90 



NEW ENGLAND F.\RMER. 



Feb. 



No church-yard could be more quiet now than thir-. 

 Step, step, step, softly and quietly, they file into 

 their places. At a single shrill note, all turn to 

 the tables, and with the ends of the fingers of the 

 right hand resting upon them, and the head slight- 

 ly inclined forward, they repeat a formula — "Mer- 

 ciful Father, make us thankful for this food, and 

 for all our blessings ; may it strengthen and refresh 

 us. For Christ's sake. Amen." Then, with mili- 

 tary precision, all sit down. Boiled rice with mo- 

 lasses, and plenty of cold water, makes their frugal 

 meal ; but they ate, as they played, with a will. 



About twenty minutes are occupied in eating, and 

 then they assume what is called "the first position" 

 — that is, each boy sits uprightly, and places his 

 hands in his lap, then all rise and pass out in the 

 same order in which they entered. A few moments 

 •were then given to play, and all left for the school 

 rooms. 



There are four of these, fitted with modern desks, 

 seats, black-boards and maps. We visited each 

 school, and felt a glow of gratitude that these un- 

 fortunates were in such admirable training. At half 

 past six the Chaplain entered — the folding doors 

 being opened and two school rooms thrown togeth- 

 er, — and said, "We will repeat the first psalm, 

 which was done slowly and distinctly, and with ap- 

 parent unction. A portion of Scripture was then 

 read, and the Chaplain closed with a short and fer- 

 vent prayer. Then all stood, dumb as statues, so 

 that the ticking of the clocks were plainly heard, un- 

 til a signal, scarcely recognized by the spectator, 

 announced that they might move. They then re- 

 paired to the two great halls, or dormitories, each 

 containing three hundred beds. Along one side of 

 the hall are three rows of sleeping apartments, each 

 about four by ten feet ; the two upper tiers are ap- 

 proached by stair cases and galleries. The upper 

 portion of the door has an open space, but crossed 

 by slight iron rods ; the doors were all thrown back 

 against the ceiling. Each boy went directly to his 

 room, and laid his right hand on the opening at the 

 top. On the other side of the hall were two rows 

 of berths, three tiers high, and those boys who did 

 not go to the small rooms now stood in a straight 

 line in front of the berths. Then, with eyes closed, 

 and head slightly depressed, there arose a whisper 

 which filled the vast room, soft, but articulate and 

 harmonious — "Our Father tvhich art in Heaven, 

 hallowed be thy name ; thy kingdom come; thy will 

 be done on earth as it is done in Heaven. Give us 

 this day our daily bread, andforgive our trespasses 

 as ive forgive those ivho trespass against us. Lead 

 us not into temptation, but deliver xisfrom evil: for 

 thine is the kingdom, the power and glory forever. 

 Amen." 



A slight pleasant sound was now heard, like that 



the sharp click of the spring-lock followed, and si- 

 lence reigned supreme. The boys were left to their 

 thoughts, and dream«, and slumbers, until the great 

 bell should disturb them again at 5 o'clock on the 

 following morning. 



The people of Massachusetts may he taunted as 

 "mere pedlcrs, and publishers, and artizims — as 

 Greeks to do the bidding of the noble Komans," 

 but her institutions speak what she is, and have 

 already gained the meed of praise from the civilized 

 and good every where. 



For the New England Farmer. 



COTSWOLD SHEEP. 



An Old Acquaintance of the Publisher— A Progressive Age — 

 Canals— Raih'oads — Shelter of Animalf — Devon and Dur- 

 ham Cattle — Cotswold Sheep — Profits cf Kaising thim — Im- 

 plements — Eagle Pioir, No. 73j. 



Fkiend Nourse: — Since the ever memorable 

 Union Plowing Match, at Bridgeport, at which 

 time I first made your acquaintance, I have seen or 

 heard little of you, except through our agricultural 

 papers, esj ecially the JWw England Farmer. 



Since the publication of that journal commenced, 

 what changes have taken place in our country! 

 At that time, not a canal or railroad had been con- 

 structed in all the land. Now, instead of stages 

 conveyed by horse ])ower, over rough and hilly 

 roads, we can take our seat by a warm stove and 

 whirl away at the rate of forty to fifty miles per 

 hour, to almost any part of our countrj'. 



In agriculture, too, the change has been scarcely 

 less visible. Then, who ever thought of a cellarto 

 a barn, or any other shelter for our domestic ani- 

 mals from the chilly blasts of winter than the south 

 side of a rail fence, or at best, a stone wall ? Who 

 had ever thought of converting a load of swamp 

 muck into a first-rate load of manure ? Now, who 

 that is worthy of the name of a progressive ftirmer, 

 builds a barn without a cellar, over which his cattle 

 are placed out of the reach of a drop of rain or a 

 flake of snow, and in which scores if not hundreds 

 of loads of muck are planed as an absorbent of the 

 liquid portion of manure ? The products of almost 

 any barn may be doubled in five years by this 

 method of saving and manufacturing of manure. 



The beautiful Devon and Durham cattle, which 

 now grace the farm-yards of so many of our mod- 

 ern agriculturists, give evidence cf progress in this 

 branch of agriculture, especially when compared 

 with the long-legged, hump-hacked, slab-sided 

 brutes so often seen in former years. 



In nothing is ]n-ogress more visible than in some 

 of the improved breeds of mutton sheep. The 

 noble Cotswold, varying in live weight from two to 

 four himdred pounds, v,'hose kind and orderly dis- 

 position, together with his great weight, are a sure 

 preventive against rambling or jumping, when 

 compared with the little inferior Saxony, varying 

 in live weight from fifty to seventy-five or a hund- 

 red pounds, shows a vast improvement. 



For the last seven years I have been breeding 

 the Cotswolds. I have now on hand several two- 

 year old wethers, weighing over two hundred 

 pounds each, and a pair of twin lambs, seven months 

 old, weighing one hundred and ten pounds each, 



