11 



NEW ENGLAND FARM F, R , 



enlarging the splipre of observation, curbing the 

 out-breakings of t!ie passions, 'fostering private 

 virtue, and improving the public monils ; and to 

 prescribe the line of demarcation, within which 

 taste shall be restrained, is as prejjosteroiis as to 

 establish the limits of intelU;ctual attainments. 

 Every amelioration which has been made from 

 the rudest, wildest, and most savage condition of 

 the human race, may, with as much propriety be 

 denounced as superfluous and extravagant. It is 

 the decree of omnipotence, that nations shall ad- 

 vance or retrograde, — tliat man shall rise or fall, 

 from every point of time in his e.xistence. But 

 there is a consideration by which we must be ac- 

 tuated, in whatever we undertake, far above the 

 attainment of the object souglit. Thi means to 

 be employed, the labor bestowed, the excitement 

 produced is of infinitely greater consequence than 

 the advantage of actual achievement. The latter 

 is temporary, and often of little moment, while 

 the former are of universal benefit and abiding 

 influence. There are results of mightier import 

 than those of mere acquisition, which are to be 

 sought in the excitement, which is given to the 

 most dignified attributes of the mind and the 

 heart, and in those manifestations of genius, talent 

 and enterprise, which the study, pursuit and exer- 

 tion unfold. Education, instead of being confined 

 in its scope and duration, is thus made co-exten- 

 sive with inilividual existence, and the exalted 

 characters which are formed in this rigorous 

 school of intellectual discipline, are for all nations 

 and all time. There is a moral grandeur in their 

 lives, vAi'ich rendcrst hem perpetual examples for 

 ertiuioun, imitation, and the salutary effect on the 

 human race, is as universal as the admiration in 

 which their distinguished benefactions are held. 

 Kan can only estimate his own natural resources 

 by experiment. We know not their extent or efii- 

 ciency, until placed in those trying exigencies 

 those self-relying positions, where they become 

 indispensable for inunediate extricatiou, or to give 

 assurance of ultimate success. It is from repeated 

 n-ials of strength, that the eagle launches forth 

 upon the tempest, from the lofty eyry &f the 

 mountain cliff, with the fidlest confidence in the 

 S!istaining power of its wing, in the longest, 

 highest and most daring flight. 



If the principles which have been assumed are 

 founded in truth, and the facts which have been 

 alleged for their illustration are deserving of credit, 

 why should there not be changes produced here, 

 in relation to a subject, in which every citizen is 

 80 deeply interested, corresponding with those 

 which have appeared in other natious ? 



Kay we not, then, confidently hope, that at no 

 very distant period, the taste which has hitherto 

 »o unfortunately prevailed, will he reversed, and 

 the country become the admired residence of 

 those, who are most able to improve its natural 

 features, by the assistance of the arts. There it 

 is, that virtue and patriotism, benevolence and 

 hospitality, philosophy and religion, innocenc'c and 

 poetry have most dwlighted to dwell. It was on 

 the summits of mountains, or in the awe-inspiring 

 ihadows of the deep forest, that the ancient divin- 

 ities were worshipped ; and how Much more 

 appropriately are they the true temples of the 

 living God ; for where can man more fitly pour 

 out bis aspirations aiul present the offerings of 

 gratitude and praise, than when standing under 

 the blue vault of the firmainent, amidst the sub- 

 lime and glorious works of creation. 



(frciin the Maine Farmer.) 

 CHEMISTRY FOR FARMKRS. 



ATTRACTION, OR AFFINITY. 



The question very naturally arises to an inqui- 

 ring mind, why is it that one body unites itself 

 with another ? This question cannot be answered 

 in its strictest sense. There is a power which 

 causes some bodies to unite and become one co 

 mon mass ; while other bodies will not unite at 

 all. If we put .some common salt or some sugar 

 in water, a union takes place. The sa't or sugar 

 begins to disappear, and finally is lost in the fluid 

 and rendered transparent and liquid. 'J'his power 

 which brings the two substances together is called 

 attraction or ajinity. We do not know what it is, 

 and can judge of it only by its effects. 



The sugar and water, and tlie salt and water 

 are said to have an affinity for each other. Dif- 

 ferent substances have a stronger aflinity for each 

 other than they have for others, which is clearly 



proved by some very simple experiments for 



instance: If you take a piece of camphor and put 

 it into some spirit, it disappears in the fluid, and 

 becomes a liquid. It is then said to be dissolved, 

 and the liquid is called a solution of camphor. 

 The spirit is said to have an affinity for the cam- 

 phor, but it lilis a stronger aflinity for some other 

 things than it has for the camphor, and if any of 

 these other things be put into it, the ('amplior will 

 be let loose and again ajipear in the shape of a 

 white gummy substance, or in a imwdeiy form 

 One of these things is water. Pour some watei 

 into a solution of caiiq)hor, the spirit and water 

 will unite, and t!ie camphor not having anv affin 

 iiy for water, will be instantly separated. This 

 .separation, as the substance is most generally 

 thrown down, is called precipitation, and the Sub- 

 stance thrown down is said to be precipitated. 

