480 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



the value of muck and muck composts which have 

 been given to the public during the last few years, 

 or who has read no more in relation to it than 

 the series of articles which were published in the 

 Farmer during the year ISGO, Those who own 

 the volume of this journal for that year, and who 

 have it stitched or bound so as to be convenient 

 for consultation or reference, will readily find the 

 articles referred to by consulting the Index. 



The Barometer— ;;«r/e ;j()j. — This article, on 

 the whole, bears testimony in favor of this instru- 

 meut as an aid to the farmer in "guessing" or 



{)rognosticating what the state of the weather is 

 ikely to be for a day or two ahead — a kind of 

 "guessing" which is of no little service to all far- 

 mers during haying and harvesting, whether they 

 be born guessers like the Yankees, or only bun- 

 glers at this important business, for which New 

 Englanders are proverbially celebrated for having 

 a peculiar faculty. But though, on the whole, the 

 testimony of Dr. True in this article is in favor of 

 the value of the Barometer as an indicator of the 

 weather for some time ahead, yet there is one re- 

 mark made in it which we feel disposed to chal- 

 lenge and correct, as some farmers might be hin- 

 dered thereby from availing themselves of the aid 

 of this truly valuable instrument. The remark to 

 which we refer is the following : "The barometer 

 has been much lauded of late as a sure indicator 

 of the state of the weather ; but the farmer who 



{)laces implicit reliance on its indications will sure- 

 y be disappointed." To this last clause of the sen- 

 tence quoted, we feel prompted to object most 

 emphatically, both because it conveys an errone- 

 ous impression, and because that impression can 

 operate only to the injury of those who may be 

 dissuaded by it from availing themselves of an in- 

 strument which every intelligent farmer, properly 

 instructed in the interpretation of its indications, 

 will certainly find of great advantage to him. In- 

 stead of saying, as Dr. T. has done, that the farm- 

 er who places implicit reliance on its indications 

 will surely be disappointed, those best qualified 

 to testify in regard to the barometer would unite 

 in saying, that those who have been instructed 

 thoroughly in the interpretations of its indica- 

 tions may rely upon them with the most unhesi- 

 tating implicitness, and will never be disappoint- 

 ed. We are perfectly aware that there are two 

 conditions absolutely essential to securing this 

 ability to interpret the indications of the barome- 

 ter aright, and to a consequent immunity from all 

 disappointment in relying thereon. The first of 

 these conditions is the possession of a set of cor- 

 rect rules and observations for the interpretation 

 of the ever-varying indications of this instrument ; 

 and the second is, the possession of a good degree 

 of sound judgment, native gumption, common or 

 uncommon sense, or whatever else may be the 

 most appropriate name for that quality, for the 

 want or deficiency of which men are continually 

 blundering in all matters, and would blunder cer- 

 tainly in using a barometer, even if the best set 

 of rules for using it rightly were at their com- 

 mand. 



But the possession of a pretty full and a per- 

 fectly correct set of rules and observations for the 

 right use of a barometer is so absolutely necessa- 

 ry to a proper understanding of the indications of 

 this instrument, that we would advise all manu- 

 facturers of it to employ a well qualified person 



to select from the various rules and directions 

 which have been printed in Encyclopedias and 

 scientific treatises, those which would be specially 

 adapted to the use of farmers using this instru- 

 ment, and have those rules and directions printed 

 on a firm card, or in any other lasting form, to be 

 given to all purchasers. And we would advise 

 all intending purchasers to refuse to purchase 

 until such a set of rules is provided as an aid to 

 the right use of their purchase. We would also 

 say that good barometers have been sold for less 

 than $10. More Anon. 



THE LIGHT OP THE HEABTH. 



She comes with fairy footsteps ; 



Softly the echoes fall ; 

 And her shadow plays like a summer shade 



Across the garden wall. 

 The KoHen light is dancing bright, 



'Mid the mazes of her hair, 

 And her fair young locks are waving free 



To the wooing of the air. 



LiKe a sportive fawn she boundeth 



So gleefully along. 

 As the wild young bird she carolleth 



The burden of her song. 

 The summer flowers are clustering thick 



Around herdar^ing feet. 

 And on her cheek the summer breease 



Is breathing soft and sweet. 



The very sunbeams seem to linger 



Above her holy head, 

 And the wild flowers at her coming 



Their richest fragrance shed. 

 And 0, how lovely light and fragrance 



Mingle in the light within ! 

 0, how fondly do they nestle 



Round the soul that knows no sin. 



She comes, the spirit of our childhood — 



A thing of mortal birth, 

 Yet breathing still a breath of Heaven, 



To redeem her from the earth. 

 She comes in bright-robed innocence, 



Unsoiled by blot or blight, 

 And passeth by our wayward path, 



A gleam of angel light. 



O, blessed things are children ! 



The gift of heavenly love ! 

 They stand betwixt our worldly hearts 



And better things above. 

 They link us with the spirit world 



By purity and truth, 

 And keep our hearts still fresh and young, 



With the presence of their youth. 



Great Truth in a Small Paragraph. — 



One secret of the practical failure in after life 

 of so many promising young persons is, I appre- 

 hend, that they did not learn that a man's capac- 

 ity and success in the world is estimated, not by 

 what he can do, but by what he does do. The 

 opposite heresy is, I am sorry to believe, early 

 imbibed in most of our seminaries of learning. 

 How the youth of genius, real or supposed, is 

 worshipped by his associates, and too often by 

 society also, while the more diligent plodder is 

 left in neglect to "work out his own salvation," 

 as he almost infallibly does ! 



Garget. — A correspondent of the Prairie 

 Farmer says : "I had a few days since a new 

 milch cow, whose bag was very badly caked, so 

 much so that cold water, soapsuds, spirits of 

 camphor, &c., had no effect upon it. I asked our 

 family physician for a prescription, who gave me 

 this : one part aqua ammonia ; two parts sweet 

 oil, rubbed in twice daily. In two days she was 

 cured." 



