1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FAR>rER. 



141 



and a successful business man. He has now ar- 

 rived at that lime of life, when, if ever, he is ca- 

 pable to decide for himself what calling he shall 

 pursue. His mind has become sufficiently ma- 

 ture to enter upon the work of life with an ear- 

 nest endeavor to excel in whatever he undertakes. 

 If he is to be a farmer, now is the time for him to 

 learn both the theor}" and practice of his profes- 

 sion. If he wishes to be a physician, he must ap- 

 ply or see his theory when learned put to practi- 

 cal test, ia order to be successful. So it is with 

 M'hatever ])ursuit to which he may turn his atten- 

 tion. Some require more scientific research than 

 others ; but to become successful in any, the stud- 

 ies of early schooldays should be pursued by all. 



Every mind should be properly discijjlined, and 

 needs a certain amount of general culture to fit 

 the individual to work in any of the departments 

 of human industry. Ilence, the conclusion that 

 our common schools have now assigned all the 

 work the}' can well do in the time allowed them. 

 Let them teach the children those elementary 

 principles which lie at the foundation of all right 

 mental discipline. Let them do thoroughly their 

 allotted tasks — not forgetting to mould the plas- 

 tic miud, committed to their care, so that the 

 young man as he goes forth from them may be 

 an intellectual, moral, law-abiding citizen, ready 

 for every good work. E. 



Middiebiuy, VI., Feb., 1863. 



PRUIflNG GOOSEBERRY TREES. 



The gooseberry, though a useful and early fruit, 

 is very generally neglected, no other attention be- 

 ing paid to it, than to prune the tree at random, 

 once a year. The crop of fine fruit is also often 

 injured by having the largest and earliest berries 

 previously gathered for tarts, while green. To 

 prevent this, a sufficient number of trees of the 

 earliest varieties should be planted in a separate 

 part of the garden, and devoted exclusively for 

 use when required for tarts. 



Both these and the other trees which are in- 

 tended to bear ripe fruit, .fhoidd be pnated twice 

 i)i the year : in the autumn as soon as tlie shoots 

 have rii)ened their wood, leaving at least six inch- 

 es distance between every branch, and shortening 

 the small branches to two or three eyes. Again, 

 the trees should be examined about the middle or 

 end of June, and all improper suckers, and very 

 luxuriant shoots, such as the French call (jovr- 

 mandg, cut out; both these oj^erations should l)e 

 done with a sharp pruning knite. — Loivdjm Ilorti- 

 cuUiu-al Traiiiiwctioii.1. 



Yarn from Milkwkkd. — Mr. Marsh Heath- 

 cott, a cotton manufacturer of Patterson, N. J., has 

 succeeded in spinning yarn from the fibres of milk- 

 weecL The yai-n is favorably spoken of; though 

 bow it may be adapted to withstanding moisture, 

 or receiving dyes, we have not heard. Mr. 11. 

 estimates that an acre of land might yield sl20 

 Tvorth per annum of tnis product. 



Patent Oi-fick Bisinkss, — The annual report 

 of the Commissioner of Patents shows that Sli>'i>- 

 818 were received for patents, re-issues, &:c., and 

 $11,081 for copies and recording. The expenses 

 were $182,800. The cost for clerk hire was up- 

 wards of $122,000, of which §44,462 were for 

 temporary clerks. 



PARMEHS' 'WnVES OVERTAXED. 



There is scarcely any lot in life, in this country, 

 which promises so much quiet enjoyment, such 

 uniform health and uninterrupted ])*rosj)erity, as 

 that of a gentleman farmer's wife ; of a man "who 

 has a well-improved, well-stocked plantation, all 

 paid for, with no indebtedness, and a sufficient 

 surplus of money always at command, to meet 

 emergencies, and to take advantage of those cir- 

 cumstances of times, and seasons, and changing 

 conditions which are constantly presenting them- 

 selves. Such a woman is incomparably more 

 certain of living in quiet comfort to a good old 

 age than the wife of a merchant prince, or one of 

 the money-kings of Wall Street ; who, although 

 they may clear thousands in a day, do, neverthe- 

 less, in multitudes of cases, die in poverty, leaving 

 their wives and daughters to the sad heritage of 

 being slighted and forgotten by those who once 

 were made happy by their smiles ; and to pine 

 .^way in tears and destitution. On the other hand, 

 it is often a sad lot indeed to be the wife of a 

 farmer who begins married life by renting a piece 

 of land or buying a "place" on credit, with the 

 moth of "interest" feeding on the sweat of his 

 face every moment of his existence. 



The affectionate and steady interest, the lauda- 

 ble pride, and the self-denying devotion which 

 wives have for the comfort, prosperity, and respec- 

 tability of their husbands and children, is a prov- 

 erb and a wonder in all civilized lands. There is 

 an abnegation of self in this direction, as constant 

 as the flow of time ; so loving, so uncomplaining, 

 so heroic, that if angels make note of mortal 

 things, they may well look down in smiling admir- 

 ation. But it is a melancholy and undeniable fact, 

 that in millions of cases, that which challenges 

 angelic admiration fails to be recognized or appre- 

 ciated by the very men who are the incessant ob- 

 jects of these high, heroic virtues. In plain lan- 

 guage, in the civilization of the latter half of the 

 nineteenth century, a farmer's wife, as a too gen- 

 eral rule, is a slave and a drudge ; not of necessi- 

 ty, by design, but for want of that consideration, 

 the very absence of which, in reference to the wife 

 of a man's youth, is a crime. It is perhaps safe 

 to say, that, on three farms out of four, the wife 

 works harder, endures more, than any other on 

 the place ; more than the husband, more than the 

 "farm-hand," more than the "hired help" of the 

 kitchen. Many a farmer speaks to his wife, ha- 

 bitually, in terms so imperious, so impatient, so 

 petulant, that if repeated to the scullion of the 

 kitchen, would be met with an indignant and 

 speedy departure, or if to the man-liel]), would be 

 answered with a stroke from the shoulder, which 

 would send the churl reeling a rod away ! 



In another way a farmer inadvertently increases 

 the hardships of his wife ; that is, by speaking to 

 her or treating her disrespectfully in the presence 

 of the servants or children. The man is natural- 

 ly the ruling spirit of the household, and if he fails 

 to show to his wife, on all occasions, that tender- 

 ness, affection and respect which is her just due, 

 it is instantly noted on the part of menials, and 

 children too, and they very easily glide into the 

 same vice, and interpret it as an encouragement 

 to slight her authority, to undervalue her judg- 

 ment and to lower that high standard of respect, 

 which of right belongs to her. .\nd as the wife 

 : lias the servants and children always about her, 



