THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



61 



Among the contrarieties of tliis world a fact 

 worthy of notice is the entire change that goes 

 over us in relation to early objects of aversion oi 

 fear. The Toarf, looked upon in early childhood, 

 is one of the most ugly and oft'ensive animals 

 that can be imagiued ; yet when we learn the 

 utility of these creatures in destroying hundreds 

 and thousands of worms and insects which prey 

 upon the infant vegetables that are the object of 

 om- care, we are taught to respect and feel at- 

 fection for an animal so useful— we identify liini 

 with the innocent swallow which flying through 

 the air gathers into its stomach myriads of mis- 

 chief brooding insects. 



The Crows, watching the opportunity to carry 

 oft"a young cliick or lamb, or to pull up the ten- 

 der corn just shewing itself from the ground, 

 are also an object of the bounty of the Legisla- 

 ture to be entrapped by the man or the gun of 

 the fowler: yet these animals and other feathered 

 fowls, coiwidered an object of human aversion, 

 probably do much more good than harm in the 

 destruction of myriads of grass-^ioppers, cater- 

 pillars, canker worms and other ravenous ver- 



But there is another species of animal, 

 which ironi childhood had more than any thing 

 else been an object of aversion and dread — a- 

 gainst which an early curse liad been pronoun- 

 ced — that we had alvvajs supposed would never 

 be entitled to sympathy; we mean the Snake. 

 In obedience to what v,'e had considered a Scrip- 

 ture command, we had made it a sort of religious 

 duty to kill a snake whenever we should meet 

 one ; and sevei-al years ago, while travelling in a 

 field with a Quaker friend, we were surprised to 

 he. advised by him to let oft' a striped snake 

 which Ciune conveniently within the reach of a 

 stick in our hands: "He never did thee injury- 

 he will do more good than harm : let him alone." 

 We confess we have often since that time been 

 jnevented from alighting from a carriage ^vhile 

 travelling to pursue to the death that animal which 

 was doomed by the curse to "crawl upon his 

 belly all the days of its life." 



The snake is truly a picture of hatred and mal- 

 ice ; but after all it is notnjorc wicked than many 

 other animals which prey upon weaker aiiiiiials. 

 Man makes the life of all other animals subservi- 

 ent to his own sustenance and comfort ; and 

 why should we consider birds and beasts and 

 reptiles of prey as necessarily vicious.' The 

 most innocent" animals in our eyes slay their 

 thousands: the swallow and the toad destroy 

 millions of iiiferior beings. 



If our quaker fricTid induced us to look with 

 kiudnc.«s uj)on a green or stiiped snake, we nev- 

 er had supposed wc should be induced to let a 

 huge black snake retreat when we could stoj) 

 hiiii by a well-directed blow. We have cleared 

 land upon and near the steep banks of a gully of 

 light soil, in which, assisted by squirrels and fo.x- 

 es, the black snakes had found very convenient 

 dens. While picking up the burnt ground we 

 foun«l the skin of one' these measuring very near 

 nine feet in length ! At another time a large snake, 

 five or six feet long, laying over our path, glided 

 beyond ihe reach of a hoe in our hands, into a 

 pile of brush. Another time, while " coming 

 through the rye," startled with a jump of full six- 

 feet by treading directly upon the representation 

 of Satan himself, at least in appearance, we pur- 

 sued him to the death, armed with a stake, and 

 striking such a blow as we were sure would disa- 

 ble him. 



After all we arc glad to find that our hostility 

 even to the odious black snake is misdirected, 

 and that it is better he should run away than 

 that \ve should kill him. Lamenting that the 

 large snake had escaped, we were informed that 

 he would be of great use in driving the chip- 

 squirrel.s an I mice from our grain fields; and 

 we have no doubt that the old fellow who hap- 

 pened to be in the way of our tread was at that 

 moment busy in pursuit of the destroyers of our 

 rye-field. Col. C. of Epsom, we are informed, 

 asks as a favor of his workmen that they will 

 spare the black snake for the good he shall do in 

 destroying and driving off the animal.s that eat, 

 carry ofTnnd waste bushels of grain. 



