1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



131 



man he meets on the street. Allow me here to 

 express my abhorrence of a certain law which is a 

 blot upon our statute hook, and a disgrace to the 

 community. It is called the "chancery law." No 

 matter how much a man owes, by paying a small 

 sum to certain high officials, he is forever freed 

 from his obligations to others ! There might be 

 a case, once in a great while, when such a law 

 would be an advantage to both the debtor and 

 creditor, but such cases are very rare. This law 

 is productive of good only when it enables an 

 honest man to commence business anew, and go 

 on until he has made money enough to pay all his 

 old creditors. On the other hand, what an op- 

 portunity it gives to dishonest men to run in debt 

 as they can, and then defraud, cheat, steal, by 

 by "going through chancery !" How many 

 thousand times has this been done ! And how 

 niifny have been d'-awn into this whirlpool of 

 temptation, and robbed their creditors, who, but 

 for this infamous law, would have remained hon- 

 est and kept out of debt! 



3. Make the determination that if you have 

 anything to do with interest money it shall be 

 paid i)iio your pocket instead of being paid out of 

 it. Interest has often been paid on notes until 

 added together the sum amounted to more than 

 the principal. Now, this is a losing business 

 with the debtor, unless the borrowed money is 

 made to pay a greater per cent, than he pays for 

 the use of it ; but this the farmer or mechanic 

 cannot do. This continual payment of interest 

 pioney is what keeps so many hard working men 

 poor. They have not sufficient skill or energy to 

 pay any of the principal, and so the interest 

 money takes away all the profit of the farm or 

 shop. But in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred 

 if tliey had stiirted right at the commencement of 

 business, they would not now be in such a misera- 

 ble condition. 



4. If you want to acquire property, enjoy life, 

 and at the same time be the possessor of a clear 

 conscience, be honest, industrious, and pay your 

 debts. Perhaps you will not be able, at first,' to 

 live in as fine a style as some of your neighbors, 

 but that is a mere trifle compared to being in 

 debt, and living on the property of others. 



And now, friends and readers, whoever you 

 may be, if you follow the above directions and ad- 

 vice, and are blessed with the common share of 

 health and prosperity, when the sun of life has 

 reached its meridian glory, you will find your- 

 selves in possession of an untroubled conscience, 

 and enough of this world's goods to make your 

 pathway easy and pleasant down the declivity of 

 life. S. L. White. 



Leominster, March, 1864. 



A PRAYER, 



I ask not wealth, but power to take 

 And use tUc things I have ariffht; 



Not years, but wisdom that shall make 

 My life a profit and delight. 



I ask not that for me the plan 



Of Rood and ill be set aside, 

 But that the common lot of man 



Be nobly borne and ghjrified. 



I know I may not always keep 

 My steps in places green and sweet, 



Nor find the pathway of the deep 

 A path of safety for my feet. 



But pray, that, when the tempest's breath 

 Shall fiercely sweep my way about, 



I make not shipwreck of my faith 

 In the uubottomed sea of doubt. 



And that, though it l>e mine to know 

 How hard the stoniest pillow seems. 



Good angels still may come and go 

 On the bright; ladder of my dreams. 



I do not ask for love below — 



That friends shall never be estranged; 

 But for the power of lovmg, so 



My heart may keep its youth unchanged. 



Youth, joy, wealth— Fate, I give thee these ; 



Leave faith and hope till life is passed; 

 And leave my heart's best impulses 



Fresh and unfailing to the last. 



For this I count, of all sweet things. 

 The sweetest out of heaven above ; 



And loving others surely brings 

 The fullest recompense of love. 



Chambers^ Journal. 



Kidney-Worms in Swine. — The presence of 

 kidney-worms may generally be known by the an- 

 imal appearing weak across the loins, and some- 

 times by a weakness in one or both hind legs. 

 As soon as these symptoms appear, give the ani- 

 mal corn soaked in lye of wood ashes, or strong 

 soap-suds ; at the same time rub the loins with 

 spirits of turpentine. 



The Manure of Sheep is much more valua- 

 ble than that of cattle ; thirty-six pounds of the 

 former being equal in value to one hundred pounds 

 of the latter. 



BEST TIME FOR GRAFTING. 



Early grafting, if properly done, is much more 

 effective than late operations. Grafts set late 

 may take with great certainty, but they never 

 make much growth during the first season. Time 

 seems to be required, after the graft is set, for the 

 broken and bruised cells on the walls of the wound 

 to heal and unite so as to allow free passage for 

 the circulation of sap. Some pear grafts which I 

 set in February of last season made a growth 

 quite equal to the natural shoots on the other 

 ])arts of the tree, and there was no trouble with 

 sprouts or suckers, which in late grafting issue 

 numerously and successively, owing, no doubt, to 

 the difficulty above adverted to. For cherry, 

 plum, and the grapevine, early grafting is a sine 

 qua non. 



There is a risk in grafting early, arising from 

 the long exposure of the scion to the effects of 

 drying wind in March and April, which so parch 

 and contract it as to close it against the flow of 

 sap. This can be prevented by using short scions, 

 and by coating the entire scion, or aL least the 

 lower huds, with a film of wax or varnish. Grape 

 grafts or others near the ground can be covered 

 with a little hay, straw or paper, to retain moder- 

 ate moisture, and prevent ill effect from the con- 

 tracting effects of frost and expansion by warmth 

 which might either cause cracks in the coating of 

 wax or displace the scions. Particular care must 

 be taken that every part of the wound — even the 

 slightest mark — is covered by wax to prevent 

 evaporation. Whip grafting is the easiest and 

 neatest method. For early work, a temperature 

 of 45 3eg., with little or no wind, allows the op- 

 eration to be performed with ease. Nothing but 

 a small knife, and a roll of waxed strips wound 



