NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



407 



HOW COAL WAS MADE. 



Geology has proved that, at one period, there ex- 

 isted an enormously abundant land vegetation, the 

 ruins or rubbish of which, carried into seas, and 

 there sunk to the bottom, and afterwards covered 

 over by sand and mud beds, became the substance 

 ■which we now recognize as coal. This was a natural 

 transaction of vast consequence to us, seeing how 

 much utility we tind in coal, both for warming our 

 dwellings, and for various manufactures, as Avell as 

 the production of steam, by which so great a me- 

 chanical power is generated. It may naturally 

 excite surprise, that the vegetable remains should 

 have so completely changed their apparent charac- 

 ter, and become black. But this can be explained 

 by chemistry ; and part of the marvel becomes clear 

 to the simjilest understanding when we recall the 

 familiar fact, that damp hay, thrown closely into a 

 heap, gives out heat, and becomes of a dark color. 

 'When a vegetable mass is excluded from the air, and 

 subjected to great pressure, a bituminous fermenta- 

 tion is produced, and the result is the mineral coal, 

 which is of various characters, according as the mass 

 has been originally intermingled with sand, clay, or 

 any other earthy impurities. 



On account of the change effected by mineraliza- 

 tion, it is difficult to detect in coal the traces of a 

 vegetable structure ; but these can be made clear in 

 all except the highly bituminous coking coal, by 

 cutting or polishing it down into thin, transparent 

 slices, when the microscope shows the fibres and cells 

 very phtinly. From distinct isolated specimens found 

 in the sandstones amidst the coal-beds, we discover 

 the nature of the plants of this era. They are 

 almost all of a simple cellular structure, and such as 

 exist with us in small forms, (horse-tails, club- 

 mosses, and fens,) but advanced to an enormous 

 magnitude. The species are all long since extinct. 

 The vegetation generally is such as now grows in 

 clusters of tropical islands ; but it must have been 

 the result of high temperature, obtained otherwise 

 than that of the trojjical regions now is, for the coal 

 strata are found in the temperate, and even the polar 

 regions. 



The conclusion, therefore, to which most geolo- 

 gists have arrived, is, that the earth, originally an 

 incandescent or highly heated mass, was gradually 

 cooled down, until, in the carboniferous period, it 

 fostered a growth of terrestrial vegetation all over 

 its surface, to which the existing jungles of tropics 

 are mere barrenness in comparison. The high and 

 uniform temperature, combined with a greater pro- 

 portion, of carbonic acid gas in the manufacture, 

 could not only sustain a gigantic and prolific vegeta- 

 tion, but would also create dense vapors, showers, 

 and rains ; and these, again, gigantic rivers, period- 

 ical inundations, and deltas. Thus all the conditions 

 for extensive deposits of wood in estuaries would 

 arise from the high temperature ; and every circum- 

 stance connected with the coal measures points to 

 such conditions. — Chambers's Miscellany, 



THE SHORT-HORNS. 



In hiB Compcnd of American Agriculture, Mr. 

 Allen says, — 



" The short-horns, or Durhams, are decidedly the 

 most showy and taking among the cattle species. 

 They are of all colors, from a full deep red to a pure 

 creamy white; but generally have both intermixed 

 in larger or smaller patches, or intimately blended in 

 a beautiful roan. Black, brown, or brindle are not 



recognized among pure bred short-horns. Their form 

 is well spread, symmetrical, and imposing, and capa- 

 l)le of sustaining a large weight of valuable carcass. 

 The horn was originally branching, and turned up- 

 ward, but now frequently has a downward tendency, 

 with the tips pointing towards each other. They are 

 light and comparatively short, clear, highly polished, 

 and waxy. The head is finely formed, with a longer 

 face, but not so tine a muzzle, as the Devon. The 

 neck is delicately formed without any dewlap ; the 

 brisket projecting, and the great depth and width of 

 the chest giving short, well-spread fore legs. The 

 crops are good ; back and loin broad and fiat ; ribs 

 projecting ; deep flank and twist ; tail well set up, 

 strong at the roots, and tapering. They have a thick 

 covering of soft hair, and are mellow to the touch, 

 technically termed haxdlinff well. They mature early 

 and rapidly for the quantity of food consumed, yield- 

 ing largely of good beef with little offal. As a breed, 

 they are excellent milkers, though some families of 

 short-horns surpass others in this quality. The 

 short-horns are assigned a high antiquity by the old- 

 est breeders in the counties of Durham and York- 

 shire, England, the place of their origin, and, for a 

 long time, of their almost exclusive breeding." 



BEAUTIFUL EXTRACT. 



One fountain there is, whose deep-lying vein has 

 only just begun to throw up its silver drops among 

 mankind — a fountain which will allay the thirst of 

 millions, and will give to those who drink from it 

 peace and joy. It is knoichdge ; fountain of intel- 

 lectual cultivation, which gives health to mankind, 

 makes clear the vision, bnngs joy to his life, and 

 breathes over his soul's destiny a deep repose. Go, 

 and drink therefrom, thou whom fortune has not 

 favored, and thou wilt soon find thj-self rich ! Thou 

 mayst go forth into the world, and find thyself every 

 where at home ; thdu canst cultivate in thy own 

 little chamber ; thy friends are ever around thee, and 

 carry on wise conversations with thee ; nature, an- 

 tiquity, heaven, are accessible to thee ! The indus- 

 trious kingdom of the ant, the works of man, and 

 rainbow, and music records, offer to thy soul hospi- 

 tality. — Frederika Bremer, 



Simple Kemedy. — The simple application for a 

 horse's feet which are brittle, or hoof bound, I 

 learned from an English shocr ; and having tried it 

 with good effect, and never having seen it fail, I send 

 it to you to be used as you may deem proper. 



ilix cq\ial parts of tar and some soft grease, hav- 

 ing the foot clean and dry ; apply it hot, but not 

 boiling, to all parts, letting it run under the shoe as 

 much as possible. In bad cases, the application 

 should be made every day for a week, and then two 

 or three times a week, till the foot becomes strong 

 and smooth. 



Me.vns to Ends. —It is a curiou.s fact, that the 

 constituent elements of several grains are varied to 

 the wants which they sujiply in the different lati- 

 tudes where they are cultivated. Indian corn, which 

 at its northern limit aboimds largely in oil and sugar, 

 especially needed there to sustain the animal heat of 

 its consumers, bcconies near the tropics almost wholly 

 composed of starch, and suited to the demands of 

 the cou:jtitution for lighter uutriincut. 



