72 



NEW E N G L A N D F A R M E R . 



SEPT. 1, 1S41. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



O^A correspondent of the Maine Farmer, in a 

 communication touching upon several subjects, in- 

 troduces the followinp;, in which we, the '• P. D.," 

 feci a little concerned : 



" Dear Doctor — • • * — I have been quite in- 

 terested by readinjr the numerous defences which 

 have been set up for the skunlt in the Farmer and 

 otlier agricultural papers. I always, thouglit him 

 capable of defending' himself, and have been inclin- 

 ed to believe that those who volunteer their quix- 

 otic displays in his behalf, will make themselves as 

 ridiculous as the renowned Knight of La Mancha. 

 Glory may be in that direction, but [am quite will- 

 in^ those should bind the redolent laurel upon their 

 tiwn proud brows. 1 have an alfoctionfor the toad, 

 datinij from my earliest childhood. I am no par- 

 takcr°in the general aniipatliy with which little 

 harmless, not only harmless but useful snakes arc 

 regarded. And frogs, when made into pie, are 

 go^nd eating, (I speak from experience.) I trust 

 thev will not be permitted longer to " waste their 

 sweetness" and live and die in our ponds and mead- 

 ows to no purpose, olher than that of making night 

 melodious with thtir happy notes. Uut the skunk ! 

 pardon me. Doctor, n;y organ of benevolence has 

 not yet expanded sulficiently to contain him in its 

 recess; — indeed, should he, by hook or by cro(ik, 

 gain admittance there, I fear he would quickly ex- 

 pel the motley group which has found reluge there 

 from popular prejudice and persecution. They 

 would make summary abdication, and bide the 

 world's brunt, farther off than his presence. — I oc- 

 casionally come near his skunkship in my evening 

 excursions, and am careful to give him a wide berth, 

 and like Loxley the archer in Ivanhoe, make allow- 

 ance for the wind, in case he should incline to 

 greet me with a salute from his ivory-mounlod ord- 

 nance. When he crosses my path, even though 

 the "offence be rank and smeHs to heaven," I make 

 no " point of honor" with him, for should I call him 

 out, he would have the choice of weapons, as set- 

 tled by the code of southern hot-spurs, and not be- 

 ing skilled in the use of a skunk gun, I sceni in ad- 

 vance the issue of the contest. I have no dispoti- 

 tion to "seek the bubble reputation in thtU cannon's 

 mouth," and without the fear of being termed a 

 craven, gladly show the "white feather." 



SALATIIIEL. 



ff/^Being (we suppose) one of those who, in tlie 

 sage opinion" of "Salalhiel," have rendered them- 

 selves ridiculous by their " quixotic displays" in be- 

 half of the e'.iunk, we wish to assure him that we 

 are as ready now as ever to incur ridicule in the 

 same cause — and that any vile insinuations against 

 that creature's character, shall not go uncontradict- 

 ed while we po-^sesa the ability to vindii;atc it. 



The antipathy to the skunk manifested by "Sal- 

 athicl," we unhesitatingly impute to his cowardice. 

 We take him for one of those whose bravery, like 

 that of FalstnfTs soldier.', consists in their being 

 afraid of nothing but — duni^er ! — Uninitiated in the 

 " ology" of the animal he calumniates, he invests 

 him with terrors which oven a lyTniimnlrur in 

 skunkoloffi/ could inform him had no other existence 

 than in his own imagination. — Run away from a 

 skunk ! Why, if the citizen-soldiery of Maine em- 

 braces nudiy such men as this " Silntliiel," wlio 

 would retreat from an enemy before it had shown 

 any disposition to attack, then, we arc thinking, she 

 will have to depend upon some other than iier own 



chivalry, to defend her territory from the encroach- 

 ments of John Bull ! 



But "Salathiel," in tolling us of his dislike and 

 fear of the skunk, exhibits a taste for certain other 

 individuals of the animate creation, which, if noth- 

 ing else, entitles him to be ranked as a rare avis in 

 ttrra. He acknowledges himself a frog-eater, 

 and an admirer of snakes and bull toads!! — 

 Good Gracious! why we should instinctively re- 

 coil from such a being, as from a monster from the 

 nether world ! Though wo may (among others) 

 have rendered ourself obnoxious to ridicule by our 

 "quixotic displays" in defence of liie skunk, we 

 bless our stars that we are not, like him, obnoxious 

 to the ridicule — the sligmn, we will say — of being 

 an admirer of the horrid-looking toad and the de- 

 testable snake ! 



[n conclusion we would say to "Salathiel," that 

 however bitter and deep-rooted may be his animosi- 

 ties towards the skunk, it were wiser for him to 

 stifle them in his breast than to give them currency 

 by his pen — for he is not aware how many quills 

 arc ready to leap into action in delence of injured 

 innocence ! — We "commend him to a careful hus- 

 bandry of his resources I" — N. E. F.'s "P. D." 



