NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



275 



to be allowed the privilege of cultivating an acre of 

 land in corn for your own especial benefit, with plen- 

 ty of manure, and time enough to do it in the best 

 possible manner — and If you could obtain a premi- 

 um on it from the Agricultural Society, that too 

 should be yours. You would then, of course, like 

 to know how those men who have raised great crops 

 of corn have managed ; you would probably look 

 over, carefully, the back numbers of the Central 

 New York Farmer, and perhaps those of the Culti- 

 vator and the Genesee Farmer, if you could obtain 

 them, and get all the information you could ; then 

 you would take the course which you thought, on 

 the whole, best suited to your particular piece of 

 land, and go to work. Suppose, now, that your corn 

 should come up and grow Hnely, and flourish even 

 beyond your highest expectations, and that tinally it 

 should be allowed that yours was decidedly the best 

 cOBn in the neighborhood, and probably in the county. 

 Think you it would be hard icork to tend that field 

 of corn : — to plough it, manure it, plant it, hoo it, 

 and nurse it throughout ? I think not. I believe 

 you would say the happiest days you spent that sum- 

 mer were in that field of corn — and why ? Simply 

 because your whole mind was engaged in the thing 

 — or, in other words, was at work. And a scientific 

 practical farmer would have his mind constantly 

 and as pleasurably engaged in the management of 

 his farm, and in fact much more so, in consequence 

 of the great variety of objects that would engage his 

 attention. But we must begin to apply all this to 

 the evcry-day practice of a farmer boy, viz., to assist 

 him, in some measure, to increase his present and 

 future happiness, by furnishing food for his mind, or 

 setting his head to work. I fear, however, that my 

 young friends will think me more prolific in words 

 than wisdom, as I have again reached the end of my 

 sheet without coming to the end of my subject ; but 

 if their patience is not entirely " used up," I will, if 

 opportunity permit, try my pen once more, and en- 

 deavor to be as brief as possible. 



UNCLE JONATHAN. 

 -:- Central New- York Farmer. 



i)to\l\) Department. 



A Plea for Cold Water. — Not half the benefits 

 of cold water have yet been told. From a work 

 printed in 1721, Dr. Manwaring says water is the 

 most wholesome of all drinks — being appointed for 

 man in his best state, and being the natural drink of 

 all animals ; for it cools, moistens, and quenches 

 thirst, and conveys the nourishment through the 

 smallest vessels of the body. It requires little cau- 

 tion in the use of it, (except in vcr}- hot weather,) 

 since none are tempted to drink it to excess. Water- 

 drinkers are found to be the longest livers, and sel- 

 dom complain of diseases. Dr. Kcill says water is 

 better fitted to promote digestion than other drinks ; 

 while spiritous liquors weaken the organs of the 

 stomach, and thus impede digestion. Water, says 

 Dr. Uayard, concocts our food better than any spirit- 

 ous or fermented liquors. Dr. Pratt has shown, that 

 people who use cold water as a drink, are wholly or 

 far more free from palsies, apoplexies, giddiness, 

 trembling, pains of head, piles, rheumatism, i"i:c. ; 

 and it is known that these diseases arc most incident 

 to those who freely use strong drinks. He also says 

 that jjure water strengthens the stomach, gives an 

 appetite, preserves the sight, and cleanses all the 

 passages of the body. Dr. Duncan asserts that they 

 who are content with water have more health and 

 strength than others ; and that strong liquors raise 



the heat of the stomach too much ; make the blood 

 unnaturally, and therefore injuriously, hot — and 

 that the blood, so inflamed, causeth indigestion, and 

 various pains, vapors, rheums, ulcers, and premature 

 death. Sir John Floycr says water-drinkers are pru- 

 dent and moderate in their conduct — they are free 

 from diseases which affect the head, and fronr a fetid 

 breath. He states cases in which the use of spring 

 water has cff'ccted cures by washing off the acid hu- 

 mors from the blood, giving strength to the stomach 

 and bowels, and creating a good appetite and diges- 

 tion. 



Sir Thomas Eliot declares in his book, " Castle of 

 Health," that the poor people in his vicinity seldom 

 drank any thing but water, and that they were strong, 

 free of most diseases, and lived to a great age. He 

 says, when he was in Levant, where the use of wine 

 was forbidden, as the people Avere Mahometans, he 

 did not drink it ; and found he had a better appetite 

 and digested his food better than before, when he 

 often used it. Dr. Harvey says it is not so much 

 heat which causeth indigestion, as a liquid provided 

 by nature, and which dissolves the food, is depraved 

 by spiritous liquors ; and he commends Mater above 

 all other drink, to promote digestion. Water-drink- 

 ing is a preventive of the gout, and of hypochondriac 

 complaints, but both are produced by the use of fer- 

 mented liquors. It has also proved a cure or a pre- 

 ventive of several painful diseases. It should be the 

 regular drink of man and woman ; and it should be 

 given young children to drink, as well as for a bath. 

 It also makes the mother a better nurse than toddy or 

 wine, or any spiritous cordials ; and who does not 

 know the value of water in bruises and sprains : 

 Besides all which, water is cheap, and will not give 

 indirect pain to the wife or children. — Selected. 



fllccljanics' Pepartment, ^rta, $Ct. 



To COLOR Pine to imitate Black AValxut. — Every 

 kind of wood is easier colored than pine, because there 

 is so much rosin in it, which prevents the dye from 

 entering ; but the Scientific American gives the fol- 

 lowing directions for doing it, which may be new to 

 some of our readers : The pine should be perfectly 

 free of knots, (as they will not color,) and a strong 

 solution of hot logwood, boiled in a vessel for three 

 hours, rubbed carefully all over it, and then allowed 

 to dry. It would be better to have a large vessel of 

 strong liquor, in which to steep the pine for a few 

 days, such as an old molasses cask. After the log- 

 wood is dried, a solution of copperas should be ap- 

 plied in the same way as the logwood, which will 

 make the color quite black. By using a strong solu- 

 tion of sumac in place of the logwood, the wood will 

 become quite dark when it gets the copperas put on 

 it, but it will not have the rich appearance of the 

 logwood color. By using alum in place of copperas, 

 a purple kind of color will be made ujjon the wood. 



To M.VKE Whitewash that will not rub off. — 

 Mix up a pailful of lime and water ready to i)ut on 

 the wall, then take a quarter of a pint of flour, mix 

 it up with water, then pour on it boiling water, a 

 sufficient quantity to thicken it ; then pour it, while 

 hot, into the whitewash. Stir it well together, 

 and it is ready for use. 



The fetters of rhyme are no more than a bracelet 

 to the true poet. 



