1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



357 



the proprietor, "W. Hall, Brewer,' Maine, and 

 learn all he desires to about the machine. If this 

 is not stout enough, Wm. W. "Willis, of Orange, 

 Mass., has one that will pull anything out of the 

 ground that ever grew in it. 



TO PBEVENT BATS UNDERMIKING 

 CEIiLAB WALLS. 



The stability of cellar walls is sometimes seri- 

 ously affected by rats digging underneath them 

 and thus weakening the foundation. In order to 

 prevent such injury, after the cellar walls are 

 completed and pointed, you must dig a small 

 trench inside of them, about one foot wide and 

 half a foot deep. Now fill this trench nearly full 

 of small stones and water-lime mortar ; then cov- 

 er the stones and mortar with the earth taken 

 from the trench. If thus you guard the bottom 

 of the walls, you will find all the efforts of rats at 

 undermining to be utterly vain ; they will have 

 to go sneaking out at the very door or hole by 

 which they entered. Some people say that rats 

 from the outside dig down under the wall, and 

 thus under the cellar ; but this is a mistake. The 

 fact is, they enter the cellar by the door or some 

 hole ; and then, if this entrance is closed against 

 them, they dig a passage out under the wall. 

 Such passage they cannot make if the inside 

 trench is described, as they always begin to dig 

 close to the bottom of the wall ; and hence, when 

 they encounter the stones and mortar, they are 

 disheartened, and abandon the undertaking. If 

 a plank close to the wall should lie on the cellar 

 bottom, they will commence digging at the in- 

 side edge, although it be a foot or more from the 

 wall. If a quantity of potatoes should be piled 

 up in the middle of the cellar, the rats will begin 

 to dig under the pile, or even under the bottom 

 of the chimney, perhaps instinctively expecting 

 thus to work their way out. But to guard 

 against their digging operations cover your cel- 

 lar-bottom with a thick coating of water-lime and 

 sand, and the saucy depredators won't trouble 

 you any more. — Rural American. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE MILK TEADE. 



The developments that have been made in some 

 of our cities, in providing milk for the market 

 are completely astounding. That an occasional 

 deficiency in the milk-man's cans should be sup- 

 plied from the fountains of pure Cochituate, we 

 can easily conceive. This is a cheat not unlike 

 that of the grocer who waters his rum, under 

 pretence that it will do less harm to those who 

 use it ; as was formerly done in some of our New 

 England stores. But to undertake to pass the 

 dregs of the still through the bodies of animals 

 that have no chance to breathe the pure air of 

 heaven, and to deal out such stuff, as milk fit to 

 be used, is an offence the vilest scamp in creation 

 ■would be ashamed to acknowledge. Language 

 fails in characterizing its baseness. We are truly 

 glad, Mr. Editor, that you have had the perse 

 verance to ferret out, and the independence to ex 

 pose these iniquities. * 



June 10, 1858. 



For the New England Farmer. 



COUNTY FAIRS. 



Dear Sir: — The returns of the times and 

 places of holding the exhibitions of the county 

 agricultural societies not having been received in 

 season for publication in my last report, as usu- 

 al, I take the liberty to inform you and the pub- 

 lic that they have been officially made to me as 

 follows : 



Essex Danvers. Sept. 29 and 30. 



Middlesex Concord, Sept 29. 



Middlesex, North Lowell, Sept. 15, 16 and 17. 



Middlesex, South Framingham, Sept. 21 and 22. 



Wtjrcester Worcester, Oct. 6 and 7. 



Worcester, West Barre, Sept. 30. 



Worcester, North Fitchburg, Sept. 24. 



Worcester, South S'urbridge, Sept. 29. 



Hampshire, Frank, and Hamp. ...Northampton, Oct. 13 and 14. 



Hampshire Amherst. Oct. 12 and 13. 



Hampden Springfield, Sept. 28, 29 and 30. 



Hampden, East Pa>aier, Oct. 5 and 6. 



Franklin Greenfield, Oct. 6 and 7. 



Berkshire Pittsfield, Oct. 6, 7 and 8. 



Housatonic Great Harrington, Sept. 22, 23 atd 24. 



Norfolk Dedham, Sept. 28 and 29. 



Bristol Taunton, Sept. 22 and 23. 



Plymouth Bridge water, Sept. 29 and 30. 



Barnstable Barnstable, Oct. 6 and 7. 



Nantucket Nantucket, Oct. 13 and 14. 



The Horse Show, at Springfield, under the aus- 

 pices of the Hampden Agricultural Society, will 

 be held Sept. 14, 15, 16 and 17. 



Very truly, your obedient servant, 



Charles L. Flint, 



Secretary of the Board of Agriculture. 



Boston, June 11, 1858. 



THE JEWS AND HOGS. 



It was no doubt a good law among the Jews, 

 preventing the eating of hog flesh. Because 

 Judea is a warm climate, and highly concentrated 

 food is there to be avoided 7ioio as well as then. 

 Beef and fruits, and what may be called diluted 

 food, is much better there. But I imagine it 

 would be as poor policy for the Icelander to ven- 

 ture to live on bananas and plantains, as for the 

 Indians of Central America to attempt raw walrus 

 meat as a desert ! Again, the Jews were emi- 

 nently impulsive, under the influence of the pas- 

 sions and appetites, and it Avas not safe to allow 

 them any latitude on so good a dish as good ham 

 or stewed pig's head ! 



I am willing to admit that swine's flesh is riot a 

 good dish for a surfeit, — but moderately used, as 

 all the good things of a good Providence ought 

 to be, it is not more unhealthy than other flesh. 

 Indeed, I regard salt pork as one of the most 

 healthy of all meats, as experience in the army 

 and navy, and in the fishing service, every day 

 proves. But be all this as it may, the question 

 of eating pork is a settled question beyond the 

 reach of Jew or Gentile, and all will eat it who 

 can — get it. A word, however, about the "dis- 

 eased livers of hogs ! A hog is omnivorous, and 

 delights especially in roots and buried nuts, and 

 in worms and grubs. Our would-be "scientific" 

 farmers and philosophers who never farm, put the 

 hog where all his natural habits are ignored- 

 without proper food or exercise, and then if the 

 grunter follows the law of nature's penalties he 

 is decried and slandered as being under the curse 

 of God — when it is only the curse of foolish man ! 

 — C. M. C, in Ohio Farmer. 



