Amid the forest shades and alleys green, 

 O how they greet the skies with clamors loud — 

 And wlien the evening sun, in glory proud. 

 Sinks to his gorgeous rest and shuis the day, 

 Thro' the calm twilight how the happy crowd 

 Twitter on restless wing from spray to spray, 

 Without a grief to mar the bliss that lights their way. 



Hail, gentle May '. the rosy queen of flowers, 

 Mistress of silent dew, and pearly showers, 

 Whose step, in freshness, on the verdant lawn, 

 Tells that the winter's rage is past and gone. 

 Thee we re-welcome to the woods and vales, 

 The amiirosial gardens, and the hedgy dales — 

 The uplifted mountains joy when thou hast smiled 

 Along their dark ravines and dingles wild ; 

 And the fair valleys laugh when thou art seen 

 Spreading about their plains thy mantle green — 

 The lowing cattle on a thousand hills, 

 With new delight thy balmy presence fills, 

 The warliling birds, that sport from tree to tree. 

 Sing their wild songs of happiness to thee — 

 And even things inanimate— the streams 

 And flowers — seem to own their pleasant dreams. 

 Man, too, his heart with rapture sweetly filled, 

 Feeling fresh life thro' all his frame distilled. 

 Blessing the hand that bids thee gaily bound 

 Through nature's fields to strew thy joys around. 

 Look o'er the land, delightfully serene. 

 Where human passions h;\ve not marred the scene, 

 And seeing all in tranquil beauty gay. 

 Hails the fair queen of Nature, rosy May ! 



CATLIN'S GALLERY, (the wigwam.) 

 We scaic<!ly know how to express our admira- 

 tion of the cxtraoriiinnry speotaclc now opened to 

 the Pulilic liy Mr Catlin, so well known for the 

 enthusiastic perseverance with which he haa for 

 the past seven years sttidied the manners of nu- 

 merous very distant tribes of our wiUl«st Indi-ms. 

 As an artist, we have been long accustomed to 

 hear of his portraits, and we snppo.sed that his 

 collection of Indian portraits and the various oh- 

 iects of curiosity which an enti;r[irisin^' traveller 

 is enabled to acrpiire, would be a remarkable one. 

 But we had not the least con<eption of the num- 

 ber and value of the rare objects constituting the 

 Exhibition contained within the '• Wigwam," as 

 he appropriately calls it. Not a wigwam where 

 a single family of Sioux or Mandans is to be seen 

 with their rude furniture and implements, but a 

 wigwam of very extensive dimensions on Penn- 

 sylvania Avenue, neatly carpeted over, well light- 

 ed from above, and the lofty walls covered with 

 the most interesting paintings. A dozen visits 

 would not suffice to examine with care the unique 

 gallery. There are hundreds of objects we could 

 merely glance at. Those who delight in narra- 

 lives of Inilian lauds will here have a rare treat. 

 Three hundred and thirty masterly portraits of 

 chiefs and females, belonging to thirty-eight dif- 

 ferent tribes, from llie Black-feet and Crows of 

 the skirls of the Rocky mountains, and the Cu- 

 nianches of the head waters of the Southern sour- 

 ces of the Arkansas, to the g.illant Oseola of the 

 Semintde tribe. We nuist remark here tlint Mr 

 Catlin possesses certificates from the different In- 

 dian agents ill the service of the United States 

 (iovernmcut, vouching for the accurate resem- 

 blance of these portraits, as well as the nativecos- 

 tnmes. The collection, therefore, has a great in- 

 trinsic value in it to all who are engaged in con- 

 sidering that difficult subject, the origin of the red 



people of the American continent, through tlie 

 personal affinities of the different tribes and their 

 customs. We do not know but we were most in- 

 terested in a series of one hundred landscape 

 views from prairie scenes in tlie Upper Missouri 

 and Mississippi districts. We have now a well- 

 impressed idea of a prairie country which we had 

 not before. Some of these are exquisitly painted. 

 We would particularly direct attention to the gatli- 

 ering of wild rice by Sioux Indians in their ca- 

 noes, on Swan Lake of St. Peter's river, and to 

 another where the buffalo are so naturally rwovihg 

 about a salt deposite. Then there is a series of 

 huffiilo hiiiiting scenes, by Indians and by white 

 men ; the great bull liuffalo, the Tatanka of the 

 Sioux, brought to bay by the wolves, his eyes 

 torn out of his head, hut taking glorious revenge 

 of them with his hoofs and horns. All these, with 

 numerous pictures representing the religious cer- 

 emonies of the Mandans, the scalp and other pic- 

 turesque dances of the savages, their villages, the 

 forts of the United States in those distant regions, 

 painted buffido skins, a singular collection of In- 

 dian pipes and ornaments, so indescribable and nu- 

 merous, that we again repeat, this is the most ex- 

 traordinary spectacle we have ever seen exhibited 

 in our city. 



Setting apart the talent of iMj Catlin, and look- 

 ing only to his enterprise and perseverance, we 

 feel bound to say that he is entitled to the warm- 

 est approbation and support from his countrymen. 

 He has by his own energies acquired the materi- 

 als for illustrating the existence of these interest- 

 ing Indian nations, the former posse;-sors of our 

 extensive country, in an American work that he 

 would vie with that of .\udiihon ; and we trust 

 that' Mr Catlin will receive such substantial bene- 

 fits from the favor of his countrymen us will in- 

 duce him him to remain at home, and not expa- 

 triate himself, as Audubon was compelled to do. — 

 JValinnul Intelligencer. 



BRIUGMAN'S GARDENKR'S ASSISTAiS'T. 



The Young Gardener's Assistant containing a catalogue 

 of Garden and Flower Seeds, with practical directions under 

 each head, lor the cultivation of culinary vegetables and 

 flowers. Also, diiections for cultivaiing Fruil Trees, the 

 Grape Vine, &c., to which is added a calendar, showing the 

 work necessary to be done in the various depaitnieiUsof gar- 

 dening, in every month of the year. 



" The end of all instruction should be the attainment of 

 uselul knowledge." 



liy T. Bridgnian, Gardener, New York, 



For sale at the New England Farmer Office and Seed 

 Store. 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



Oil. MJB.'VIj. 



PRICE REDDCED. 



The price of the above is now reduced to Twenlyfive dol- 

 lars at the mill, in Medford, and Tweniy eight dollars per ton 

 delivered in Boston. Apply at 



No. 10, Granite Stores, Coinmeicial Wharf. 



BONE MANURE. 



The subscriber desires to inform his friends and the public 

 that he has been in in ihe Bone business more than ten years, 

 and h.is spent much time and money to ascertain how bonei 

 may be converted to the best use, and is ful'y satisfied that 

 lliev lurm the most powerful ."tiinulant ihat can be applied to 

 tlie'earth as a manure. He oflers for sale grouml bone at a 

 low price, and is ready lo receive order? to any amount, 

 which will be promptly attended to. 



Orders may be left at iny manufactory near Tremont road, 

 n Roxbury, or at the New England Agriculiural Warehouse 

 and Seed Store, No. 51 and 52 North Market Street. 



Jan. 31. NAHUM WARD 



Friuled hy JTulllr, Itenuell K Cbiibolnt, 



n SCHOOL STREKT BOSTON. 



ORDERS FOR PBIKTIHO RECEIVED BV THE PDRLIBHEBS 



