m. XX. NO. n^. 



AND Ff O R T I C U L T II k A r. REGISTER 



267 



THE m;ST .\NIMALS TO JWTTKN. 



■econd qiiciition ofsomo importance is, wliotli- 

 ii belter t<> slall-fccd sninialii nf n email nr 

 uni lize, tlian those of large frame*. In gen- 

 the farmera incline to tlia mcdiuni-sized ani- 

 Animala do not consume always accordin<; 

 leir size, tlioii);h in general, animals iiro kept 

 expense in soma measure proportionate to 

 ■ iz*. The niattrr resolves itself into tliia 



cuiestion ; wliotlier tlie some amount of feed 

 irodiicc more amount of llesh in an animal 

 iderate, than in one of large stature. I do nut 



that any certain rule can be laid down in 

 ase. Small. boned, snug and compactly built 



Is, will be found generally to li.ivo a much 

 ;er tendency to ft.tness, than aiiimala of large 

 oarso frames. But after all, the main point 

 ' ihriftiness of iho animal. Tlii-re is always 

 ;h stroiiffer tendonry in some animals to grow 

 id to keep fat, than in others, and where this 

 sitiun predominates, the gaiu is likely to be 

 iportion to the size. 



e ihrifiincss of an animal may bo in some 

 ire determined by the eye ; but e.\perieiiced 

 in their judgment on this point, depend more 

 the hand, or what is technically called, the 

 r • beast " It is," says one competent to 



io these matters, " the nice touch or mellow 

 fthe hand, which, in a great measure, consli- 

 the judge of cattle ;" and what you wish to 

 n an ox, is "a thick, loose skin, floating, as it 



on a layer of soft fat, yielding to the least 

 ire, and springing back towards the fingers 



piece of clumois leather, and covered with 



glossy, soft hair." 



a description given in an English treatise, of 

 unal best suited to the stall, is so skilfully 



np, that I will not forego the pleasure of 

 ■ribing it It follows: — "Attention should 



id to compactness and symmetry of form, 

 "ore-quariers, wide carcase, fine small bones, 

 lately thin hide, a protuberance of fat under 

 ot of the tongue, and large full eyes. A 

 tiaped ox should then have a small head with 

 lid countenance, as indicating docility, and a 

 {uent disposition to get fat; a fine muzzle and 

 nostrils; the throat should be clean; long 

 ^in in the neck, but wide and deep in the 



ers ; the back should be broad and straight 

 ^^o the setting on of the tail, with the rump 



fat and coming well up to it ; the barrel 

 be round, wide across the loins, and the 



iecp behind the shoulders, with the space be- 



the hip-bone and the first rib very small ; 

 -e-legs should be short and wide apart, so as 

 lent a broad appearance to the chest, and the 



of the hind legs sliould be shut well in tlie 



the seam in the middle of which should be 



lied, and the flanks should be full and heavy. 



1 such as this is not only the best for alford- 



2 greatest weight, but will be also generally 

 to lay the flesh upon the prime parts, to pro- 

 he least quantity of ofial with such a large 

 ly of tallow, as, emphatically speaking, in 

 tcher's phrase, will cause the animal to die 



These marks, however, are not the only indi- 

 of a propensity to fatten quickly. On the 

 f, it has been found by experience, that 

 coarse beasts with large bones and gummy 

 lave often proved superior in that particular 

 tr animals of undoubted superiority in point 

 tpe; but those coarse thick bides handled 



l«('l\ and silky, with a sleeky degree of incllowncBX, 

 which is the cliaractcriittic of a lieollhy habit, wlnlc 



, Iho skin of the others wa* wiry, nnd llicir fli'sli 

 IVlt hard. The slate of the hide and fle«h, ihcn-- 

 fiiro, is of the first importance as the esscntiiil pro|)- 

 orty of hnmlliiig tpttl." — Colman't four/A Report. 



From the Munllily Miscellany uf Religiun nnd Luitura. 



THK SILVER TANKARD. 



On a slope of kind opening itself to the south, 

 ill a thickly settled town in tho Stale of Maine, 

 some hundred and more years ago, stood a farm- 

 house to which the epithet " comfortable" might 

 be a|i|ilicd. The old forest caine down to the 

 back of it ; in front were cultivated fields, beyond 

 which was ground partially cleared, full uf pine 

 stumps, and here and thore standing erect, the gi- 

 ant trunks of trees which the fire had scorched and 

 blackened, though it had failed to overthrow them. 

 The house stooil at the very verge of tiie settle, 

 ment, so that from it no cottage could be seen ; 

 the nearest neighbor was distant about six miles. 

 Daniel Gordon, the owner and occupant of the 

 premises we have described, had chosen this val- 

 ley in the wilderness, a wide, rich tract of land, 

 not only as his home, but, prospectively, as the 

 home of his children and his children's children. 

 He was willing to be far off from men, that his 

 children might have room to settle around him. 

 lie was looked upon as the rich man of that dis- 

 trict, well known over all that part of the country. 

