96 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SEPTEMBKR 26, 1S3S. 



MISCELLANEOUS, 



SCHOOL HOUSES. 



To the miserable condition of some of our school- 

 houses, many can bear witness. In truth, there are 

 but few, who have not seen an old-fashioned one. 

 The floor nbounding in hills and vallies, seems to 

 have been laid for the purpose of excluding the 

 blind, or to learn the pupils to " look before they " 



step. Every board is a "cave ne lituhe.i" to 



the careless scholar; every nail a stumblinif block. 

 The benches are hacked as if they were so many 

 Agags, who had been iiiidor the fatal instrument of 

 Samuel. The cobwebs are so numerous and dense, 

 tliat they resemble so m.iny oaks spread out to en- 

 tangle the bushy hair of the young Absaloms. The 

 dust is so closely matted to the walls and ceiling, 

 that one would sup])03e himself in an old, worn-out 

 coal-pen. Then the stove, placed in the centre for 

 heating the room, draws half and quarter hurri- 

 canes through every crevice in the sides of the 

 building ; and tliese enter like the sounds of innu- 

 merable musical instruments, abstracting the pu- 

 pils' attention from their studies by their charming 

 melody. This probably suggested the idea of 

 teaching singing in some of our district schools. 

 The shivering urchins, clattering windows and 

 roaring draught defy all attempts to learn. Some 

 of the most breezy apertures are now sought, and 

 their tunes stopped by the insertion of rags. Thus 

 the process advances till every avenue is blocked 

 up ; and though the stove seemed to send invita- 

 tions to all the winds to aid it, these stubborn rags 

 execute their veto. Now the breaths of seventy or 

 eighty gain the ascendency. The room is tight : 

 and in fifteen minutes the oxygen is consumed, or 

 the air is poisoned. Instead of the most beneficial, 

 the most deleterious gas, carbonic acid, pervades 

 it. One after another yawns— then drops upon his 

 elbow — becomes drowsy — is roused up for a few 

 moments, and if the Argus-eyed monarch remits 

 his vigilance, he is fast locked in the arms of Som- 

 nus. The whole grow restless. Even the teacher 

 begins to open his mouth for a gape ; and the con- 

 fined air, confusion, sleepy sounds and laborious 

 exertions, monotonous in the extreme, commence 

 their operation. His eyes grow heavy ; his limbs 

 lose their elasticity ; his head aches ; and he hangs 

 to the back of his turned-up chair in drowsy silence 

 till the long expected minute arrives. 



Such is the effect of a deficiency in ventilation. 

 The pupils are compelled to misapply a great part 

 of their time, and hence do not make the intended 

 progress. The energies of the teacher become 

 partially paralyzed, and he is in a measure incapa- 

 citated to perform his duty ; hence he is unable to 

 do so much as under other circumstances. But 

 where rests this item of fault ? With the overseers 

 of the schools. Yet, to whose neglect and respon- 

 sibility is a want of progress, arising from this, at- 

 tributed .' To the teacher's ; and he nuist be dis- 

 cluirged. 



The public calculate the teacher's ability to in- 

 struct, without taking into consideration any of the 

 very disadvantages they know to be in his way, and 

 which some of them even purposely throw in his 

 way. They suppose him to be put into a perfectly 

 convenient house, with regularly attending schol- 

 ars, exactly qualified to be taught in the studies of 

 the school, all of an age, with equal talents, unwa- 

 vering habits, industrious inclinations, faultless self- 

 command, and every other quality to exceed perfec- 



tion. He is stationed in a building similar to that 

 described ; and if he does not answer the expecta- 

 tions of the cold calculating world, they heap all 

 the blame upon his innocent head. 



These accusations effect another injury. They 

 draw away the attention from a groat evil. The 

 health of seventy or eighty children in every such 

 school house is undermined by the inhalation and 

 absorption of the carbonic acid. Their lives are 

 shortened ; and more so, as they are in a very pre- 

 carious and critical period of existence, whicli is to 

 govern their future years. A partial absence of 

 oxygen would be hurtful ; but a supply of carbonic 

 in its stead is destructive. Now what an immense 

 amount of mischief is done to all the children of 

 the United States, if cooped up as above stated ! 

 And what must be the loss of time and usefulness 

 in the havoc committed against the whole human 

 race ! — Essex Banner. 



NEW ELEMENTARY IVORK ON BOTASV. 



Peter Piirley's Botany ; with descriptions uf Trees, Slirulw 

 jiikI IManls; with a large niiint>er of tine engravings. 



Tlie puMi^hers invite Teaclieis, anil oiliers interested 

 this subject, to examine this work, as they believe it will Iw 

 found one of the most practically useful in use, heing a com- 

 plete manual of Botany lor the adult nnd the piipil. 



Parley's Cyclopedia of Botany. — This work appears to 

 l)e exactly what is wantcil liy young persons and in familii 

 It not only lonlains llic strictly 6cieiili(ic part of the sulije 

 in an introduction and very full and complete genera of Plants, 

 but it also contains a copious glo.ssaly of terms, and « ha 

 most important, a Dictionaiy of Plants, of nearly 300 paj 

 containing familiar descriptions of all the most interesi 

 Irece, plants, and sliruhs. — These are alphahetically arranged", 

 with an English index, so that the leadcr m.iy iinmediaiel\ 

 turn to any plant he wishes lo rea<l about. The work is 

 lustrated liy over 200 engravings, and cs sohl very cheap. — 

 Boston Paper. 



For sale ai the New England Fanner Office, 51 & 52 

 North Market Street. JOSEPH BUECK & CO. 



