30 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



one ounce of beeswax, with four ounces of Burgundy 

 pitch, simmered in an earthen vessel together, with 

 as much sweet oil as will soften them into the con- 

 sistency of salve, when cool. Keep it from air in a 

 tight box or jar. When used, spread it thinly on 

 linen cloth, and apply it to the part injured. Open 

 the burn with a needle, and let out the water till it 

 heals." 



illccl)anic0' department, ^rts, $^c. 



Land roii Mecu.vnics. — Every mechanic, except- 

 ing those residing in compact cities, should have a 

 spot of land, in order to have transient fruits and 

 vegetables, fresh and in prime condition, also for the 

 purpose of embellishment with trees, shrubs, and 

 flowers ; affording, iu addition, a pleasant and healthy 

 exercise, during the hours of recreation, or respite 

 from business or labor. 



Some kinds of mechanical labor are of a light, 

 sedentary nature, or they afford a strong exercise to 

 some few muscles only ; and while these are over- 

 taxed, others are unemployed. But gardening, par- 

 ticularly such operations as digging, hoeing, shovel- 

 hng, &c., gives exercise to all parts of the system, and 

 conduces to that equilibrium of action so essential to 

 health, refreshing rest and sleep, and that general 

 comfort which constitutes happiness. 



" What great efTects from little causes spring ! 

 What wealth does labor well-directed bring ! " 



Importance of well-iiirf.cted Labor. — A single 

 stroke of an axe is of little consequence ; yet by the 

 continual application of that small power, properly 

 directed, Avhat amazing effects are produced ! The 

 sturdy oak and lofty pine do not simply own its 

 power, but whole forests fall before it, and the wil- 

 derness becomes a garden. 



Industry, well directed, will give a man a compe- 

 tency in a few years. The greatest industry misap- 

 plied is useless. 



As an example, there is my neighbor, Seth Steady, 

 the blacksmith, is not only an industrious man, but 

 his industry is applied to one object. His hammer is 

 heard at dawn of day, and the fire blazes in his shop, 

 dui-ing the evenings, from the 20th of September to 

 the 20th of March. Go to his shop at any time of 

 the day for any kind of work, you are sure to be 

 waited upon. The consequence is, his purse is filled 

 with dollars, and his cellars well filled with provis- 

 ions ; and that's what I call quite comfortable. Al- 

 though suitably liberal, and enjoying the good things 

 of life as he goes on, ten years of health will enable 

 him to purchase a good farm. 



As a contrast, there is my friend Nat Notional, the 

 busiest and most industrious mortal in existence ; as 

 the old saying is, " he has too many irons in the fire," 

 and with all his industry he goes behindhand. 



He has a fine farm, but instead of pursuing the 

 cultivation of it, he flics and seizes on every new 

 project that occurs. 



A few years ago he concluded to give up the dairy 

 business, in consequence of the low ])rice of butter 

 and cheese ; sold his cows at a low figure, and pur- 

 chased sheep at a high rate, for wool then command- 

 ed a high price. By the time he got fairly into the 

 raising of wool, down went the price of wool, and 

 up went the price of butter and cheese. He then 

 sold his sheep and piu'chased cows again, for cheese 

 was up, and wool was down. Last year, after sow- 



ing a number of acres of grain, he resolved to rent 

 his farm, sell the grain on the ground, buy a team, 

 and go to hauling ; for, by a nice calculation, he had 

 proved that money might be made by it. A team 

 was procured ; but after one or two trips, he con- 

 cluded to sell his team, build a saw-mill, and go 

 largely into lumbering. The dam was completed, 

 the irons procured, and three foiu-ths of the expense 

 incurred, when, by a nice calculation, (for no one 

 makes nicer calculations,) he foimd that an oil-mill 

 would afford the best profit ; and to work he went 

 with great industry, building an oil-mill. 



I happened to go there a few weeks afterwards, 

 and the whole organization of the mill was under- 

 going an alteration, to flt it up for a cotton and 

 woollen manufactory. 



A quizzical friend intends to propose to him to 

 abandon that project and enter largely into the man- 

 ui!\cture of flour, and I have no doubt that he will 

 readily accede to the proposal. 



So with all his industry and expense, he is neither 

 benefiting himself nor the public. — Albany Cultivulor. 



To MAKE A DELICATE PICTURE YaRNISH. Take 



two ounces of gum mastic and one ounce of gum sari- 

 darach, pulverize them to a powder, put them in a flask 

 or glass bottle, and add a pint of alcohol ; shake the 

 whole together till the gums are well mixed with the 

 liquor, «ind set it in a warm place to dissolve. Whoi 

 the gums have dissolved, strain the solution through 

 a fine flannel, and put it in a clean bottle, corked 

 tight, till wanted for use. This varnish may be ap- 

 plied to pictures, boxes, or other fancy articles, and 

 will dry in one minute, and produce a beautiful 

 water-proof gloss. When maps or pictures on paper 

 are to bo varnished, they must first be sized with a 

 solution of gum arable in water, to prevent penetra- 

 tion by the varnish ; and if the weather is cold, the 

 aiticle must be warmed prior to the application of 

 the varnish. — Scientijic American. 



To MAKE Court Plaster. — Take very thin silk, 

 dip it in a solution of isinglass, (or fish glue,) with 

 water, and after it becomes drj', dip it several times 

 in the white of an egg. 



DRIVING OXEN. 



Those having the care of these useful animals, 

 should never drive them so fast as to cause them to 

 loll. A certain writer, in remarking upon this sub- 

 ject, says, — 



♦' W^e sometimes see these animals moving so slow 

 in the field and on the road, that we can scarcely 

 tell which way they are going. This mode of driving 

 is wrong ; let them travel at least two miles an hour, 

 and stop occasionally for breath. In this way we 

 prevent their acquiring that sloAV pace with which 

 the ox is so frequently reproached ; and there is no 

 difficulty, with proper management, in keeping him 

 to this pace of two miles per hour. The driver 

 should never let his whip become too familiar with 

 his team. If he suffers it to rest on his cattle's 

 backs, it is very likely to lose its charm ; and a 

 parent might as well give his rod to his child to play 

 with." 



In Scotland the ox is trained to a quick movement. 

 He is never overloaded while young, and it is said 

 rarely falls short of three miles an hour, as a common 

 "jog," either on the road or in the field. The slow, 

 almost imperceptible progress of some teams while 

 ploughing, or performing other agrestic operations, is 

 oftentimes painful to behold. It impresses one with 



