160 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SOV. 6, 1839. 



same pasture until tlio very atmosphere is contami- 

 nated with their filth; the milk would keep longer, 

 and the butter would not be so soft in hot weather, 

 to say nothing of the in)?ing' nVcums/ance of about 

 two pounds of butter a week from each cow, in fa 

 vor of your plan. 



Sykes. — Well, I never heard cows talk so rea 

 sonably before ! and I wish you would read Grabb 

 a lecture upon Dairying ; but unless he is the n}e- 

 rest idiot alive, he must sometimes have heard and 

 read, and felt the reproachful looks and low mur- 

 murings of his poor half starved animals in tlie gar- 

 licky meadow below : but he is sunk so low that it 

 must be up-hill work for him, I know. 



7. Sheep. Sykes. — It is remarkable, that just 

 as T had determined to dispose of my Leicesters, 

 and purchase sheep of a smaller breed, moie suita 

 ble for short pastures, that Farmer Grabb should 

 decide upon parting with his Southdowns, on the 

 principle, that " as a sheep is a sheep, you know, 

 (glancing his eye at Frank,) a large one must be 

 more valuable than a small one" — Frank — (That's 

 a capital ^lit at me ! I shall never forget the lesson 

 which I have been taught) — so our exchange was 

 no robbery. 



Sheep. — To us it was " all 'tother way," as Far- 

 mer Ashfield says, but Grabb's sheep declare it was 

 robbery, rank robbery; for they have been robbed 

 of the means of existence. 



Sykes. — To me it hns been advantageous, and 

 has proved the truth of the calculation on propor- 

 tioning sheep stock to land — " The same land 

 which carried indifferently, fortyfive long wooled 

 sheep, maintained in good plight one hundred and 

 fifty Rylands." I am therefore satisfied with tlie 

 exchange. 



8. But here come the Horses. — Well, my beau- 

 ties ! why, where are ye going in that frolicsome 

 mood ? 



Horses. — Oh, we have eaten our supper, and are 

 now going to rest in the upper pasture ; we say 

 to rest — Farmer Grabb's horses go to labor, for as 

 they get no food in the stable after their day's 

 work, they are compelled to gather their supperbe- 

 fore they eat it, and hard work it is, with a bite so 

 short; and after laboring at the plough all day, and 

 all night at a short bite, 'tis no wonder that it costs 

 him more in whips than in corn. We shall there- 

 fore be ready by break of day for whatever you 

 will put us to, for " with horses who are kept above 

 their work, their labor is play." 



Sykes— We]], but take care now, and if you 

 meet Grabb's horses down the road, don't go to 

 play with them, for they have something more se- 

 rious to think of. Halloa ! where did that groan 

 come from .■' " And yet another and another," as 

 the man says in the play. Oh ! 'tis only the hogs, 

 who have overeaten themselves again ; this is but- 

 ter-making day, and they are always a little uneasy 

 after that. 



Hogs — And so would you be, if you had swilled 

 as much as we have; but you men have no feeling 

 for poor dumb brutes ! 



By this time Sykes had reached his house, and 

 entered, singing the last verse of that fine old song, 

 "No glory 1 covet;" it runs thus — 



" How vainly through infinite struggle and strife, 



'1 he many their latiors employ ! 

 Since all thai is truly deh"hl(ul in life, 



Is what all, if ihey will, may enjoy.'' 



Sykes. — Well, wife, your elegant supper cable 

 looks very inviting ! 



W)/f Frank, get your father's slippers. 



Sykes. — And my bettermost " Bleuse,"* I mean 

 now to " rest and be thankful." And Frank, after 

 supper, and while y( ur mother and sister are " ply- 

 ing their needles," you shall read to us "The Yel- 

 low Shoestrings," wliich I read when I waf a boy ; 

 and to the golden rule contained in that little book, 

 " Nothing is impossible to a willing mind," I owe 

 the chief blessing of my life, don't I, wife .' 



Wife — Well, I confess that if it had not been 

 for your perseverance, the difficulties which oppos- 

 ed our union would never have been surmounted, 

 and that, I guess, would have been unfortunate for 

 both of us. 



Sykes — Well, after that, I tliink wo may go to 

 supper! 



Frank. — Thank you, father, — these stories will 

 make a beautiful pair of portraits, and shall be pre- 

 served by me with gratitude; together with those 

 beautiful lines which you gave me yesterday, and 

 which have since been continually in luy thoughts : 



For every evil under the s«n, 

 There is a remedy, or there is none ; 

 If there be one, try to finrl it, 

 If there be none — never mind it. 



♦The French frock, a most convenient and suitable dress 

 for farmers. 



R. ISLAND SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOUR- 

 AGEMENT OF DOMES !IG INDUSTRY. 



