18 



THE FARMER'S MONTH LY VISITOR. February, 1842. 



United States where these means are to l)e fonnd 

 in a position better adapted to their siiccesslul 

 application than in the fertile valley of the Con- 

 necticut. Here is a point in New England where, 

 if the work be not already begun, it should be 

 entered on immediately. 



We have only to succeed in proving the propo- 

 sition not only that those are the best men and 

 the best politicians who double the productions 

 of the soil, but that they who do it best consult 

 their own enjoyments in life and make the most 

 sure advances to wealth, to etlect om- whole ob- 

 ject. 



It is not considered disreputable Tor any man 

 to accumulate ; and it is perhaps a fault that the 

 moral sense of the community fails to discrimi- 

 nate between the man who has gained a fortune 

 from making cent per cent, by the use of money 

 in the hands of others whore it has done little 

 good in the use, and the man who has gained 

 competence while he has contributed to real pro- 

 duction. 



There cannot be a more gratifying use of cap- 

 ital than its application with a prospect of in- 

 crease to the means of comfort to those around 

 us. Say that a farmer has gained in the increase 

 cf tlie products of his fields, one, two or live 

 hundred dollars. The too frequent use of this 

 addition has been, when it was not loaned to 

 some improvident neighbor on security of real 

 estate with a prospect that it may fall into his 

 hands for less than it is worth, to iiurchase addi- 

 tional acres, or perhaps buy a new farm. In such 

 a course the good manager makes a pretty sure 

 advance to wealth ; but experience proves that 

 his advance is much slower in proportion the 

 more land and buildings he accimiulates. lie 

 adds acre to acre, ;ind house to house, but every 

 new addition adds to his carej and his vexations 

 with no pecuniary advantage compensating for 

 his troubles. All experience proves, that the 

 gains upon property placed beyond our per.sonal 

 supervision, are much less than where we have 

 and e.xercise the opportunity to give our personal 

 ins))ection to every thing as it passes. 



Discouraged at the progress made in this way, 

 the avaricious man sometimes takes the course 

 of making a more sure gain by usury, or at least 

 by the swift accumulation from bis spare money 

 of "interest upon interest," extending sometimes 

 as the man said of old Hunks so as to " look a 

 little like extortion." 



A better and a more sure use of honest surplus 

 gains, in my apprehension, remains to be more 

 extensively adopted in this country. Could our 

 wealthy yeomen be induced to adopt my recom- 

 mendation, it would be the spending their spare 

 capital in the improvement of the ground they 

 already possess. The price of labor and the 

 produce of labor should always bear its fair rek- 

 tive proportion. When this is the case, the judi- 

 cious farmer will not mistake his true interest if 

 he expends in improvements atlioine the surplus 

 be would apply to some foreign object. 



A prosperous Agriculture, and that alone, must 

 pave New England from poverty and sad depre 

 elation. Good and substantial farmers, whosi 

 means place them above-board, make thriving 

 and prosperous villages at every waterfall ca); 

 ble of propelling mechanical and manufacturing 

 machinery, and at every point where two or more 

 roads meet. A neglected Agriculture shows ir 

 its vicinity deserted villages, wasted and dilapi- 

 dated buildings, warehouses closed, houses un- 

 occupied, property sacrificed. 



Men of the professions who look upon the til- 

 ler of the soil as of humble occupation ought to 

 realize that their dependence is even greater on 

 a prosperous Agriculture than that of the laborer 

 himself; for wliile the latter consumes all that he 

 raises in a daily subsistence, the former will 

 starve. It is the surplus of Agriculture which 

 makes the men of all professions permanently 

 thrive ; and to the accumulation of this surplus 

 chould the men of every occupation direct their 

 efforts. 



