288 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Dec- 



Cabica' Department. 



THE CLOSING WORDS FOR 1860. 



A YEAR has nearly passed away since, in our remarks 

 in the January number, we used the following^ lan- 

 guage : '' We shall urge upon our fair readers the 

 necessity of devoting a portion of their time te gar- 

 dening. It will not only aflbrd pleasure, but health. 

 It will furnish the luxuries — the poetry of life, and 

 the health essential to their enjoyment. Work among 

 your flowers and plants every day during the season ; 

 it is the best cosmetic in the world^it will drive away 

 that sallow billious look — it will give you a color 

 inore beautiful, more lasting than rose or eaimine — 

 • it will send the glow of health to the cheek, and joy to 

 the heart." We have endeavored faithfully to re- 

 deem our pledge. We have presented the garden in 

 its most attractive colors — in its most fragrant per- 

 fumes. We have taken our fair readers by the hand, 

 and led them from the kitchen, from the parlor, into 

 the garden ; and there we have talked of the beauties 

 of the rose — the fragrance of the honeysuckle — the 

 modesty of the lily — the sweetness of the mignonette. 

 We have grown eloquent as we have discoursed of 

 the sweet music of the feathered songsters and 

 heaven's balmy breezes. We have urged the young 

 lady to close the novel, and take hold of the floral rake 

 — to leave the rocking chair, and saddle the horse, or 

 ramble through the woods and fields. We have prom- 

 ised health and happiness, glowing cheeks and glad 

 hearts, as the reward. And, lest any might be dis- 

 couraged at their first attempts at gardening, we have 

 given plain and good advice — to do little and do it 

 well. We have told what to do, and how to do it. 



We have spoken a word, too, for the children. 

 We have asked the mother to encourage in her child 

 a love for nature — a love for trees and flowers ; and 

 wc have asked for the little one a patch of ground for 

 his " own garden." 



But, our work for the year is done — would we 

 could say wkll done. We hope the little good seed 

 sown, has not been cast entiiiply by the way-side. 

 We have good reason to believe that we have thou- 

 sands among our lady readers, who sympathise with 

 us in the work. All who correspond with us express 

 their sympathy ; and this repays us for our labor. 

 Such letters as we published last month and the one 

 below, make our work easy — -our heart light. On 

 looking over the Ladies' Department, we notice many 

 good things said ; but we have much yet to say. 

 We hope to continue our acquantance another year 

 with all our readers, and we shall try to make our 

 monthly visits acceptable. We ask all to review this 

 department for the past year — read it from January 

 to December, and see if you have not received in 

 this department alone, the cost of the whole volume. 



Mkssrs. Editors : — I do not intend to follow the worthy 

 example of Kmilv, in llie last number of the Farmer, and pive 

 my experience in gardening ; neither shall I tell you how 

 much I am indebted to your paper, and particularly your 

 Ladies Department, for pleasure and instruction. Your at- 

 tempt to blend the picasent and useful has been very suc- 

 cessful, and I have no doubt is ns well appreciated by your 

 numerous readers as by myself and family. I say family, 

 because all reod the Farmer, from oldest to younpcst. My 

 chililren have their fowls, and though I exercise a little over- 

 sight, yet they are proud to call them their own, and count 

 up their eggs and chickens with os much sati.sfiiciion as the 

 miser counts his dollars. The greatest trouble we have, is 

 to save the young chickens — they appear so lender, and so 

 many of them die while young ; some of them with dis- 



eases that we know something of, and can cure in its first 

 stages ; others with diseases that I can find no description of, 

 and consequently no remedy for, in any of the poultry books. 

 If you can give us any information, it will no doubt prove 

 benefici.'il to others as well as to M. S. 



IVayne Co., Nov., 1850. 



Our correspondent, if she is not treating her chick- 

 ens in the best possible manner, is doing what is of 

 far more consequence, training up her children to 

 habits of industry — not by making them unwilling 

 slaves to toil — working with their hands for fear of 

 reproach, or punishment ; but working with a tcill — 

 with smiling faces, eager hands, and joyful hearts. 

 The mother or father that compels a child to labor, 

 may get a little work done in a slovenly manner ; but, 

 little is done to establish habits of industry in the 

 child ; indeed, the aversion to labor may be increased. 

 Give the child a little patch of ground to cultivate as 

 his own — furnish him with a few attractive imple- 

 ments — assist a little occasionally, as you see assis- 

 tance is needed — encourage the child to seek infor- 

 aiton — and you do much ; yea, can hardly fail to es- 

 tablish industrious, persevering, careful habits in the 

 child. A few chicken.s, if the child appears to have a 

 fancy that way, and most children do, will answer 

 just as well. Anything to interest the mind, and 

 make children feel that they have a res'ionsibility 

 resting upon them — that their acts are of some ac- 

 count in the world, and tend to some good result. 

 The work of the child should be noticed occasional- 

 ly, and commendations bestowed, moderately, when 

 deserved ; for he will soon think his labors are of 

 very little consequence, unless father or mother shows 

 some interest in them. It is better to praise than 

 blame ; and the parent should seek for something 

 that he can commend, instead of seeking for some- 

 thing of which he can find fault. Improvement 

 should be suggested occasionally, though not too fast, 

 or it will discourage the child, and destroy his self- 

 reliance, while an occasional suggestion will teach 

 the child that he has not arrived at perfection, and 

 will assist him in improving for himself. In sug- 

 gesting improvements, appeal to the judgement : you 

 will thus strengthen the mind, and learn the child 

 to think for himself. 



The following remarks, on interesting children in 

 what they have to do, is from The Student : " If 

 you try to teach children who are not interested, it 

 is like a blacksmith trying to make nails out of cold 

 iron. There is too much hammering of cold iron in 

 our schools ; too much hard work, that does little 

 good, because not rightly employed. Ask inter- 

 esting questions — and thus wake up ideas, and make 

 dull eyes bright by developing thought." 



Adulteration or Coffee. — At one of the recent 

 meetings of the Botanical Society of London, a paper 

 was read by Dr. Arthur IIaSsall, "on the adulter- 

 ation of coffee." He proceeded to detail, in a tabu- 

 lar form, the results of 34 examinations of coft'ec of 

 all prices. Prom these, it appeared that the whole 

 of the coffees, with two exceptions only, were adul- 

 terated — the quantity of coffee present was very small 

 inmost cases, not more than a fifth, fourth, half, and 

 so on. The paper concluded with a hint addressed 

 to cofifee drinkers, that the coffee should be ground 

 fine, in order to facilitate the liberation of the essen- 

 tial oils contained in the cells of the berry, and that 

 an infusion, and not a decoction of it shoidd be made, 

 in order that the perfect flavor may be obtained. 



