NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



157 



note of other birds, while caged birds of that spe- 

 cies, taken young, become very good imitators. M. 

 dc la Malle possesses one of the latter, which he 

 caused to be hung up near the garden. There its 

 powerful voice sent out vigorously the acquired 

 Bong. 



The free birds, however, disdaining this accom- 

 plishment, resisted ail improvement, and limited 

 themselves to nature's teachings. Not so their 

 fledglings ; they, impressible like him who has do- 

 minion over the birds of the air, and, like genera- 

 tions of men seizing upon new suggestions, in 

 despite of the tenacity of their predecessors, learned 

 the song of the little captive. Hatched March 10, 

 these young blackbirds were the offspring of the 

 same pair, their birthplace was the same garden, the 

 same linden-tree, the same nest, and, by the middle 

 of June, they had become proficient in the art of the 

 caged bird, answering to him, or singing in concert 

 with him, repeating with many voices the notes 

 which had been sung in vain to their parents. So 

 much for good company and the education of birds. 



According to M. de la Malle's observations, do- 

 mestic bird^ — for they may be called such, that fix 

 themselves confidingly near the habitations of man — 

 require just the same duration of sleep as the lord of 

 creation. Seven hours, a little more or less, out of 

 the twenty-four, are necessary to the daily refresh- 

 ment of our human life, and so long appears to be 

 the period allotted to the oblivion of those little lives 

 ■which minister so delightfully to the gratification of 

 ours. — LitteW 3^ Living Age. 



j^ealti). 



Water as a Beverage, — Water is the natttral 

 Rnd proper drink of man. Indeed, it is the grand 

 beverage of organized nature. It enters largely into 

 the composition of the blood and juices of animals 

 and plants ; forms an important ingredient in their 

 organized structures, and bears a fixed and unalter- 

 able relation to their whole vital economy. It was 

 the only beverage of the human family in their 

 primeval state. 



In that garden where grew " every tree pleasant 

 to the sight and good for food," producing all the 

 richness and variety of " fruit and flower" which an 

 omnipotent and all-bountiful Creator could adapt to 

 the relish of his senses, and the exigencies of his en- 

 tire organization, it cannot for a moment be doubted 

 that man was in a condition the best suited to secure 

 to him the uninterrupted, as well as the highest and 

 best exercise and enjoyment, of his physical, mental, 

 and moral powers. His drink was water. A river 

 flowed from Paradise. From the moment that river 

 began to " water the garden," till the present, no 

 human invention has equalled this simple beverage ; 

 and all the attempts to improve it by the admixture 

 of other substances, whether alcoholic, narcotic, or 

 aromatic, have not only failed, but have served to 

 deteriorate or poison it, and render it less healthful 

 and safe. 



Water is as well adapted to man's natural appetite 

 as to the physical wants of his organs. A natural 

 thirst, and the pleasures derived from its gratifica- 

 tion, were given us to secure to the vital machinery 

 the supply of liquid necessary to its healthy move- 

 ments. V\"hen this natural thirst occurs, no drink 

 tastes so good, and in truth none is so good, as water ; 

 none possesses adaptations so exact to the vital neces- 

 sities of the organs. So long as a fresh supply of 

 liquid is not needed, so long as there is not the least 

 relish for water, it offers no temptation, while its ad- 

 dition to the circulating fluids would be useless or 

 hurtful. — Dr. Muszejj's Prize Essay. 



Exposure to the Air. — The importance of at- 

 tending to the habitual exjiosure of children to the 

 air is not duly estimated. At no period of life does 

 any cause j)roduce such permanent ill efl'ects, as in 

 the feeble and susceptible age of children. The 

 bad effects of want of pure air and exei'cise are seen 

 in children confined to manufactories, and in those 

 inhabiting a dense and badly-ventilated part of a 

 large city. Contrast these with children of the 

 country, and we shall see a wonderful difference. 



i1Iccl)anics' Pcpartmcnt, ^rts, $Ci. 



As the days are becoming longer, mechanics will 

 find time to have a little respite from their usual 

 labors, and take a pleasant exercise in ornamenting 

 and cultivating a spot of land. This will greatly 

 conduce to their health, and enable them to render 

 their home more endearing to their families, and give 

 to their premises an additional value, both in their 

 own opinion and in the opinion of others. 



There are many vegetables, as well as fruits, that 

 are far more valuable when gathered as they are 

 wanted for family use, than those that have wilted 

 and perhaps become bruised and injured by rough 

 usage and transportation. A little time, which 

 may be silent as a rational recreation and healthful 

 exercise, Avill enable one to furnish his table with 

 many choice dishes, that will be the sweeter as they 

 are the products of his own hands ; and in this way 

 there will be the advantage of imparting useful in- 

 formation to children, in the art of cultivation, 

 and in the science of botany, and bj' example give 

 valuable instruction in economy and industry. By 

 planting the land and attending to its cultivation, 

 important moral principles will be planted in the 

 tender minds of juvenile spectators, or perhaps 

 participators in the pleasant labors, and the cultiva- 

 tion of the earth by the father may serve the valua- 

 ble i)urpose of cultivating and improving the mmd 

 of the child. !Many instructive lessons may be drawn 

 from the pleasing art of horticulture. 



The Philosophy of Labor. — How to make in- 

 dustry attractive, is one of our present social prob- 

 lems. Work is a human necessity, and exercise is 

 necessary to health. Idleness is felt as a curse. 

 Every body wishes to be actively engaged at some- 

 thing ; but it is nevertheless true that protracted 

 and solitary labor is wearisome, whether it tasks our 

 muscular powers or not. We do not love toil and 

 drudgery, and we are very apt to think that some 

 other occupation would suit us better than the one 

 in which we arc engaged. 



But there are certain conditions that render all 

 kinds of labor delightful. When a man has a pas- 

 sion for any particular work, he pursues it with 

 ardor and pleasure. The author writes hour after 

 hour with a sustaining enthusiasm, the artist works 

 hard and long at his picture or statue, the gardener 

 who loves his employment never gets tired. 



But it is to be observed, that all these labors have 

 another pleasing element — that of variety. The 

 author is constantly producing something new; the 

 artist is engaged in various portions of his work, and 

 bringing them to perfection ; the gardener has a 

 little world of objects under his care, and he sees 

 their progress from day to day. 



