1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEIVIER. 



127 



and it is one reason why so few succeed in 

 raising house plants to perfection. If a news- 

 paper is thrown over a stand of plants every 

 time the carpet is swept a great deal of dust 

 is warded off; but still the dust will eventually 

 clog the pores and stifle the life of our cher- 

 ished pets. If a lady would wash her plants 

 as often as she washes her poodle dog there 

 would be a much greater show of flowers en 

 her stand. Newspapers are also invaluable 

 for protecting plants on frosty nights, either 

 pinned around them in cornucopia shape, or 

 several thicknesses of them inserted between 

 the plants and the windows. When the mer- 

 cury early in December fell to twentj'-five be- 

 low zero, our plants were thus protected in a 

 room warmed by a fireplace. Newspapers 

 are invaluable assistants in more ways than 

 one. How mortals lived before the art of 

 printing was invented we cannot conceive ! 

 Surely the dwellers in remote country villages 

 were to be pitied. But now by the medium of 

 the newspaper we can learn all things desira- 

 ble and undesirable ; can be taught to keep 

 house, carry on a farm, and last but not least, 

 adorn our dwellings with the fairest of God's 

 gifts — the pure, sweet flowers, which fully re- 

 pay all the expense and attention they receive 

 at our hands. The culture we bestow upon 

 them is returned to us a hundred fold. The 

 mind has a certain vegetative power which 

 cannot remain inactive. If it is not employed 

 and cultivated into a lovely garden it will soon 

 become overrun with weeds of a wild, rank 

 growth, and bear vicious fruit. Let us cher- 

 ish a love for flowers in our children's heart — 

 encourage them to tend and cultivate flowers 

 — to love the Beautiful wherever it can be 

 seen, and we shall learn, 



"There ia religion in every flower. 



Its etill small voice is as the voice of conscience 



Mountains and oceans, planets, suns and systems 



Bear not the impress of Almighty power 



In characters more legible than those 



Which He has written on the tiniest flower. 



Whose light bell bends beneath the dew drops weight." 



For the New England Farmer, 



TOW^ IMPORTATION OF DUTCH CAT- 

 TLE. 



In the monthly Farmer for January I no- 

 tice an inquiry by "C. F. L.," of Woodstock, 

 Vt., about Dutch stock, and observe that, in 

 his book on American Cattle, Llr. Allen says 

 that, "Mr. Chenery's herd, mostly imported in 

 18G1, is the only herd of pure bred Dutch or 

 Holstein cattle known in the coimtry, except 

 their descendants which may be in some other 

 hands." This was probably the fact until last 

 summer, when I imported nine head, arriving 

 in New York on the 11th of August last. 



They were selected last July out of the best 

 herds in Holland, and in the selection I was 

 assisted by a man who was recommended to 

 me as being the best judge in Holland of Hol- 

 stein cattle. 



Of this lot of nine animals, one bull, two 

 years old, and three heifers, are owned by 

 Amos D. Smith, Esq., Providence, and are 

 kept at his farm in Portsmouth, on the island 

 of Rhode It-land. The remainder, one bull, 

 two years old, and four young cows, are owned 

 by my brother Henry L. Greene and myself, 

 and are at our farms in this place. 



They are all black and white except one, 

 which is a dark dun and white ; the dun color 

 possessing the pecuhar distinctiveness from the 

 white portions that marks the black color, in 

 this breed of cattle. I learned while in Hol- 

 land that a very small proportion of Holstein 

 cattle were of this color, called by the Dutch 

 "falb" or "fallow" and that a few were red 

 and white, but nearly all are black and white. 



My dun and white cow is considered by 

 competent judges, the best ia our herd. She 

 dropped a bull calf, 25th of September, which 

 is an unusually promising animal, being large, 

 symmetrical and hardy. His color is a very 

 dark brown, almost black, and white. One of 

 my brother's cows also dropped a very fine 

 black and white bull calf on the 5th inst. 

 These two are all the increase of our herd at 

 present. 



All the animals have done finely, none ap- 

 pearing to feel any bad effects from the change 

 in climate. 



My opinion is that they will be the most 

 valuable stock for dairy and beef purposes, 

 that we have in this country. Although my 

 cows are giving large quantities of milk, — the 

 dun cow yieldmg 27i quarts per day at the 

 time of the birth of her calf — it is not to be 

 expected that the best results will be attained 

 until they are acclimated and have entirely re- 

 covered from the effects of their long sea 

 voyage. 



As they were intended for breeding pur- 

 poses great care was exercised in selecting 

 them from entirely distinct families, superior 

 milking qualities and good size being most de- 

 sirable points. Both the bulls and two of the 

 cows took first premiums at the cattle fairs in 

 Holland. 



None of these animals are for sale, for our 

 intention is to stock up before selling, unless 

 we should have an excess of bull calves next 

 season, in which case we may sell some of the 

 young bulls. John W. A. Greene. 



Riverpoint, B. I., Jan. 10, 1869. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 TOBACCO KAISING ON THE CONNEO- 

 TICUT. 



We grow tobacco for a living, or what 

 seems more nearly true, we live to grow to- 

 bacco. For let me just say to you, Messrs. 

 Editors, that those farmers that get their liv- 

 ing by growing tobacco have to work harder 

 and longer than any other class of farmers 

 with which I am acquainted. It is true that 

 some years we get together a greater amount 



