&l)c .farmer's itlontljli) bisiior. 



143 



in twain. The rapidity ami fatality of liis skil- 

 ful manoeuvre, leaves but a slight chance for his 

 victim either to escape or inject his poison into 

 his more alert antagonist. The black snake is al- 

 so more than an equal competitor against the rat- 

 tlesnake. Such is the celerity of motion, not on- 

 ly in running, but in entwining itself round its 

 victim, that the rattlesnake has no way of esca- 

 ping from its fatal embrace. When the black 

 and rattlesnakes are about to meet for battle, the 

 former darts forward at the height of his speed, 

 and strikes at the neck of the latter with uner- 

 ring certainty, leaving a foot or two of the upper 

 part of his own body at liberty. In an instant 

 he encircles him within five or six folds; he then 

 stops and looks the strangled and gasping foe in 

 the face, to ascertain the effect produced upon 

 Ilia corseted body. If he shows signs of life, the 

 coils are multiplied and the screws tightened — 

 the operator all the while watching the counten- 

 ance of the helpless victim. Thus the two re- 

 main thirty or forty minutes— the executioner 

 then slackens one coil, noticing at the same time 

 whether any signs of life appear, if so, the coil 

 is resumed, and retained until the incarcerated 

 wretch is completely dead. The moccasin snake 

 is destroyed in the same way. 



On Acquiring a Knowledge of the Natural 

 Sciences. 



BY J. H. FENNELL. 



Numerous facts on record unite to convince me 

 that agriculturists woidd rind it very advanta- 

 geous to habituate themselves to making minute 

 examinations of little objects and incidents in na- 

 ture which occur at every step, but are too often 

 disregarded. It is desirable that agriculturists 

 shou'd not only read books on natural history, 

 but that they should closely observe with their 

 own eyes every thing in the fields, orchards and 

 gardens, that they may glean some useful hints 

 from Nature's own volume. 



In the cultivation of plants, it has been found 

 best to proceed on such scientific principles as a 

 correct knowledge of their structure and func- 

 tions will suggest. The system of the rotation 

 of crops, by which the produce of our land has 

 been quadrupled, and the acclimation of plants 

 by hybridiration or engrafting, by which means 

 the fruit and flowers of more southern regions 

 are reconciled to our climate, are only two out of 

 many examples which might be adduced of the 

 benefits conferred by botany upon agriculture. 

 While science dictates such valuable improve- 

 ments as those, the mere observation of trifling 

 facts often suggests useful ideas. It is said that 

 the occasional natural union of boughs of distinct 

 trees, demonstrated the practicability of grafting, 

 and that the observation of the circumstance of 

 a vine shooting more vigorously after a goat bad 

 browsed on it, suggested the valuable art of pru- 

 ning fruit trees. One of the emperors of China 

 having noticed that a particular stalk in his gar- 

 den produced better rice than the rest, cultivated 

 it for several years; and then having fully satis- 

 fied himself and his subjects of its superiority, 

 be distributed its grains among them for their 

 general benefit. A farmer having remarked that 

 some gooseberry bushes, growing under an elder 

 tree, were exempt from caterpillars, was induced 

 to try the efficacy of a decoction of elder leaves 

 in destroying the grubs that infested his turnip 

 crops, and he and other farmer* who repealed 

 the experiment found it successful. 



It is not only necessary that the agriculturist 

 should be well acquainted with the nature of the 

 different vegetables which he cultivates for eco- 

 nomical purposes, but (that he should rightly un- 

 derstand the causes of the several ravages and 

 diseases to which they are subject,so that he may 

 be able to devise pioper remedies and preven- 

 tions. In nine cases out of ten, the failure of 

 crops and the pecuniary losses experienced there- 

 by, arise from the attack of some particular spe- 

 cies of destructive insect, which, from unknown 

 causes, has appeared in unusually great num- 

 bers. Before any effectual steps can be taken 

 against it, it is absolutely necessary to ascertain 

 correctly what species of insect is causing the 

 mischief, and to study the creature's habits in all 

 its transformations; for what will prove more or 

 less effectual in one stage of its existence, will 



be totally useless, or perhaps, increase the evil in 

 another. Notwithstanding the immense annual 

 losses which must he caused by the millions of 

 destructive insects that infest all kinds of crops, 

 the science of entomology is comparatively neg- 

 lected by agriculturists, who are, therefore, fre- 

 quently unable to give a definite description of 

 any noxious insect to a naturalist, when they en- 

 quire his opinion and advice. 



