224 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



STANZAS. 



BI BERNARD BARTON. 



The flnwret's bloom is faded, 

 Its glossy leaf grown sere ; 

 The landscape round is shaded 

 Z-- By winter's frown austere. 



The dew, once sparkling lightly 

 On grass of freshet green. 



In heavier drops unsightly, 

 On matted weeds is seen. 



No songs of joy to gladden. 

 From leafy woods emerge ; 



But winds, in tones that sadden. 

 Breathe Nature's mournful dirge. 



All sights and sounds appealing, 

 Through merely outward sense, 



To joyful thought and feeling. 

 Seem now departed hence. 



But not, with such, is banish'd 

 The bliss that life can lend ; 



Nor with such things hath vanish'd 

 Its truest, noblest end I 



The toys that charm and leave us. 

 Are fancy's fleeting elves ; 



All that should glad or grieve us 

 Exists within ourselves I 



Enjoyment's genuine essence 

 Is virtue's godlike dower; 



Its most triumphant presence 

 Illumes the darkest hour. 



MISCELLANY. 



COMETS. 

 The following remarks are extracted from an English 



work. 'lh(y n-Ar to some observations which had 



been made by Dr. Hcrschel on the Comet of 1811. 

 [Proxidrncc &'o~e/(£. 



The Comet of 1807, in its approach lo (he 

 sun advanced within sixty one millions of miles 

 of it, iind its tiiil, when lonjjrst, covered an ex- 

 tent of nine millions of miles. The lale Com- 

 et, in its perihelion did not [lass so near the sun 

 by about thirty six millions of miles, heino- a- 

 bout two thirds only of the closest approxi'ma- 

 tion of the preceding, and nevertheless acquir- 

 ed a tail of upwards of a hundred of millions of 

 miles. Blay we not then conclude, as he sug- 

 gests, that the consolidation of the comet of 

 1807, when it reached its perihelion, had alrea- 

 dy been carried to a much greater degree of 

 density than that of the last comet, by some 

 former approach to our sun, or some similarly 

 constructed celestial bodies, such as we have 

 reason to believe the fixed stars to be ? And 

 that comets may pass round other suns than ours, 

 IS rendered probable from our not knowing- 

 with certainty as yet, the return of more tha^n 

 one comet among the great number that have 

 been observed ? 



Deguignes enumerates two or three hundred 

 comets mentioned by Chinese writers. Doubts 

 however, have since been thrown upon the au- 

 thorities relerred to. 



Extensive as are orbits of comets, from their 

 eccentricity they have sometimes approached 

 much nearer to the sun than any of the'^pla.^ts 

 ior the comet oi 1680 when at its perihelion 

 ^as at the distance of only one-sixth of the sun' 



diameter from its surface. Yet from the very 

 inconsiderable density of their enormous tails, 

 and even of the greater part of the nucleus it- 

 self, should if ever happen to a planet, of which 

 there is but very little probability, to fall exact- 

 ly in the way of a comet, it is supposed that the 

 inconvenience snflTered by the inhabitants of the 

 planet might be msrely temporary and local : 

 the chances are however, much greater, that a 

 comet might interfere in such a manner with a 

 planet, as to deflect it a little from its course, 

 and retire again without coming actually into a 

 contact with it. 



Nearly 500 comets are recorded to have 

 been seen at different times, and the orbits of 

 about a hundred have been correctly ascertained : 

 hut we have no opportunity of observing a suf- 

 ficient portion of the orbit of any comet, to 

 determine with accuracy the whole of its form 

 as an ellipsis, since the part which is within 

 the limits of our observation does not sensibly 

 differ from the parabola, which would be the 

 result of an ellipsis prolonging without end. 



Two comets at least, or perhaps, three, have 

 been recognized in their return, — A comet 

 appeared in 1770, which Prosperin suspected 

 to move in an orbit materiallv different from a 

 parabola ; Mr. Lexell determined its period to 

 be 5 years and 7 months, and its extreme dis- 

 tances to be between the orbits of Jupiter and 

 of Mercury; but it does not appear that any 

 subsequent observations have confirmed his the- 

 ory. 



CHRYSTALLIZATION OF WATER. 

