558 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



provers and manufactures of these implements,! of his heels or his teeth. In play the ears will be 

 and not' to the mere dealers. A simple " dealer "laid back, but not so decidedly nor so long. A 



' " quick change in their position, and more partic- 

 ularly the expression of the eye .it the time, will 

 distinguish between playfulness and vice. 



The hearing of the horse is remarkably acute. 

 A tliousand vibrations of the air, too slight to 

 make any impression on the human ear, are 

 readily perceived by him. It is well known to 

 every hunting man, that the cry of hounds will 

 be recognized by the horse, and his ears will be 

 erect, and he will be all spirit and impatience, a 

 considerable time before the rider is conscious of 

 the least sound. — The Horse and his Eider. 



in farm implements and machines, buys and sell 

 these articles to farmers at a " profit," and lives 

 by it; of course this does not entitle him to the 

 premiums that may be given on these implements 

 and machines, as they belong to the inventor and 

 manufacturer. If a dealer is an inventor and 

 maker of these implements as well as seller, then, 

 of course, he is entitled to the " merit" of his 

 own productions. But this is not all. A dealer 

 or operator in agricultural machines, if he get 

 up a good exhibition of farm implements at a 

 " Fair," should be rewarded by a special or dis- 

 cretionary premium by the committee. But the 

 premiums properly belong to the inventors and 

 manufacturers of such tools and machines. 



If this principle be carried out of giving pre- 

 miums to dealers and buyers instead of inventors, 

 how long will it be before inventors and improvers 

 will say, it is very little use for us to invent and 

 bring out new tools, because "buyers and fore- 

 etallers " get all the profits and glory? I have 

 found that inventors and manufacturers of im 

 plements often think more of a premium or 

 diploma awarded to them, than three times the 

 price of the tools. This is all very natural, be- 

 cause it shows that their skill and inventive 

 genius has been appreciated by the" public at 

 large. This principle is of more consequence, 

 taking it in this connection, than many of us are 

 ■willing to believe. There might have been awards 

 made in other departments at our " Fair " quite 

 as indirectly or injudiciously as in this case, but 

 in all cases they were made in honor without 

 doubt. Yours truly, L. Durand. 



Derby, Ct., Oct., 1854. 



THE HOESE KNOWN BY HIS EARS. 



The size, position, and motion of the ears of a 

 horse are important points. Those rather small 

 than large, placed not too far apart, erect and 

 quick in motion, indicate both breeding and 

 spirit ; and if a horse is in the frequent habit of 

 carrying one ear forward and the other backward, 

 and especially if he does so on a journey, he will 

 generally possess both spirit and continuance. — 

 The stretcliing of the ears in contrary. dirnotJ<»;o 

 shows that he is attonhi-o to everything that is 

 passive -..otina him, and while he is doing this 

 he cannot be much fatigued, nor likely soon to 

 become so. 



It has been remarked that few horses sleep 

 without pointing one ear forward and the other 

 backward, in order that they may receive notice 

 of the approach of objects in any direction. — 

 When horses or mules march in company at night, 

 those in froist direct their ears forward ; and those 

 in the middle of the train turn them laterally, thus 

 to be actuated by one feeling which watches 

 their general safety. 



The ear of the horse is one of the most beauti- 

 ful parts about him, and l)y this is the temper 

 more surely indicated than by its motion. Tlic 

 car is more intelligible even tlian the eye ; and a 

 person accustomed to the horse, can tell, by the 

 expressive motion of that organ, almost all that 

 he thinks or means AVhen a horse lays his ears 

 flat back on his neck, he most assuredly is medi- 

 tating mischief, and the bystander should beware 



CORRECTIVES OF SOILS. 



It is not un frequently the case that soils, which 

 to a merely superficial examination appear to 

 possess all the qualifications requisite to ensure a 

 state of high and sustained fertility, are yet al- 

 most entirely sterile and unproductive, even un- 

 der the best management that can be adopted. 

 Such lands, however, are by no means valueless. 

 Their sterility is the result either of some bad in- 

 gredient, or the excess of some valuable constit- 

 uent, the presence of which has not been ascer- 

 tained by the cultivator, and which disappoints 

 his expectations and efforts alike, whether the 

 radical cause be a mystery, or the proper remedy 

 unknown. Among the many causes operating to 

 produce an unkindly constitution, we may in the 

 first place, mention the presence of iron in its 

 acid combinations. In this case, we generally de- 

 tect by the aid of chemistry, the presence of cop- 

 peras — sulphate of iron. And when, upon exam- 

 ining specimens of a sterile soil by washing, we 

 detect the salts of iron, or any acid matter, we 

 may be assured that the proper, and indeed, the 

 only efficient corrective to be applied is lime. This 

 mineral will convert the sulphate of iron into 

 manure, and so far neutralizes the acid as to ren- 

 der it hnrmi^ss to the crop. 



In some soils we detect an excess of calcareoug 

 matter — generally in the form of lime or chalk. 

 In this case recourse must be had to some putres- 

 cent and easily decomposable acid ; clay or sand 

 in which there exists a considerable quantity of 

 oxide of iron. Blacksmith's sweepings constitute 

 also a valuable ameliorant ; but on applying it to 

 the soil, it should never contain more than one- 

 twentieth part of oxide of iron, as too largo a per 

 centage would be disastrous rather than genial in 

 its results. There are other correctives which 

 may be advantageously used in such cases ; as for 

 instance, chalybeate water, (water impregnated 

 with iron) and peat containing vitriolic, (i. e. 

 sulphuric) salts. Tlie effect of these is to change 

 the lime or chalk contained in the soil, into that 

 well-known and salutary substance called gyp- 

 sum, or plaster of paris, the beneficial ciTects of 

 which on the vegetable system are appreciated by 

 all. 