Those husbandmen who have possessed some 

 knowledge of natural history, have not merely 

 been belter able to cultivate their plants and pro- 

 tect them from the attack of hurtful creatures, 

 but they have ascertained thereby what creatures 

 are harmless and useful, and therefore lo be 

 spared and encouraged. Without this power of 

 discrimination, they may be unwittingly led into 

 the error of destroying creatures which were ab- 

 solutely beneficial to them. 



Natural history in its most extended sense, be- 

 ing inseparably connected with all the arts of life, 

 ought lo form a part of the education of those 

 who wish to promote them, and benefit by them. 

 In every school, whether intended for males or 

 females, for the rich or for the poor, natural his- 

 tory should find a foremost place as an elegant 

 and useful accomplishment. 



The culture of plants will become a compara- 

 tively easy process when we are better acquaint- 

 with their peculiar functions, and with the che- 

 mical elements which they require for their 

 growth ami maturation. We must not be con- 

 tent with knowing what are their respective na- 

 tural locations, climates, and seasons, but must 

 learn what chemical gases each species imbibes 

 from the atmosphere, through its leaves, ami w hat 

 substances from the soil, through its roots. " If 

 a plant be distinguished by its containing a nota- 

 ble portion of soda, silica, &c, the soil in which 

 it is to be grown must contain the elements, oth- 

 erwise the attempt will be abortive," for a plant 

 can no more create soda or silica within itself, 

 than it can form water for its support, independ- 

 ent of die soil or atmosphere. From a know- 

 ledge of the principles, therefore, a rational the- 

 ory of agriculture may be formed ; and what has 

 hitherto been little belter than an expensive and 

 often distressing system of trial and error, he- 

 comes a science guided by fixed laws. Agricul- 

 ture will always have lo contend with the fluctu- 

 ations of seasons and climate; but it is for hu- 

 man ingenuity to modify their influence, and this 

 only can be effected by rational and scientific 

 procedure. As yet, the science of Agriculture 

 is in its infancy, hut the time is not far distant 

 when it will rank with other maturer branches of 

 knowledge — when every soil will be systemati- 

 cally treated for the species of crop lo be raised 

 upon it — in short, when the farmer will sow and 

 reap with as much security as ihe distiller pro- 

 duces his spirit. The value of the science of 

 chemistry to the agriculturist, may be judged 

 from the fact that when the great chemist, La- 

 voisier, took a quantity of land into his own cul- 

 tivation, he very soon succeeded in doubling its 

 produce. — Jour, of ,'lg. 



Principles of Breeding. 



At the late meeting of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, lectures were given by persons previ- 

 ously appointed, on various subjects connected 

 with agriculture. Discursions of similar subjects 

 were likewise held, at times when the members 

 of the Society were not otherwise engaged. We 

 think the feature a good one, and shall be glad to 

 see it adopted by societies in this country. On 

 the occasion above referred to, Prof. J. F. W. 

 Johnston delivered a lecture on the applications 

 of science to agriculture. Another lecture was 

 given by Professor Simmonds, of the Royal Ve- 

 terinary College — the general subject, [he par- 

 turition of cows and sheep ; but in his prelimi- 

 nary remarks, he made some valuable observa- 

 tions on the principles of breeding, of which we 

 give ihe following, from the Marklane Express: 



" Breeding with a view to improvement, might 

 he said lo he founded on nature's established law 

 that like produced like. This was only true in 

 part, for then- was a constant tendency to change, 

 arising from a qariety of causes; sui li as domes- 

 tication, living in a different climate, or on a dif- 

 ferent kind of food. The management to which 

 animals were subject, had its influence. While 

 tho3e might be looked upon as the chief causes 



in operation to produce this constant change, at 

 the same time they were means (added to others) 

 which were used to effect an improvement. In 

 order to improve the breed there were two plans, 

 advocated by two sections of practical breeders. 