Just so some persons court the residence and 

 wonting of a Ifeazd who drives away from the 

 cellar scores of rats— that either cat up or spoil 



every kind of provision within their reach, and 

 not only burrow under ground beneath the foun- 

 dation stones of our cellars to make a home up- 

 on your premises, but gnaw and disfigure and 

 dirty your pantries, cupboards, boxes and meat- 

 tubs, and by the most ingenious devices find 

 means to approach what every one might sup- 

 pose to be secure beyond their reach. So inge- 

 nious are rats that they have been known to ex 

 tract the corks from flasks of sweet oil and take 

 it away with their tails, feeding themselves fat 

 with all the gusto of the good liver. And by the 

 way we think rats to be that kind of animal 

 to which we should become less and less recon- 

 ciled. In the economy of nature we can see no 

 possible good residting from their creation. 



Another animal, a " beast of prey," but more 

 offensive than dangerous, is the Skunk. When 

 one of these animals, in the open season, creep- 

 ing into the cellar windows, takes up his resi- 

 dence on your premises, it requires a very par- 

 ticular management to get rid of the unwelcome 

 boarder in the family without his leaving striking 

 evidence by which you must remendier him af- 

 terwards. They love to live on the best, and 

 they will work in the night to be in advance of 

 you in feasting upon a Ijrood of chickens and 

 turkeys. The venerable mother hen is now liv- 

 ing who just escaped with life three years ago 

 while brooding her flock of a dozen or more en- 

 closed in a pen into which the night marauder 

 entered by burrowing under ground. The a- 

 larm was given, and the family aroused after 

 midnight by the screeching mother: the assail- 

 ant had devoured ten of the thirteen chickens, 

 gnawed the mother's head to a bare bloody bones, 

 broke iier right wing, and left her skeleton a 

 mere wreck. The box which made the pen was 

 raised, and the faithful old bull-dog Bose who 

 has watched the yard for six years, made but a 

 single bite through the back of the largest and 

 fattest skunk we had ever seen to drspatch him. 

 The mastift", having done his business, burrow cd 

 himself iuimediately in the sand: but in the en- 

 counter disqualified himself fro/u entry within 

 doors for at least two weeks. Three chickens 

 which escaped to a hiding place came out next 

 morning, ami the mother hen had suflered so 

 much in the encounter that it would have been a 

 mercv to take from her what little of life remain- 

 ed. " 



The skunk is so mischievous and offensive that 

 man always wars upon him when he may do it 

 with safely. But it has become evident that we 

 have not done theanimal justice,we might do him 

 credit for doing more harm than good. He works 

 in the night, and thereibro little of the good he 

 does comes within our observation. He not on- 

 ly destroys in their season, in the warm nights of 

 early summer and aulumn,tliousands of the beetles 

 and other insects and worms that destroy vege- 

 tation and grain — but the moles and mice that in- 

 fest the 1 lou^litd and gnss giounds find in him 

 an enenn that 1 uuti tl n i to j go 1 | uipo c ioi 

 the fnimei Ln t \ it! t \ s i il i r ion 

 not o\ei h If 1 I I [ ot t 1 1 cf tl IS 



1) If a ciO|i in 1 i 1 I ll e n I ni 1 i i 

 m dci 1 I no \\(_ I I u tilt 11 1 of 1 II U 

 wlose I Wh \ cic imi t pot t nd <oin 

 fi( Id ol si\ icies su I I b n Ti ^ 1 1 I oK 1 j I un 

 nni, oitrf the coi i d ii 1 dcs jUi,, the mice 

 tint in gicit numbeis had found a pHce of le 

 treat undei the swaid of the field which had 

 been turned down in the early sjiring. If the 

 skunks shall not molest us, let them live and do 

 good, 



Agricultural Statistics of the U. S, — The 

 Philadelphia North American contains a very val- 

 uable table with the above title, compiled from 

 the returns of the sixlh census, and containing a 

 slateincnt of the agricultural products of all the 

 states but three, viz : North Carolina, Michigan, 

 and Kentucky, From which we learn that the 

 largest wheal growing state in the Union is Ohio ; 

 theramount 16,000,000 bushels; the next larcest, 

 Pennsvlvania with 13,000,000, the next,New York, 

 11,000^000, and the fourth, Virginia, with 10,000,- 

 000, The largest amount of Indian corn raised 

 in one state, isln Tennessee — 42,000.000 bushels ; 

 Virginia— 34,000,000 ; Ohio— 33,000,000 ; India- 

 na— 28,000,000 ; Illinois— 22,000,000; Alabama— 

 18,000,000 ; Georgi.t — 17,000,000 ; Missouri — 

 1,5,000,000. 



