26 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



river, which is here ppread out in all its beauty 

 and grandeur, and his delight at the discovery of 

 the long-sought-for object, is well delineated in 

 his features and attitude by the artist. His army 

 consisted of three hundred mounted men, and a 

 considerable amount of infantry. They were well 

 equipped, as all Spanish armies at that period 

 were. De Soto's imagination had been inflamed 

 by the descriptions of the river which he had 

 heard from the savages of the forest whom he had 

 encountered ; and he pressed on by means of In- 

 dian guides, overcoming many obstacles that 

 would have deterred a less daring spirtt. The 

 forests were to be hewn down for his cannon and 

 cavalry, and the Indians had to be fought at ev- 

 ery step. Besides, he was in a foreign country, a 

 vast wilderness, of what extent he knew not, and, 

 as he had already ascertained, surrounded by 

 many dangers. 



The picture may be divided into four groups. 

 The principals group represents De Soto, mounted 

 on a magnificent white horse at the head of his 

 suite of officers, servants and standard-bearers, 

 and followed by his cavalry, which grow indis- 

 tinct in the shades of the forest in the distance. 

 The principal feature in this group, of course, is 

 the commander-in-chief. Proudly erect upon his 

 noble steed, the white plumes of his office as Gov- 

 ernor of Cuba shading his brow ; blazing with 

 the splendid armor of a Spanish noble of the six- 

 teenth century ; the yellow banneret of Spain, 

 and the two headed eagle of Austria waving their 

 rich folds over his head, he seems conscious of the 

 dignity of his great mission, which is to take 

 possession of this inland sea and fertile country 

 in the name of European civilization. 



The second group in advance of De Soto, and 

 immediately on the bank of the river is a group 

 of native Indians, into whose camp he has just 

 arrived, The third group is formed of some mis- 

 sionaries and soldiers belonging to the army, 

 who are planting a cross as a memento to mark 

 the spot, while the fourth group is composed of a 

 company of men who are preparing to fire a can- 

 non in commemoration of the event. 



The group of savages is composed of the chief 

 and his two tall sons, who are coming forward to 

 offer to the white man, the first they had ever 

 seen, the pipe of peace. Tho old chief stands 

 nearly bent double between his two sons, and 

 holds out the pipe with an expression in his coun- 

 tenance of mingled fear and astonishment. One 

 of the sons looks at the gay plumage, singular 

 costumes and numerous appliances of war ot the 

 new comers v.'ith evident admiration ; while the 

 other has drawn himself proudly up, with an ex- 

 pression of disdain and daring in his countenance 

 .which clearly proves what would be his solution 

 of the difficulty, if he had the power. In front 

 of the chief several naked S(juaws are seen kneel- 

 ing offering presents of game and corn to their 

 _Conquerers, hoping thus to conciliate their iavor. 



Whilst the Indians are presenting their peace 

 .offerings, and endeavoring to gain the attention and 

 .good will of their visitors, De Soto deigns not to 

 cast a glance at the group in front of him, but 

 with his eyes directed over their heads to the 

 grandeur of the scene that is spread out before 

 him, to the majestic river, dotted with islands, 

 .and to the far sweep of country that extends be- 

 yond, one caa imagine he sees in the glowing 



countenance and the sparkling eye, the mind of 

 the discoverer carried forward to the realization 

 of that future greatness in population and civili- 

 zation which is now no longer a matter of imagin- 

 ation. The contemplative, serious delight of the 

 chief is well contrasted by the waving of hats and 

 the laughing shouts of delight of his followers." 

 Mr. Powell receives from Government §10,000, 

 for this splendid picture, and so arduous has been 

 the work that this sum has proved inadequate. 

 He is permitted to exhibit the painting for his 

 personal benefit for a limited season. 



w. D. B. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



CONCRETE BUILDINGS. 



Mr. Editor : — I saw an article in your paper 

 for the building of houses with lime and gravel. 

 I wish you would just give me through your pa- 

 per the manner in which they do it, cost, &c., as 

 nigh as you can ascertain. If you will do so, you 

 will confer a favor on A Subscriber. 



Warwick, 1854. 



Remarks. — Will some correspondent who pos- 

 sesses the information reply to the above 1 



REMEDY FOR BLEEDING AT THE NOSE. 



Take good dried beef, grate it fine and press the 

 cavity of the nose full of it, allowing it to remain 

 until it comes away of itself. It may be a little 

 oppressive, but is a certain remedy. This is the 

 experience of Dr. J. N. Knapp, of Dummerston, 

 Vt., who has been in the successful practice of 

 medicine, since 1814. He has stopped the tlow 

 of blood in several instances where the patient 

 has been reduced to a helpless condition, and in 

 two cases where the patient has become delirious 

 and was determined to be left to die. Direct 

 force was used, and the patient recovered. 



Randolph, Vt. Geo. F. Nutting. 



BEST FOOD FOR MILCH COWS — PLASTER. 



Mr. Editor : — I have been a constant reader of 

 the Farmer for years, and I wish now to make 

 some inquiries through its columns. I make 

 milk for the Worcester market. I wish to in- 

 quire what is the best and cheapest feed for cows 

 that give milk, and what will make the most 

 milk for the same money, and also how to feed 

 them 1 (a.) 



Is it beneficial to sow plaster at this season of 

 the year on winter rye and on pastures? (/i.) 



Worcester, Nov. 0, 1854. Worcester. 



Re-Marks. — (a.) The questions under this head 

 can only be answered in a general way without 

 long and exact experiments. The "best and 

 cheapest" food for milch cows which we have ev- 

 er found, was good corn fodder, clover and herd's- 

 grass hay, and half a bushel, or three pecks of 

 roots, — say, beets, parsnips, carrots, flat turnips 

 and ruta bagas, — per day, for each cow, fed to 

 them in the morning soon after they were milked. 

 Under this treatment this gave more milk than 

 under any other, and we found it the cheapest. 

 Good corn fodder will produce milk abundant- 



(b.) The autumn is a good time to sow plas- 

 ter. 



