1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



213 



heard of any man there "who desu-ed to come back 

 East to live. As to the article of wool, he said they 

 could get more, per pound, there, than the farmers 

 of Massachusetts can for theirs, although the latter 

 are by the side of the manufactories that use it. 



The discussion was quite an animating one, 

 drawing out the advocates of the respective locali- 

 ties in strong defence of them, and exciting the in- 

 terest of those who did not participate in the dis- 

 cussion to an unusual degree. The President an- 

 nounced the subject of the nest meeting to be, 

 "Fruits and Fruit Trees." 



For the New England Farmer. 



ABOUT HORSES. 



When railroads were first introduced, and heavy 

 teams and stages left the "great road," that had so 

 long been tenanted by a multitude of horses, it was 

 thought that these useful animals would become 

 almost as cheap as they are in some parts of South 

 America, where the beggars go mounted. But 

 how different the result, already. You can hardly 

 get a respectable horse for one hundred dollars, 

 now ; while for one that makes any pretensions to 

 grace or handsome movement, the price is — accor- 

 ding to the purse of the purchaser — all the way 

 from two to four hundred dollars. Horses have in- 

 creased in price tremendously, since the introduc- 

 tion of steam travelling and transportation. Peo- 

 ple travel more than they did in old stage times. 

 A certain part of most journeys is almost invaria- 

 bly made by the aid of horse power. One four- 

 horse coach used to leave Concord for Boston eve- 

 ry morni-ng. Now about eighty passengers by the 

 cars. These must be got to the depot with horses. 

 Then look at the freight. Since railroads begun 

 their great work of helping on the march of civili- 

 zation, what tons and tons of heavy matter pass in- 

 to the city, and from the city to the country, in the 

 convenient cars. This merchandise is usually trans- 

 ported at each end of ihe railroad route by horses. 



In addition to the inci rased number of horses 

 used about raihoads, a K^uch larger number are 

 kept employed on farms. It is found that a pair 

 of horses, for steady work on a level, clear farm, 

 are more profitable than a tean; v. ith horns. They 

 stand the heat better. They can he hurried when 

 work presses. They can be harnes.-f d into a great- 

 er variety of carriages and implemen'.s. The horse 

 plows, harrows, rolls, &c. ; he drags ihe cultivator, 

 the mowing machine, the horse rake ; gq,es to mill 

 and to meeting. 



An animal of such great usefulness deservps kind 

 attention. His food should be generous, his sta- 

 ble warm and comfortable, his harness soft and j (li- 

 able, and suitable for his work. It is a settled 

 fact that it is better to give a horse grain mixed 

 with hay or straw. The stomach of the animal is 

 adapted to grazing as well as to dry fodder, and 

 requires considerable bulk in the aliment, in order 

 to the exercise of its functions with ease. The 

 grain will be better digested, if mixed so that the 

 animal will he obliged to eat a less stimulating ar- 

 ticle with it. A horse kept in a warm stable will 

 consume less food than one in a loose, windy room. 

 Animal heat is kept up by the combustion of food, 

 as certainly a? the heat of a room is by the fire. 



Concord, Mass., Jan., 1851, Y\'. d. b. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Villas and Cottages. By Calvert Vaux. 

 Architect. Harper tS; Brothers, New York, — This 

 is a book of 318 pages, printed on fine paper with 

 large type, and is illustrated with 300 engravings. 

 Mr. Vaux was the partner of the late lamented 

 Downing, and has deservedly a wide reputation for 

 skill and taste in his profession. A short extract 

 from the preface of the book will show the reasons 

 for publishing. He says : 



"The accompanying designs have been prepared 

 within the last few years to respond to the varied 

 requirements of different parties who have asked 

 for them, and it is conceived, therefore, that they 

 may possibly represent, to some useful extent, to 

 those who are about to build in the country, the 

 accommodations and arrangements for convenience 

 that appertain to such buildings. They are not 

 brought before the public as model designs, to les- 

 sen the necessity for the exercise of individual 

 taste, but as far as possible to increase its activity." 



Those intending to build cannot fail to be great- 

 ly benefited by a careful examination of this and 

 similar works. 



The Anatomy and Phtsiologt of the Horse. 

 By George H. Dadd, Veterinary Surgeon. John 

 P. Jewett & Co. Boston, 291 pp.— The title in- 

 dicates what the book is ; at its close, there is ap- 

 pended a "Dictionary of Veterinary Science," which 

 would be valuable to any farmer. The work is in 

 Jewett & Co.'s excellent style, and we have no 

 doubt is one of merit, and therefore M-ish it an ex- 

 tended circulation. No man surpasses Dr. Dadd, 

 in devotion to the science which he has chosen to 

 pursue, and in which we think he is doing the 

 world good service. 



For the New England Fanner. 



"THE HEW ENGLAND EAEMES." 



Few words in the English language are more 

 expressive than those we have chosen for our head- 

 ing. None, perhaps, are more euphonious in sound, 

 or grateful to the sight. Like the words, mother 

 and home, they recall many pleasant memories, aad 

 beguile the tedium of life with their refreshing 

 melody. The JVeio England Farmer ! What a 

 substantial phrase ! How visions of comfort and 

 refinement rise to the mind. How the rural and 

 literary seem to blend, as the academy or school- 

 house nestles in the centre of the hamlet. How 

 the religious and secular appear to harmonize, as 

 the village church lifts its tall spire in the midst of 

 the farmers' hemes. How the quiet of the country 

 is modified by the bustle of the adjacent town or 

 city, and the gaiety of the city subdued by the 

 nearness of the sober country. Here labor and 

 pleasure meet in delightful communion, and nobili- 

 ty and economy seem compatible with each other. 

 Here the "plow, loom and anvil" are brought into 

 juxtaposition, and variety renders toil attractive, 

 and work pleasant. Here, too, society is fixed, 

 stable and well ordered. Here are religious, char- 

 itable and educational institutions in healthy opera- 

 lion. Here are old homesteads, and antique trea- 