Since publishing the account of the Cattle Show 

 and Fair of this Society, from the Providence Jour- 

 nal, two weeks since, we have received the official 

 account. We should have preferred to have pub- 

 lished it direct from the Society, as the account is 

 more full. We will, however, add the Report of 

 tlje Committee on Butter, also the Report of the 

 Committee on Agricultural Experiments, Vegetable 

 Crops, Grain, &c., excluding the premiums award- 

 ed, already published. J. B. 



The Committee on Agricultural Experiments, 

 Vegetable Crops, Grain, &.C., beg leave respectfully 

 to report — 



That they have examined with aLtention the va- 

 rious simples of produce exhibited, of which may 

 be particularly noticed, the Rohan potato, mangle 

 wortzel and common red Beet, Ruta Baga, Peppers. 

 Squashes and Pumpkins, both of foreign and do- 

 mestic origin, — that all submitted were of an un- 

 common size, perfection and beauty, thereby pre- 

 senting substantial evidence of a present highly 

 improved, and through their apparent productive- 

 ness, they trust, an earnest of future successful cul- 

 ture. But, however worthy the various specimens 

 of their admiration and praise, they exceedingly 

 regret, that for want of conformity by the rxhibi- 

 ters to the requisitions of the show bill, by coiumu- 

 nicating either verbally or by written statements, 

 the mode and cost of culture ; taking into the esti- 

 mate the quality and quantity of manure used, its 

 manner of application, labor, &c., your coinmittee 

 find themselves incapable of proposing at Ihe pre- 

 sent time, any premiums whatever for adoption ; — 

 they however recommend the following gratuities. 

 [See account published.] 



OJ'NoTicE. — For the special information of the 

 Fanner and Horticulturist throughout the State, 

 they would add, that an adjourned meeting of their 

 board will be holden at Dr Mauran's office in Prov- 

 idence, on the first Wednesday in December neit, 

 due notice of which will be given through the pa- 

 pers,) at which time they earnestly solicit, and hope 



to receive from all engaged in agricultural pursui 

 however limited their field of action, a full and a 

 curate statement of their respective crops, modes 

 culture, and particularly an explicit account oft 

 expenses therewith connected ; when adjudg 

 premiums will be awarded to the successful coi 

 petitor. 



Respectfully submitted by 

 JOSEPH MAURAN, for the Committee. 



The Committee on Butter and Cheese respet 

 fully report — 



That there were only fifteen packages of butt 

 and two lots of cheese presented. 



The butter was of various grades of excellent 

 None of it was considered of the very highest ( 

 der ; though much of it attracted a favorable n 

 tice. 



It was difficult to decide upon the comparati 

 merits of some of the best lots, they were so near 

 equal in quality. 



From the liberal premiums offered for the be 

 cheese, it was reasonable to expect much great 

 competition. : 



Tlie committee beg leave to remark that in tl 

 manufacture of butter, the most prominent faul 

 are, oversalting, a want of uniformity in the sar 

 package in point of flavor, color, &c. The crea 

 is often kept too long, and kept in an impure ai 

 while rising it will absorb all kinds of impuri 

 that may exist in the surrounding atmosphep 

 hence the nicest and best is the result of good ma 

 agement. The Liverpool bag or blown salt is se 

 doni fit for the purposes of the dairy ; — it is im| u 

 and often of very bad flavor ; it is deficient in oi 

 point, that of preserving animal substance from p 

 tresence. Butter and cheese should be salted wi 

 the coarsest kind of Rock salt, washed perfect 

 clean, dried in the oven, and then reduced to \ 

 impalpable powder. When the buttermilk h 

 been thoroughly worked out, a small quantity 

 salt will preserve it ; the less the better, provide 

 it will keep. No butter can be kept good for ar 

 length of time in lumps, or in shallow open boxe 

 In all cases it is best to put it into kegs made 

 any kind of sweet wood, with air tight covers. ] 

 the manufacture of cheese, we have time only 

 remark that the greatest error, next to robbing it t 

 cream, is to use rancid rennet. 



In every instance the applicants for premiun 

 have failed to comply with the requisitions of tl 

 standing committee, by not giving a minute writte 

 description of the precise mode of making the bu 

 ter and cheese presented. In consequence of th 

 very important omission, we have awarded no pri 

 mium to ary one, but recommend the followin 

 gratuities to the most deserving. [See accotii 

 published.] STEPHEN H. SMITH. 



From the New York Journal ol Commerce. 



MILK. 

 [Froirmi correspondent in Europe.] 

 It is gratifying to see, from the colutnns of yoi 

 paper, that deep interest has been awakened in n 

 gard to the quality of milk used in the city. I 

 would seem as if no parent who reflects that th 

 bones and muscles and constitutions of his chil 

 dren are composed from this very milk, could hesi 

 tate to incur any expense, to make any efforts whic! 

 his circumstances permit, to ensure a supply of th' 

 very best material for this purpose. Even the mos 



