322 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



from Switzerland, but it has since been ascer- 

 tained to he a native of France, in the southern 

 part of which it is very abundant. The flowers 

 are of a purple color, and are produced from the 

 middle of June to the middle of October. Para- 

 celsus believed the balm to be endued with many 

 extraordinary qualities, among which was the 

 quality of preserving or prolonging life much be- 

 yond its usual duration. The same opinion, with 

 others still more extraordinary and extravagant, 

 appear to have been entertained by other herba- 

 lists. The balm is easily propagated. Loudon 

 says, an easy mode is by parting the roots, and 

 preserving two or three buds on each piece, or 

 by slips, planted in fall or spring. It is used 

 both as a medicinal and culinary herb. Some- 

 times as a moderate stimulant, and mixed with 

 honey and vinegar, it forms a good gargle for an 

 inflamed sore throat. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DOGS. 



I had thought that the incessant howling of 

 the dogs of war so rife in our community at the 

 present time, would have partially diverted the 

 contracted strife so liberally bestowed upon the 

 home guard to another and more commendable 

 purpose. 



But in this 1 find myself disappointed. This 

 constant warfare upon the faithful sentinel of our 

 homes, our firesides and the individual members 

 of our families, kept up by your correspondents, 

 seems a very one-sided affair. And, in my opin- 

 ion, too much so to elucidate the real merits of 

 the case. Therefore, partly by reason of the un- 

 popularity of the dog's defence, and partly by 

 reason of a well-grounded attachment to the 

 faithful dog, I propose to espouse his cause. 



That there are many worthless curs in the com- 

 munity, I am in nowise disposed to question. But 

 when your correspondent declares all dogs and 

 their owners nuisances, he assumes a preroga- 

 tive which his candor ill befits him to occupy. 

 To such I have only to say, should he chance to 

 pass our way some moonshiny night, he will find 

 our hennery well secured. Besides, we keep a 

 dog. 



As to the non-congeniality of dogs and sheep 

 there is more talk than facts. Times must have 

 strangely changed since the days when the shep- 

 herds' dogs well guarded their flocks by day, and 

 kept harm aloof in the still watches of the dreary 

 night. Dogs seldom molest living sheep. They 

 often prey upon the dead carcass of a sheep as 

 upon that of an ox or a horse. 



Sheep, when kept in considerable numbers, die 

 of their own poisonous contamination. They car- 

 ry concealed between their hoofs a sack of poison, 

 adequate for the destruction of quadruple their 

 number at any time. 



But I do not propose to enter into the physiol- 

 ogy or constitutional predilections of the sheep, 

 at this time, further than expediency requires in 

 the just vindication of the dog. The point I de- 

 sire to bring to view is, that much of the blame 

 attributed to dogs is in no way chargeable to 



I their fault. Sheep, unless great care is main- 

 tained in regard to their regimen, are much dis- 

 posed to disease; and often fall an easy prey 

 to their own contamination. Other contingen- 

 cies await their strolling career. Foxes, eagles, 

 wildcats, and in some sections of our woolgrow- 

 ing country, wolves prey upon sheep. But where 

 we have a dog law which makes ample provisions 

 for remunerating owners for rotten carcasses 

 found on their premises it is very convenient to 

 lay the blame to dogs. Otherwise they would get 

 no recompense for the dead sheep. Furthermore, 

 well authenticated instances have been traced out, 

 where sheep have been found dead with no marks 

 of violence upon them, and dogs have been in- 

 vited to_ prey upon the dead carcass, that the 

 town might not only ring with the ravages of the 

 dog, but that the town treasury should in some 

 degree assuage the agony of the owner of the old 

 ewe. 



This putting on airs at agricultural meetings 

 and talking about "burning shames," may serve 

 a practical purpose to those who have no higher 

 aspirations in view than selfish aggrandizement, 

 especially if their powder is a little damp on oth- 

 er and more kindred subjects. 



It may be my misfortune, but twenty years of 

 experience among sheep produces in me the con- 

 viction that your correspondent who talks about 

 the established fact that every cow will carry one 

 sheep, without detriment to herself, talks of false 

 facts, and gives credence to assertions which he 

 practically knows nothing about. No neat stock 

 will follow sheep except upon the starvation prin- 

 ciple. Try the experiment. Pass a flock of 

 sheep through a belt of grass while the dew is 

 on it, and then see if your cows will molest a 

 spire of the grass, which came in contact with the 

 feet of the sheep until washed by a refreshing 

 shower. 



Should I essay to give an opinion upon sheep 

 culture in Massachusetts or New England, it 

 would be widely at variance with the vaunted 

 theories of the day. High spun theories too often 

 prejudice the well-disposed, progressive agricul- 

 turist. 



Why marvel at the apparent distrust of many 

 practical farmers, while the columns of our agri- 

 cultural weeklies teem with crocodile lamenta- 

 tions over "the poor and nearly-extirpated crow," 

 who, Avhile we are reading his epitaph, is doing 

 his best to divest our corn plat of the last blade 

 of corn which dares protrude its spire-like cone 

 above the surface of terra flrma. And in rapid 

 succession comes a plea for the birds in our 

 strawberry bed, who next take our cherries, 

 when we have any. And then, as if the work of 

 virulence so well begun, had failed to accomplish 

 its purposed aim, our faithful and trusty dog, and 

 his master too, are denounced as a nuisance, and 

 an extirpation tax demanded. We have never 

 yet learned that He who has duly registered the 

 hairs of our heads, ever regretted having made 

 the dog. But that it might have been otherwise 

 with another and varied class of his handiwork, 

 I think we have no good reason to doubt. 



One word to our Saugus friend, who seems in- 

 tent on fleeing to the hills of northern New 

 Hampshire or Vermont to enjoy the delicious 

 privilege of sheep-raising, and I close. Numeri- 

 cally, so far as dogs are concerned, he would be 



