NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



405 



notice that Mr. Hand's trees are in excellent condi- 

 tion. He has pruned out the centre, so that it is 

 quite open, thus giving the sunlight free access to all 

 parts of the trees ; but the trees stand too close ; 

 the lower branches of the adjoining trees arc already 

 meeting and coming in contact with each other, so 

 that the fruit on them is considerably shaded, and 

 consequently less highly colored than those on the 

 op branches, and they will not be so finely flavored. 

 Mr. Hand pointed out a tree that stood in an open 

 space, and on this every specimen was highly col- 

 ored. It is a false economy to plant apple-trees too 

 closely. We allude to this fruit now, for the benefit 

 of distant cultivators who remain in doubt as to its 

 value as an orchard variety." 



JERSEY COWS. 



We copy from the Journal of the N. Y. State Ag- 

 ricultural Society the following communication from 

 Col. Le Couteur, Bellevue, Island of Jersey, on this 

 famous breed of cows : — 



He writes that he has forwarded through His Ex- 

 cellency Abbott Lawrence, in answer to our request, 

 lithographic impressions of the Jersey breed of cattle, 

 and the scale of points of a perfect animal of the 

 breed; and also two essays written by Col. Le Cou- 

 teur, one on the Jersey cow, the other on the culture 

 of the parsnip. The cost of a yearling bull of the 

 pure Jersey breed would be from £10 to £12 ster- 

 ling, ($48 to $58,) delivered at Southampton ; and 

 that a yearling prize heifer would be furnished at 

 from £10 to £15. 



The breed of cattle familiarly known in Great 

 Britain as the Alderney, and correctly termed in tlie 

 article Cattle, of the Library of Useful Knowl- 

 edge, the " crumpled horned," was originally Nor- 

 man, it is conceived, as cows very similar to them in 

 form and color arc to be seen in various parts of 

 Normandy ; but the difference in their milking and 

 creaming qualities is really astonishing, the Jersey 

 cow producing nearly double the quantity of butter. 



The race is miscalled " Alderney," as far as Jersey 

 is concerned ; for about seventy years since, M. Du- 

 mas, Esq., of St. Peter's, afterwards the chief magis- 

 trate, sent some of the best Jersey cows to his iatlicr- 

 in-law, the then ];roj)rietor of Alderney ; so that the 

 Jersey was already at that period an improved, and 

 superior to the Alderney, race. It has since been 

 vastly amen led in form, and generally so in various 

 (lualities, though the best of those recorded at that 

 period gave as much milk and butter as the best do 

 now. 



Ten years have elapsed since the attempt was first 

 made by fixed rules to improve tlie form and quality 

 of the Jersey cow. Two beautiful cows were se- 

 lected, with the best qualities, as models. One of 

 these was held to be perfect in her barrel and fore 

 ([uartcrs ; the other equally so in her hind (juarters. 

 From these two, points thirty-six in number were 

 laid flown to be the rule for governing the judges in 

 all the cattle-shows of the Jersey Agricultural So- 

 i.ic'ty. 



tMPORTANCE OF PURE WATER FOR 

 CATTLE. 



Lawrence, in his Farmers' and Gra/.iors' Comi^cte 

 Guide, ha.s the following : — 



Dr. Jennor, who conferred that great blnssing on 

 ir.ankind — the cow-poik inoculation, considerod 

 thpit gi'ving pure water to cowh was of more impor- 

 ' irt'.^v Than persons arc generally -iwuro, Thttre -.vcre 



farmers in his neighborhood, whose cows, while they 

 drank the pond water, were rarely ever free from red- 

 water or swelled udders ; and the losses they sus- 

 tained from these causes, together with the numer- 

 ous abortions their cows suffered, increased to an 

 alarming extent. One of them at length, supposing 

 that the water they drank had something to do with 

 producing their disorders, sunk three wells on differ- 

 ent parts of the farm, and pumped the water into 

 troughs for the cattle. His success was gratifying : 

 the red-water soon ceased, and the swellings of the 

 udder subsided ; and the produce of the renovated 

 animals increased both in quantity and quality. 

 Other farmers followed the same practice, and in less 

 than six months not a case of red-water, swollen 

 udder, or abortion, was heard of in the neighbor- 

 hood. — Scientific Atnerican. 



TO COOK THE EGG-PLANT. 



The following mode has given satisfaction, so far as 

 we have known it tried : Cut the purple egg-plant 

 into slices a third of an inch thick. Put the slices 

 on a plate, one over the other, with a sprinkling of 

 fine salt between each layer, and lay a weight of 

 three or four pounds on the top ; leave them in this 

 situation four or five hours, or over night. The salt 

 will form a liquid with the juice of the egg-plant, 

 which will take out the bitter quality. The liquid 

 should be drained off. Fry them brown in lard or 

 butter. 



The following is the mode of stewing the plant : 

 Take the purple kind, stew till soft, take off the skin, 

 mash it with butter and sweet herbs, grate bread 

 over the top, and bake it till brown. — Scientijie 

 A mericaa. 



Two carrier pigeons, taken out by Sir John Ross, 

 who is in search of Sir John Franklin, have arrived 

 at their homes in Scotland. They have flown 2000 

 miles. 



IMPORTANCE OF LITTLE THINGS. 



While Michael Angelo was employed in the com- 

 pletion of one of his famous statues, he received a 

 visit from a friend, wlio expressed his admiration of 

 tlie work, but who, on repeating his visit, was aston- 

 ished at the apparently slow progress which had been 

 made, and exclaimed, "You have been idle since 1 

 saw you last." "By no means," replied the artist. 

 " I have retouched this part, and polished that ; 1 

 have softened this feature, and brought out this 

 muscle ; I have given more expression to this lip, 

 and more energy to this limb." "Well, well," in- 

 terrupted his friend, " but ail these are trifles." " It 

 may be so," was the answer ; " but recollect that 

 trifles make perfection, and that pcrfectioii is no 

 trifle." This little incident may, we think, bo 

 brought to bear upon the work of instrtiction. May 

 it not teach us a lesson of encouragement ? Week 

 succeeds week ; Jear after year passes away ; and 

 each revolving period of time finds us still engaged 

 in the same labor, while, perhaps, were we to judge 

 by appearances, most of us would arrive at the con- 

 clusion, that all our expenditure of time and strengtJi 

 has ))roved wholly in vain. But is it really so r llaiw 

 we not been imjjarting new ideas, or d^yolliJ^g on 

 truths previously known ? Have we not been ex- 

 plaining essential doctrines, or inculcating imixurtiim 

 duties f Have mo not been seeking to develop th-<i 

 faculties of the children's minds, and have we not 

 iiiiuei At the right fom.ation of their habit.-, "; Tru«, 



