THE GENESEE FARMER. 



11 



the beak, feet and wings ; and each little workman 

 finds it necessary for its sustenance to swallow daily 

 ftn amount of matter equal to the weight of its 

 own body. * * * * * . * * 



" Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, being 

 very found of cherries, one day ordered a general 

 crusade against the spairow tribe, some of them 

 having ventured to peck <it liis favorite fruit. A 

 price of 6 pfennings a brace wa? set on them ; con- 

 sequently throughout Prussia the war was briskly 

 carried on, and so successfully tliat at the end of 

 two years not only were cherries wanting, but 

 most other fruits. The trees were covered with 

 caterpillars, and completely stripped of leaves ; 

 insects had increased to a most alarming extent, 

 for otlier birds had been frightened away by the 

 extraordinary measures taken mainly against the 

 sparrows. The great king was obliged to confess 

 to himself that he had not the power to alter that 

 which had been ordained by a still greater King 

 than he, and that all attempts at violence and 

 wrong were sooner or latter avenged. He retracted 

 his decree, and was even oblised, at a considerable 

 expense, to import sparrows from afar ; for these 

 being birds of obstinately sedentary habits, would 

 never have returned of their own accord. 



" Reader, take the work of preservation to heart ! 

 You have looked into the admirable economy of 

 Nature which God has so wisely ordained and or- 

 ganised, maninfesting His power even amidst the 

 most minute objects. Contribute to the utmost of 

 your power to maintain that order : it is both pious 

 and wise to do so! 



"Feed and protect these birds: they will enliven 

 your courtyards and gardens; they will come to 

 you in filll confidence, and await the crumbs given 

 by your hands ; they will build nests in your bushes 

 and amuse you by their activity and solicitude for 

 their young ; they will charm your ears with their 

 songs of Joy and gratitude; and if throughout 

 the land they find both protection and comfort, 

 bhey will largely and in a most striking manner 

 requite the benefits received by proving themselves 

 to be the most faithful protectors of your fields and 

 Forests, orchards and gardens, and of cultivation 

 in general." 



Next we have a very interesting article on 

 "Portable Manures and their Home Manufacture," 

 by A. S. Maxwell, He gives the result of some 

 sxperiments with different manures on turnips, in 

 tvhioh South American or pTiospTiatic Guano gives 

 the best crops— showing as all experiments do, the 

 Talue of phosphates for the turnips. 



There are many other able articles in the Journal, 

 to which we may allude in a future number. 



Pkepakation of Flax. — A corres]iondent of the 

 Montreal Eerald says it has been discovered that 

 in Lower Canada flax can be prepared for the mill 

 with very little trouble or expense by a mode which 

 answers as well as steeping ; and that is, to spread 

 the flax on a meadow in December, and allow it to 

 remain on the ground until April. The snow rots 

 it eftectually, and when tlie snow goes off in April 

 the flax is found to be clean and dry, ready for 

 ciarting to the scutch mill, without any expense 

 worth mentioning. 



CAKE OF YOUNG > TOOK IN WINTEK. 



A FEW days since a friend of ours, a man of much 

 experience, who takes great delight in agriculture, 

 a Doctor of Divinity, withal, and a dear lover of 

 " dumb creatures,"' said to us, " There is one thing 

 I wish you would do: write an article about 

 the shameful way farmers treat their young stock. 

 If I was an agricultural editor I would lash them 

 soundly." 



" Why, Doctor," we replied, " what is the 

 matter ? I thought farmers were improving in this 

 respect — it is certainly to their interest to treat 

 their stock kindly, give them good shelter and 

 plenty of food." 



" They have improved very much in one thing. 

 They have found out that if they want a cow to 

 give plenty of rich milk, they must give her plenty 

 of rich food ; but in regard to their young stocky 

 they are as thoughtless as ever. They need a real 

 flogging." 



Our friend is right. It is as unprofitable as it is 

 cruel to starve young animals. They never get 

 over it. Better put the old ones on short com- 

 mons. They can stand it, on a pinch. But young 

 animals are growing, and need plenty of good food 

 to furnish bones and sinews. We believe in the 

 importance of a good pedigree, but it must be ad- 

 mitted that there is much truth in the proverb 

 "the breed goes in at the mouth;" and this is 

 especially the case while the animals are young. 



Our friend, the Doctor, thought that poor hay- 

 deranged the stomach and bowels of yonng ani- 

 mals, checked their growth and seriously impaired 

 their future health. He is a great advocate of 

 " meal pudding," and his face brightened as he told 

 of a calf which he sold for $40, raised on skimmed 

 milk and corn-meal, and of a pig which he had just 

 killed, nine months old, that weighed 347 lbs., fat- 

 tened on the same toothsome food. He does not 

 believe in potato- parings, pumpkins and similar 

 watery trash for fattening purposes. " All very 

 well," he said, "for store pigs, but they do a fat 

 pig more harm than good." 



The Doctor may be right, or he may be wrong 

 in this opinion, but he is certainly right in thinkin« 

 that a young animal can not grow without a good 

 supply of nutritious food. We do not advocate 

 keeping young stock in close, warm, stables. They 

 need fresh air and a little exercise ; at the same time 

 they should not be exposed to the cold storms of 

 our northern winters. A good shed, at least, 

 should always be provided. 



