1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



523 



From the heights of Ehrenbreitstein, we had a fine 

 view of Coblentz on the opposite shore, at the con- 

 fluence of the Rhine and Moselle. The Romans 

 called the city "Confluentia," from the fact alluded 

 to. The view from this point is very magnificent, 

 extending over a beautiful, fertile region as far as 

 the mountains of Lorraine. The city of Coblentz 

 is strongly lortified, and contains about four thous- 

 and troop . and the fortress itself is said to have 

 cost five millions of dollars. We visited, among 

 other sights at Coblentz, a small monument in a 

 public square, which records the best official joke 

 in all the world. In the war between the French 

 and Russians in 1812, the French having posses- 

 sion of Coblentz, and feeling quite sure of victory, 

 erected the monument and inscribed on it the date 

 1812, and the words, "In memory of the campaign 

 against the Russians." Two years after, the city 

 being in possession of the Russians, their general, 

 instead of demolishing the monument, as anybody 

 else would have done, coolly added a postscript, in 

 the form commonly used in vise-ing a passport, as 

 follows : "Seen and approved by the Russian 

 Commander of Coblentz, 1814." The inscriptions 

 are both in French, but I give a literal translation. 

 But my letter is already too long, and the beau- 

 tiful Rhine must not be too hastily passed by. 



Yours as ever, H, F. French. 



CUTTING OFF COWS' TEATS. 



It is a very common thing for cows to have one 

 or two supernumerary teats, on the udder, just be- 

 hind the four teats, from which the milk is drawn. 

 These small teats are often very inconvenient and 

 troublesome in milking, on account of their diminu- 

 tive size and length ; and they are often &o near 

 the other teats, that when a calf is sucking it wil 

 draw mdk from both the large and small ones; and 

 then, after the calf is weaned, if the small teats 

 are not milked, there is a tendency to the inflam- 

 Doation of the udder. Four teats are enough for 

 any cow ; and that is the usual number for cows — 

 although we have seen six well developed teats on 

 the udder of a cow, the hindermost ones being 

 quite as large as the foremost ones. And, since a 

 cow will give no more milk from five or six teats 

 than from four, they had better by far be off the 

 udder than on it. 



I have a young cow that had five teats on her 

 udder, the fifth one being so close to the others as 

 to be very inconvenient about milking. The calf 

 would suck it, and it soon became as long as the 

 others. With no little hesitancy and doubt, we 

 ventured to try an experiment in cutting it off. — 

 About the first of May last, we tied the legs of the 

 cow, and then put a piece of common bonnet wire 

 around the teat, ind with the pliers twisted the 

 ends firmly together, so that the wire seemed buried 

 .n the teat. It was twisted up so tightly as to stop, 

 almost entirely, all circulation of the blood. The 

 wire was put on a'lout one-fourth of an inch from 

 the udder. The wire was annealed before using, 

 by allowing it to become red-hot in the fire when 

 the fire is about to go out, and to become cool, 



very gradually, as the fire disappears. Th's pro- 

 cess makes it very tough, so that it can be well 

 twisted. After the wire had been on about fifty 

 days, the teat dropped off, and gave us no more 

 trouble. The wire never produced any inflamma- 

 tion ; and the issue of the teat, which we feared 

 might not be well closed after the teal was cut off, 

 is completely healed over. — Cor. R. JV. Yorker. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE FAEMER'S SOKG. 



Mr. Editor :— The following "Song" was writ- 

 ten for a "Fair" held a few months since in a neigh- 

 boring town, and sung in the antiquarian kitchen, 

 which was adorned with a variety of ancient and 

 honorable relics and furniture, among them a table 

 which came over in the Mayflower in 1620. The 

 song may have some gpneral interest at this sea- 

 son, and if so, please insert it, and oblige, 



Yours, &c. H. H. 



THE FAKMEBS' SOWO-. 



Awake, and sing the song 



The Farmer loves so well j 

 Awake t the strain prolong, 



With full and hearty swell ; 

 In Eden's soil our work began, 

 And God the toil has blest -to mas. 



Ye tribes of Farmers, hail ! 



New England's pride and boast, 

 From every hill and vale, 



Far inland and the coast, — 

 Ye hardy throng of Farmers strong. 

 With heart and voice lead oB the song. 



Join, all ye Farmers' wives, 



And take the treble parts. 

 Ye blessings of our lives 



And captors of our hearts ! 

 Ye lovely throng of mothers dear, 

 Join in the song with hearty cheer. 



Ye daughters of the land, 



The Farners' pride and joy! 

 A choice and blooming band, 



So modest, fair and coy. 

 Ye beauteous throng of country girls, 

 With smiles and curls join in the song. 



Ye Farmer's sons, arise. 



The future good and great, 

 The learned and the wise. 



The pillars of the State ; 

 Ye ardent throng of Farmers young, 

 Join in the song with heart and tongue. 



Hark ! how the rural choir, 



Their joyful anthems raise, 

 While faith and love inspire 



The Harvest Hymn of praise ; 

 The happy throng of Farmers strong. 

 In concert raise the choral song. 



Almighty Father, Thou ! 



The source of life and joy, 

 Before thy throne we bow, 



While praise our tongues employ ; 

 In Thee we live, and to thy praise 

 Our lives we give, through all our days. 



The Pear Blight. — The black blight is report- 

 ed in various parts of the country as destroying 

 pear orchards. Little is known of this disease ; its 

 effects are seen in the blackening of the leaves and 



