202 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JtTNE 



there are times when it seems sufficient happiness 

 to sit and look from your window, and admire the 

 panorama stretched out before you. There is the 

 river with the sunbeams glancing back from its 

 waves — the trees, whose leaves scarcely move in 

 the hot, still air — the cattl§ lying under them, 

 chewing the cud of contentment and lazy ease — 

 in all this there is a beauty, and an air of repose, 

 which almost gives us the impression that the 

 world has at length come to asiojypmg place — that 

 this is the end for which spring was the means — 

 that all the prepartaion of bursting buds and blos- 

 soms was only that we might enjoy the affluence 

 of summer for a season. But too soon the mow- 

 er comes with his scythe, and the long, waving 

 grass is laid low, and this is the first decided to- 

 ken oi "passing aivay," since the year commenced 

 its new life. Now we begin to feel that Summer 

 is but a transition toward harvest, as harvest is 

 the eeason for laying up our winter stores. So 

 "all things are full of labor" and change, and if 

 we might be permitted a little trite moralizing, so 

 the natural world may be taken as a type of the 

 moral world — of human life, where there is no 

 resting place — no position ever attained when we 

 may say, "This if the oid for which we labored — 

 now there is nothing more to do, and we can rest 

 on our laurels." Destiny's finger always points 

 onivard, to some other and higher attainments 

 whatever the object in iife may be — wealth, fame, 

 or wisdom ! 



But to return to our Summer day — there is one 

 portion of it which comparatively few people see, 

 and that is tJie early dawn, although most of us 

 have had essays, and probably written "composi- 

 tions" on early rising. We will not now offer any 

 moral lessons on the subject — telling about its be- 

 ing conducive to health, Szc, but would merely in- 

 vite the lovers of beauty to get up some morning 

 and take a look at the world simply as an exhibi- 

 tion. Such a fresh atmosphere — such a singing 

 of birds and crowing of cocks — such a combina- 

 tion of voices of unknown insects, as if they were 

 so glad to get up again — such verdure on the dew- 

 covered leaves, can be seen, and heard and felt, 

 nowhere but in the country, of a summer morning. 

 Later in the day, the enthusiasm seems to die out 

 of the insect race — a change comes over them, as 

 if they had not found things so pleasant as they 

 expected ! Then the dew dries up, and the dust 

 settles on the leaves, and it is only the working- 

 daj' world again. 



It is curious that man is the only animal to 

 which lying abed is a temptation — whether to be 

 accounted for by his superior wisdom, or his in- 

 nate depravity, we would not pretend to decide. 

 We might speak of the evening hours, but as 

 people are in a situation to realize these for them- 

 selves, ic must be a waste of words. 



Well — July, with its bright days will soon be 

 gone, but like all pleasant things which pass away , 

 we should enjoy and improve them while they 

 last. 



ISTEW BOOKS. 



A MANUAt OP Flax Culture and Manufacture: embracing 

 full directions for preparing the ground, sowing, harvesting, 

 &c. Published by D. D. T. Moore, Rochester, N. Y. Price 

 25 cents. 



Its leading articles are : 



A Practical Essay on Flax Culture, by William 

 Newcomb, of Rensselaer county. New York. 



Flax Culture and Manufacture in the United 

 States and Great Britain, by N. Goodsell, of Os- 

 wego county. New York. 



Report on Flax and Machinery for making Flax 

 Cotton. 



About Flax, Soil, Seed and Culture. 



Hemp and Flax in the West, by Charles D. 

 Bragdon, of Illinois. 



Flax'groAving in Seneca county, New York, by 

 Samuel Williams, of Waterloo. 



The structure of Textile Fibre, by John Phin, 

 author of "Open Air Grape Culture." 



Flax, as a Domestic Institution, by Hugh T. 

 Brooks, of Wyoming county. New York. 



The uses of the Flax Crop. 



Botanical Descriptions of Flax and Hemp, 

 by Prof. C. Dewey, of the University of Rochester. 



This seems to be a reliable work on the subject 

 discussed, and will prove of service to those en- 

 gaging in the culture of flax. We have already 

 given, from an intelligent western New York cor- 

 respondent, full particulars of the best modes of 

 culture of the flax plant. 

 Museum of Comparative Zoologt. 



We have before us the Annual Report of the 

 Trustees of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 

 together with the Report of the Director, for 1862. 

 Beside the statement of the Trustees in relation 

 to the condition of the Museum, it contains inter- 

 esting reports on Mammalia, on Birds, Reptiles, 

 Fishes, Insects, on the Echinoderms, Acalephs and 

 Polyjjs. 



Paper from Corn Husks. — The editor of 

 the Iowa Haivkeye has I'eceived several specimens 

 of paper manufactured from corn husks, and a 

 specimen of cloth woven from the same material. 

 The paper was of several kinds, from thin and 

 light, to thick and strong, and of apparently ex- 

 cellent quality. 



KiCKiXG Cows. — A correspondent of the Coun- 

 try Gentleman, who has "kept a milk dairy of for- 

 ty to fifty cows for several years, says he has nev- 

 er found but one efi"ectual plan of preventing cows 

 from kicking, — and that is to kJ61 them ! He 

 thinks it profitable, however, to feed them liber- 

 ally three or four months, before they cease kick- 