The Schoolmaster and his Sclwlar. — A school- 

 master was one day hearing one of his scholars 

 read : the boy, when he came to the word honor, 

 pronounced it full : the master told him it should 

 be pronounced without the h, as thus — onor. "Very 

 well, sir," replied the lad, " I will remember for 

 the future." " Ay," said the master, " always drop 

 the h." The next morning, the master's tea, with 

 a hot muffin, had been brought to the desk, but the 

 duties of his avocation made him wait till it was 

 cold ; when, addressing the same boy, he told him 

 to take it to the fire and heat it. The boy took it 

 to the fire and n(e it. Presently the master called 

 for his muffin. "I ate it, as you bade me," said 

 the boy. " Ate it, you rogue ! I bade you take it 

 to the fire and Acai it." "But, sir," said the lad, 

 " yesterday you told me always to drop the ft." — 

 Jlnon. 



HOWARD'S IMPROVED EASY DRAUGHT PLOUGH. 

 , Great improvements have been niiiiie ilie past year in th 

 fnrin anil workmanship of these Ploughs ; the mouKi Lc ar 

 has tieen so formed as to lay the furrow comptdi'ij oca 

 turning in every particle nf grass or sluthle, and learinir Ih 

 ground in the best posriWe manner. The leuglh of |h 

 mould lioarii has been very muih increased, so lliai lb 

 PloTigli works with the greatest ease, both with resp(cl| 

 the holding and (he learn. The Committee at the law irii 

 of Ploughs at Worecsler, say, 



" Should our opinion he asKed as to which of the Plrugb 

 we should prefer (or use on a farm, we might perh.'l||^ ^ay I 

 the inquirer, it your laud is mostly light ami easy i" worl 

 try Prouty & Meiirs. hut if your land is hcary, hard or rccki 

 DEGiN WITH Mr. Howard's.'* 



At the above iner.t:oncd trial the Howard Pl"UL;h di 

 more work, viih the same pmoer of team, than miy nthi 

 plough exhibited. No other turned more than twinf.>o/« 

 anilone half inches, to the 112 llu. draught, win.- ll 

 Hoxcard Plough turned twcnlmine and one half inJns, 

 the same poiccr of team ! All acknowledge thai H. v- nrd 

 Ploughs are much the strongest and most sul.!.t:ir]iial 

 made. 



There has been quite an improvement made on ih' slio 

 or land side of this Plongh, which can he renew. , I wrlin 

 having to furnish a new landsiile; this shoe likewise si cin 

 the mould board and landside together, and strengih. iis ll 

 Plough very much. 



The price of the Ploughs is from SG to Si 5. A V\n\^ 

 sufficient for breaking up with (our cattle, will cosl aho 

 SlO 60, and with cutter Si, with wheel and cuiur. SJi 

 extra. 



The ahove Ploughs are for sale, wholesale and nnaU, 

 the New England Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Stit 

 Nos. 51 & 52 North Market Siroct. I.y 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



A Long JVose. Napoleon used to say — " \\"hen 

 I want any great head work done, I choose a man, 

 provided his education has been suitable, who has 

 a long nose. In my observation of men, I have 

 almost invariably found a long nose and a long 

 head to go together." 



[This remark of the sagacious Emperor, is pro- 

 digiously tickling to some people's self-esteem — 

 hence the pains some people take to "keep it be- 

 fore the people !" A'apoleoti teas a great man. — 

 " P. D."l 



J} Stinging Charge. — .\n able judge was once 

 obliged to deliver the following charge to the jury: 

 "Gentlemen of the jury : in this case, the counsel 

 on both sides are unintelligible; the witnesses on 

 both sides are incredible ; and the plaintiff and de- 

 fendant are both such bad characters, that to mc it 

 is indifferent which way you give your verdict." 



FEXCE CHAINS. 



Just received from England, 10,000 feel Chains, Miiisl 

 for Fences or olher purposes. For sale by J. Bit I '.CK 

 CO., No. 62 North Market si. April 21 



A celebrated physician, boasting at dinner that 

 he cured his own hams, one of his guests observed, 

 " Doctor, I would sooner be your ham than your 

 patient." 



The Genesee Farmer tells of an " improved 

 breed" of mosquitoes out west, which have to be 

 caged in the spring to prevent their pulling up corn ! 



Just receive. I at the New England Agricullii 

 house. No, 51 and 62, North JMarket St., n 1. >>• ~. 

 tumclcrs,(br testing ihequalilvof milk. 



June 23 ■ JOSEPH I 



NEW TURNIP SEEI>. 



Just received and for sale at the New Englnn I 

 tural Warehouse and Seed Stoic, Nos. 61 and 62 Ni 

 kcl slreei, 



600 lbs. TURNIP SEED, of ihe growth of i - 



July 14. JOS. BRECK i'. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



A WF.KKLY I'APKR. 



The Edilorinl department of this paper havln_'C» 

 into iho hands of llio subscriber, he is now niiilniit 

 bv the publishers to inform the public llint tin |irio» 

 ihe pnpor in reduced. In future itif^ trrnis m i i In 

 per year in adtance, or $2 50 if not piiid willnii ihi 

 days. « ALLEN PUT.NA* 



N. B. — Postinnstors aro rcqaired by law to fra 

 subscriptions and remittances for newspapers, wi 

 expense tn subscribers. 



TUTTLE AlfD DENNETT, PRINTEK9. 