 His house was completely finished, and was large 

 for the limes, having two stories in front and one 

 behind, with a long sloping roof ; it seemed as if 

 it leaned to the south to offer its back to the cold 

 winds from the northern mountains. It ivas full 

 of the comforts of life, — the furniture even a little 

 " showy" for a Puritan ; when the table was set, 

 there was, to use the Yankee phrase, ' considera- 

 ble' silver plate, among which a large tankard stood 

 pre-eminent. This silver had been the property 

 of his father, and was brought over from the moth- 

 er country. 



Now, we go back to this pleasant valley as it 

 was on a bright and beautiful morning in the 

 month of June. It was Sunday, and though early, 

 the two sons of Daniel Gordon and the hired man 

 had gone to meeting on foot, down to the ' Land- 

 ing,' a little village on the banks of the river, ten 

 miles distant Daniel himself was standing at the 

 door, with the horse and chaise ready, and wailing 

 for his good wife who had been somewhat dctain- 

 nd ; for even then, in those primitive times, the 

 women would be a little backward, — for the last 

 word or the last house-keeping duty. He was 

 standing on the doorstep enjoying the freshness of 

 the morning, with a little pride in his heart per- 

 haps, as he cast his eye over the extent of his pos- 

 sessions spread before; him. At that instant a 

 neighbor of six miles' distance, rode up on horse- 

 back and beckoned to him from the gate of the en- 

 closure around the house. 



' Good morning, neighbor Gordon,' said he, ' I 

 have come out of my way in going to meeting to 

 tell you that Tom Smith — that daring thief — with 

 two others has been seen prowling about in these 

 parts, and that you'd better look out, lest you have 

 a visit. I have got nothing in my house to bring 

 them there, hut they may be after the silver tank- 

 ard, neighbor, and the silver spoons. I have often 

 told you that these things were not fit for these 



now parts. Tmii is a bold fellow, hut I suppose 

 tho fewer ho iiiuets when he goes to aleal, the bet- 

 ter. I ilon't think it safo for you nil to bo off to 

 meeting tu-duy ; — but 1 am in a hurry, neighbor, au 

 good-by.' 



This communication placed our friend Daniel in 

 an unpleasant dileinrr.a. It had been settled that 

 no one was Io bo left at home but his daughter 

 Mehitable, a beautiful little girl, about nine year* 

 old. Shall I stay or go, wnn tho question. Dan- 

 iel was a Puritan ; he had strict notions of tho duly 

 of worshipping (lod in His toinple, and he had 

 faith that God would blesu him only as he did hi< 

 duty: but then he was a father, and little Ilitty 

 was tho light and joy of liia eyes. 



But thesu Puritans were stern and unflinching. 

 He soon settled the point. ' I won't even take 

 Hilly with me, for it will make her cowardly. 

 The thieves may not come, — neighbor Perking 

 may bo mistaken ; and if they do come to my 

 house they will not hurt that child. At any rate 

 she is in God's hands, and we will go to worship 

 Him who never forsakes those who put their trust 

 in Him.' As he settled this, the girl and tho 

 mother came out ; the mother stepped into the 

 chaise, the father after her, saying to the child, 

 ' If any strangers come. Hilly, treat them well. — 

 We can spare of our abundance to the poor. 

 VVhat is silver or gold when we think of God's 

 holy word r' With these words on his lips he 

 drove off, a troubled man in spile of his religious 

 trust, because he left bis daughter in the wilder- 

 ness alone. 



Little Hitty, as the daughter of a Puritan, was 

 strictly brought up to observe the Lord's day. She 

 knew that she ought to return to the house ; but 

 nature this once at least got the bettor of her train- 

 ing. ' No harm,' thought she, ' for me to see the 

 brood of chickens.' Nor did she when she had 

 given them water, j;o into the house, but loitered 

 and lingered, hearing the robin sing, and following 

 with her eye the bobo'lincoln as he flitted from 

 shrub to shrub. She passed almost an hour out of 

 the house because she did not want to be alone, 

 and she did not feel alone when she was out 

 among the birds and was gathering here and there 

 a wild flower. But at last she went in, took her 

 Bible and seated herself at the window, sometimes 

 reading and sometimes looking out. 



As she was there seated she saw three men 

 coming up towards tlie house, and she was right 

 glad to see them ; for she felt lonely, and there 

 was a dreary long day before her. ' Father,' 

 thought she, ' meant something when he told me 

 to be kind to strangers. I suppose he expected 

 ihein. I wonder what keeps thein all from meet- 

 ing. Never mind ; they shall see I can do some- 

 thing for them, if I am little Hitty.' So putting 

 down the Bible she ran to meet them, happy, con- 

 fiding, and even glad they had come ; and without 

 waiting for them to speak, she called to them to 

 come in with her, and said, ' 1 am all alone ; if 

 mother was here she would do more for you, but 1 

 will do all I can ;' — and all this with a frank, lov- 

 ing heart, glad to do good to others, and glad tu 

 please her father whose last words were, to spare 

 of their abundance to the weary traveller. 

 |[Concladed on page 372 ] 



To Color JVankin. — A pail full of ley, with a 

 piece of copperas half as large as a hen's egg, 

 boiled in it, will produce a fine nankin color, which 

 will not washout ff'tstern Far. 



