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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 MODERN DISCOVERIES. 



In a late number of the Farmer I notice an 

 enumeration of modern discoveries by Bayard 

 Taylor, all within the last twenty-five years. Here 

 are a few of the inventions and discoveries in the 

 arts within the same period. About twenty-five 

 years ago, I first saw a friction match ; a little 

 later, the next great, little thing, the steel pen. 

 Who could do without them ? Who stop to think 

 that the world ever did do without them ? Next 

 notice that marvellous, beautiful and truly useful 

 process of painting, discovered by the French- 

 man, Daguerre ; and then Prof. Morse's wonder 

 of all wonders, which, in 1S44, first set people 

 wondering how he could convey intelligence in- 

 stantly from one city to another, by means of an 

 iron wire stretched between them ; and the just- 

 ly celebrated rotary planing machine, by Wood- 

 worth. The planer came before the telegraph, 

 though ; but it makes no difference what comes 

 first in this sketch ; — the multiplicity of stoves, 

 hot air furnaces, and steam heating apparatus, 

 &c., and agricultural implements. Well, volumes 

 cannot contain their history, neither can I tell it. 



Who knows how many thousands of mowers, 

 reapers and threshing machines have been made 

 and worn out, within a period of far less than 

 twenty years ? Nearly all wood working ma- 

 chines with which I am acquainted — and among 

 my first recollections are those of a wood work- 

 shop — date their beginning not a quarter of a 

 century back. The first show of sewing ma- 

 chines — which was a show — was in the Crystal 

 Palace in 1853. Colt's revolvers, Sharpe's rifles, 

 rifled cannon and iron ships were invented just 

 in season, provided the rebels hadn't got them. 

 And hear the thousands of discordant parlor reed 

 instruments, harassing the ears of as many house- 

 holds. (The discord is, however, generally charge- 

 able to the musician, instead of to the instru- 

 ment.) And many, and various other inventions 

 and improvements, useful ones — I am speaking 

 of no other — which I cannot now think of, and 

 all not twenty-five years old. 



Well may Mr. Taylor, or any one else, exclaim, 

 "What quarter of a century, since the form of 

 the earth, and the boundaries of its land and wa- 

 ters are known, can exhibit such a list of achieve- 

 ments ?" W. 



Marlow, N. H., Sept., 1861. 



NOVEL CURE FOR LOCKJATV. 



fL gentleman of high standing, on whose ver- 

 acity we can depend, relates an extraordinary in- 

 stance of a valuable mare of his recovered from 

 confirmed tetanus, by having recourse to means 

 we never heard of being adopted before. The 

 mare had been docked. A few days after the op- 

 eration was performed, symptoms of lockjaw pre- 

 sented themselves. The best advice was imme- 

 diately obtained, every remedy used proved un- 

 availing, and death appeared inevitable. An idea 

 suggested itself to the lady of the house (who is 

 famed for the kind and skillful way in which she 

 dispenses medicines, especially to the poor of the 

 surrounding neighborhood,) that a sudden severe 

 shock might produce the eff'ect of relaxing the 

 nerves and muscles, now strung to the highest 



pitch, in the poor sufi'ering brute. A gun was 

 loaded ; the groom walked quietly to the mare's 

 head, and discharged it close to her ear. The mare 

 reared suddenly up, broke her halter, and fell 

 backward ; got up, shook herself, at once com- 

 menced eating, perfectly recovered, is now alive, 

 and has bred two or three fine foals since. 



For the New England Farmer. 



VIRGIL ON AGRICULTURE — No. 2. 



Thy fields, propitious Pales, I rehearse ; 

 Anil sinf? thy pastures in no vulgar verse, 

 Amphrysian sheplicrd ! the Lycaan woods, 

 jircadia's llow'ry plains, and pleasing floods, 

 All other themes, that cart.'fcbb minds invite. 

 Are worn with use, unworthy me to write. 



Virgil's third Georgia commences in the same 

 manner as the first and second — with an invoca- 

 tion of the imaginary rural deity who was sup- 

 posed to have control over the particular depart- 

 ment of agriculture upon which he was about to 

 write. In the first, he invokes Ceres, the goddess 

 of agriculture, or of all kinds of grain, or cereals ; 

 in the second, Bacchus, the god of wine, and Po- 

 mona, the goddess of fruits ; in the third, Pales, 

 the goddess of shepherds, of flocks and herds. 



From the last two lines of the above quotation, 

 it seems that although Virgil was deeply learned 

 in all the sciences which were known in his time, 

 and in poetical genius was superior to any of his 

 contemporaries, he could find no theme so wor- 

 thy of his thought and pen, so fresh and ennob- 

 ling, as the art of husbandry. If he was now on 

 earth, and living in New England, we should, 

 without doubt, often see articles from his pen in 

 some of our agricultural papers — perhaps in the 

 Farmer. 



In this, his third poem, Virgil gives rules for 

 the breeding and management of horses, oxen, 

 sheep, goats and dogs ; and interweaves several 

 pleasant descriptions of a chariot race, of the bat- 

 tle of the bulls, of the power of love, and of the 

 Scythian winter. In the latter part of the book 

 or poem, he relates the diseases incident to cat- 

 tle ; and ends with the account of a fatal murrain 

 that formerly raged among the Alps. His des- 

 cription of the noblest of all animals, the horse, 

 is very spirited and truthful. 



The colt that for a stallion is designed. 



By sure presages shews his generous kind ; 



Of able body, sound of limb and wind, 



tJpright he walks on pasterns firm and straight j 



His motions easy ; prancing in his gait ; 



The first to lead the way, to tempt the flood. 



To pass the bridge unknown, nor fear the trembling-Wood; 



Dauntless at empty noises ; lofty necked ; 



Sharp headed, barrel-bellied, broadly backed ; 



Brawny his chest, and deep ; his color gray; 



For beauty, dappled, or the brightest bay : 



Faint white and dun will scarce the rearing pay. 



The fiery courser, when he hears from far 



The sprightly trumpets, and the shouts of war, 



Pricks up his ears ; and, trembling with delight, 



Shifts place, and paws, and hopes the promised fight. 



On his right shoulder his thick mane reclined, 



Kuffles at speed, and dances in the wind. 



Plis horny hoofs are jetted black and round; 



His chine is double ; starting with a bound. 



He turns the turf, and shakes the solid ground. 



Fire from his eyes, clouds from his nostrils, flow : 



He bears his rider headlong on the foe. 



His directions for the training of colts and 

 steers are very similar to those which are now 

 followed by individuals who are most successful 

 in the art. 



