Vol. IX.— No. 19. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



147 



ihe raco wimo imiteil aiul augmented. E.xceeil- 

 iiiglv iiiiiniiig in detecting every eontrivance in- 

 tended lor their destruction, they arc rarely de- 

 stroyed to any great extent, except in seasons of 

 e.vcessive and long-protracted cold weather. Tlien 

 (as during the winter of 1828 — 9) vast niunbers 

 jwrisli from starvation, since the earth, brooivs, 

 rivers and hays being completely locked up, all 

 [their sources of supply are cut off. At such 

 times, their hunger is so distressing as to force 

 them to the most extraordinary exertions, and 

 they devour substances, which nothing but exces- 

 sive liunger could induce any animal to swallo.w. 

 During the bard winter alluded to, imnien.se flocks 

 were observed passing from the direction of the 

 'amous roosting place in the vicinity of Bristol, 

 (particidarly noted by Wilson), towards the 

 bores of the sea and bay, and returning regularly 

 D the afternoon. Thousands upon thousands, for 

 everal hours, moved lieavily along in a broad, 

 'regular line ; and, from the numbers found dead 

 I the field, it is most probable that, during the 

 iverest weather, but little benefit resulted from 

 leir long diurnal pilgrimage. The common crow 

 voracious at all times, and nearly, if not quite, 

 I omnivorous as the brown rat. Grain of all 

 irts, but especially Indian corn, insects, carrion, 

 fgs, fish, yoimg birds, the young of various do- 

 lestic fowls, and even young pigs, are sought for 

 (gerly, and devoured with avidity. This species, 

 Dm the peculiar excellence of its sight, smell 

 id hearing, by which it is very early warned of 

 iproaching danger, is very audacious, frequently 

 iming close to the farm-houses in search of prey, 

 pei-severing in efforts to rob the heris of their 

 ickens, until successful. The writer has wit- 

 id several times, in the state of Maryland, 

 lere crows are far too abundant, the perlinacity 

 one of these robbers in attempting to seize a 

 ing chicken, notwithstanding the fierce defmce 

 de by the hen. His approaches appeared to 

 e in view the withdrawal of the hen to a little 

 ance from the brood ; then, taking advantage 

 is wings, be would fly suddenly over her, and 

 ;e the chick. The same altempts were fre- 

 intly made upon the goose, with a view to 

 ;e her goslings, but the vigilant gander, though 

 ily fatigueil by his struggles, never failed to 

 lat a single crow: it was otherwise, however, 

 two or more united for the jiurpose of feast- 

 on the young. It is not an uncommon thing 

 Iftrmers to be under the necessity of replant- 

 orn several times in the s])ring, and, when it 

 ist rising above the gromid, to be obliged to 

 several persons continually on guard in the 

 Is. When the corn has shot up an inch or two 

 e the surface, a host of these blark-coated 

 iderers invade the fields, and having posted 

 inels in .several commanding situations, ii:arch 

 darly along the corn-rows, drawing up the 

 n, pulling skilfully by the shoot, and then 

 ilowing the germinating corn. Among the 

 t successful experiments made to prevent the 

 rs from doing this mischief is that of coat- 

 he seed corn with a mixture of tar, oil, and 

 all quantity of slacked lime, in powder. The 

 ients being mixed in a tub, the seed corn is 

 id in it until each grain receives a thorough 

 ng of the mixture. This prei)aration, as it 

 arily keeps the grain from being readily 

 ted by moisture, is found to retard the ger- 

 ting about three days. In the instance we 

 jsaed of the trial of this preventive, it was 



fully successful ; for, although the field was daily 

 visited by hosts of crows, they were content with 

 pulling up enough corn, in various i)laces, to bo 

 satisfied that it was, throughout, equally unpala- 

 table. Dining their breeding season, which is in 

 the spring months, the flocks spread over a great 

 extent of country, and build their nests of small 

 sticks, lined with grass, in lofty trees, choosing 

 the most remote and diflicult of approach. The 

 young, generally, are two in number, and until 

 fully fledged are most solicitously protected by 

 their parents. When the young crows first begin 

 to receive lessons in flying, nothing is more re- 

 markable and affecting than the efforts made to 

 preserve them, by the parents, when a gunner ap- 

 proaches the vicinity. Every artifice is employed 

 to call attention away from the young, which seem 

 to comprehend the directions or calls of their 

 parents, and remain perfectly silent and motion- 

 less. In the mean while, the father and mother 

 fly towards the gunner, taking care not to remain 

 an instant in one place, and, by the most vocifer- 

 ous outcries, deprecate his cruelty. These efforts 

 being continued, their voluntary exposure, and the 

 eagerness with which they fly about a particular 

 .spot, are almost always successful in withdrawing 

 the sportsman from the place where the young 

 actually are. As soon as they have succeeded in 

 leading him to a sufficient distance, they cease 

 their accents of distress, fly a little farther from 

 their young, and from a lofty perch, which enables 

 them to watch all around, utter an occasional cry, 

 which one may readily imagine to be intended for 

 the direction and encouragement ot their offspring. 

