VOL. XII. NO. 89. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



229 



II. In respect to sheep husbandry, unci the 

 raising of young stock, many farms from their 

 rough and mountainous character, are adapted 

 solely to these objects. The raising of neat stock, 

 however, beyond the consumption of coarse fod- 

 der upon a farm, is nut a source ot great profit, 

 unless upon land of low price. The stall-feeding 

 of beef animals upnn hay and meal, is likewise a 

 very doubtful source of gain, at the average price 

 of hay and grain among us. Few farmers have 

 exactness enough of calculation or experiment to 

 determine whether it does or does nor yield a fair 

 compensation for their labor and produce ; anil the 

 purchasing of cattle tor the purpose uf stall-feeding, 

 is so much matter of judgment, skill in trade, or 

 mere accident, the thrift of different animals is so 

 different, the state of the market is so precarious, 

 and by the present mode of management, the far- 

 mer is liable to so many impositions and frauds, on 

 the part of dishonest dealers and butchers, that the 

 chance of success is by many judicious farmers 

 considered very small. It were greatly to be wish- 

 ed, that some mode or standard could be adopted 

 of selling the animal by live weightonthe hoof, to 

 avoid the evils and inconveniences of the present 

 mode, by which the seller is placed entirely ut the 

 mercy id' the buyer, with no security against fraud, 

 and with scarcely the possibility of redress. 



It is confidently believed, that the sheep hus- 

 bandry when judiciously pursued, affords far bet- 

 ter prospect of gain. It is ascertained that no hus- 

 bandry will do more to preserve and improve the 

 condition of a farm ; and those farmers, who have 

 steadily persevered in it, even under all the fluctu- 

 ations through which the prices of wool have 

 passed, have received a full remuneration for their 

 care and expenditure. The great question of com- 

 parative advantage between the fine wooled, the 

 medium quality, the long wooled, or our common 

 native sleep, presents a subject involving such va- 

 rious considerations, that the present time does not 

 admit of its discussion. The introduction of fine 

 wooled sheep into the country, has been of very 

 great advantage ; and though to the serious loss of 

 those persons, who, as mere speculators, deluded 

 by most extravagant calculations of profit, paid 

 enormous prices for their flocks ; yet to the ulti- 

 mate and great benefit of those more prudent or 

 more fortunate individuals, who came after them, 

 and reaped the advantage of a reaction in the pub- 

 lic estimation, of the value of these races of fine 

 wooled sheep, which the heavy disappointment of 

 the first purchasers occasioned. Extreme fineness 

 of fleece is obtained only at the expense of a small 

 and tender carcass. It is confidently hoped that 

 by a judicious combination of the merino with 

 sheep of a larger size, a race may be gradually 

 formed, yielding wool of a sufficient degree of fine- 

 ness for the common demand, combined with a 

 carcass large enough for the market. Such at- 

 tempts have already been made with every pros- 

 pect of success. (To be continued.) 



MISCELLANY. 



WOMAN. 



The celebrated Fontenelle said that women have 

 a fibre more in the heart, and a cell less in the brain, 

 than men. 



As the dew lies longest and produces most fer- 

 tility in the shade, so woman in the shade of do- 

 mestic retirement sheds around her path richer and 

 more permauent blessings than man, who is more 



exposed to the glare and observation of public life. 

 Thus the humble and retired often yield more val- 

 uable benefits to society, than the noisy and hust- 

 ling satellites of earth, whose very light of uncon- 

 cealed enjoyment deteriorates and parches up the 

 the moral soil it flows over. — JV. F. Slur. 



THE AFFECTION OF A WOLF. 



Bv way of enlivening the description of the 

 structure of animals, M«de Candolle [lecturer on 

 natural history at Geneva,) introduced many inter- 

 esting particulars respecting what he called teur mo- 

 rale, or their natural dispositions, and the changes 

 tin y underwent while under the dominion of man. 

 Among other instances of affection which wolves 

 had sometimes shown to their masters, he mention- 

 ed one which took place in the vicinity of Geneva. 

 A lady, Madame M — , had a tame wolf, which 

 seemed to have as much attachment to bis mistress 

 as a spaniel. She had occasion to leave her home 

 for some weeks ; the wolf evinced the greatest dis- 

 tress after her departure, and at first refused to take 

 food. During the whole time she was absent he 

 remained much dejected ; on her return, as soon as 

 the animal heard her foosteps, he hounded into the 

 room in an ecstacy of delight, springing up, he 

 placed one paw on each of her shoulders, but the 

 next moment fell back and instantly expired. 



THE POHTV-SECOMD REGIMENT. 



The following characteristic anecdote of this 

 gallant regiment may be depended upon as true, 

 having been lately communicated to the writer by 

 a General Officer in the army, who was at the time 

 the occurrence took place, a Field Officer in that 

 regiment. 



