1863, 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



283 



LETTER FROM THE FARM. 



The season— ITeavy and Continuous Rains— The Crops — Lessons 

 from the Martins — Wlicre do they go — Amount of Rain Fall 

 in 14 Dajrs — Compensations. 



Concord, August 1, 1863. 



GEN'TLE>rEN : — Haying progresses slowly. We 

 have had but one clearly unqualified hay-day for 

 nearly ilirce ircelcs. The grass has mostly gone out 

 of blossom, has turned dark-colored, and when cut 

 and cured well, will not be nearly so valuable as 

 though it had been cut earlier and in good weath- 

 er. The peculiAr gum which adheres to the scythe 

 when cutting grass that is in blossom, and in dry 

 veather, has entirely disappeared, as none of it is 

 seen upon the scythe when mowing now. The 

 thorough ripening of the grass, also, has probably 

 exhausted the stems and leaves of their nutritive 

 properties in perfecting its seed, and a considera- 

 ble portion of the sugar and starch of the plants 

 has been converted into woody fibre. It will be 

 much less valuable, therefore, than grass cut and 

 made into hay in good weather. But this is not 

 all. Much of the hay got into the barn during the 

 last three weeks, has heen exposed to the dews of 

 several nights, and the peltings of heavy rains for 

 two or three days. 



The Wlieat crop will be unfavorably affected by 

 these long-continued and frequent rains. Some 

 tliat I have seen is almost black. 



Fields of Barley are badly prostrated, and much 

 of it must be ruined in consequence. The rains 

 have been so frequent and heavy upon them, that 

 no power of sun and wind will bring them up 

 again. 



Indian Corn looks well, is dark-colored, stocky, 

 and IS growing rapidly. Some of it has been beaten 

 down and broken, but it has generally I'isen again 

 and promises well. 



The Potato fields appear finely now, and if the 



rain through August is not too abundant, I can 



see no reason why the crop should not be a good 



one. 



Iiessons from the Martms. 



I have six Martin hoiuses, or boxes, about the 

 buildings. They are inhabited by the Fuijjle Mar- 

 tin, (Hirundo puqmrea.) The color of the male is 

 "dark bluish-pur[)le, and glossy ; wings and forked 

 tail brownish black. Female and young bluish- 

 brown ,• belly whitish." Some of the boxes were 

 erected on poles seven or eight years ago. The 

 birds came to them at first timidly, but upon a 

 better acquaintance with us, their numbers have 

 increased, so that the six houses were crowded be- 

 fore their late departure. "Satisfied with their re- 

 ception and success, like so many contented and 

 faithful domestics, they return year after year to 

 the same station." It is, a matter of indifference 

 to them whether the "mansion be carved and 

 painted, or humbled into the ho8{>itable shell of the 

 calabash or gourd." 



From observation and notes made for nearly 

 twenty successive years, I believe that the most of 

 the common barn swallows and martins leave this 

 neighborhood during the last few days of July, and 

 strange as it may seem, a large proportion of them 

 on the 27th day of July. Swallows may be seen 

 later, even into September, but they are exceptions 

 to the general rule. Let us see what happened on 

 the 27th, this year. 



During that day their houses were covered with 

 these busy, chattering people. Numbers of them 

 would soar into the air, separate there, and with a 

 wide sweep and outstretched wings sail beautiful- 

 ly back to the homes where they had been nur- 

 tured and bred, and which they were about to 

 leave. When assembled again, nothing could be 

 more social than they were. They would grace- 

 fully bow, change places, and all talk together att 

 though each one had some special message which 

 must be immediately delivered ! Thus, in this 

 busy manner, they spent the day, giving a bright 

 example of cheerfulness and affectionate regard for 

 each other. Th^y knew that the time for their de- 

 parture was at hand — we did not — yet there were 

 no murmurings or signs of discontent. They ac- 

 cepted their necessary change with a joyous con- 

 fidence and trust, or faith — what can be more like 

 a true faith — which would become reasoning crea- 

 tures, in the changes which an All-wise being has 

 ordained for them. What valuable lessons we 

 have daily opportunity of learning from one or an- 

 other of the interesting creatures which have been 

 placed about us on The Farm ! 



But where were the martins on the 28th ? Who 

 was wakened by their cheerful clamor on that 

 morning ? Their houses were nearly vacant, and 

 their familiar twitterings only occasionally heard. 

 The unusual silence was saddening, and borrowing 

 Tom Moore, I exclaimed, 



I feel like one who treads alone 



Some banquet-hall deserted, 

 Whoie I'u'hts are fle.l, whose garlands dead, 



Ami all but me departed. 



One or two parent birds, with a few young ones, 

 not yet strong enough to take the wing for a long 

 journey, were all that were left of the gay throng 

 of yesterday. The old birds were restless and full 

 of solicitude. They would dart off with almost 

 lightning speed, and then return to their tender 

 charge, urging them to try their pinions, when the 

 young would timidly rise, but soon flutter in un- 

 certain motion, back to the friendly roof from 

 whence they had risen. A day's practice, howev- 

 er, gave them new power, for at night they seemed 

 quite courageous and strong. 



Who decided how many, and what parent birds 

 should remain to teach their young to pierce the 

 skies and follow to the distant lands whither most 

 of them had gone ? Who ? Who but He who 

 does not even let a sparrow fall to the ground 