 The fact of difl^erent substances having different 

 degrees of aflinity for each other, is one of great 

 importance ; and it is by taking advantage of 

 these different attractive powers, or the different 

 ajfinities that all the combinations and separations 

 of the ingredients which are used in manufactu- 

 ring substances of any kind are produced. Bv a 

 knowledge of these the chemist is enabled to per- 

 form all his operations ; and to change and re- 

 change the materials upon which he is experi- 

 menting. Converting a sulistance from a solid 

 into a liquid, and again from a liquid into a solid. 

 By these affinities, a piece of marble, or which is 

 the same thing, limestone, that is so hard as to 

 withstand the winds and storms of ages, may be 

 changed in a short time into a liquid and drank 

 up if you wish, or after having been changed to a 

 liquid, can be re-converted into limestone again. 

 To effect this, the following [.roccss may be fol- 

 lowed : Take a small 'piece of marble, or lime- 

 stone, or a piece of chalk, all three of them being 

 made of the same materials, but are not of the 

 same hardness. Put it into a strong fire — some- 

 thing is driven ott'^— what that something is, can 

 be better explained by and by. It is then what 

 is called quicklime or caustic lime. Put this into 

 water and it will be dissolved, or changed to a 

 liquid which may be, and often is, drank. In 

 order to obtain it from a liquid state, take a little 

 common potash or pearlash or saleralus, dissolve 

 it ill water, and pour it or mingle it with the lime 

 water: presently a white powder will fall to the' 

 bottom of the liquor, which is the same in sub- 

 stance as the limestone or chalk was before you 



put into the fire. It can no longer be dissolved 

 in water, and would probably, in time, become as- 

 solid as before. 



A board nail may be used to-day to hang you r 

 hat upon, or fasten a board, and to-morrow flow- 

 ing from the point of your pen on paper, thereby- 

 expressing your thoughts to a friend. This may 

 be done as follows: Put the nail into a little sul- 

 phuric acid, (which is also called oil of vitriol,) 

 say a wine glass full ; to this add four wineglasses 

 of water, if the acid be strong The nail will be 

 dissolved ; boil this liquor away, and a solid sub- 

 stance remains, which is often called copperas. 

 Dissolve this again in water. Then take some 

 oak bark, or maple bark, or logwood, or nutgalls ; 

 no matter which, and boil them until you have a 

 pretty strong liquor, add this to your copperas or 

 nail water, and a black colored fluid is obtained ; 

 to this add sugar or gum Arabic to make it a little 

 thick, and boil it down till black enough to suit 

 you. In plain English, you will have played the 

 chemist with your nail, until you have made ink 

 of it. 



Sometimes two substances have no affinity or 

 tendency to unite until a third is presented which 

 acts as a sort of mediator or binder between them. 

 Oil and water, you know, will not unite — shake 

 them together, and they will again separate as .soon 

 as the agitation has ceased, but drop in a little 

 caustic potash, or ley made from good ashes, and 

 they come together very quick and form soap. 

 These three will keep up their union as long as 

 the potash is with them, but take this away by 

 any means, and the oil and water will dissolve 

 partnerships and keep separate as before. This 

 may be done by carefully drojiping in a little sul- 

 jihuric acid, if you have any at hand. By degree* 

 the potash will quit the oil and water, and com- 

 bine or unite with the acid, while the oil will 

 begin to swim on the top. 



The Pacha of Egypt has contracted to be sup- 

 plied with ice from Boston. The Government of 

 Malta has also a similar contract ; the ice to be 

 furnished at 4 cents a pound Gen. Far. 



Axes. — Died, in Williamsburgh, on Thursday 

 last, Mr Josiah Ilannum, aged about 65 years. Mr 

 II. was one of the best axe makers in the country. 

 Him it was who first established the manufacture 

 of a.tes as a separate business from smithing in 

 general. He was, however, soon followed up in 

 that branch of successful industry, by Messrs 

 Ilydes & Starks ; and these three families were 

 honorable rivals for years in bringing to perfec- 

 tion the manufacturfi of the axe. Ihe town of 

 Williamsburgh may be proud of being the very 

 first town in all the United States to rival John 

 Bull and drive him out of the market in the man- 

 ufacture of any article whatever. But the axe, 



the little Williamsburgh axe, — has opened tho 

 dark forests of Canada to the influence of the 

 sun, in sjiite of the Birmingham Smitheries, who 

 forced into the Canadas and the United States an 

 awkward left-handed thing called an axe, which 

 a Yankee would value hut as a chip in comparison 

 with the Williamsburgh a.ve. — Hamp. Rep. 



The barley crop of the town of Pompey, N. Y. 

 is estimated to have yielded the farmers of that 

 town, this season, more than $60,000. 