Newspapers. — The following is an extract from 

 Rev. Mr Winslow's Fourth of July Oration : 



"As ready vehicles of public intelligence and 

 instruction, newspapers are of indispensable ser- 

 vice ; they are eminently republican. They are 

 the most constant companion and teachers of the 

 people. In tlieir daily visits, they are at the doors 

 of their patrons to give them the news, first in the 

 morning and first in the evening ; frequently they 

 breakfast and dine and sup with them ; they enter- 

 tain them in the parlor, and advise them in the 

 counting-room; they travel with them in all the 

 coaches, cars and steamboats, upon the public, ways ; 

 there is not an athenffium, nor reading room, nor 

 iiouse of entertainment, nor any place of .public 

 daily resort, where their forms are not seen, and 

 their voices heard. They are in truth the omni- 

 present geniuses and tutelary goddesses of the peo- 

 ple, — and if there be any truth in the proverb, that 

 they who perpetually have our ears, have at last 

 our fiiith, their influence must be great and decisive 

 upon the destinies of this republic. Considering 

 their immense power over the public mind, every 

 good citizen must see the importance of endeavor- 

 ing to save them from perversion, of elevating their 

 character, and disseminating them as widely as 

 possible. Every family that can afford it, should 

 take at least one paper, and should exercise the 

 most wise discrimination in the selection. Few 

 men confer more benefit upon the community than 

 good editors, and few do more harm than bad 

 ones." 



REMEDY FO;i CANKER WORMS 



The suhscrilier havms; obtained letters |)atenl for his 

 cular metallic trough an.i roof for preventing canker worms 

 or other ijiseuts from ascending fruit or other trees, now oilers 

 his services to apply the same to any extent that mav be 

 wanted. They were put on to ihree orchards belonging m 

 Jonathan Dennis in Portsmouth, 11. I., in the autumn of 

 1637, and exterminated the canker worms so completely 

 that some of the trees han? so full of apples as to render I't 

 necessary to prop ihcm, although they have been eaten by 

 the worms for a number of years previous, notwithstanding 

 the application of tar. The public arc invited to examine 

 the orchards above referred to. The trough and roof is 

 made of lead and bent to conform to the shajie of the tree, 

 and the ends soldered together and made enough larger Ihaii 

 llie tree to allow ihe trees to grow ten years before it will fill 

 the space The space between the trough and the tree is 

 filled with hay, straw, seaweed, or any s'ibslance that is easily 

 compressed by the growth of the tree ; the trough is kept in 

 its place by three nails driven into the tree below it ; when 

 the tree has grown so as to fill the space, the trough may be 

 enlarged by putting in a short piece so as to answer ten years 

 more. A little cheap oil is sufticient to fill tho troughs and 

 filling them three limes has been iound to answer for one 

 year, by stirring the oil once sometime after they are filled. 

 Those who wish to have their trees fitted, wouW do well to 

 make early application to the siibs.'riher, postage paid. For 

 sale, .State, Town and County rii;his by 



JONATHAN Dennis, Patentee, 



Portsmouth, R. I., August 22, 1837. 4w 



COUNTRY' SEAT IN NEWT »N, PitR SALE. 



The subscriber offers for sale the Iiouse in which he no\ 

 resides, with the Barn, Sheds, Garden and about 35 aeies o 

 land, situated on Nonaiitnin Hill, in Newton. 5 1-2 miles fron 

 the city. The garden occupies nearly two acres, is stocked 

 with a great variety of fruit tress, and about 10,000 Antwerp 

 Raspberry Vines. The jdace may be seen and further paitic- 

 iilars obtained on apjilication at the premises. 



LOT VVHEELRlGflT. 



July 16th. 



A thrifty old dame, in by-gone years, built a 

 pudding for a family dinner. Extravagant as she 

 thought she had been, she was rather mortified to 

 find that her boarders were too hogs^.ih to appre- 

 ciate her kind attentions to their wants, and in re- 

 lating lier trials to a neighbor, she pathetically ex- 

 claimed : ' I made a pudding to-day, and put a whole 

 eprg in it ; but after all our folks would eat hutler 

 on it !' 



A Stove has boen invented in New York, called 

 the " poor man's stove," which the patentee offers 

 to furnish together with the pipe, and coal enough 

 to burn through the winter, for fifteen dollars. We 

 shall order one immediately. 



By driving your business before you, and not per- 

 mitting your business to drive you, you will have 

 opportunities to indulge in innocent diversions. 



ALDBKNEY STOCK FOR SALE. 



i'Wsale a full blooded Bull, 3 u-ais old the first of Jldy 

 next — one Cow, five years old — and a Heifer three years old*. 

 The Cows are said to be the richest Milkcis of any imported. 

 For further paiticularsadilress L. M. WHEATON, Norton, 

 Mass., or a line left at this office, will meet with prompt 

 attention. June 27 



AMEKICAN FLOWER GARDEN CO.UPANION. 



The American Flower Garden Companion, adapted to the 

 Northern States. 



By Edwaril Savers, Landscape and Ornninentnl Gardenei 

 Published by Joseph Bkeck & Co., and (gr sale at the 

 Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store, No. 51 and 52 Noith 

 INIarket Street, Boston. 



FOR SAlE. 

 .^. Ram and Ewe from the Cape Good Hope. Inquire at 

 this office- 



THE NEW ENGLAND PARMER. 



Is published every Wednesday Evening, at S3 per annum 

 l>ayable at the ond of the year— but those who pay within 

 sixty days from the time of subscribing are entitled to a de- 

 duction of 50 cents. 



TCTTLE, DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTERS, 



t? SCHOOL ernr.F.T boston. 



