No. 16. 



Stecunim 



303 



usual Ftimulus, and he increased the dose. A 

 further increase became necessary, and again 

 still further. He resolved to retrencli, and 

 had a cup made containing- what he consider- 

 ed a small and safe measure. With tliis lie 

 began. The effort to reduce his allowance 

 cost him a good deal of suffering, and in a few 

 months he found his cup was made too small. 

 The appetite for stimulus became so great, 

 that one of tw"0 things was inevitable; he 

 must either wholly give up dram drinking or 

 become a drunkard. Shuddering at the dread- 

 ful alternity, he took his stand and after a 

 hai-d struggle conquered the habit. But mark 

 the consequences. His son, on wliom he 

 doated, following the example of his father in 

 moderate drinkmg, had not the resolution to 

 restrain his appetite or to abandon the prac- 

 tice, when he saw his danger, and sunk into 

 all the degradation and vice of confirmed and 

 irreclaimable drunkenness. 



There is no nourishment whatever in ar- 

 dent spirits — it is mere stimulus, the unvary- 

 ing consequences of whicJi, on a healthy sub- 

 ject, are deleterious, and sooner or later will 

 produce disease. 



But, say the consumers of the article, we ^ 

 cannot get through liarvest without it — our 

 hands will not work, and we should not be 

 able to get in our ci'ops. I will reply by giv- 

 ■ ing you a statement of facts which came un- 

 der my knowledge. A farmer settled many 

 years ago, in a neighborhood where nearly 

 every body used and handed out ardent spi- 

 rits to their laborers. Conscious of the mis- 

 chief attending the practice, he resolved not 

 to do it, let the consequences be what they 

 might. His neighbors all predicted that he 

 could not get his work done, and that his har- 

 vests would rot in the fields. He had a man 

 hired by the month, who worked well enough 

 without liquor until harvest came on — then he 

 demanded the usual allowance given by mo- 

 derate drinkers, and on its being refused, 

 stopped short in his mowing and Imng up liis 

 scythe, declaring he would not mow another 

 through, unless the required allowance of grog 

 was given. The farmer quietly persued liis 

 work — mowed several throughs, and declared 

 his determination not to give a drop of the arti- 

 cle nor suffer it to come on his place, even if 

 he lost his crops by it. When lunch time 

 came, a bountiful supply of wholesome food 

 and drink was carried into the field, and the 

 drain drinker was invited to partake. He 

 did so, and without taying a word more about 

 the grog, took up iiis scythe, and worked 

 through the whole season without a murmer. 

 The summer was hot and the harvest large, 

 but at the close of it the laborer voluntarily: 

 made the acknowledgement, that he had nev- 1 

 er seen a harvest got through so quietly and '\ 

 pleasantlv-t-tljat, he ha,d thought it impossible : 



to stand the labors of the season, without ar- 

 dent spirits — but now lie could say that he 

 had never got through tliem with so little 

 suffering and fatigue, nor felt liiniself so strong 

 for work, and in such excellent health. 



Now tor the effect. — The force of long pre- 

 vailing- custom once broken through, the 

 farmer found no ditficulty in getting liands — 

 the order, quiet and good feeling subsisting 

 among his harvesters, while others were 

 shoutmg, or in brawls and quarrels, arising 

 from the excitement of lif^uor, induced his 

 neighbors to try the experiment also, and all 

 who did were so pleased with the improve- 

 ment that tliere Is now scarcely a farmer in 

 the neighborhood who gives it. But the old 

 practice had made many drunkards — the sons 

 of many of the wealthy farmers, learning to 

 love grog from the example of tlieir parent^ 

 squandered their property and died off like 

 rotten sheep ; and tlie drunken laborers 

 did not long survive them, while the happy 

 change wrought by the steady example of 

 this one man, has visibly improved the moral 

 condition of the whole neighborhood, and a 

 hardy, vigorous and intelligent race of youilg 

 men and laborers have grown up, under the 

 system of total abstinence, who are useful and 

 valuable members of society, and promise to 

 transmit to their posterity, a good name and 

 estate. We would say cherefore to every 

 firmer " Go and do likewise." 



Observer, Jr. 



For the Faimtrs' Cabinet. 



Steaming. 



Mr. Editor: — Any how, that is a formidable 

 apparatus described at page 241 of the Cabi- 

 net, for steaming food for cattle. Few persons 

 of our class would be either willing or able 

 to incur the expense of such an erection, 

 much as every one acquainted with the value 

 of steamed food must approve the practice. 



I showed the print and read the description of 

 it to my wife, who is an excellent judge as well 

 as councellor, and is right about nine times 

 out often; she exclaimed, "^Ty ! how differ- 

 ent is all this to your cheap and very simple 

 contrivance, than which nothing can answer 

 better for the purpose; do tell the pQiople 

 about it." This I promised, and the result 

 is, the present communication. 



You must know then, tliat my wife lends 

 me the use of lier large copper, when she 

 does not want it lierself; into this I have fit- 

 ted a tub, merely one half a port-wine pipe, 

 with holes bored all over the bottom, about 

 the size of my finger, which is, I assure you, 

 not one of the smallest, for I have always been 

 a hard working man, what, I suppose, your 

 learned people would call a practical man. 

 This tub rests upon a stout wooden hoop on 

 the edge of the copper into wliich it drops an 



