372 



NEW ENGLAND FAR:MER. 



Aug. 



tie, 5^ou can re-arrange your stable floor, and con- 

 struct a trench in it at an expense of about twenty 

 dollars ; and this will answer the purpose for years." 



This mode of preparation requires no uncom- 

 mon skill, and commends itself to the practice of 

 all, because any common laborer of the farm may 

 accomplish it; and it needs no adjuncts from 

 chemistry or what are called the "specific" mca- 

 nures. When this course is steadily persevered 

 in, there will be little or no drainage from the 

 heaps, and very little evaporation ; and although 

 the heaps may compose the droppings of twenty 

 or thirty head of cattle, there will be scarcely any 

 odor from them perceptible to the nicest sense. 

 Such hca])s must retain nearly all the fertilizing 

 qualities that the droppings ever possessed, wheth- 

 er of ammonia, or any thing else. After lying a few 

 weeks in this condition, the whole mass is black, 

 pasty and moist, and may be cut through with a 

 shovel, as though it were a mass of fine moist 

 loam, or a soft new made cheese. Another mode, 

 and one which is claimed by some to possess ad- 

 vantages over all others, is, to deposit a plentiful 

 supply of well-spasoned muck in some spot con- 

 venient to the leanto, and then to cover the entire 

 floor where the cattle stand and lie, as well as the 

 trench and floor behind them, with the dry muck 

 to the depth of four or five inches. It is argued 

 that this not only catches every thing that falls, 

 but that it forms a softer and better bed for the 

 cattle to lie upon, than straw or meadow hay, and 

 that a bed of this kind is of essential service, es- 

 pecially to working oxen and cows that are kept 

 tied up a considerable portion of the time. Once 

 or twice a day, this bed is raked over, and all the 

 wet or moist matter dropped through the scuttle 

 into the cellar, or thrown out upon the heap, and 

 the bed supplied with fresh muck and levelled as 

 before. We have never adopted this mode from 

 the want of a suitable place to deposit the dry 

 ,muck, but are inclined to think favorably of such 

 a plan. 



BOOK KNOWLEDQE VERSUS PRACTICAL 

 KNOWLEDGE. 



The prejudice against knowledge^ derived from 

 books, and the custom of opposing it_ to that 

 which is learnt by practice, originated in those 

 times when books were almost confined to theol- 

 ogy and to logical and metaphysical substances ; 

 but at present there is scarcely any practical 

 knowledge which is not to be found in books. The 

 press is the means by which intelligent men now 

 converse with each other, and persons of all classes 

 and all pursuits convey each the contribution of 

 his individual experience. It is therefore as ab- 

 surd to hold book knowledge at present in con- 

 tempt, as it would be for a man to avail himself 

 only of his own eyes and ears, and to aim at noth- 

 ing which could not be ])erformed exclusively by 

 his own hands. That experience which in exclu- 

 sion of all other knowledge has been derived 



from one man's life, is, in the present day, scarcely 

 worthy of the name, at least for those who are to 

 act in the wider and higher spheres of duty. An 

 ignorant man in such a sphere, if too proud to 

 take advice, will ruin himself by his own blun- 

 ders, and if not too proud, by adopting the worst 

 advice ofi'ered. — Coleridge. 



KEEPING FISH IN TANKS 

 AQUARIUMS. 



AND 



For nearly thirty years I have studied the hab- 

 its of fresh water fish in the rivers about London, 

 and though I am a bad hand at writing, having 

 spent more time at the water-side than at books, 

 I know that I have learnt much that may be of 

 use to those who are interested in the subject, but 

 have not had the advantage of practical experi- 

 ence. 



There are many gentlemen now keeping aquari- 

 ums, and the questions I saw in "the Field" some 

 time ago, have led me to contribute my mite of 

 information as to the best way of keeping fish 

 alive and healthy. A few days ago, I went to the 

 Zoological Gardens to see the fish, and was dis- 

 appointed at their unhealthy appearance. I could 

 see where the fault was at once ; the water was 

 too deep, and ran in at the top, instead of at the 

 bottom. Now, if the Avater were to run in at the 

 bottom of the side of the tanks, it would cause a 

 stream and keep it all on the move ; but, as it is, 

 it is quite still at the bottom, and the fish are 

 without perceptible motion. 



The trout in particular should have more stream, 

 as it would cause more air to be circulated through 

 the water ; and it should be borne in mind that 

 the bottom of the tanks, if water-tight, are also 

 air-tight — very diff'erent to the bottom of a river. 

 I saw they were trying to cause as much air as 

 possible by means of water-weeds, which Avere 

 giving forth their little globules as fast as possi- 

 ble ; that is very well, but to keep the fish alive 

 and strong, there must be more commotion 

 through the whole. 



I have never yet seen an aquarium on the right 

 principle, as they all receive their supply of water 

 at the top instead of at the bottom. How I found 

 it out was as follows : I used to keep live baits 

 for fishing, and had a tank eight feet long, and 

 placed in a cool cellar, with a cistern above it. I 

 have had many hundreds of roach, dace, gudgeon, 

 bleak and minnows, with a favorite perch, and a 

 lively little trout at one time. At first I kept the 

 tank full of water, with a wire-Avork covering tc 

 prevent the fish jumping out ; and in hotAveather 

 I Avould sometimes find more than a hundred dead 

 a night. 



This set me thinking as to what Avas to be done, 

 and Avhile I Avas at the Thames fishing one day, 

 and Avatching the fish at the bottom, the Avater be- 

 ing clear, a thought came into my head that I 

 Avould make a miniature river of my tank, and 

 cause a stream to run through it ; so, in the 

 course of a fcAv days, I made a hole at the end to 

 let the Avater off", only four inches from the bot- 

 tom, Avhich, of course, left the Avater four inches 

 deep in the tank. I inserted the supply-pipe at 

 the bottom of the other end of the tank. I raised 

 one end up by means of blocks underneath, so 

 that it Avas deeper at one end than the other, turned 