The question of improvement must here be 

 treated in short hand. The application of capi- 

 tal in the judicious expenditure of labor may 

 make every town of New Hampshire yield dou- 

 ble, and many towns four-fold their present pro- 

 <luction. Now this increase of production oper- 

 ates in a four-fold ralio. If a man with the same 

 or very little more labor can obtain fifty bushels 

 cf coin or two tons of hay to the acre which he- 



capital 

 d Ibiir- 



fore gave half the quantity, the 

 the value of each ;icre will be 

 told. I speak of the intrinsic value ot' the laud, 

 merely supposing it suffers as little deterioration 

 in the one case as in the other. But the smaller 

 production generally is on land running down 

 every year, while the larger production must be 

 u|Min land whose strength suffers no depreriation. 

 Ne''.v in the intrinsic value of the land in the two 

 cases there is even a w ider difference than in the 

 present apparent pioiluclion. The contrast is 

 almost as great as between any thing growing in 

 usefulness and a thing becoming absolutely 

 worthless. It is the change from worse to worse 

 that will not fail to iTiake of New Hampshire. 



tely designated by a Southern member 

 on the floor of Congress, "a most barren and 

 sterile piece of earth," the residence only of the 

 "screeching owl and the liosvling woll"' It is 

 the change from better to better that shall con- 

 tinue and accelerate the march of our Granite 

 State to a state of health and happiness, of wis- 

 doin and wealth, such as is hardly enjoyed by any 

 community on the lace of the earth. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 The Child's Grave. 



BY THE LATE .MRS. EUNICE T. DAKIELS. 



Tause gently here ! This flowery mouad 



Contains within a sacred trust ; 

 Tread liglitly ! for 'tis hallowed ground 



Where love yields up its "dust to dust." 



For every flower that blossoms here, 



And every wild shrub waving by, 

 llath oft been wet with many a tear, 



And oft embalmed with many a sigh. 

 For here upon its silken h.iir 



From a voung mother's fostering breast, 

 With soft "sweet eyes and features fair, 



A cherub form was laid to rest. 

 The velvet cheek and fragrant lips 



Where love its dewy kisses presa'd, 

 All— all beneath death's chill eclipse 



Are gather'd here in dreamless rest. 

 And fond alTection lingering near, 



Hath strewn her sweetest flow'rets round : — 

 Breathe softly ! for the dead are here— 



Tread lightly, for 'tis hallowed ground. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Ho.N. Isaac Hill — Sir: — 1 noticed in your 

 valuable Visitor of the last month under the bead 

 of "Young Farmers in Concord," you have in- 

 troduced my name. I feel, sir, that although I 

 have made some iiiiprovcmcnts on my farm, yet 

 I fall iiir short of being a thorough liirmur ; 1 

 suppose not only from the want of knowledge 

 on the subject, but also from the want of health, 

 having not been able to perform a full day's la- 

 bor since I have been on a fariu. I know that 

 some people consider the occupation of the far- 

 mer far beneath them ; hut having been engaged 

 in vajious kinds of business in my life, I am rea- 

 dy to say that the farmer enjoys more real hap- 

 piness and true independence than men of any 

 other profession or trade. Drawing his substance 

 direct from mother earth, as prepared by the 

 great Giver of all good, and constantly surrouud 

 ed by the broad fields of Nature, he is taugh 

 to look up with a grateful heart from Nature to 

 Nature's God. 



I find in general, farmers are not careful enough 

 in the selection of their tools ; the plougl 

 instance, the most useful of all, is made t( 

 swer the purpose year after year, of the same 

 pattern and make that were in use thirty years 

 ago, without the owner taking the trouble s 

 much as to examiim his neighbor's to see if h 

 has not got one a little better. 



I tried an experiment last fall with (bur differ 

 ent ploughs in turning sward land, and was as- 

 tonished at the difference, tdl considered good, 

 I found that Piouty and Mears' Plough would do 

 the work far the best; and as much of it as any 

 other, wFth two thirds of the team, and 1 

 to the conclusion that the difference in the cost 

 of ploughing six acres would pay the full price 

 of one of their ploughs. 



I am happy to sue tlie improvement iu the 

 manufacture of compost manure which has ta- 

 ken place within a {<d\\ years. I believe the 

 means exist within the reach of every farmer, 

 that he may make his land as rich as he pleases, 

 by a judicious application of those means. My 

 method has been to pile up a quantity of swamp 

 mud in the driest part of the season, mixing one 



k of lime to about five loads of mud, 

 leaving it to be used the next season, by which 

 time it becomes pulverized and lighter to draw. 

