1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



139 



and explain it in this wise: In cold weather wet feed 

 freezes before tlic animal has time to eat it, con.«e- 

 qnentlj' it lie< cold in the stomach, creates a slight fe- 

 ver, causes thirst which, heing gratified, induces pers- 

 piration when the horse is put to work. I believe it is 

 generally known that very cold water, instead of 

 quenching thirst, aggravates it. 



I would like to have the feed of all stock steamed in 

 winter and fed out slightly warm, in a warm b.irn, but 

 1 am thoroughly convinced of the error we have all 

 been in while feeding wet feed in winter, in a cold sta- 

 ble. A. W. C. 



SheldonvHIe, March, 1864. 



Cogswell's "Wheel Revolring Rake. 



Can you, or any of your snbscribers give me any in- 

 formation in regard to Cogsicell's Wheel Revoking 

 Rakef 



Remarks. — We cannot. "Who will ? 



For the A'eir Krmland Farmer. 

 REMIWISCENCES OF CHESHIRE. 



At the beginning of the present century, the 

 town of Cheshire, Kerkshire County, Mass., was 

 noted for several things that deeply interested its 

 inhabitants, in those days of stirring events, and 

 an account of them, after sixty years have passed 

 away, may be interesting to the descendants of 

 tliat peculiar people and the community generally. 



Clieshire was brought into great notoriety by 

 being the place of residence of Elder John Le- 

 land, a very noted preacher. He was a man of 

 strong mind, excellent common sense, of marked 

 ability, and very eccentric. He was in the habit 

 of illustrating his points by an anecdote which 

 was always forcible, and he could make his audi- 

 tors laugh or weep at his will. He became noted 

 as a preacher and drew full houses wherever he 

 went. While quite young he commenced preach- 

 ing in Virginia, and became acquainted with Thos, 

 Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and many of the lead- 

 ing men of that State. The Elder was once 

 asked why he was so singular in his illustrations, 

 and why he told so many stories in the pulpit. 

 He answered that ■when he first commenced 

 l)reaching in Virginia the young men would gath- 

 er together, in the large pews in the corners of 

 the church, and commence playing cards, and af- 

 ter trying many expedients to get their attention, 

 and failing, he commenced telling stories by way 

 of application, and met with complete success. 

 The Elder was a very sedate man — never was 

 known to change his countenance when telling one 

 of his most exciting stories, while his audience were 

 weeping or laugliing. He has been heard to say 

 that he remembered smiling but once while preach- 

 ing, and that was in Virginia. It was a very warm 

 Sabbath day. The church was situated on a large 

 green, and the front door, which was directly op- 

 posite the pulpit, was thrown open. "I saw," said 

 be, "a man come staggering along and take a seat 

 on the ^tejjs directly in front of me. He soon 

 fell asleep and commenced nodding. A large 

 goat, which was feeding on the green, took it as 

 a challenge, drew back, and prepared himself; 

 then, coming up with great force, he struck the 

 poor man in the head and knocked him almost 

 into the church. I then had to stop, for it broke 

 the thread of my argument, and I could but smile, 

 while I was recovering my equilibrium, and the 

 poor drunkard was scrambling out of the way of 

 his antagonist." 



Elder Leland came North and settled in Ches- 



hire, and his people became very much attached 

 to him. His intimacy with Thomas Jefferson 

 caused him to imbibe strong JefTersonian poliucal 

 principles, which lie instilled into the minds of his 

 people with as much fervor as he did the doc- 

 trines of the Gospel. The consequence was that 

 the people of Cheshire became decided Jefl'erson- 

 ian Democrats ; and so tenacious were they, that 

 the enmity between them and the Federals was as 

 marked us was that of the Jews and Samaritans. 

 For more than fifty years tht-y held the sway, and 

 most of the time there were not more than one or 

 two dissenters that dared presume to get a live- 

 lihood within their precincts. 



Nearly every family took the Pitlsfield Sun, (a 

 very well conducted Democratic paper.) On its 

 arrival the family were called together, and one of 

 them read it through aloud, remarks being made 

 by a venerable sire, or some one of the group ; it 

 was then folded up carefully, placed upon the shelf 

 with the Bible, and it became an open matter of 

 discussion, which in reality was the most benefit 

 to mankind — the Bible or tlie bright luminary 

 from Pittsfield ? and with some of the older mem- 

 bers it is a bone of contention to this day. Elder 

 Leland was often called upon to deliver an ora- 

 tion on the 4th of July, which he always entered 

 into with the spirit of '76. He was a particular 

 friend of Martin Van Buren, who often visited him 

 at his humble dwelling after he became old and 

 infirm. When he was President of the United 

 States he appointed Elder Leland one of the com- 

 mittee to visit West Point milicary acajlemy, 

 which he did to his own gratification and that of 

 those who were associated with him. 



The people of Cheshire were noted for making 

 cheese, as also were their ancestors in Cheshire, 

 Conn., and theirs in Cheshire, England. 



When Thomas Jeflerson was nominated as can- 

 didate for the Presidency, some now living may 

 remember what an uprising was occasioned among 

 the old Puritan Fathers by the report that he was 

 an Infidel. Divines preached from their pulpits 

 every Sabbath during the campaign with all the 

 eloquence of pleading, believing if he was elected 

 President of the United States all their Bibles, 

 hymn-books and sermons would be burned, and 

 the altars of New England torn down and demol- 

 ished. It was then that the old man eloquent 

 (Leland) arose in his strength and defended his 

 old Virginian friend, the champion of Liberty, 

 with almost supernatural power. Cheshire to a 

 man followed its inflexible leader, and the aged 

 men to this day cherish the memory of Jefferson 

 and Leland as inseparable. 



The town of Cheshire, wishing to make a dem- 

 onstration of their attachment to the successful 

 President, who had overcome the opposition of 

 his opponents, and was the triumphant champion 

 of American Liberty, resolved to put their curds 

 together and make a mammoth cheese ; and fur- 

 ther, resolved, that Elder John Leland should take 

 the said cheese to Washington, and present the 

 same, with all due ceremony, to our most illus- 

 trious President, Thomas Jefferson. 



The day was announced from the pulpit on 

 which the curds should be brought together, at 

 Capt. Brown's cider mill. A conscription was 

 laid upon every cow within the precincts of the 

 town, with the exception of Federal cows, if by 

 chance there should be any found, and great cau- 



