352 



Sociability of Birds. — Renovation of Soils. 



Vol. VII. 



several of the last weeks, carrying away a 

 large mess every visit, which convinced me 

 they had again a little charge to feed, when 

 one beautiful morning about ten o'clock, oh, 

 such a chirping all of a sudden ! and in a 

 moment I had five little visiters on the 

 threshold of the door, the young ones flut- 

 tering and chirping so as almost to deafen 

 me, but appearing so happy as hardly to 

 know what to do. I threw down a large 

 mess of crumbs, when the parents instantly 

 ran to me and took them to their just-fledged 

 children, put it in their mouths, and again 

 and again, for some minutes; after being 

 sufficiently fed, all flew out. 



Thus they continued to come, at times all 

 together, sometimes one alone, for several 

 days, but generally three or four together, 

 and hardly leaving me alone at all, running 

 around my feet when at the table, and pick- 

 ing up the mites as they fell, and trying to 

 amuse me. In about two weeks they all 

 came at once, after tea, took an abundant 

 meal, ran about and chattered to me, and 

 ran out. I saw the dear little creatures no 

 more. Had any one told me one half what 

 I had witnessed, I should have thought it 

 exaggeration; but myself was their only 

 hostess, and I can in truth attest, that what 

 I have written gives but little idea of the 

 interest they excited. Should they return 

 again the coming summer, as they probably 

 will, I shall give you a further history. In 

 the meantime, believe me, 



Most respectfully yours, C. C. 



Stratford, Feb. 4th, 1842. 



The above mentioned bird is the chipping 

 sparrow, (frinailla socialis of Wilson.) She 

 and her mate have again returned to visit 

 their hostess. If you deem the above worth 

 an insertion in your Daily, it is at your sev 

 vice. It furnishes good evidence of what 

 kindness and gentleness to the feathered 

 race, at the hands of a young lady, can ac- 

 complish. J. H. I.INDSLEY. 



We look upon a good book on agriculture, 

 as something more than a lucky speculation 

 for the publisher, or a profitable occupation 

 of his time, for the author. It is a gain to 

 the community at large — a new instrument 

 of national wealth. The first honour or 

 praise, in reference to every such instru- 

 ment, is, no doubt, due to the maker or in 

 ventor — but he who brings it into general 

 use, merits also no little approbation. It is 

 to the more general diffusion of sound agri- 

 cultural literature among our fanners, that 

 we look for that more rapid development of 

 the resources of our varied soils, which the 

 times so imperatively demand. — Blacliioood 1 s 

 Magazine, April, 1843. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Renovation of Soils. 



Messrs. Editors, — An observation on 

 this subject, by the late Joseph Cooper, of 

 Camden, New Jersey, is deserving particu- 

 lar regard, as it evinces, I conceive, origi- 

 nality of thought; and is accompanied by 

 the assurance, that the correctness of the 

 theory has been fully borne out by practice. 

 Mr. Cooper says: "Take the most fertile 

 soil, and continue to exhaust it by constant 

 cropping, until it becomes totally unproduc- 

 tive, then lay it down to grass; and although 

 it be never manured or dressed in any way, 

 during its time of rest, yet if it be broken 

 up at the end of a certain number of years, 

 it will be found to have recovered its pris- 

 tine fruitfnlness. On the other hand, take 

 a naturally poor soil, make it rich by ma- 

 nuring and dressing, and lay it down to 

 grass; on breaking up, it will be found to 

 have gone back to its original state of bar- 

 renness, having lost, during the time of its 

 undisturbed state, all the enrichment that 

 had been bestowed upon it, without having 

 yielded it in the production of crops." 



The nitre, or salt-petre beds of the East 

 Indies, have been regularly worked over and 

 exhausted, by repeated and periodical lixivi- 

 ation, for ages; and yet the soil is found in 

 the end to have regained the property of 

 again yielding its full and undiminished 

 quantum of salt, which it must have imbibed 

 either from the earth or atmosphere, without 

 the aid of man, or the addition by him, of a 

 particle of matter of any kind. Would your 

 intelligent readers communicate through the 

 pages of the Cabinet, their opinions on this 

 interesting subject, and also, what applica- 

 tion can be made of the fact above men- 

 tioned ? C. 



Gloucester co., N. J. 



Ancient Custom. — The road which cus- 

 tom had marked out was beaten and smooth, 

 and the farmer continued to travel upon it — 

 it was a circle too, and brought him always 

 to the place whence he had started, and he 

 never lost himself. But in travelling in one 

 path and at one pace, we wear out the road 

 and incapacitate ourselves from travelling at 

 any other pace — so, a long course of injudi- 

 cious management and cropping, not only 

 exhausts the land, but the practice of a sci- 

 ence, the cultivation of which requires no 

 exertion of mind, deadens the spirit of in- 

 quiry, and leaves the farmer an easy, unin- 

 quiring being, knowing nothing from him- 

 self, but governed by an hereditary feeling 

 of obedience to ancient usage. — Hunnam. 



