446 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



Oct. 



do both in such a way as to interest others, 

 and do much credit to themselves. We have 

 often listened to essays in a Farmers' Club, 

 by hard working farmers, that were waorthy of 

 a place in any of our agricultural journals. 

 Young men learn to preside in meetings, and 

 conduct them in an orderly way, — an accom- 

 plishment of no small value. Improvement 

 in manners, and in the courtesies of life and 

 language, that results from such associations 

 is in many cases strongly marked. 



An impulse is given to individual effort, — 

 a desire for knowledge is awakened, and new 

 sources of knowledge are sought out. Men 

 read for a purpose, and with a keener percep- 

 tion of truth. They comprehend better what 

 they read and distinguish more readily the 

 true ^nd the practical, from the false, and the 

 impracticable. They l6arn to have opinions 

 of their own, and to defend them with sub- 

 stantial reasons, and that, too, in the use of 

 intelligible and courteous language. 



The Good Templars' Lodges, in which thou- 

 sands of young men and women meet weekly, 

 primarily to promote the cause of temperance, 

 and secondarily to strengthen each other's 

 hands in every virtuous work, and in which 

 mutual improvement in literature, music and 

 science are not neglected, and social inter- 

 course is cultivated cannot fail to exert a 

 refining and elevating influence upon all who 

 belpng to them. Not only will the principles 

 and habits of temperance be promoted and 

 strengthened, but purity of life and language 

 will be promoted as well. Coarseness and 

 vulgarity will be avoided and become distaste- 

 ful. Kind feelings and mutual confidence 

 will be increased. Habits of forbearance and 

 charity will be formed which will carry with 

 them an abundant reward. Persons from dif- 

 ferent stations in society are thus brought 

 into more intimate relations, and learn to 

 imderstand each other better, and to have 

 more regard for each other. The reflex in- 

 fluences from such associations, to say nothing 

 of their primary objects, richly repay the time 

 and efforts of those who unite in them. 



To all such social enterprises, especially to 

 those in which the ladies unite, we are always 

 ready to say "God speed." Their effects 

 cannot be otherwise than good. Even if they 

 do not effect much for the objects for which 

 they are ostensibly established, they indirectly 



accomplish much for the benefit of the indi- 

 viduals engaged in them. 



But such organizations are more likely to 

 do something effectively to advance their lead- 

 ing object than occasional meetings of the 

 same parties for the same objects. The latter 

 are held together by looser bonds, and feel 

 less responsibility, and act occasionally, and 

 spasmodically. But the frequent and regular 

 meetings of well organized associations, in 

 which work is assigned to each and all the 

 members in their turn, who are held to their 

 duties and obligations, uniformly prove more 

 eflicient instrumentalities for promoting any 

 good object. Steady work applied to the 

 promotion of any good cause and enlivened 

 by the exercise and cultivation of the social 

 affections, are among the best means of ad- 

 vancing the good of both society and individ- 

 uals. 



USB OF SAND FOR BEDDLNG STOCK. 



It has become quite common among farmers 

 to use sand as a bedding for their animals. It 

 is spread each day upon the floors and cleaned 

 away with the droppings of the stock on the 

 next day. 



Two reasons are urged to sustain this prac- 

 tice : — first, to secure a softer bedding than 

 the bare planks, and, second, to absorb the 

 liquids that fall into it. 



Not much thought has, probably, been given 



to either of these reasons. It certainly is true 



that is makes a softer bed than the planks, but 



it is very doubtful whether it makes a warmer 



one. On this point there are some excellent 



statements in a late number of the Country 



Gentleman, which we give below : — 



There is in one of your late numbers a descrip- 

 tion of a pattern farmer, and aniong other things 

 it is said of him that lie is the first farmer in East- 

 ern Massachubetts that introduced sand as bedding 

 for stock. Sand has been u.'sed for bedding a long 

 time in the section. I live in, and the longer it is 

 used the less it is liked. Sand is a verj' cold arti- 

 cle. There is nothing colder, and being very soft, 

 the animal sinks deep into it, thereby bringing a 

 large part of the surface of its body in contact with 

 this cold substance. The writer of this has seen 

 it tried in the case of horses with almost ruinotfi 

 consequences, and therefore concludes that If it is 

 absolutely ruinous to horses that are worked, it 

 cannot possibly be a very good thing fipr neat 

 stock, though of course they feel its effects in a 

 much less degree. 



Suppose a horse has been on the road aU 



day, hauling timber from the woods, and comes 



in at night somewhat fatigued and thoroughly 



warmed throughout the whole system. After 



