1857. 



NEW ENGLANP. FARIIER. 



51 



have carefully observed and watched these birds, in 

 order to learn their habits and •write their history. 

 Perhaps all are not av/are of tlie fact that chim- 

 ney swallows feed their young during the night as 

 well as by day. This habit has often been con- 

 firmed by the observation of the writer. Some 

 people are opposed to allowing these birds the use 

 of their chimneys for nesting, for the following rea^ 



ble to the common mind, but carefully gather up 

 ihe "unconsidered trifles" of others, and by giving 

 them a "habitation and a name," may sometimes 

 return them to you as "pearls of price." We have 

 industry and a quenchless desii'e to promote the 

 interests of the farm ; and these will not be turned 

 from their true purpose by any seductions of court 



ly, they dirty the fire-place, if there be one ; and 

 thirdly, the nests not unfrequently fall into the fire- 

 place. Those who would prevent these annoyances, 

 can easily do so by placing a wire screen over the 

 top of the chimney, that will keep out the birds, 

 and not materially prevent the passage of the 

 smoke. 



The chimney swallows usually appear about the 

 same time that the barn swallows do, and leave a 

 little sooner for their southern home. 



sons, to wit : they make a disagreeable noise in ^^ , j^.^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ redemption 



the chimney durmg the hours for repose; second- j ^ ^' ' •" '■ 



The same interest continued on your part, the 

 same j^romptness of payment, of inquiry, and com- 

 munication, will enable the publisher to increase 

 the value of the paper wherever opportunity pre- 

 sents itself. If intelligent labor is valuable in the 

 v.'orkshop and manufactory, it must be doubly so 

 on the farm, for there ihe judgment takes the lead 

 instead of rules. It is through the agricultural pa- 

 per that the practices and experiments of others 

 are to be made known, even to the practical man ; 

 and to the young farmer, they are invaluable text 

 books, furnishing an outfit, as it were, to start him 

 in the voyage of life. If he is to plant an orchard, 

 all that long and expensive series of experiments 

 which others have gone through with may be 

 avoided, by studying the plain statement of some 

 one who has reduced it to writing and had it print- 

 ed, after a personal knowledge of what he writes ; 

 and so of every other branch of farming. Not 

 that this will be an infallible direction for all his 

 affairs, but like the guide-post, will point the right 

 way. lie must keep his eyes open, observing the 

 path indicated, and read, judge, and decide for him- 

 self. 



Intelligent labor on the farm is not sufficiently 

 appreciated among us. If help is boarded, it is 

 cheaper to pay $16 than $12 a month, if both 

 sums are alike earned ; for in one case we get. four 

 dollars worth more of labor in a single month, at 

 the same cost of board, than in the other. This 

 subject, in the course of the year, we propose to 

 present with some care. 



But we will not anticipate. The way will mi- 

 doubtedly be pleasant, cheered as it will be by ef- 

 forts cf usefulness, and the year, we trust, will be 

 one of progress and profit to all. So, as did- Cor- 

 poral Trim, after his "infinitely striking" speech, 

 "Are we not here now ; and are ive not gone ! in a 

 moment !" which caused Susannah to burst into a 

 flood of tears, and melted Jonathan, Obadiah and 

 the cookmaid, we pick up our hat and retire ! 



SALUTATIONS. 



The old chimney-pot hat we have entirely dis- 

 carded. It had some merits, but they were very 

 few. It nipt the head, leaving an ugly segment 

 on the forehead of livid, or purple, or red. It 

 loomed up so high, that if there were a star a little 

 lower than the rest, it was sure to brush its tail ; 

 and leaning the head against the window, and 

 catching a nap in the cars, with a chimney-pot hat, 

 was entirely out of the question ! Its advantages 

 were, that you might knock down a highwayman 

 with it, if you could find one, or he find you, pass 

 a river when you could not make the ferryman 

 hear your call, or use it for getting a crop of apples 

 or potatoes. We have rejected this old abomina^ 

 tion for the light, pliable, and symmetrical Kossuth, 

 (name of glorious memories !) But there is one 

 quality lacking in the Kossuth, which the old re- 

 jected possessed. We had imagined ourselves be- 

 fore our readers, now a company of more than one 

 hundred and twenty-five thousand strong, and were 

 attempting to bow to them with Pickwickian grace 

 and suavity — but the Kossuth would not be lifted, 

 it stuck like a burr, or clung to the head Hke a wet 

 night-cap. It could be forced into an oratorical 

 attitude, but would lop like a dead chicken's wing, 

 and hang at the ends of our dexter digits, the mo- 

 ment the impetus given it was gone. So, like Cor- 

 poral Trim, we dropt the hat, and wished the com- 

 pany A Happy Mew Year without it. 



Perhaps it was just as well. If the heart be 

 right, little will be cared for the hat. Accept, then, 

 once more, kind friends, our cordial salutations. 

 If the perusal of these pages has afi"orded you as 

 much pleasure as the gathering of them has us, 

 there will be no disposition to sunder the connec- 

 tion which it is hoped may long be continued. The 

 advantages desired are certainly mutual. While 

 you do not expect entire exemption from error, 

 we lay no claim to stores of learning, not accessi- 



AwARDiNG Premiums. — It is suggested by a 

 correspondent of the Ohio Fanner, that all Com- 

 mittees of Award be required to specify, in their 

 reports the individual merits and demerits of the 

 competing animals, and clearly state the points in 

 which the preferred animal excels. We believe 

 that the reports of Committees are very deficient 

 in this respect, and we are also aware of the diffi- 