 One was commonly called the 'in-and-in sjstem,' 

 ihe other the crossing plan. The in-and-in sys- 

 tem originated from Mr. Bake well, and it had at 

 least the effect of destroying the prejudice which 

 had existed against breeding from animals having 

 a relationship. But the system had a tendency 

 after a lime to deteriorate the breed; in fact it 

 might be said to be limited, so far as ils benefits 

 were concerned. Every improvement of breed 

 required the application of the same moans to 

 retail] it which produced it ; the chief of these 

 was care in Ihe selection of stock, so as to avoid 

 a tendency to hereditary disease. Crossing was 

 founded on a principle just as secure as Bake- 

 wcll's principle of care in selection, added 10 tho 

 in-and-in system. Certain diseases wore heredi- 

 tary, ami so was color, and they could only get 

 rid of this color and this predisposition to dis- 

 ease by crossing. Still this crossing required 

 care in selection. Mr. Simmonds illustrated this 

 peculiar tendency to propagate disease or detects, 

 by referring at some length to the fad of the large 

 proportion of horses in Yorkshire known as 

 'roarers.' Animals bred from these 'roarers' had 

 a peculiar susceptibility to the disease, and if one 

 of ihese Yorkshire horses was exposed to the or- 

 dinary causes of disease, the peculiar defect 

 would be found developed, while other horses 

 similarly exposed would escape. What was true 

 with regard to horses is as true in regard to Cot- 

 tle, sheep, and all domesticated animals. The 

 tendency of like to produce, like, Mr. Simmonds 

 illustrated, by referring to the results of crossing 

 various breeds of cattle, such as Devons with 

 Ilerefords, both the color ami form of the parent 

 animals being thereby altered or modified. In a 

 state of nature the tendency to change was not 

 observed to the same extent as in domesticated 

 animals; therefore in a state of nature degenera- 

 tion of a thing did not take place to the Same ex- 

 tent as among the same breed when domestica- 

 ted. The lecturer t lien passed on to remark up- 

 on the importance, in crossing animals, of suit- 

 ing the male to the mind or taste of the female. 

 Some might smile at this notion, but Mr. S. 

 showed, hv several facts, the importance of pay- 

 ing attention to this point." 



Subsoil Ploughing. — Clark Beardsley, of 



Avon, Mich., states in the Michigan Farmer, that 

 he harvested wheat on ten acres of good wheat 

 land in 7844, which had been much run for 17 

 years, and the product was only eighty-five bush- 

 els. The soil was clay, and was full of " foul 

 stuff." The next year he subsoiled it with a 

 span of horses and two yokes of oxen, by once 

 ploughing, and thoroughly subdued the foul stuff', 

 and obtained in 1846, from the same ten acres of 

 laud, over three hundred bushels of wheat. And 

 yet we know a firmer of large and ample means, 

 who admits that the subsoil is more fertile for 

 wheat than the upper soil, who says he "cannot 

 afford" to use the subsoil plough \—Mb. Cultiva- 

 tor. 



Yankee Brown Bread. 



Two quarts of Indian meal. 



Two quails of rye meal. 



Three pints of milk or water. 



Two tenspoonfuls of salt. 



Half a pint of strong fresh'yeast. 



Having sifted the ije ami Indian meal into a 

 large pan, mix them well together, adding the 

 salt. Boil ihe milk or water in a sauce-pan, and 

 when scalding hot pour \\ on the meal, ami stir 

 the whole very hard. If too stiff, add a little 

 more warm water. Let it stand till it becomes 

 only of a lukewarm heat, and then stir in the 

 yeast. Knead the mixture into a stiff dough, ami 

 knead it long and hard for at least half an hour. 

 Then cover the pan with a thick cloth that has 

 been previously warmed, and set it near the fire 

 to rise. When the dough is quite light, and 

 cracked all over the top, take i' out of the pan; 

 divide t'l mass in half; make it into mo loaves; 

 knead each loaf well for ten minutes or more j 

 and then cover and set them again near the fire, 

 for half an hour. By this time have the oven 

 ready, put in the loaves directly, and bake them 



