No. 2. Family of the Goodenoughs. — Dana's Muck Manual. 



51 



The Family of the Goodenoughs. 



" Their characteristics are ignorance, ob- 

 stinacy, and self-conceit, existing in so great 

 a degree, as to bid defiance to all attempts at 

 enlightening their minds in regard to any 

 branch of husbandry ; for they appear, wise- 

 ly to believe themselves perfect masters of 

 the whole. They have such an utter con- 

 tempt for all agricultural books, that nothing 

 could persuade them to subscribe for an ag- 

 ricultural paper, and still less, to read one ; 

 for they declare that these papers contain 

 nothing but a parcel of evils, and visionary 

 notions. And if any of their neighbours 

 who study such works, should happen to fail 

 in their experiments, it is immediately as- 

 cribed to book farming, whilst all the in- 

 stances of their success, are attributed, by 

 these wiseacres, to what they call luck — a 

 word of such comprehensive meaning in 

 their vocabulary, that it suffices them to ac- 

 count for nearly every thing which occurs, 

 either to themselves or to others. One of 

 their favourite opinions is, that all kinds of 

 farming stock, except horses, are endued 

 with a sort of natural sagacity or instinct, 

 which enables them to choose for themselves 

 in bad weather, much better shelter than 

 their owners can provide for them. Hence, 

 their cattle, hogs and sheep, in almost every 

 case, are left to shift for themselves, and the 

 consequences are such as all men, but the 

 Goodenoughs, can easily foresee. Would 

 you seek for occular proofs 1 Look at their 

 farms about the months of March or April, 

 and on most of them you will behold a spec- 

 tacle, sad enough to move the pity of any 

 person who can feel for brute beasts, subject- 

 ed by the reckless inhumanity of man, to an 

 almost constant state of severe suffering. 

 The evidences of this inhumanity, this suf- 

 fering, are to be seen in hogs, half-dead 

 with the mange, contracted by sleeping in 

 the hot litter of the stables, and starving the 

 greater part of their time ; — in sheep, that 

 long before shearing time, have saved nearly 

 the whole of that trouble to their Goodenough 

 owners, by dropping a larg-e portion of their 

 fleeces in the fields, and have prevented an 

 overstock of lambs, by yeaning them in situ- 

 ations convenient to the politic troop of buz 

 zards, which may always be seen hovering 

 over them at such times, in greedy anticipa- 

 tion of their customary feasts; and in cattle, 

 with their backs arched as much as their 

 spines will admit, and all four feet drawn un- 

 der them, to balance themselves, as it were, 

 lest a stronger wind than common, should 

 place them in a situation which we call, 

 " being on the lift." 



James Garnett. 



Dana's Muck Manual. 



We find in the July Number of the American Jour- 

 nal of Science and Arts, edited by Professor Silliman 

 and his son, a notice of "Dana's Muck Manual, for 

 fanners." We have already, several times referred to 

 this work, in the Cabinet, and have pleasure in again 

 bringing it before our readers, by inserting the intro- 

 ductory and concluding paragraphs of the article from 

 Silliman's Journal. 



" Dr. Dana has long been known, as one of 

 our most accurate and learned Chemists; and 

 his professional duties, as connected with 

 the large calico printing establishment at 

 Lowell, have led him to make many careful 

 experiments, upon subjects bearing directly 

 upon Agricultural Chemistry. He has writ- 

 ten this work, therefore, in the full maturity 

 of experience, and judgment. The state- 

 ments and reasonings are not those of a 

 novice ; but we see at once, that he has 

 looked at every point, again and again, and 

 that he gives us the final conclusions, of 

 long and patient examinations. It is well 

 known that on many points, the theory of 

 this science is not fully settled. The au- 

 thor, however, — and this we regard as a most 

 valuable part of his labours, believes that 

 these different views are of very little practi- 

 cal importance. His own peculiar opinions 

 he states with great frankness, and merely 

 gives a summary of arguments, on which he 

 founds his conclusions with scarcely any per- 

 sonal allusion to those of different views. 



" We can cordially recommend this work 

 to our agricultural friends, for its practical 

 character. It is not saying too much to as- 

 sert, that Dr. Dana has done for the farmer 

 in this treatise, what Dr. Bowditch did for 

 the sailor, when he published his Practical 

 Navigator. In this respect, this treatise con- 

 trasts strongly with such a work as that of 

 Liebig on the Organic Chemistry of Agri- 

 culture, &c, which notwithstanding its ori- 

 ginality, and the philosophical beauty of its 

 theories, is apt to make the impression upon 

 the farmer, that he is not at present to ex- 

 pect much from agricultural chemistry but 

 ingenious conjecture. We are sure, that 

 Dr. Dana's work will remove this impres- 

 sion ; while on the other hand, the chemist 

 will see in it evidence of the rapid advance 

 of this science. Within two years, three able 

 European chemists, Liebig, Daubeney, and 

 Johnston, have given to the world most ma- 

 ture and valuable treatises upon it ; and now 

 we have a cis-atlantic effort, which will not 

 suffer by a comparison with any other. Truly 

 the genius of agriculture may exult in the 

 prospects that are opening before her." 



Send a boy for the cows, but see to the 

 milking yourself. 



