16 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



livity, besides being a much more agreeable em- 

 ployment to occupy hall" an hour in a day in plant- 

 ing and attending to these flowers, than to doze it 

 away in your chair or in the shade? 



The influence, too, which flowers exert on the 

 character is not to be overlooked. The Grecians 

 and Romans, it is said, attributed much of the great- 

 ness of their best orators to the influence of the sub- 

 lime and beautiful scenery by which they were sur- 

 rounded in youth; and to the mingling of the sub- 

 lime and beautiful, in the scenery of the new world, 

 some have ascribed much of the eloquence of our 

 own land. Nature has certainly done enough for 

 New England in her lofty mountains and deep val- 

 leys, and all that she requires to complete the scene, 

 IS the hand of taste to exhibit itself in the decora- 

 tions of her gardens, and country residences. 



But the influence of flowers, in refining and ele- 

 vating the moral character, is more plainly visible, 

 especially with children. Let parents surround 

 their dwellings with flowers and shrubs, and ar- 

 range them in a neat and orderly manner, and my 

 word for it their children will generally prefer 

 watching their growth and admiring their beauty to 

 mischievous pranks and quarreling with each other. 



Another inducement to the farmer offered by 

 floriculture, is the superior know^ledge of the laws 

 by which nature regulates the growth and perfec- 

 tion of plants, which he gains by a close observa- 

 tion of the various causes operating to increase or 

 retard the growth of those of all varieties, from the 

 most tender to the most hardy, which will necessa- 

 rily attract his attention. 



I might add much more of a similar nature, but I 

 will nol trespass further on your patience at this 

 time. I may however in a future number give some 

 directions for transplanting wild flowers and the se- 

 lection of hardy varieties of cultivated plants to aid 

 those whose experience is less than mine. 



Ashfield, Dec. 23. w. f. b. 



Remarks. — As nothing is made in vain, flowers 

 are for some valuable purpose, and what can that 

 purpose be but to be admired for their beauty, their 

 fine colors and fine forms, their beautiful structure, 

 order, regularity, and symmetry, affording delight 

 and instruction to those who cultivate them and 

 study their nature, and their numerous metamor- 

 phoses and novel productions under the plastic hand 

 of skilful culture. 



potatoes, and a little Indian meal. The beef was 

 excellent. 



A cow or horse may eat any quantity of apples 

 or potatoes, with other food, if gradually accu.s- 

 tomed to them. But if freely fed on these articles 

 at once, they would be ruinous. 



Yours, &c. M. French. 



East Salisbury, Dec, 1850. 



Remarks. — By milking cows, and then feeding 

 with turnips, &c., so that they may eat them as 

 long as possible before milking, there will be less 

 influence of the food on the milk. The free use of 

 salt on roots fed to cows, will in some measure 

 prevent unpleasant taste in the milk. 



For the Nctv England Farmer. 



"EFFECTS OF FOOD ON MILK." 



Mr. Editor: — Your correspondent, Mr. Weeks, 

 (Vol. 2, p. 381,) wishes to know how to prevent 

 milk tasting of turnips, &c., when cows are fed on 

 them. That the food of cows has an influence on 

 their milk and butter must be conceded. I have 

 known oxen brought from the interior, and on eat- 

 ing freely of salt hay, and being slaughtered soon, 

 the beef had a very "disagreeable taste; while cat- 

 tle kept near the sea, and fed on all kinds of fodder, 

 and as much as they could eat of salt hay, made the 

 very best of beef. A full and sudden change of 

 food will aflfect both milk and beef, while a gradu- 

 al change will have no effect on either. 



I once fatted a young cow on cabbage. I was 

 told that the beef would taste of the food. A few 

 days previous to slaughtering her, I fed her on hay, 



SHRINKAGS OF CORN. 



Knowing that a great difference of opinion exists 

 among farmers, as to the loss of corn by shrinking 

 or drying, from the time it is cribbed in the fall, til! 

 spring — say the latter part of March, I determined 

 to satisfy myself on this point — at least so far as a 

 single experiment could determine. 



On the 23d of November last, the day on which 

 we finished the husking, I measured two bushels of 

 ears in a standard bushel, as accurately as I could. 

 I then weighed each bushel, found the weights 43 

 1-2 lbs. respectively. The number of ears, 58 in 

 one, and 50 in the other. I had one parcel shelled 

 and got 33 1-2 lbs. by weight, and half a bushel and 

 lialf a peck by measure, and 10 lbs. of cobs. The 

 corn was spread in a dry, airy place, where it re- 

 mained till a few days since when it had lost just 

 half a peck or fifteen per cent, by measure, and a 

 fiaction over 3 lbs. or ten per cent, in weight. 



Tliis shows a difference of ten percent., between 

 I he loss by weight. How is this difference to be 

 accounted for ? It was owing to the minute divi- 

 sion of the water in the corn, that while we find a 

 h)ss in weight that should occupy a space less than 

 three pints, there is an actual loss of eight pints in 

 bulk. The cobs of this parcel were accidentally 

 destroyed; so that I was prevented from ascertain- 

 ing the loss of cob. 



The other bushel of ears was kept in a dry, airy 

 l)Iace, and shelled a few days ago, and gave just a 

 lialf a bushel of corn, weighing 30 1-4 lbs. 



These are the facts, as gathered from my small 

 experiment. The corn was a variety of the white, 

 between the Gourd seed and Flint — a mixed varie- 

 ty having from ten to twenty-six rows. The corn 

 was in good condition for housing at the time we 

 finished husking. — Albany Cultivator. 



Consumption in Horses. — Mr. Percival, the 

 English veterinarian, says, '■^pulmonary disorders 

 carry off more tlian all other diseases. ' ' Though this is 

 probably an over-estimate of mortality from tliat 

 source, when we consider how much sudden chang- 

 es of temperature and checked perspiration injure 

 man, why may we not suppose that many horses 

 are killed by it, and hence we should perceive and 

 act upon the propriety of attending more to the con- 

 dition of the horse when turned out or otherwise 

 exposed to sudden change from heat to cold. The 

 Spaniards have a saying that a draft of air "that 

 will blow out a candle will kill a man;" but we 

 think nothing of putting a horse, however much 

 heated, in a stable with a draught of cold air com- 

 inof on him from without. 



