No. 4. 



Curious Phenomenon. — Remarks on Pichling. 



121 



only condition I shall exact of you is this — 

 that neither you nor yonr wife spend one 

 shilling, before taking it in your hand and 

 asking 3'ourselves, "can we possibly do with- 

 out spending thisl" and to your honesty I 

 leave the result 



The man consented, and purchased three 

 horses and six cows, and a fine large lot o 

 town dung, as indispensables, with some 

 improved tools, for he knew the value of 

 them. But when his jacket, for the third 

 time, was gone at the elbows, and his trou- 

 sers at the knees and behind, and his wife 

 thought she could no longer possibly mend 

 them, they conscientiously resorted to the 

 ordeal of the trial by the shilling, and or- 

 dered, that a piece of bed ticking, which his 

 wife had by her, would suit both purposes; 

 while the shirt, patched in the body so as 

 almost 10 resemble Joseph's coat, would be 

 quite as well without sleeves this hot w.ea- 

 ther, and shoes are useless when the wea- 

 ther is fine. His wife's gowns had become 

 much straightened, by cutting up one to 

 mend another; for, by the ordeal of the shil- 

 ling, it was found possible to do without 

 spending it in repairing pieces. In the 



ed my attention. Being out one morning on 

 aramble in my favourite pursuits,* I disco- 

 vered a specimen of a bird which I was de- 

 sirous of obtaining perched upon the loftiest 

 summit of a wliite birch tree, Belula populi- 

 folia. A discharge of the gun brought down 

 the bird, and when stooping to pick up my 

 game, I was nuich surprised at a continued 

 shower of rain, in large drops, oozing from 

 the bark of the branches of a large limb just 

 above my head: this continuing unabated, I 

 was forced to go from under the limb, to pre- 

 vent my powder being wet when re-loading. 

 As the leaves had not expanded, and the buds 

 had just begun to germinate, I took particu- 

 lar pains to investigate tlie matter, as the 

 sky was perfectly clear, and no more than 

 ordinary dew on the grass. The location of 

 the tree was near the base of a liigh hill, 

 the ground very moist, and studded over 

 with springs of water. The tree on exami- 

 nation proved to be of a healthy structure 

 throughout, and no appearance of water 

 dropping from the limbs of any other part of 

 the tree except the branch alluded to; this, 

 to all appearances, was sweating from every 

 twig and ramification, from the junction of 

 mean time, everything flourished out of Ithe limb with the main trunk to its termina- 



doors. The increased strength of teams 

 and dairy, the improved tools, and purchased 

 manures, had increased their means three- 

 fold ; and to lay by a dollar, was far more 

 pleasant than to spend it — a fine maxim 

 that.n 



Suffice to say, in far less time than his 

 friend, expected, he called on him, in his 

 patched clothes, to repay the borrowed mo- 

 ney; and to the question, how had he been 

 enabled so soon to do it"? he replied, "by 

 adding to my resources out of doors, and by 

 the rule of the shilling; but only see what 

 a figure I am!" adding, "to you I am in 

 debted for a secret which will enable me to 

 buy a farm instead of renting one." After 

 this, we would advise young farmers to 

 " Borrow all you can, and lend it to the 

 farm. Trust to it and the trial by the shil- 

 ling, and by the Divine blessing you will be- 

 come rich, and no mistake." — Boston Culti- 

 vator. 



Curious Phenomenon. 



Amid all the wonders which unfold them- 

 selves in the great temple of nature, there 

 are some in its arcanum which we can but 

 imperfectly comprehend or analyze. The 

 ascension and circulation of sap, to perfect 

 the growth and nutrition of plants, has em- 

 ployed some of the most able minds, witliout 

 arriving at any satisfactory conclusions. I 

 recollect, in the month of April, 1840, that 

 a phenomenon occurred to me which attract- 



tion. This continued for an hour, and I left. 

 Returning that way late in the afternoon, 

 the raining from the limb had but slightly 

 diminished, presenting nearly the same ap- 

 pearance as M'licn I left in the morning. By 

 what law this singular ascension of the 

 aqueous fluid could have taken place in a 

 separate limb of the tree, I am not able to 

 answer. — Hovey's Magazine. 



Remarks on Pickling. — The season is 

 approaching for preparing pickles and pre- 

 serves for home consumption, and a friend at 

 our elbow gives us a hint to caution our 

 thrifty housewives to be careful iYi their se- 

 lection of vessels to be used in this business, 

 as common earthen or potter's ware is dan- 

 gerous to health on account of its being 

 glazed with lead, which all acids will cor- 

 rode or dissolve — and by this means it be- 

 comes mixed with our aliment, the effect of 

 which on the health of individuals cannot 

 but be sensibly felt. Vessels made of glass 

 or stone ware, are decidedly the best for 

 pickles and preserves — and even wood may 

 be used for pickles with good effect. Vessels 

 of large size should not be used for these 

 purposes — the smaller the better — for it 

 should be opened and exposed to the air as 

 seldom as possible. — Boston Jovrnal. 



* He is a distinguished ornithotngist, and has fur- 

 nished several hundred beautifully prepared specimens 

 of birds from Florida to Maine, for the museum of the 

 Natural History Society in Portland.— if. ^5. S. D. 



