360 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



are alloAved their liberty all summer, and -will lay 

 better for it, and oven the garden and field will 

 be ke])t clean from many worms, bugs, flies and 

 other vermin that injure vegetation. But for 

 their sa'cdchinr/, hens do little harm and much 

 good on cultivated grounds. — Ilural Intelligencer. 



Fur the Keio England Fanner. 



HO"W FARMING WAS MADE PLEASANT 

 AND PROFITABLE, 



AKD THE BOYS THOUGHT IT RESPECTABLE. 



The recent discussion of the subject in the Leg- 

 islative Agricultural Society, and the attempts to 

 introduce agricultural education as a branch of 

 common school education, which seems to me as 

 proper as instruction in the trade of a carpenter 

 or mason, in a common public school, has led me, 

 who am at least not a known talker, to pen a few 

 lines for the Farmer. 



Many years ago, in a remote country village, in 

 a neighboring State, I knew two gentlemen of 

 good education and public spu'it. One, the skilful 

 village physician, the other a tanner. The doctor 

 owned and lived on a large farm, which was car- 

 ried on by means of hired help mostly. The other 

 had only the usual half-acre attached to country 

 residences for the purpose of a garden. Both 

 were zealous and active members and officers of 

 the county agricultural society. In cacli of these 

 families was a boy, enjoying the ordinary six 

 months schooling of a country village, where tliey 

 learned to read, to spell, arithmetic, geography 

 and grammar. The doctor's son, at other times, 

 was accustomed to work on the farm ; he was al- 

 lowed to own and dispose of a sheep or two, or 

 now and then a colt, or to raise a heifer, or pair 

 of steers, his own possession. A small piece of 

 land was allowed him to experiment upon, and to 

 crop as he chose, and the proceeds to be his own. 

 The best agricultural paper of that day was taken 

 in the family, or by the boy. He was encouraged 

 by a wise father, and advised in his planting op- 

 erations, and not laughed at, if there was a fail- 

 ure ; and the proceeds of whatever he had been 

 taught to consider his own, were cheerfully and 

 promptly allowed him, either selling his crops and 

 cattle himself, or being paid their market value, 

 by the father. Quite an ingeniously constructed 

 cheese-press Avas made by him, for which his 

 mother paid him the most flattering compliment 

 of using for the cheese of a considerable dairy. 

 Afterwards, like most New England boys, desir- 

 ing a better education than common schools af- 

 forded, he fitted for, entered and graduated with 

 high honors, at a New England college. Being 

 little inclined to professional life, he went back to 

 the farm, and is one of the most successful practi- 

 cal farmers and stock-raisers of his county. Nor 

 does he disuse his literary pursuits and advanta- 

 ges ; occasionally, during the leisure portion of 

 the year, at the solicitation of his less informed 

 neighbors, he teaches school, wdu'ch affords their 

 children an opportunity to obtain an education at 

 a much better school than ordinarily accessible 

 to them. Occasionally he gives a lecture, or an 

 agricultural address, and diligently through the 

 journals of his State, instructs his brother farm- 

 ers from his practical experience. Such a man 

 elevates the pursuit he has chosen, elevates his 



fellows by making more certain the results and 

 avails of agricultural labor. Query : Cannot a good 

 many farmers of this Commonwealth in like man- 

 ner grow farmers on their farms, and find it a 

 most profitable crop ? 



In the rather miscellaneous library of the other 

 gentleman, between Shakspeare and Bunyan's 

 Pilgrim's Progress, stood Fessenden's New Eng- 

 land Gardener, and his boy, in addition to a thor- 

 ough reading of that, was made to weed the gar- 

 den, sometimes to sow it, and when he Avas larger, 

 was made responsible for its whole care and or- 

 dering, whereby he came to love flowers and 

 fruits, and vegetables, and to know how, and to 

 lilce to raise them all ; and always has retained 

 rather a weakness for "digging in the garden," 

 ever since. "Would "botany, and agricultural 

 chemistry, and how to farm," taught in the com- 

 mon school, have better impressed these boys 

 witli a love of the earth, and knowledge to make 

 it yield its fruits ? Let the boys have good agri- 

 cultural and horticultural books and papers, for 

 winter reading, a bit of earth to cultivate, and a 

 share in its proceeds, and there will be more suc- 

 cessful formers, fewer idlers, disappointed trades- 

 men and professional men ; and it will go far to 

 answer the question, "How to make farming a 

 pleasure and profit." D. 



Boston, February 28, 1860. 



THE SHEPHEBD'S SABBATH SONG. 



This is God's holy day — 

 Now, one last matin bell I hear, 

 Now, all is silent, far and near, 



As in the fields 7 stray. 



In prayer I bend the knee — 

 Sweet dread ! mysterious whispering sound ! 

 As if unseen ones all around 



Were worshipping with me. 



The sky their glories ray, — 

 The stainless heavens, far and near. 

 Seen opening to my visions clear 



This is God's holy day. 



From the German of Uliland 



I 



For tlie New England Farmer, 



MUSINGS AMONG THE MOUNTAINS OF 

 NEW ENGLAND. 



May, charming May, has come and gone, and 

 with it came the singing of birds, the peeping of 

 frogs, the plowman's merry whistle, and the thous- 

 and and one happy associations that cluster about 

 the tiller of the soil, to cheer his spirits and make 

 his heart rejoice in the possession of his happy 

 vocation. Foolish is the man mIio foregoes the 

 sv,-eet comforts of rural life — the associations of 

 myriads of gay songsters that come up annually 

 among the mountains from the muggy South, to 

 warble their little notes of sweet eloquence to the 

 farmer, as he tills these beautiful hill-sides and 

 valleys — to snuff" the balmy breezes of the trio of 

 seasons, so richly freighted with the "balm of a 

 thousand flowers" — the sowing and planting — the 

 "merry hay day," the "rich golden harvest" — for 

 a life devoted to the accumulation of wealth alone. 

 Spring is the time for the singing of birds, but 

 we must wait until June for the rose, beautiful 

 rose ! the queen of flowers, how beautiful ! Has 



