1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



261 



PHYSICAL MORALITY. 



The word of God, in specific language or in im- 

 plied direction, commands a life of temperance in 

 food and beverage, a strict restraint upon the li- 

 centious appetites, regular industry and labor, 

 cleanliness of person and apparel, andobservance of j 

 frequent daj-sof rest. The general moral sense ofi 

 mankind has given to most of these rules an inde-j 

 pendent sanction. Now, although the result of I 

 such physical morality is not the sole object of its] 

 injunction in Scripture, nor are all the consequen-j 

 ces clearly foreseen, where the unaided moral sense' 

 enjoins it ; yet the sure tendency of such observ- 

 ances is to bring the entire body to that state 

 where all its parts of blood and bone and muscle, 

 of sensitive nerve and organic functions, are fitted 

 in their separate and mutual action to give the 

 frame its liighest powers of strength and endu- 

 rance, and fitness for all the peculiar purposes of 

 existence : and in the mere physical consciousness 

 of this healthful existence, tiiere is a physical 

 happiness. It is not merely the absence of pain 

 and uneasiness, but a po.'Jitive feeling of buoyancy 

 and exhilaration. And just in proportion as tliose 

 laws ar3 not observed, there is a corresponding 

 loss of their physical rewards, and a gradual 

 sinking into positive suffering and disease. Even 

 as we walk the streets we meet with illustrations 

 of each extreme. Here behold a patriarch, whose 

 stock of vigor threescore and ten years seem 

 hardly to have impaired. His erect form, his firm 

 step, his elastic limbs, his undimned senses, are 

 so many certificates of good conduct ; or rather, 

 so many jewels and orders of nobility with Avhich 

 nature has honored him for his fidelity to her 

 laws. His fair complexion shows that his blood 

 has never been corrupted ; his pure breath, that 

 he has never yielded his digestive apparatus for a 

 vinter's cesspool ; his exact language and keen 

 apprehension, that his brain has never been 

 drugged or stupificd by the poisons of the distil- 

 ler or tobacconist. Enjoying his powers to the 

 highest, he has preserved the power of enjoying 

 them. Dispite the moral of the school-boy's story, 

 he has eaten his cake and still kept it. As he 

 drains the cup of life, there are no lees at the 

 bottom. His organs will reach the goal of existence 

 together. Painlessly as a candle burns down in 

 its socket, so will he expire ; and a little imagin- 

 ation would convert him into another Enoch, 

 transplanted from earth to a better world with- 

 out the sting of death. — Mcrcein^s Natural Good- 

 ness. 



any apology for not removing theiu, must be the 

 prompting of a spirit of laziness. To atteriipt to 

 prescribe a form oil plow or other implrnir/it, adapt- 

 ed to the cultivation of such land full of stones, 

 would be a labor in vain. IJetter begin in the 

 right way, and then labor will be amply reward- 

 ed. There can be no doubt that a portion of 

 stones is beneficial to some crops ; and that cer- 

 tiiin elements are added to the soil, by the disso- 

 lution and decay of stones, that huprove it ; but 

 still, I do not think this improvement enough, to 

 balance the inconvenience of having tliem in the 

 way of the use of the best-constructed implements 

 — such as the Michigan sod-and-suls<iil ploic — 

 the horse-hoc — and the best improved seed-planters 

 and weeders. An Old One. 



Danvers, April 10, 1855. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CULTUEE OF STONY GROUND. 



Mr. Editor : — On looking into your paper, 

 just come to hand, I find a correspondent inquir- 

 ing in what manner "stony ground" can be most 

 advantageously tilled. My answer would be, 

 first remove all the loose surplus stones within one 

 foot of the surface, and then proceed in the cul- 

 tivation as though tliey had never been there. 

 Will it 1)0 said, that it Avill bo too much labor to 

 do this? And, if the suriace stones are once 

 taken away, others will soon work up to take 

 their places ! Such has not been my experience. 

 I know of as fine fields for tillage, that were once 

 covered witli a superabundance of such stones, as 

 any other fields ; and I cannot but think, that 



for the Neiv England Farmer. 



THE TAP ROOT. 



Mr. Editor : — I notice in your last No., Mr. 

 Hopkins' account of his experiments of removing 

 the "tap roots" of his seedling pears. His trees 

 were ruined. He says trulj', "I had cut off the 

 main source of the supply of moisture from the 

 ground." You dii-ect him how to thus mutilate 

 his trees without destroying life at once. 



Nature provides the "tap root" to give it 

 "ballast" and to provide it with an unfailing 

 source of moisture. It is said some trees will 

 send down this root 60 feet or more in search of 

 water. What a provision to provi^le against 

 drought ! and yet for the purpose of producing 

 lateral roots we remove this most important part 

 of the tree, as if Providence did not know how 

 many lateral roots were needed to keep the tree 

 in health — the poor tree, not having power to 

 send down another "tap root," sends out num- 

 berless lateral ones to seek moisture near the sur- 

 face, and in a time of drought it is crippled, and 

 its fruit is imperfect, (a.) 



By the loss of sight, the senses of hearing, feel- 

 ing, &c., are quickened to a most miraculous ex- 

 tent, but what should we think of him who 

 should put out his children's eyes to quicken 

 their senses ? 



Don't let tliose interested in the sale of trees 

 deceive us in this vital matter. 



Our children will wonder at our stupidity, 

 while chopping down our prematurely old or- 

 chard8,and in their places raise trees as Providence 

 made them "tap roots" and all. 

 Yours, 



April 5, 1855. Co.vxecticut. 



Remarks. — (a.) It may ))e that a tree set 

 with all its original roots would flourish better 

 than one deprived of a portion of them ; yet, we 

 do not feel certain that such would be the case. 

 It would be gratifying to see what progress our 

 correspondent would make in taking up and 

 transplanting a hundred apple trees which had 

 been growing three or four years in the seed bed 

 whore they wt^re jilanted ! Not only the sliades of 

 night, but the chills of Autumn, wc think, would 

 overtake him 1)cfore the Avork could bo accom- 

 plished. Nature is generally a correct and clever 



