440 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



being farmers, on all sorts of farming matters, 

 not forgetting, of course, tlie draining of land, 

 and we were taken to that part of the farm which 

 requires draining, and you may expect, in the 

 course of another season, to hear the results 

 from the judge's pen of our visit to that part of 

 the farm. 



On our arrival at the house we found the Gen- 

 eral's carriage ready to convey us to Mr. R. S. 

 Fay's beautifully romantic farm in Lynn, where 

 we spent several hours most pleasantly, and with 

 much gratification and profit. 



I have, however, written all I can find time to 

 write to-day, and will say something particularly 

 of our visit to Mr. Fay's, when I write again. 



Adieu. 1\\ haste yours ever, 



B. B. French. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE HAY CKOP <JP 1858. 



Notwithstanding the superabundant burden 

 of grass grown upon the land, there is good rea- 

 son to believe that the amount of well cured hay 

 will fall much below the average quantity. Those 

 who were on the alert, in the first of the season, 

 by the use of mowers, or otherwise, and got their 

 crops under cover, hit the nail on the head. One- 

 half of the time for a month past has been better 

 fitted to destroy than to cure hay. I have seen 

 in the field, the present season, the Heath ma- 

 chine, the Allen machine, the Ketchum machine, 

 the Manny machine, the Russell machine, the 

 Danforth machine, with their several alterations 

 and improvements, and the conclusion of the 

 whole matter, in my mind is, there still remains 

 much room for further improvement. There is 

 so much hazarded in meddling with edge tools, 

 that I am not prepared to express a preference 

 for either of the implements mentioned, though I 

 think either of them on large farms of fifty acres 

 or more of land to be mowed, is to be preferred 

 to the scythe. *. 



August 10, 1858. 



1^^ A thousand acts of thought, and will, and 

 deed, shape the features and expression of the 

 soul — habits of love, and purity, and truth — habits 

 of falsehood, malice, and uncleanness — silently 

 mould and fashion it, till at length it wears the 

 likeness of God, or the image and superscription 

 otf the Evil One. 



BOYS' DEPARTMENT. 



THE LITTLE STRINGS. 



Did you ever see a gutta-percha face, children ? 

 And did you ever amuse yourself with pinching 

 it one way and pulling it another, and seeing 

 what different expressions it will put on ? "When 

 you cease pulling and pinching it, it returns to 

 the same face it was before. 



Now your little faces are softer than gutta-per- 

 cha, ancl they are full of the little strings called 

 muscles ; and the little muscles pull thera one 

 way, and pull them another, just according to 

 your feelings. Sometimes you feel grieved or sad, 

 and the little muscles pull your face into a very 

 doleful expression, and we know by looking at 

 yQU just how you feel. Sometimes you feel pleased 



or merry, and the little muscles pull your faces 

 into smiles and dimples. 



But often there are wicked passions at work at 

 the strings. Anger pulls, and O, what a disa- 

 greeable look the face puts on in a minute. Pride 

 pulls the strings, or vanity, or envy, or dis- 

 content, or deceit, and each brings its own ex- 

 pression over the face. 



The worst of it is, that when these passions 

 pull very often the face does not return to what 

 it was before, but the muscles harden and retain 

 that ugly expression. By indulging in evil pas- 

 sions people may work their faces up into such 

 awful faces, that sometimes when you meet a man 

 in the street you can tell, just by looking at his 

 face, what his character is. 



A face that was very lovely when it was that of 

 a child, has had the passion of anger pulling at 

 it so often that it always wears a sullen, cross, 

 dissatisfied look. Or if a man has learned to 

 love to hoard up money for its own sake, his face 

 gets a mean, grasping look, and we say when we 

 pass him, "There goes a miser." Or if he has 

 learned to lie and steal, he cannot make his face 

 that of a truthful, honest man. 



Now, dear children, do you want to have pleas- 

 ant faces, that every body will love to look at ? 

 Then donH let the ugly j^assions get hold of the 

 strings. Put them into the hands of love and char- 

 ity and good-will and truth and honesty, and 

 then they will be beautiful faces. 



I have seen faces without a single handsome 

 feature, that were sweeter to look at than the 

 most perefect features that ever were formed. 

 And why? It was the expression. And what 

 makes the expression? O, it all depends upoa 

 whether the bad passions or the lovely virtues get 

 hold of the little strings. — American Messenger. 



ALPHABET OP PROVEBBS. 



A grain of prudence is worth a pound of craft. 



Boasters are cousins to liars. 



Confession of a fault makes half amends. 



Denying a fault doubles it. 



Envy shooteth at others and wounds herself. 



Foolish fear doubles danger. 



God reaches us good things by our hands. 



He has hard work who has nothing to do. 



It costs more to revenge wrongs than to bea? 

 them. 



Knavery is the worst trade. 



Learning makes a man fit company for him 

 self. 



Modesty is a guard to virtue. 



Not to hear conscience is the way to silence iti 



One hour to-day is worth two to-morrow. 



Proud looks make foul works in fair faces. 



Quiet conscience gives quiet sleep. 



Richest is he that wants least. 



Small faults indulged are little thieves that let 

 in greater. 



The boughs that bear most hang lowest. 



Upright walking is sure walking. 



Virture and happiness are mother and daugh- 

 ter. 



Wise men make more opportunities than thev 

 find. 



You never lose by doing a good turn. 



Zeal without knowledge is fire without light. 

 Yqy,n§ People's Pockd Book for 1858. 



