336 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



The man who can take hold of the handles of 

 such plows as I have seen, and not look back, must 

 be one wl^sc mind is so absorbed in the word ntil- 

 f7y that he tliinks of nothing but the fattening of 

 his land as each turning furrow scrapes guano 

 from his plow, not even joerceiving the increase of 

 his own weight, liy an external application of the 

 same material upon his hands. 



I do not believe man was placed here to spend 

 his whole time in procuring gold with Avliich to 

 enlarge his farm, for what prolitcth it a man if he 

 gain the whole township and lose his own happi- 

 ness? The farmer who would keep his children 

 at home, shouldneglcct nothing within his means 

 to make his home attractive. Let neatness and 

 order manifest itself in every department ; let him 

 beautify wliat he already possesses, rather than 

 enlarge hi.s farm, and thus make his home so at- 

 tractive that his children no longer seek the arti- 

 ficial beauties of the city, bat become satisfied 

 with the purer and superior attractions of their 

 rural home. There is perh.aps no class better able 

 to make their homes attractive than the farmer, 

 but in his eagerness to acquire more territory he 

 often fails to perceive it. 



I could name individuals who own hundreds of 

 acres of land, but cannot sp-are a rod for a flower- 

 garden for their daughtere, or an acre for an or- 

 chard for their sons, and yet lament that their 

 daughters yearn to be tending the loom of some 

 manufacturing company, and their sons the coun- 

 ter of some city merchant. 



I cannot but hope that the time is fast approach- 

 ing when the farmer will be as eager to satisfy 

 the wants of his family, as he now is those of a 

 stranger, and thus make his home a happy one, 

 and his children contented. E. Hersey. 



Hingham, Mass. 



For the Ne2v England Farmer. 



WINTER IN MISSISSIPPI. 



A winter in Mississippi has none of those exhi- 

 larating accompaniments which characterize a 

 New P^ngland winter ; no merry eleigh-bells, no 

 skating, q0 coasting. One never sees here, moth- 

 er earth, covered with her pure, snowy mantle; 

 or the trees hung with glittering crystals. Yet, a 

 winter in Mississippi is not without its charms. 

 If it has not a coronet of diamonds, it wears a 

 wreath of roses. Winter in Mississippi is like 

 life itself, a strange mingling of sunshine, clouds 

 and rain. Now, the genial suu warms into life 

 and beauty the slumbering rose-buds, and the 

 gardens are blooming with hyacinths, narcissus, 

 and other varieties of the bulbous family. The 

 forests, too, are interspersed with evergreens ; the 

 dark, rich magnolia, with its lustrous foliage glis- 

 tening in the sunsliinc ; the brighter, more cheer- 

 ful holly, witli its coral berries, the hopea, water- 

 oak, with a variety of others, peculiar to this lati- 

 tude ; so that, although many of the trees shed 

 their leaves in autumn, the forests never wear 

 that aspect of desolation, that they do in colder 

 climates, during the winter months. Then, too, 

 there arc miles, and miles of hedge, made of the 

 beautiful, evergreen, Cherokee rose. One of the 

 most pleasing features of a southern landscape in 

 February, is tlie yellow jessamine, its evergreen 

 foliage, contrasting beautifully, with its profu- 

 sion of golden blossoms ; perfuming the air with 



a delicious fragrance resembling heliotrope. Each 

 particular flower, viewed separately, is not strik- 

 ingly beautiful ; but the vine itself, twining 

 around the fence corners, or hanging in graceful 

 festoons from the smaller trees, laden with sweet 

 blossoms, has a charming effect. The variety ©f 

 the feathered tribe adds another beauty to our 

 winter scene. Besides the gay red-bird, mocking- 

 bird, and other birds peculiar to the South, we 

 have some dear little robins from good old Mas- 

 sachusetts. Who knows but they are the very 

 ones that build their nest, every year, in the old 

 elm, that shades our own "Beloved IlomeV 



But all is not sunshine in Mississippi. Winter 

 has its clouds and storms. The to-day, so bright 

 and beautiful, is succeeded by a dark to-morrow. 

 The pattering of the rain-drops is the first sound 

 that greets the ear in the morning, and it lulls 

 you to slumber at night. Day after day, the rain 

 comes down. Then the weather gradually be- 

 comes colder, and colder, and at last the clouds 

 are dissipated, and the glorious sun shines forth 

 in all his splendor. Then follow tliree white frosts, 

 then a few days of warmth and sunshine, then a 

 rain. Winter does not put a stop to the work on 

 a plantation. The negroes are busy, plowing, 

 making fences', and clearing land, to be in readi- 

 ness to plant t'he corn and cotton in the spring. 

 Christmas comes once a year, and is observed with 

 fcitivitics corresponding to Thanksgiving in New 

 England. There is a Avhole week of holidays, 

 which the servants enjoy vastly, in a succession of 

 parties and visiting. There is a fiddler on almost 

 every plantation, and music, and dancing are eu- 

 joyc'l with as keen a relish in the cabin l)y torch- 

 light, as in the brilliantly illuminated ball-room. 



Houses in Mississippi are not built so much in 

 reference to comfort in winter, as in summer, and 

 stoves are regarded as abominations, not to be tol- 

 erated. 



In a cold day, a cheerful fire is blazing on the 

 hearth, but there is such a mania for fresh air, 

 that the doors and windows must be wide oj^en, so 

 there is no danger of being too warm. Happily, 

 however, the very cold days are few, and far be- 

 tween. 



Of the amusements, and pleasui-es of winter on 

 a plantation, 1)ut little can be said. The gentle- 

 men arc great huntsmen, and unrivalled equestri- 

 ans, and the ladies, too, are fond of riding on horse- 

 back. But there are no lyceums, or concerts, so 

 that we are dependent on our own resources for 

 enjoyment. M. e. s. 



Kcl/eriown, Miss., May, 1854:. 



Remauks. — We are glad that the intelligent 

 daughters of Massachusetts still retain an interest 

 in the columns they were in the habit of perusing 

 before becoming citizens of the West. We shall be 

 irlad to hear from "M. E. S." again. 



To C0RRR.SPONDENTS. — A "Farmer" will find 

 our views briefly expressed in another part of the 

 paper, iu relation to the subject upon which he 

 writes. Perhaps he has written under some mis- 

 understanding of the article which he criticises. 

 Several inquiries and valuable communications are 

 on hand, which shall receive attention. 



