482 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



the cost a little before we jump at the conclusion 

 that it must be very great. I find that, construct- 

 ed as Mr. T.'s are, fiity stalls (his stable coirtains 

 sixty,) would require, 



68 feet of inch spruce for standards. 



83 feet of ?4-mch spruce. 



135 feet of Js-inch bass-wood for partitions. 



100 feet of inch elm. 



40 feet of 2 by 3 scantling. 



Any one having the curiosity so to do, can carry 

 out the items to suit the price of lumber in his 

 particular locality ; in this vicinity we consider it 

 worth but little more than the drawing and saw- 

 ing. We find that it requires some 450 feet of 

 stuff' for fifty stalls, but from this we ought, per- 

 haps, to deduct the fourth item, and some 40 feet 



of the second, as these make the hay-rack, and : plants, as he would in going to a tailor for a new 

 this we should be under the necessity of having if ] set of wagon harness." His statement is as sin- 

 we dispensed with the stalls. The work of con- j gular as it is remarkable, Mr. Editor ; at least it 

 struction is not great, and, thanks to our circular i seems so to a plain man like me. "As soon ask 

 saws and planers, it costs but little to reduce the I a tailor to make a new set of wagon harness," as 

 lumber to the proper sizes. I to ask "a scientific botanist" concerning "the qual- 



Should any part of the above description ap- | ities and uses of plants." What is the province 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 THE PUKSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER 

 DIFFICULTIES. 



Mr. Brown : — Your correspondent of August 

 30 contributes an article "About Natural Histo- 

 ry." On reading it, I found it to be "about it," 

 rather than it, "Natural History." His fii-st re- 

 mark, after "due acknowledgments," is, "he," 

 meaning "a Farmer," "has been imfortunate in his 

 acquaintance with pundits." True, indeed, Mr. 

 Editor, and who has not, that has had any experi- 

 ence at all either in con^wltmg pundits, or reading 

 what they publish. Your correspondent then adds, 

 "he, (meaning myself,) seems to have shown as 

 little judgment when seeking information oisi sci- 

 entific botanist as to the qualities and uses of 



pear "misty," I will, upon due notice, gladly strive 

 to dispel the gloom. Jake Bomsty. 



Calais, Vt., 1862. 



Remarks. — This article was received sometime 

 since, in response to a request which we made last 

 winter for some of our friends to send us plans or 

 descriptions of their sheep barns and feeding racks. 

 We have already given one or two that were early 

 received, reserving this for the present use. Our 

 obliging correspondent will please accept our 

 thanks for his kindness in furnishing it. The en- 

 graving has been made especially to illustrate his 

 description. 



IMPBOVINQ OLD PASTURES, 



At an agricultural meeting in Cheshire, Eng- 

 land, Mr. Richard Dutton read a ))aper on the 



"Agriculture of Cheshire," in which he remarks: ^ ^ _^^ ^ ^^ ^ _^ .,„.„^^„ „.....^. ^. „..>.„ 



"An old pasture-field, rich in good herbage, should gg the" interpretation of "a sci'en^mc botanist," as 

 never be brought under the plow, on a dairy or | ^e is of whom I sou-ht information, then I no 



"of a scientific botanist," pray, if "the qualities 

 and uses of plants" are to be wholly excluded 

 therefrom, as much as harness-making is from the 

 province of a tailor ? "Quality," the very nature 

 and property of a plant, is declared to be as far 

 removed from the investigations "of a scientific 

 botanist." as harness-making is from making trow- 

 sers. Such a botanist, Mr. Editor, is a good rep- 

 resentative of that class of jjseudo scientists, that 

 I call pundits. 



Exclude a knowledge of both "the qualities and 

 the uses of plants" from the province of the bota- 

 nist's investigation, and what is to guard him from 

 handling poisonous plants, and suffering there- 

 from ? So of seeds and fruits that have an edible 

 look, yet are deadly poisons when taken into the 

 stomach. But according to your correspondent's 

 statement, a botanist is to concern himself about 

 none of these things, and I, for asking a botanist 

 for such information, am charged with showing 

 "as little judgment" as a man would, Avho should 

 go to a tailor to S:et wasron harness made. If such 



grazing farm, without an urgent necessity. On 

 our best dry soils, old pastures are apt to become 

 rough, and in some cases covered Avith moss, 



longer wonder that I got the answer I did. Ac- 

 cording to this definition of a l)otanist, as I appre- 

 hend it, after considering your correspondent's for- 



This may be prevented, to a great extent, by a ; cible comparison to show me devoid of "jud„ 

 top-dressuig of salt, during the winter, at the rate \ ment," then, to be a carpenter, all that is fequi- 

 of 10 cwt. per acre ; or, in some cases, a good j site would be to name correctly all tlie tools in a 

 dressing of lime, at the same time freely harrow- i joiner's chest. But according to ray plain way of 

 ing the surface ; or, what is less expensive, stock- thinking and saving, it is not only necessary to 

 ing with sheep, during the winter months, at the know the names of the tools, but the qualities and 

 same time feeding them with turnips or corn. In ^sg thereof, to be a carpenter. So of botany, as I 

 a very productive summer, or when a farmer has , h^ve been in the habit of looking at it ; a man is 

 been unfortunate with his stock, he may with ad- \ „ot a botanist who can call a few hundred or thou- 

 sand trees, shrubs, flowers and weeds by name, by 

 the Latin lingo, if you please, but rather he who 

 knows the structure, function, "qualities and uses 

 of plants." A knowledge "of the qualities and 

 uses of plants," I deem as essential to the charac 



vantage mow such parts of his pastures as can be 

 spared for the purpose. It is superfluous for me 

 to say that, on a very large ])ortion of our grass 

 lands, draining and bone-dusting are the great 

 means of improvement. A question of some im- 

 portance may be asked : 'Are all our clay soils 

 improved by draining for mowing and pasture 

 pur])oses ?' I think not. When there is nothing 

 in the herbage produced which indicates tlie pres- 

 ence of too much water, I think draining will add 

 nothing to the fertility of such soils, so long as 

 they are in grass." 



tcr "of a scientific botanist," as the apostle Paul 

 does charity to the character of a Christian. But 

 I must pass on. 



This prepared the way for me readily to believe 

 that your correspondent is still lingering among 

 those who regard a lobster as an insect ; and like 

 a modern student I referred to, he would also 



