1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



173 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 2S1GHT STORM.* 



BT R. P. FULLER. 



Of all the year, of all the years, 



It was the coldest night. 

 A wintry tempest stunned the ears, 



And smote upon the sight ; 

 A cloudy pillar moved before, 



The vanguard of the wind ; 

 Whose cohorts, with increasing roar, 



A legion, rage behind. 

 Down to ihebulb, insensible 



Before the freezing blast, 

 Forty degrees the mercury fell ; 



And spirits sank as fast. 

 The cloud, that led tlie coming host, 



And checked, awhile, its wrath. 

 Was torn to shreds, its fragments tossed 



And strown along the path. 

 Now, like an ocean surf, around 



Our rural dwelling raves 

 The air against the firmer ground, 



With fury of the waves. 

 It plucks the snowy shroud away, 



And bears it back to heaven ; 

 Clutches the pine and hemlock spray, 



Before its fury driven. 

 Their foliage brief, though fine as hair. 



Minuteness hides in vain: 

 The rude hands of the tempest tear 



And scatter it like rain. 



Grateful for shelter, as I sought 



To sleep, 1' the tempest dark — 

 In judgment, like my house, I thought, 



Will prove the Christian ark. 

 How will the shelterless endure 



Its over-powering might f 

 — My God ; and how will all the poor 



Bear with the storm, to-night.' 

 The sailor, on the frenzied sea, 



Who climbs the bowing mast. 

 Kind Father ! we commit to Thee — 



! save him from the blast ! 

 The poorly-housed and poorly-clad. 



With little fire to warm — 

 Great God ! to think of them is sad, 



In this ferocious storm I 

 We pray for them — we can no more. 



At this inclement hour: 

 Shield from its fury, we implore, 



Or temper, by thy power ! 

 — And may the shelter, which we need. 



Earth's tempest to abide. 

 To Christ, the Ark of safety, lead. 



From the last storm to hide ! 



* Written with reference t» the gale of February, 1S61. 



Fur the NeiB England Farmer. 



A PLEASANT RIDE, AWD A WELL REG- 

 ULATED FAMILY". 



Well, what of that ? Don't every body now 

 have pleasant rides, and is not New England full 

 of such families ? Not exactly so. Our ride was 

 peculiarly pleasant. Good company, all farmers, 

 good horses, good sleighing, and a good object. 



On Saturday last, a few of us visited the barns 

 of H. H. Petkrs, Esq., of Southboro'. We were 

 so fortunate as to find him in his favorite element, 

 buperintending his beautiful herd of Ayrshire cat- 

 tle. He received us with his usual urbanity, show- 

 ing us his whole stock, and answering our numer- 



ous questions as though he was perfectly familiar 

 with each member of his family. 



His whole stock, except seven pairs of oxen, 

 are thorough bred Ayrshires. We were first in- 

 troduced to the younger members of the family. 

 With their mild, pleasant countenances and bright, 

 expressive eyes, they seemed to say, Glad to see 

 you, gentlemen ; we are always treated kindly, 

 and if you are master's friends, you are ours, and 

 we bid you welcome. They were tied very close 

 to each other, but there Avas no quarrelling, as is 

 the case in some families, no teasing for more or 

 better ; their whole deportment gave evidence of 

 the power of kind treatment, united with good 

 care and systematic feeding. 



The oxen next claimed our attention — seven 

 pairs, from three years old and upwards, weighing 

 over 3600 lbs. to the pair. Next came the cows 

 — all handsome, round, small-boned animals, with 

 the marks of excellent milkers. Mr. Peters re- 

 marked that some of them had given 23 qts. per 

 day. The bulls, horses and sheep completed the 

 family, 100 in all, including about 10 or 12 sheep. 

 They are all kept on steamed food, and fed three 

 times per day. The steaming is performed four 

 times per week, at an expense of one shilling each 

 time for fuel. Mr. Peters is satisfied that he keeps 

 his stock cheaper than they could be kept in any 

 other way. Certainly, nothing is wasted. We 

 all left the premises very much gratified, and with 

 the impression that farmers generally, and espe- 

 cially the trustees and superintendents of our 

 State farms, might profit by a view of the perfect 

 neatness, order and system of the whole arrange- 

 ment. One of the CoiMpany. 



Westhoro\ Feb. 12, 1862. 



For the New England Farmer. 



MANAGEMENT OP NEAT CATTLE IN 

 "WINTER. 



1, Their cribs should be so separated by par- 

 titions that every animal would be sure to receive 

 all that is fed to him, without any danger of being 

 robbed by others. I think this first in impor- 

 tance, because in feeding the animals left without 

 partitions you do not know which eats it, the 

 stronger robbing the weaker, consequently mak- 

 ing the weak still poorer. 



2, They should be fed at regular intervals, all 

 they will eat up clean ; that is, they should have 

 their regular meals. I commence in the morning, 

 feeding little at a time, and keep them eating un- 

 til I think they have enough, and then at noon 

 and night, being careful to feed at the same hour 

 of each daj'. I had rather they would be fed but 

 twice, than to feed out of the regular time. 



3, They should have a variet}'. Where the 

 feed is composed of meadow hay, wheat and oat 

 straw, corn fodder, &c., as it generally is through 

 the country, it should be fed alternately ; if a por- 

 tion of each kind is given them every day, they 

 will eat and relish it better. I can remember 

 when my father used to feed out all his corn fod- 

 der the first thing, and then the meadow hay, &c., 

 feeding only one thing at a time ; consequently, 

 all the fodder was rejected but the leaves, and 

 thrown out with the manure ; but when given as 

 a change, they will eat it all up clean. 



4, Roots are one of the best things to feed 

 young, growing cattle in winter. They tend to 



