ICO 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[July, 



"A MARE'S NEST, 



I have been unable to find any explanation 



of the origin of tliis oft used phrase, unless a 

 German story, often heard in my childhood 

 in Pennsylvania, may furnish it. 



The Swabians (called "Schwopes" in Penn- 

 sylvania) are among G-ermaris what the Irish 

 are among English-speaking people, but less 

 volatile, witty and frulic-loving — like them 

 in their ai>titiide for blundering, and iu con- 

 founding and intertaiigliug subjects so as to 

 form wliat are called "Irish Bulls." Of course 

 every comic blunder and burlesque speech is, 

 by the rest of the Germans, ascribed to the 

 Schwopes. So much by way ot jireface. Now 

 for the story. 



A Schwope in passing through a cornfield 

 saw a number of punii)kius, and inquired 

 what they were. He was told they were 

 mare's eggs. He bought one of the largest 

 and carried it it on his journey until he 

 reached the top of a long hill. Wearied with 

 his walk and his burden, he laid down the 

 pumpkin and sat down on it for the double 

 purpose of resting himself, and also aiding in 

 hatching out the mare's egg. As he rested, 

 meditatina on the advantages and pleasure 

 of having a horse on which to ride, instead of 

 trudging on foot, he fell asleep, lost his bal- 

 ance, and awav rolled the pumpkin down the 

 hill ! Now there was a heap of dried brush 

 at the foot of the hill, and in that brush heap 

 a rabbit had made his home. On rolled the 

 pumpkin with increasing speed, and, striking 

 the brush b.eap, broke into pieces. The as- 

 tounded -'Bunny," thinking "the day of 

 doom " had come, bounded away in affrighted 

 haste. The poor Swaljian, who awoke in 

 time to see all this, verily thought that the 

 rabbit was a colt released from his pumpkin, 

 ran after "Bunny," whinneying like a mare 

 after her foal, and crying out, in what he 

 meant for the most endearing terms in horse 

 language— " Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hutchelie, 

 da ist dein mutter!" — in English — "Hee- 

 haw! Hee-haw ! Coltie, here is your mother!" 

 If any of your numerous readers can give 

 us a better or truer explanation of the origin 

 of the phrase, "finding a mare's nest," I 

 cheerfully "vield him the floor," and will be 

 obliged for his explanation. That the above 

 has an unsatisfactory ending, but makes it in 

 accord with the result of "finding a mare's 

 nest."— G. 



[Although the term " mare's nest " was 

 known long before the childhood of the writer 

 of the above, and also beyond the borders of 

 Pennsylvania, it is doubtful whether any bet- 

 ter account can be given of its origin than 

 the one he alludes to ; be the locality of 

 its|birth Pennsylvania or Ssvabia. It is a sort of 

 Ijariigram, which probably had its origin in 

 some trivial circumstance that never was re- 

 corded, but which was sufticiently expressive 

 to become popular among common people. 

 To find a mare^s nest is to make what you sup- 

 pose to be a great discovery, but which turns 

 out to be all moonshine. According to Dr. 

 Brewer what we call a " nightmare " was by 

 our forefathers supposed to be the Saxon 

 demon mara or viare, a kind of vampire, sit- 

 ting on the sleeper's chest. The vampires 

 were said to be the guardians of hidden treas- 

 ures, over which they brooded as a hen does 

 over her eggs, and the place where they sat 

 was termed their 7iidus or nest ; hence the 

 big-eyed, many-horned and long-tailed night- 

 mares which so many see, may only be imagin- 

 ary personations hatched out of a superabun- 

 dance of soft-crab, buckwheat cakes and 

 sausages, packed into an overwroguht stomach 

 just before going to bed. 



When any one supposes he has made a great 

 discovery we ask if he has discovered a mare's 

 nest, or the place where the vampire keeps 



guard over hypothetical treasures. " Why 

 dost thou laugh ? What Hinre's nest hast thou 

 found?" — Bemc. and Fletcher. 



Dr. Brewer says, farther, in some parts of 

 Scotland the people use a sfcate'.s nest in.stead 

 of mare's nest, and iu Gloucestershire a long- 

 winded tale is called a horse-nest. In Devon- 

 shire any kind of nonsense is called a blind 

 niare^s nest, and in Cornwall they say you 

 have foimd a mvc's nest and are laughing over 

 the eggs. The word mare in England has 

 various legendary phrases associated with it. 

 For instance, the Cromlech at Gorwell— a 

 large stone resting ou two or more others, 

 like a table — is called the -white mare, and the 

 Barrows, near Efambleton — tumuli or mounds 

 — are called the grey mare. Away with the 

 mare meant off with the blue-devils, or good- 

 i>ye to care. This mare is the incuhits called 

 the nightmare. 



To win the mare and lose the halter, was to 

 play "double or quits," a reckless kind of 

 speculation or gambling, which impover- 

 ishes nineteen where it enriches one. 



In Herefordshire and Shopshire, to cry the 

 mare was a singular harvest custom. When 

 the ingathering was completed, a few blades 

 of corn, left for the purpose, would have their 

 tops tied together. The reapers then placed 

 themselves at a certain distance and flung their 

 sickles at the " mare." He who succeeded in 

 cutting the knot would cry out " I have her." 