 The most successfid mode of destroying crows, is 

 that of invading them in their extensive dormi- 

 tories during the night. When thgy have selected 

 a pine thicket, or other dense piece of wood, for 

 a roosting place, they repair thither with great 

 regularity. Every evening, vast flocks come sail- 

 ing to the retreat, and the trees are literally cover- 

 ed and bowed down. When the state of Mary- 

 land received crow scalps in payment of taxes, at 

 three cents each, paities were frequently made to 

 attack the crow roosts. Gunners were stationed 

 at various ])arts, surrounding the roosts, and all 

 those of one division fired at once ; the slaughter 

 was necessarily dreadful, aud those remaining un- 

 hurt, bewildered by the darkness, the flashing and 

 report of the guns, and the distressing cries of 

 their companions, flew but to a little distance, and 

 settled near another i)arty of gunners. As soon 

 as they were fairly at rest, the same tragedy was 

 reacted and repeated, until the approach of day 

 or the fatigue of their destroyers caused a cessa- 

 tion. The wounded were then despatched by 

 knocking them on the head or wringirig their 

 necks, and the bill, with so much of the skull as 

 passed for a scalp, was cut oft' and strung for the 

 payment of the taxgatherer. The poor people, 

 who had no taxes to pay, disposed of their crow 

 scalps to the store-keepers, who purchased them 

 at rather a lower rate. This premium has long 

 been discontinued, and the number of these ma- 

 rauders is, in many parts of that slate, quite large 

 enough to require its reestablishment. — Ency. 

 Americana. 



Beet sugar. — The success of '.his branch of indus- 

 try, in the North of France, leaves no doubt of 

 its success in Belgium, the soil and climate 

 of which are so favorable to the culture of beets. 

 The rapid increase of the number of manufactories 

 of indigenous sugar in' many parts of France ' Road. — Co.i. Yeo. 



is a proof of the advantages which this new species 

 of activity will afford to the country, and which 

 doubtless will acquire great extension, at no distant 

 period. One of the principal manufacturers, 

 M.Crespelle Delisse, of Arras, is of opinion that 

 in ten years, France will gather from ils own soil, 

 the sugar necessary for its consimquiou and which 

 is estimated at 120,000,000 pounds. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



The season is now approaching when the dis- 

 trict Schools throughout the State commence for 

 the winter. 



Among the multitude of our statutes there are 

 none which reflect more credit upon the wisdom 

 of our Legislators, and are belter calculated to 

 secure the rights and liberties of the pco|)le, than 

 those providing for the estahlislnnenl and support 

 of public schools in every town. 



Knowledge is power; and so long as our cit- 

 izens receive a good common education, there can 

 be little fear of the decline or decay of the sound 

 principles of free government established by the 

 toil and blood of oiu' ancestors. 



Tliose to whom the charge of procuring teach- 

 ers is intrusted, fill a highly responsible office, 

 and have much to answer for to their country and 

 to the rising generation. 



There has an opinion prevailed to son>e extent, 

 which we think to be erroneous, that it is best in 

 procuring teachers to take the one who will keep 

 the longest time for the amount of money the dis- 

 trict has to expend ; if the merits of all instruct- 

 era were equal, this would undoubtedly be cor- 

 rect ; but there is no situation perhaps in which 

 men are ever placed, where similar acquirements 

 produce such entirely different results as in that 

 of teachers. 



The teacher, who, to a thorough knowJedge of 

 the branches he |)rofesses to teach, joins a happy 

 facility of imparting information, and the art of 

 preserving good order in his school, is calculated 

 to be of the most service to his scholars. 



Experience in teaching and managing a school 

 is of no small advantage. Where order is not 

 preserved, little progress in learning can be ex- 

 pected. The teacher who is obtained at a low 

 rate is ntt always the cheapest. It is a great 

 error in School Committees to attend so much to 

 the price of the teacher's services, and so httle as 

 they sometimes do to their qualifications. 

 ■ Childien in the country have an opportunity of 

 attending a school of oidy a few months duration 

 in each lear; they ought then to have the best 

 instructe-s that can be procured. 



No pans, no care and attention that can be 

 bestowed upon the schooling of the youth of our 

 country ind in furnishing them a good, thorough 

 and subsantial English education, can he consider- 

 ed as los or wasted. It is like money put to 

 usury, th( profit to be received in the end is cer- 

 tain, thot^h the operation of its increase may not 

 be visible, — JVaHonaZ .'Egis. 



Improvet pavements. — In LondoD.paveinenls ,ire being 

 maile of Ikwd granite blocks, nicely fitted so as to make 

 a smooth surface^ and made crownini; or arched so that 

 Ibe pressure of a load acts on the whole bed. This is an 

 improvement. We have taken occasion long ago to sug- 

 gest wooden blocks for streets nearchuichcs and other 

 places where it is importaut not to have noise,— f""™"' 



-Journal. 



Factorie:.— We understand the foundations of two 

 new factoiies were commenced at Lowell, last week, 

 near the expected terminus of the contemplated Rail 



