284 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



Avithout His knowledge ? Ah, faithless and un- 

 grateful man, that will not see the Divine Power 

 which is exerted over all its creatures ! He will 

 lead them on their way, "give them their meat in 

 due season," and gather their young around them 

 again in the green fields selected as their new 

 home ! 



Mr. White, the amiable author of the History 

 of Sdborne, addresses these birds with great feel- 

 ing and beauty : 



"Amusive birds ! say where your hid retreat, 

 When the frost rages, and the tempests beat ? 

 Whence your return, by such nice instinct led. 

 When Spring, sweet season, lifts her blooming head ? 

 Such bafiled searches mock man's prying pride, — 

 The God of Nature is your secret guide." 



During the twilight of the 28th, several stran- 

 gers appeared, looked into '.he boxes, chatted with 

 our little family in perfect harmony, and as the 

 evening advanced, quietly settled to rest. Types 

 of duty, confidence and love. Who is so dull as 

 not to learn a useful lesson of the beautiful, social 

 martins ? Some morning lounger may complain, — 



"Say, chattering bird, that dar'st invade 

 My slumbers with thy serenade ; 



****** 

 For with thy e.xecrable scream, 

 Thou wak'st me from a golden dream." 



For several evenings after the 27th, during twi- 

 light, several martins have appeared, twittering 

 and looking about with an uneasy sociability, but 

 in the following morning, their places are vacant, 

 to see them no more until they have visited far 

 distant and sunnier climes, These, I presume, are 

 birds from the North, on their way South, though, 

 it is possible, they are some of our own birds, hav- 

 ing been to the woods, or somewhere else, for 

 temporary purposes. 



Before my letter is published, I trust we shall 

 have clear skies. It is now three weeks since the 

 rain began to fall, and during that whole time we 

 have had but one day which was a good hay day ! 

 At Lowell, during 14 days out of 24, in July, rain 

 fell amounting to 10.023 inches, or about one- 

 quarter of the amount that usually falls during a 

 whole year ! A Lawrence correspondent of the 

 Boston Journal, in the following table, shows the 

 amount of rain that has fallen for the last seven 

 years, in the month of July. The amount for this 

 year is more than double the average amount. 



One of the freaks of nature is discernable in the 

 table, viz : no rain fell at all during the month of 

 July, 1859, which is a great contrast from 8,750 

 inches for the present month : 



July, 1857 4.880 inches of rain fell. 



»' 1808 3.990 " " " 



" 18-9 0.IOO " " " 



" 1860 5.510 " " " 



" 1861 4.970 " " " 



«' 1862 4.610 " " " 



" 1863 8.7.0 " " " 



On reference to my Journal, I find that the 



moni'' of juiv. JH.jH, wns cjultr like that of July, 



1863. Rain fell almost every day for about three 

 weeks, and the weather, unlike this July weather, 

 was quite cold. Hotel-keepjrs, in Boston, had 

 fires kindled, and so did I for several evenings. 

 Hay caps have paid for themselves in the service 

 they have rendered during this "catching spell.' 

 There are some compensations, however, in this 

 drenching, as well as in the drought. We must 

 summon them before us as one source of consola- 

 tion, and find a still greater in the firm belief that 

 all these atmospheric extremes are a part of the 

 universal laws which bring us seed-time and har- 

 vest, summer and winter, and all that feeds and 

 sustains in being. 



Very truly yours, Simon Brown. 



Messrs. Nourse, Eaton & Toiman. 



NBW BOOKS. 



A PRACTiciL Treatise on the most obvious Diseases Peculiar 

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The author of this work makes veterinary prac- 

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This is a well printed book of 340 pages, and 

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God most times takes off the earthly garments 

 of old people slowly, in order, no doubt, not to 

 fp-hten then. 