Immediately before the 42d disembarked in 

 Egypt in 1S01, under the command of the brave 

 Abercromby, orders were given not to fix their bay- 

 onets, nor to load their muskets till they were all 

 on shore, although the enemy's shot was falling in 

 and round the boats like hail. After the regiment 

 had formed into line on the beach, which was done 

 in the most cool manner, under the destructive fire 

 from a French battery and a battalion of infantry 

 on the heights iu front, Major Stirling gave the 

 word, " fix bayonets." In a moment every man's 

 bayonet was fast to his musket. The Major next 

 followed with " prime and load," hut the wonts 

 had scarcely escaped his lips, when an individual in 

 the ranks vociferated; — "No prime and load — but 

 charge baignets — and by Got immediately !" The 

 entire regiment, as one man, instantly obeyed this 

 energetic command, ascended the heights at the 

 charge, and carried the French position with cold 

 steel in the most gallant style. But the question 

 immediately arose, who was the individual that or- 

 dered the charge, when the Commanding Officer 

 had only given the word to prime and load. On 

 inquiry, it was found that the person who had as- 

 sumed the command, was no other than " Donald 

 Black," a private soldier, and an old smuggler 

 from the Island of Skye. An individual in the 

 same regiment stated to the writer, that on Gener- 

 al Moore arriving on the spot, he told the 42d their 

 bravery was beyond all praise, but that not obey- 

 ing their commanding officer was a great breach 

 of discipline, and on the present occasion the 

 movement might have had a fatal termination : and 

 at the same time turning round to the Colonel, lie 

 admonished him for the irregularity of his men. 



Col. Dickson replied, "I might have held one 

 man ; but by God, General, it was impossible for me 



to hold a whole regiment." But, Donald Black's 

 (in gadic Dhu) Highland blood was in a flame, and 

 being quite indignant at what he thought unneces- 

 sary loss of time, his impatience to close upon the 

 foe, in the Scottish manner, made him lose sight en- 

 tirely of tie humble station which he occupied in 

 the corps. As Shakespeare says, "all is well that 

 ends well," but had this furious charge failed, it 

 would have been a black day to poor Donald. A 

 court martial, and the halberts would likely have 

 been the reward of his native ardor and impetuos- 

 ity. 



This hot and fiery temper of the Scots, caused 

 them to lose many battles in their ancient wars 

 with England. A few showers of arrows from 

 the iong bows of the English archers, were suffi- 

 cient to exhaust the patience of the Scottish armies 

 when they would, without discipline, order, or com 

 mand, rush headlong upon the cool and steady foe, 

 strictly obedient to the orders of their commanders. 



MiPLOWIENT INDISPENSABLE TO COMFORT. 



In a very interesting article on the philosophical 

 history of hypochondriasis and hysteria, in the 23d 

 number of the Foreign Quarterly Review for July, 

 1833, is the following passage, (p. 117). 



" It is some disappointment to a humane person 

 to find, that of all men who are discontented with 

 their lot, none exceed in the quautity of their grum- 

 bling, and in the habit of looking on the wrong side 

 of things, and in a proclivity [propensity] to hypo- 

 chondriacal imaginations, the old pensioners of 

 the army and navy at Chelsea and Greenwich. 

 Placed above the fear of want, but deprived of all 

 motive to exertion ; neither moved by hope nor by 

 fear, for they have neither promotion to look to, nor 

 disgrace to apprehend ; they are miserable, precise- 

 ly because they have nothing to do. YVc have 

 often thought that some gentle duties, analogous 

 to the former habits of the lives of these deserving 

 old men, would be a great blessing to them." 



On this subject Loudon, the conductor of the 

 Gardener's Magazine, makes the following sugges- 

 tion: 



" Now, we would suggest that to every hospital 

 there should be attached a garden, sufficiently ex- 

 tensive to occupy in its culture all the inmates. 

 Though this sort of occupation might not be " anal- 

 ogous to the former habits" of these inmates ; yet 

 we are persuaded that it is so natural, that they 

 would soon not only become accustomed to it but 

 fond of it. Why should not the whole of the va- 

 cant ground at Chelsea Hospital he turned into a 

 garden, and put under the care of a good gardener, 

 who would direct the labors of such of the pension- 

 ers as were able to work in it ?" 



WINTER BUTTER. 



We acknowledge with pleasure the receipt of 

 two fine specimens of butter, made and presented 

 by Mrs. M. W. Howard of the Vaughan farm. It 

 is beautiful in appearance and excellent in taste, 

 and proves that even during the rigorous winters 

 of Maine, butter that would suit the most fastidious 

 palate may be made, if proper skill and care be 

 brought to the business. Mrs. H. says, "That 

 there is nothing peculiar in the process. Before 

 setting the milk, I pour a sufficient quantity of 

 boiling water into it, to make it nearly as hot ;fe 

 it can be borne by the finger. Keep the cream 

 from freezing, and when it is ready to churn, add 

 the juice of a middling sized carrot to four quarts 

 of cream." — Winihrop Farmer. 