New York is the greatest pointer growing ? tate ; 



amount 30,999,000 bushels. Maine comes next 

 with 10,000,000, and next Pennsvlvania, with 

 8,000,000. 



The greatest cotton growing States arc Missis- 

 sippi, 289,000,000 lbs.; Alabama, 240,000,000; 

 Georgia, 148,000,000; South Cai-oliua,134,000,000; 

 Tennessee, 128,000,000; Louisiana, 87,000,000; 

 Arkansas, 23,000,000 ; Virginia, 10,000,000. 



Louisiana is of course the largest producer of 

 sugai-, amount, 249,000,000 lbs.; New York 

 comes next with 70,000,000 lbs. the produce of 

 our foresLs. 



Tennessee, as she is first in corn, is also first in 

 swine, number 2,795,000. Ohio stands next with 

 2,000,000. 



New York stands first for wool ; next, Ohio, 

 Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 



Tennessee again, stands first for tobacco- 

 amount 26,000,000 lbs.! Maryland, 18,000,000; 

 Virginia, 14,000,000. We regret we have not 

 the returns fiom Kentucky. In com and tobac- 

 co, we think she will rank with the best of her 

 sisters. 



New York stands first for lumber. Value 

 $3,788,000. Next, Maine, $1,808,000. For pro- 

 ducts of the orchard. New York stands also first. 

 Value, ,*1,732,000. For products of the dairy, 

 New York is again at the head. Value, *10,000,- 

 000. A'ermont next, $4,892,000. 



The " Agricultural Statistics," from w hich the 

 above extracts are made, abundantly prove, if 

 indeed any proof ^vere wanting, that this country 

 possesses in herself all the elements of greatness. 

 AVe ran raise and manufacture within our exten- 

 ded territory every article necessary for our sus- 

 tenance and cloliiing. Why then continue to 

 pay out millions every year for French silks, 

 French wines, English iron and English broad 

 cloths.' There inust be a reform in this particu- 

 lar, or we shall never be frfee from embarrass- 

 ments. — Troy Whig. 



PROUTY AND MEARS', 



THE HIGHEST PREMIUM PLOUGH. 



We have been highly gratified to see directly 

 fronting the pleasant room where wo write, be- 

 fore the store of the Messrs. Butterfields, a 

 dozen or more of those beautiful Ploughs made 

 by Prouty and Mears ; and nearly every time wa 

 have looked that way we have seen them under 

 the examination of one or more farmers from 

 this and the neighboring towns who visit our 

 street. From our own experience we can say 

 that no farmer who does any considerable work 

 at ploughing will ever regret the price he shall 

 pay for one of these Ploughs : in breaking up a 

 field of six acres of intervale sward land a year 

 ago, we feel quite confident that we gained, iti the 

 goodness of the work alone, more than eleven 

 dollars, which w as the price of a new plough. 



Pioutj and Meats ha%e long demoted gieat at- 

 tention to the construction and mannfiicture of 

 Ploughs, with a view of perfecting this useful 

 implement ; and their Patent Centre Draught 

 Plough is highly admired by many thousand far- 

 mers who have used them. 



Besides their liigh character fi-om their exten- 

 sive use and excellent ivork, they have taken the 

 Highest Premiums at a number of Ploughing 

 Matches of County Agricultural Societies, and 

 at several gnuul Exhibilions of Mechanic Asso- 

 ciations, Premiums and Diplomas have been 

 awarded for the excellence of these Ploughs. 



At a thorough trial of Ploughs at Ilarlrem, un- 

 der the American Institute, which wys open to 

 the whole I'nion, able judges examined fully into 

 their merits, and decided in favor of the Centre 

 Draught Plough ; and a Gold Medal w.-is award- 

 ed toProuty and Mears for the Best Plough, re- 

 quiring the Least Draught, and doing the work 

 in the Most Perfect Planner. 



One of the most imponant trials of Ploughs 

 that ever took place, was held at Worcester in 



