282 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



quick, nor even heave a sigh, without setting in 

 motion ten thousand particles of dust. You may 

 sweep till j'our broom fails, and dust till your 

 arms fall off, and the story Avill be always the 

 same. Even out at sea, where the good ship 

 rides the billows thousands of miles from land, 

 the dust gathers. It matters not how much the 

 sailors rub the masts and holy-stone the decks, 

 the dust will gather, even amid the salt spray of 

 the sea. It is for ever flying and settling where- 

 ever there is any solid substance on which it can 

 alight. Where it comes from is no mystery, when 

 •we remember what sort of things we are. 



"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou re- 

 turn," is written on clothing, on wood, and iron, 

 and steel just as truly as it is on frail, perishing 

 flesh ; and the changing and sifting back to its 

 despised original, is going on before our very 

 eyes, in each thing that we look upon. Constant- 

 ly — some rapidly, others with a slower waste, 

 but certainly all things are returning whence they 

 came. 'Tis enough to make one fear the dust, 

 to make one feel a horror at the atoms falling on 

 one's garments, and one's limbs, to read and un- 

 derstand their language. That language is all of 

 decay and death ; of earth, decay, and worms ; 

 of darkness, forgetfulness, and despair. This, if 

 one cannot look beyond the dust, and see, and 

 take hold upon, the eternal life. 



How carefully, and purely, should we step 

 through the world, did we but read, as we walk, 

 all that is written for our admonition and warn- 

 ing. But we go hastily, with careless eye and 

 dumb heart, taking liltle heed when we should 

 be most studious. Many there be who have deep 

 skill to read the dark sayings written on ancient 

 rocks, who yet have never understood the plain 

 language of the gathering dust. 



TAXING DOGS TO PRESERVE SHEEP. 



Friend Hakeis : — We keep two rifles and a 

 .d-O'ubled barrelled shot gun, and can level them 

 ■with great precision on a sheep-killing dog, eith- 

 er moving or still, but mischief is most always 

 done first. Our Ring is a very knowing little 

 dog, and lives up to the top notch of his knowl- 

 edge. He guards the house diligently, and never 

 was inside in his life ; we would pay a considera- 

 ble tax rather than part with him. But he is lia- 

 ble at any time to go mad, and ramble through 

 the neighborhood, leaving death and misery in 

 his train. 



What is the reason that sensible men do not 

 view dogs as a dangerous species of property, and 

 tax them accordingly ? Instead of having an ex- 

 tra tax put upon them, they are not taxed at all. 

 According to the common rules of taxation, they 

 should be included in the assessor's list, but their 

 dangerous propensities should entitle them to 

 heavier tax. If z dog is loose at night, his own- 

 er has no control over him, fences are mere ropes 

 of sand, and whenever mischief calls, he obeys 

 ker command. 



If the Legislature were to pass a law requiring 

 the owners of dogs to pay one dollar for each, 

 annually, it would diminish the number of dogs, 

 •without increasing our taxes. It would only be 

 transferring a small portion of the tax to dog ow- 

 ners, where it justly belongs. No reasonable 



man would grumble at paying one dollar for a 

 good dog, considering the nature of his property, 

 and a worthless one he would not keep. — MlCA- 

 JAii T. Johnson., Harrison Co., O.—Ohio Culti- 

 vator. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



CULTURE OF HOPS. 



Why do you not give us the prices of hops in 

 your "Review of the Market ?" Several in this 

 section are raising hops, and notwithstanding the 

 present low prices, are not. discouraged. 



What kind of manure is best adapted to them ? 

 Are ashes good, and if so how should this be ap- 

 plied ; alone, or mixed with manure or compost ? 

 How many vines ought to climb the pole ? Will 

 some one in the north part of this State, experi- 

 enced in the business, please give us a lesson? 

 Will it pay to sow salt broadcast on grass 

 ground ? If so, how many bushels to the acre ? 

 Also, if good for corn, and root crops, how used ? 

 Where can I get the King Phillip's corn for 

 planting? A Subscriber. 



Green River, Vt., 1858. 



Remarks. — AVe can add the price of hops to 

 our price current, if it is desired. 



We prefer that some practical producer of 

 hops should reply to the questions relating to 

 that crop. 



Five bushels of salt per acre, provided it can 

 be purchased very low, say less than 25 cents a 

 bushel, will undoubtedly be profitable ; and would 

 be as much so on corn or root crops, probably. 



The King Phillip or Brown corn is usually for 

 sale at the seed stores. 



A LARGE barren MEADOW. 



I have a large barren meadow which nothing 

 but grass will grow on ; will you inform me, 

 through your columns, the best way to proceed 

 to get it into English grass. 



Barton, Vt., 1858. J. P. Robinson. 



Remarks. — Drain it, so that no water shall 

 stand within fifteen inches of the surface ; then 

 plow it if you can, — if not, "bog" it with a bog 

 hoe, and plant potatoes one or two years. Then 

 plow, level, manure and sow with grass seed as 

 early in September as you can get off the pota- 

 toes. As a general thing, this process will in- 

 crease the value of such meadows more than four 

 iold. Be quite sure, however, not to take up at 

 once, more than you can reclaim thoroughly, if 

 it be but half an acre. Does not the "barren 

 meadow" look better akeady ? 



MILK FOR butter. 

 Mr. Secretary Johnson states, on the authority 

 of Mr. Holbert, as the result of his inquiries in 

 the great State of New York, (Trans., vol. xi., p. 

 232,) that it tape's, fourteen quarts of milk, on an 

 average, for the production of a pound of butter. 

 This, he says, is confirmed by the experience of 

 Mr. Horsfall, of England. So much detail is 

 given in confirmation of this statement, that its 