 I then, after clearing my low ground in the 

 spring, cover the whole surface about three inch- 

 es deep with this mud, there to remain until lidl, 

 when the yard is again cleared, and covered as 

 before for winter. 1 also look well to my hog 

 pens, and see that they are replenished as often 

 as the occupants thoroughly prepare what they 

 have oil hand. Besides the mud I put into my 

 hog pens weeds, leaves, grass and bushes, from 

 hedges and meadows, also fresh houce manure ; 

 and my swine, being workers, mix all together, 

 and make it, I think, of as much value as clear 

 stable manure. 



I also purchase some manure every year from 

 the stables. The way I nianage that is, to re- 

 move it to my field in the fall, where I have ready 

 to mix with it a pile of the pulverized mud ; I 

 first spread a few inches in depth of the mud 

 over the ground, for the bottom of my heap; 

 then stable manure throe or four inches; then 

 follows mud again, of the same thicknes.s, and 

 so on, until the heap is as high as it is conven- 

 ient, taking care that the whole ,is well covered 

 with mud at last. This compost I esteem of 

 more value than the fi;esh stable manure drawn 

 on to the ground in the spring. 



There are other subjects which might be men- 

 tioned ; but not considering myself wise above 

 my neighbors, I leave for some more competent 

 pen than that of A YOUNG FARMER. 



Feb. 1849. 



From the Maine Cultivator. 

 Treatment of Horses. 

 The horse is so useful a servant that we can 

 afford to bestow some attention on his wants as 

 well as on his capacities iind powers. 



No animal has been more abused than he, as 

 lie are more spirited and free; and it is too of^ 

 11 his fate to die in the cause of his master. Ill 

 atmcnt is ofien experienced, through passion 

 caielessness, and sometimes through ignorance 

 of the proper mode of feeding anti of driving. 

 It is a good rule to consult one's own feelings 

 when we hesitate what treatment will be proper 

 for our horses, and no man will he likely to in- 

 jure his beast when he makes his case his own. 



Farm horses that are never driven rapidly re- 

 quire far less attention than those which are 

 ged to the top of their speed ; and those which 

 e never driven faster than a walk will live and 

 be usefiil for a third longer term than horses 

 used in chaises and coaches. It is fiist driving 

 and high feeding that shortens the days of a 

 horse's usefulness; and six years of high feeding 

 and rapid driving are sufficient, in general, to 

 render a horse unfit for very active service. 



High keeping is e.ssential when great service 

 is required, but great care is necessary in dealing 

 out the food. Much difference of opinion exists 

 among drivers as to the best moJe of feeding 

 and of watering, and it w:is an old rule never to 

 let a horse drink when he is warm ; but this is 

 now generally disregarded, and horses are in- 

 vited to drink little and often while in the har- 

 ness and when they are to stop but for a few 

 moments. In regard to the kind of water proper 

 for them, it has been supposed that puddle wa- 

 ter, or such as has much earth and mud iiii.xed 

 with it, is better than any that comes pure from 

 the brook ; but this is not a very philosophical 

 rule, as pure water is known to be less injurious 

 to a healthy animal than any which has foreign 

 ingredients in it. Puddle water, therefore, can 

 be no better than pure water unless it is because 

 it is usually warmer; and horses generally know 

 enough to prefer this on that actjount. 



Though horses are often injured or destroyed 

 by being suffered to drink too much cold water 

 when they are warm, a much greater number 

 have been ruined by giving grain at improper 

 seasons. It has very generally been supposed 

 dangerous to feed with grain a horse which has 

 just come into the stable very warm and sweaty ; 

 but what evidence have we that they have suf- 

 fered from this cause .' Do men lear to ent im- 

 mediately after quitting the scythe or the flail ? 

 Horses will not eat much immediately on stop- 

 ping after a hard drive. What reason, then, 

 for supposing they have ever suffered from this 

 cause ? 

 It is violent exercise immediately ajttr eating 