 " What have you ?" "A mare." "Where 

 is she y The name of some farmer whose 

 fields had been reaped would here be men- 

 tioned. "Where will you send her t"' 

 The name of some farmer whose corn 

 had not yet been harvested would then 

 be given, and then all the reapers would give 

 a final shout — " the mare." 



The gray mare is the better horSe : means that 

 the woman is paramount. It is said that a 

 man wished to buy a horse, but his wife took 

 a fancy to a gray mare, and so pertinaciously 

 insisted that "the gray mare was the better 

 horse," that the man was obliged to yield the 

 point. When a woman is paramount, the 

 French say: " 'Tis a hawk's marriage," be- 

 cause the female hawk is generally both 

 larger and stronger than the male bird. 

 Prior wrote : 



■' As long as we huve eyes, or hands, or breath, 

 We'll look, or write, or talk you all to death, 

 Yield, or she — Pegasus will gaia her course. 

 And the gray mare will prove the better horse." 



In a work on Old Glees and Catches, the fol- 

 lowing is given as the origin of that popular 

 maxim, " money makes the mare go." 



" Will you lend me your mare to go a mile?" 

 " No, she is lame leaping over a stile." 

 " But if you will her to me spare, 



You shall have money for your mare." 

 "Oh, ho ! say you so ? 

 Money will make the mare go." 



It will be observed, however, that all this 

 historical evidence is based upon the tradi- 

 tional — "It is said :" but who said it, whereit 

 was said, or when it was said, no deponent 

 sayeth. We must therefore take it as we And 

 it, and for what it is worth. If we limited 

 our knowledge within the scope of our own 

 practical experience, perhaps we should know 

 but precious little, and that little would be 

 circumscribed by our opportunities, and our 

 habits of observation. If along-winded story 

 may be properly regarded as a ?)ia)-e's nest, 

 then our readers may have found one in these 

 cogitations. [Ed. 



THREE WONDERS. 



It is related of an aged Friend (or Quaker) 

 that, "moved of the spirit " to rise and 

 speak in meeting, she said there were three 

 things in life which caused her to wonder 

 greatly. The first was that boys worried 

 themselves by throwing sticks and stones into 

 the tiees to knock down the ajiples; when, if 

 they would but wait, the apples would fall of 

 themselves. The second was, that men took 

 so much pains and spent so luuch money in 

 going to war to kill each (jtlier; when, if they 

 would but wait a few years, their enemies 

 would die of tlunnselves. And the third was, 

 that the boys took so much trouble and spent 

 so much time in ruuning after the girls; when 

 if they would but minci their work and stay 

 at home, the giiis would run after them! 



I, too, have a triad of wonders, but they 

 are not exactly like those of the good old 

 Friend preacher — as the reader may see. 



The first is, that the makers and vendors of 

 alcoholic drinks assert that all prohibitory 

 laws only iacrca.se the sale and use of intoxi- 

 conts, when they oppose all such laws as 

 being injurious to their business] The second is, 

 that the makers of Olemargarine declare that 

 their article is better than most kinds of but- 

 ter — equal to any butter except the very 

 finest — cheaper, more pure and wholesome — 

 and that it is preferred to common butter by 

 all who have trird it; and yet they do not 

 advertise it as Olemargarine, nor label it as 

 Oleomargarine, but palm it oft' as butter, and 

 oppose all legislation requiring it to be sold 

 only for what it is. And the third wonder is, 

 that farmers, who color their butter with un- 

 known coloring matters, that they may palm 

 it off as grass or June butter, and who de- 

 clare that people prefer it colored, and pay 

 more for it, do not label or advertise their 

 butter as " colored," so as to induce buyers to 

 take it, and to pay more for the adulterated 

 article than they would pay for the ".Simon- 

 pure " and honestly genuine article! 



Some may wonder that brewers and distil- 

 lers, and Oleomargarine men, and all lard- 

 cheese and colored butter makers do not com- 

 bine, and urge our legislatures to pass pro- 

 hibitory laws, and laws compelling all adul- 

 terators of cheese and butter to label their 

 articles, and sell them for what they are! — O. 



EXCERPTS. 



Good feeding is the secret of success in 

 sheep-husbandry. 



Theiie is no portion of our country where 

 sheep husbandry can be more profitably 

 carried on than in the Virginias, the Caroli- 

 nas, Tennessee, and portions of Georgia and 

 Alabama. 



Gardening is regularly and practically 

 taught in more than 20,000 primary schools in 

 France. Every schoolhouse has its garden, and 

 teachers must be not only good gardeners, but 

 qualified to teach horticulture, or they cannot 

 pass examination. 



The celebrated English farmer. Alderman 

 J. J. Mechi, Tietree Hall, has but six acres 

 of permanent pasture, and yet manages to 

 keep as an average 200 sheep, and from fifteen 

 to twenty head of cattle. All food is cut up, 

 no roaming at large is allowed, and supple- 

 mental food is invariably given. The sheep 

 are always within iron hurdled folds,removed 

 morning and evening. 



Hen manure should not be composted with 

 unleached ashes unless it is to be used imme- 

 diately. It is better to mix it after being 

 thoroughly pulverized with dry earth, which 

 is one of the very best absorbents. All of the 

 valuable constituents of the fertilizer will then 

 be saved. 



What is needed is that our American far- 



