1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



cal condition of the human race, and therofoi-e in- 

 directlj' refined and enlightened mankind. But 

 this is only tlie ultimate, not the proximate result. 

 Nor is it without alloy. And to a certain exten* 

 the effect of machinery in this direction is enerva- 

 ting and sensualizing. It advances civilization in 

 its physical aspect, ))ut not in its moral, intellec- 

 tual, and religions ones. It fosters less the spir- 

 itual and mrntal part of humanity than that ba- 

 ser part Avhich is 'of the earth, earthy.' But ma- 

 chinery, regarded as a means to banish man's 

 slavery to toil, hy substituting brain-work for the 

 labor of the hand, is the high road to that fuller 

 and more perfect development of society, which 

 poets have painted, philosophers predicted, and 

 revelation, it is believed by many, expressly prom- 

 ised." 



For the New England Farmer. 



SOUTH DOWN SHEEP. 



Mr. Editor : — I read last evening in the Far- 

 nier the discussion on sheep, and was somewhat 

 interested. I keep South Downs, and like them 

 much ; they are quiet, thrifty and handsome, with- 

 al. I sold one of my neighbors 26, last fall, and 

 a short time since I called to see them, and they 

 had 48 as fine lambs as need be ; one sheep had 

 three, and all doing well. I sold the wether lambs 

 from them last year at $4 per head, to the butch- 

 er — my nei^^hbor will probably get more than that 

 for them this year, (and there is no doubt at all 

 but he can, if he chooses.) We will say that he 

 get $200 for lambs, and allow say $40 — a low fig- 

 ure — for wool, gives $240, a handsome return from 

 only 2d slieep. The sheep were nearly all half 

 Idood, except three, perhaps, that were nearly full 

 bred. I have a flock of full blood consisting of 30 

 tliat have now living, and about two months old, 

 48 lambs (if I count right) the same number as 

 mj- neighbor gets from his 20 mixed breed. The 

 mixed breeds seem as hardy, and about ns produc- 

 tive, as the full bloods; perhaps they are more 

 pi'ofltable for practical purposes, as they generally 

 shear considerably heavier fleeces. I get more for 

 my lambs when I sell them, on account of the 

 breed. I sold all the bucks I had last year, at pri 

 ces varying for 7 or 8 to 25 dollars, as for quality 

 and size, and bouglitone of L. G.Morris for $50 

 I have this year a few nice lambs sired by an im 

 ported buck now owned by J. Tiiorne, of Duchess 

 Co., that sold in England for $050.; they are good 

 lambs, but a stranger could not, I think, select 

 them from among the others. T. B. Buffum. 



Newport, R. I., 1854. 



Lasting Eikects of Heat. — The French, during 

 the time their army remained under Bonaparte in 

 the Holy I^and, constructed two very large ovens 

 in the castle of Tiberias. Two years had clafLsed 

 at the time of our arrival since they had sot fire to 

 their granary ; and it was considered a miracle I)y 

 the inhabitants of Tiberias, that the combustion 

 was not extinguished. We visited the place, and 

 perceived that whenever the ashes of the burned 

 corn were stirred hy thrusting a stick among them 

 sparks were even then glowing throughcjut tlie 

 heap, and a pi-j'-e of wood being left tlierebecauui 

 charred. The heat in those vaulted chambers 

 where the corn had been destroyed was still very 

 great. — Clarke's Travel. 



THE poor AUGER. 



Digging post holes with a 

 common spade is a some- 

 what slow and fatiguing 

 operation ,and may ba much 

 facilitated with a good post 

 auger, such as is represented 

 above. This auger is used 

 in a way similar to the com- 

 mon auger for boring tim- 

 ber, and with it post holes 

 are readily made in sand, 

 loam, clay or alluvial soils. 

 We hope it may not be ob- 

 jected to because its con- 

 struction is a little more 

 scientific than the spade. 

 The high price of labor 

 urges W5, at any rate, to 

 avail ourselves of all the la- 

 bor-saving implements tlia 

 we can. 



For the A'cio England Farmer. 



WELL-DIGGING. 



Bletoxism. The faculty of perceiving and in- 

 dicating subterranean springs and currents by 

 sensation; so called from one Bleton, of France, 

 who was sujiposed to possess this fiiculty. Wil-i 

 Dr. Webster, in loco. 



Bletoxist. One who has the faculty of per- 

 ceiving subterranean springs by sensation. Vide 

 Dr. Worcester. 



As acknowledged, there are more things in 

 heaven and earth than our philosophy has hither- 

 to dreamed of, the probable presumption arises 

 that the idea involved in the above terms and defi- 

 nitions is not a mere chimera, but a fixed fact 

 which may be rendered suljservient to the general 

 good. 



Let certain persons take a "fork" of cherry, 

 peach, hazel, willow, or the like, of one or two 

 years growth, full of sap, and so hold the extrem- 

 ities, firmly grasped in tlie hands, tliat the fork 

 will be upward ; when they come into the vicinity 

 of a spring of living water, the fork will bend to- 

 ward it, and when the person stands immediately 

 over tlie water, the rod will point directly down- 

 ward . 



In the hands of others, the fork, or a "divining 

 rod" prepared for the i^urpose, Avill turn//7)/n, in- 

 stead of /« the water, yet will indicate its locality 

 with nearly equal exactness. 



A good Bleton ist Avill also discover silver, iron 

 and other ores by means of tlie rod, and persons 

 often amuse cadi other by hiding a half-dollar in 

 the ground, within a proscribud limit, and the di- 

 viner finding it with luinost absolute certainty. 



As intimated tlure are only certain persons, in 

 whose hands the rod will work, and in some of 

 these, not at all times ; it therefore becomes an 



