1855. 



NEW ENGLAND J?'AKMER. 



379 



year I cooped a hen and brood of chickens under 

 an apple tree in the garden ; but I jarred upon 

 the sheet as many curculios from that tree, as 

 from the others without the chickens. s. f. 

 Winchester, July, 1855. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CITY AND COUNTRY LIFE. 



SIr. Editor : — Real life in city or country can 

 only be measured by actual residence and posi- 

 tive experience. While a city lii'o presents its 

 daily changing phases, its Babel tongues, its con- 

 fused, fierce commotion — country life leads on to 

 quiet, sweetened with the genial breeze, far 

 away from the great cess-pools of vice, the mind 

 rallies with new hope and contentment in its 

 allotted home. 



_ Why this itching for city life? Is it for 

 riches, so easily gained, and so suddenly lost? 

 Is it the millinery and fancy trappings of life 

 that so fascinate us ? Is it to witness beggars by 

 scores who are sure to make their professional 

 cff//5 about breakflist time? Is it to be jostled 

 by the multitude, the thunder of carriages, dust, 

 smoke and confusion, that we so love! Is it to 

 meet with better, or more chaste society ? Is it 

 to improve and elevate our morals? Is it because 

 we are beset with less danger? Is it the safer 

 playhouse for our children ? Is it that less of 

 thieves, burglars, lewd and lascivious nature, 

 shall meet us at every corner ? Where will such 

 like questions end ? 



In this mass of all nations, in this multitude, 

 xoifh and loithout occupations, we are overwhelmed 

 with the one idea — ''how do they all live?" 



But not to penetrate city life any longer, let 

 us look through the bars and see what there is 

 inviting in country life. 



Tlie larch tree in the forest — the sweet bloom 

 of the orchard, the clover-head that sweetens the 

 air, the bird that sings us to sleep at evening, 

 and awakens us in the grey of the morning, the 

 "babbling brook," the waving wheat-field, the 

 farmer's new hay, the vernal breeze with its 

 "balm of a thousand flowers," how they en- 

 chant the uncaged bird when thrown from the 

 meshes of city confinement. 



There, we meet no '■^fashionable''' silken trails, 

 sweeping clean the side-ways, to be trodden upon 

 by dirty boots, (a daily occurrence in Broad- 

 way.) 



There, the little girls wend their way to school 

 in comely attire, perchance to worry a butterfly, 

 or disturb the "Quaker Glrassliopjwr" in his 

 dusty nook. What rural, clianiiing, cliild-like 

 sports, compared with her little ragged sister, 

 whose city occupation in rainy days is to stand 

 with bare, beef-red feet, ankle d.iep in cold mud, 

 sweeping the cross-walks for gentlemen's dean 

 Imots, and as they pass she says, reacliing out her 

 hand with an upward, imp/orinr/ look, "please give 

 me a penny, sir," and too often, is the cold, 

 heartless response — "get out of my way." Are 

 there no tears for this ragged cliild? 



While the merchant madli/ or even cautiously 

 pursues his work of gain, 'J5 per cent, of his 

 number fail of success. Not so with tlie far- 

 mer,— he rarely fails; inspired with the breeze' 

 that waves his corn and freshens his soul with 

 hope, satisfied with moderate gains, ho dignifies I 



the noble destiny of man. His "Wall Street" 

 is the field of noble toil and honest gain. His is 

 not the interest of usury, not an insidious specu- 

 lating scheme to entrap his neighbors, and bring 

 their children to want. No "fancy stocks" are 

 jobbed at his farm. He deals in a substance, 

 wrought out by the plow and the sickle. His 

 "broker's office" is the leanto and the sheep- 

 fold, where the fleece is nurtured and matured 

 for honest humanity, not to impoverisli and 

 starve his neighbor hy fleecing his pockets. 



In stating the case, it is without desire of ex- 

 aggeration, or to overdraw the picture. What- 

 ever deductions may be made, let the candid in- 

 quirer decide what is the difference between 

 city and country life. p. 



Brooklyn, L. /., June 16. 



FARMERS' MEETING AT HILLS- 

 BOROUGH BRIDGE. 



The President being absent. Col. Hiram Mon- 

 roe, of Hillsborough, one of the Vice Presidents, 

 took tlie chair. The meeting was organized by 

 choosing Brooks Shattuck, of Bedford, Secretary 

 pro tem. 



The Chairman announced the subject for dis- 

 cussion to be. The Winter Manayement of Stock, 

 and having been appointed to open the discussion, 

 he proceeded to remark tliat he considered the 

 rearing and management of Stock of great impor- 

 tance to the farmers of the county. Tlie kind of 

 stock kept, the care, food and manner of feeding, 

 should claim his attention ; thought cattle should 

 be fed at regular intervals — considered that roots 

 were of great benefit to cattle, fed in connection 

 with dry hay ; that roots however should be fed 

 regularly tlirough the feeding season ; had ob- 

 served tiiat when he had fed them a part of the 

 winter, and then discontinued them, cattle seemed 

 to derive little good from them ; he would pro- 

 portion the daily quantity so that it should be 

 equal through the feeding season. 



He had experimented on two heifers, giving to 

 one good hay, and to tlie other a few carrots in 

 connection with the hay. In the spring the one 

 that had the carrots had made more flesh and 

 was much the best through the next season. 



Mr. Monroe usually lets liis cattle out at 9 or 

 10 o'clock A. M., and ties up again at 2 — feeds 

 all his fodder in the barn except some that is very 

 poor. 



Mr. Charles Gates, of Antrim, said that in or- 

 der to get a good animal, the foundation must be 

 laid the first year ; he liad been successful in rear- 

 ing calves without milk, l)y giving ono-tliird bar- 

 ley to two-tliirds oatmeal made into a poiu'idge ; 

 calves fed upon this had made as much growth as 

 upon milk. 



;Mr. Gates thouglit much benefit was derived 

 from cutting the fodder fed to cuttle ; he bad kept 

 a horse througli the winter on ci.it straw and hay 

 cut and well mi.xed together, the nett cost of 

 which did not exceed ten dollars, exclusive of the 

 labor of preparing the food, and of feeding it 

 out. 



We did not understand whether Mr. Gates ad- 

 ded meal of any kind to liis straw and hay ; but 

 conclude they get a dusting from the meal hag. 



James Walker, Esq., of Bl' Iford, remarked 

 that ho had paid much attenti 'U to the rearing 