 The chrystallization of water under the form 

 of those night frosts which so much prevail dur- 

 ing the early spring, and which are of such im- 

 portant service in assisting the operations of 

 agriculture, by rendering" the surface of the 

 earth mellow, and better susceptible of the ma- 

 nure that is necessary to it, are greatly assisted 

 and in many cases entirely brought about bv 

 the intervention of moonlight. It is well known, 

 that, under certain circumstances, water will 

 sink to the temperature of 22 degrees before 

 it freezes, or takes the form ofchrystals. Indeed 

 it will invariably do so in the absence of any 

 mechanical agitation, and in the absence oflight. 

 It is an unquestionable fact, but one which 

 has not been observed generally, or attended 

 to, that during that period of the year which 

 has been alluded to, and indeed other periods, 

 before the moon rises on a still clear night, 

 when the atmosphere is at a lower temperature 

 than 32, the water remains in a liquid state. 

 but immediately on the moon rising, and diffus- 

 ing its light around, the water freezes, and per- 

 forms the salutary offices required of it, without 

 subjecting us to the severity of a low tempera- 

 ture. — Gurnetfi Lectures on Chemistry. 



Suffocation of Infants. — Infant children are too 

 frequently exposed to risks of suffocation, from 

 the imprudent covering of their mouths by 

 their nurses. The accession of air to theiV 

 lungs is thus prevented, and death ensues ; for 

 every animal destroys the air it breathes, and 

 an infant requires (he circidaiion of at least a 

 gallon of air a minute. Deprived of this circu- 

 ladon, (he air in the lungs loses its elasticity, 

 the action of those primary (ugans is stopped; 

 audit is in vain that the little victim gasps un- 

 seen, till death puts an end to its suftering. At 



a riper age, when the frame is endued w 

 more strength, and a consciousness of the ca 

 of suffering is entertained, the struggles of c 

 dren to escape from sullocation by means 

 cloths thrown over their faces, may be comn- 

 ly observed, and should be received as lessi 

 It is but a little time since a poor woman w; 

 ing, in a storm of wind, between Hunsdon ; 

 Ware, sheltered her infant so effectually v 

 her cloak, that melancholy to tell, on her ar 

 al at the end of her journey, the child, wh 

 she had .fancied asleep was dead. — Lon. par 



FOR THE KEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



APHORISMS. 

 Ptiches. — A competency is truly desira 

 and should diligently be sought for. But gr 

 riches cause great care, and those who 

 " careful about many things," may endure, 

 cannot enjoy their existence. 



Temperance in Labor and Study. — A man i 

 be too ardent even in laudable pursuits, 

 depriving himself ol rest and refreshment 

 lays a foundation for years of languor and f 

 The laborious student should recollect that n 

 tal excellence cannot exist after the constitu 

 is destroyed by mental exertion. 



The valve of Praise. — Praise is to he estii 

 ed according to the source from which if oi 

 nates. It may be flattery of fools, atid the 

 clamations of the vicious, and if so it if 

 much to he deprecated as the censure of 

 wise and virtuous. 



Useful Learning. — Human intellect has 

 bounds, and no one man can lake an accu 

 "urvey of the whole field of science. A ch 

 iheti should be made of such objects of insi 

 lion as are most likely to fit the pupil foi 

 part which he will probably be called to ai 

 life. Agesilaus being asked what chile' 

 -hould learn, replied, " What may be of ufr 

 them when grown up to be men." 



ANECDOTE. 

 An unfortunate man, who had never di 

 water enough to warrant the disease, wa; 

 duced (o such a state by dropsy, that consi 

 lion of the physicians was held upon his c 

 They decided that tapping was indispensa 

 and the poor patient was induced to subm' 

 the operation, notwithstanding the entreafie 

 his son, a boy of seven years old. " Oh, p; 

 papa ! do not let them tap you !" screamed 

 urchin in an agony of fear, "do any thing, , 

 do not let them tap you!" "Why my deU 

 <aid the parent, " it will do me good, and If 

 live long in health to make you happy." <^: 

 lather, no, you will not; there never waij 

 thing tapped in our house that lasted morfft' 

 a week." ': 



TERMS OF THE FARMER^ 



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JOB PRINTING 



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