246 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



Some men remind you of quiet lakes, places such 

 as you have often happened upon, where the green 

 turf and the field-flower hang over you and are 

 reflected out of the water all day long. Some day 

 or other, you carelessly drop a line into the clear 

 depths, close by the side of the daisies and daffo- 

 dils, and it goes down, down, down. You lean 

 over and sound deeper, but your line doesn't 

 bring up. What a deep spot that is ! you think, 

 and you try another. The reflected daisies seem 

 to smile at you out of the water, the turf looks as 

 green as ever, but there is no shallow spot beneath. 

 You never thought it, but your quiet lake is all 

 around unfathomable. You are none the less im- 

 pressed from the fact that it is a quiet lake. — Wil- 

 liams' Quarterly, 



For tite New England Farmer. 

 BAD EFFECTS OF LEAD PIPE. 



Mr, Editor :— Although much has been said 

 and written relative to the poisonous effects of lead 

 pipe, yet I doubt if the majority who are using 

 water conveyed through this material are aware of 

 its injurious effects upon the human system. I 

 have knovrn of repeated instances where members 

 of families have suffered from various ailments, 

 who have only found relief in abstaining from the 

 use of water conveyed through lead. A striking 

 case of tliis kind was recently made known in this 

 vicinity. 



The wife and one or two other members of a 

 family were diseased in a manner that baffled the 

 skill of the medical faculty, far and near — nothing 

 that was done seemed to afford any permanent re- 

 lief ; and, in fact, relief was finally despaired of, 

 but little hopes being entertained of their recovery. 

 At last, however, it was suggested to them that 

 the lead pipe through which the water used by 

 the family was conducted, might be the cause of 

 their ailments. The suggestion was heeded ; pure 

 water adopted in its stead, and the result was the 

 most surprising. But a few weeks elapsed before 

 a sensible change was manifest in all, and in a 

 few months a complete restoration was effected. 

 And from observation, I have no doubt that many 

 are ignorantly suffering from similar causes. Rut 

 among those who have given thought to the mat- 

 ter, lead for aqueducts is fast going into disuse. 

 Guttapercha, block-tin, hydraulic cement, &c., 

 all of which are free from the objections urged 

 against lead, are taking the place of it. The use 

 of hydraulic cement for aqueducts is fast taking 

 the place of everything else in many localities, 

 and especially where it has been the most used. 

 It seems to possess essential qualities possessed 

 by no other material, ]5rominent among which is 

 its well known purity and durability — time only 

 serving to harden and render it more durable — 

 two desirable qualities in an aqueduct; then, 

 again, the expense is but little more than half 

 as much as lead, and it is, beyond question, the 

 cheapest and most durable pipe that can be laid. 

 Several of my neighbors have had some of it laid 

 after the manner of Livermore's patent, and it 

 seems to be all that could be desired. It is tak- 

 ing the place of everj'thing else in this vicinity. 

 Block tin, too, makes a durable as well as pure 

 pipe, but its high cost is objectionable to the man 

 of limited means. I hold it to be the duty of 

 every one who is putting down an aqueduct, to 



hesitate long before using a material, the poison- 

 ous qualities of which will in any manner jeopard- 

 ize the health of his family. Reformer, 

 Winchester, April 3, 1862. 



HOW TO PROPAGATE CITRRANTS. 



In order to raise currant bushes from cuttings 

 so that they may have a clean stem and but one 

 set of roots, and those at the lower end, like seed- 

 lings, I take a cutting about ten inches long, and 

 prepare it in the usual way, by cutting off the low- 

 er end square. I then cut out the buds or eyes, 

 excepting the three or four uppermost ones, which 

 are reserved to make the top. I then stretch a 

 line, start the cuttings by its side, eight inches 

 apart in the I'ow, their ends one inch in the ground, 

 and mould them up four or five inches in depth, 

 like corn hills when planted in drills. When they 

 become well established by having roots, which 

 will be in mid-summer, level the mould of earth 

 back to its former place. Should any roots have 

 started from the intended stem, clean them off and 

 plant them out at one year old. 



The advantage of growing bushes in the above 

 manner is that they will not send up suckers as 

 those do that have been grown by setting the cut- 

 tings deep in the ground, and allowing two or 

 more sets of roots to grow. — Country Gentleman. 



Hay and Corn Shrinkage by Drying. — ■ 

 The loss upon hay weighed July 20, when cui-ed 

 enough to put in the barn, and again February 

 20, has been ascertained to be 27^ per cent. So 

 that hay at $15 a tun in the field is equal to $20 

 and upward when weighed from the mow in win- 

 ter. The weight of cobs in a bushel of corn in 

 November ascertained to be 19 lbs., was only 7^ 

 lbs. in May. The cost of grinding a bushel of dry 

 cobs, counting, handhng, hauling and miller's 

 charge, is about one cent a pound. Is the meal 

 worth the money .•* — Scientijic American. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



SORROWS OF CHILDHOOD. 



There are parents who deliberately lay them- 

 selves out to torment their children. There are 

 two classes of parents who are the most inexora- 

 bly cruel and malignant : it is hard to say which 

 class excels, but it is certain that both classes ex- 

 ceed all ordinary mortals. One is the utterly 

 blackguard — the parents about -s.'hom there is no 

 good nor pretence of good. The other is the 

 wrong-headedly conscientious and religious ; prob- 

 ably, after all, there is greater rancor and malice 

 about these last than about any other. These act 

 upon a system of unnatural repression, and syste- 

 matized weeding out of all enjoyment from life. 

 These are the people whose very crowning act of 

 hatred and malice towards any one is to pray for 

 him, or to threaten to pray for him. These are 

 the people who, if their children complain of their 

 bare and joyless life, say that such complaints in- 

 dicate a wicked heart, or Satanic possession ; and 

 have recourse to further persecution to bring 

 about a happier frame of mind. Yes, the wrong- 

 headed and wrong-hearted religionist is probably 



