266 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JUXK 



by which new soil is exposed to the oxydizing 

 influence of the atmosphere and pulverized 

 and fitted to yield its accumulated fertility to 

 the coming crops ? The best time to reclaitn 

 wet lands in this way, is while the ground is 

 frozen. Tiie team can then readily work 

 upon its surface. The frost will not prevent 

 the taking of the sand or gravel from the 

 bank or pit in the spring, the grass seed may 

 be sown and the harrow or brush may smooth 

 the land. 



Every patch of meadow thus treated is so 

 much added to the farm, and every ton of 

 hay thus procured adds so much maimre for 

 the cultivation of other crops. 



FORTY SIGNS OP RAIN". 

 An excuse for not accepting an invitation of a 

 friend to make an excursion with him. 



1. The hollow winds begin to blow, 



2. The clouds look black, the grass is low; 



3. The Boot falls down, the Spaniels sleep, 



4. And spiders from their cob-webs peep. 

 6. Last night the sun went pale to bed, 



6. The moon in halos hid her head; • 



7. The boding shepherd heaves a sigh, 



8. For, see a rainbow spans the sky. 



9. The walls are damp, the d'tches smell, 



10. Closed is the pink-eyed pimpernel. 



11. Hark ! bow the chairs and tables crack, 



12. Old Betty's joints are on the rack ; 



13. Loud quack the ducks, the peacocks cry; 



14. The distant hills are looking nigh. 



15. How restless are the snorting swine; 



16. The busy flies disturb the kine; 



• 17. Low o'er the grass the swallow wings; 



18. The cricket, too, how sharp he sings ; 



19. Puss on the hearth, with velvet paws, 



20. Sits wiping o'er her .whiskered jaws. 



21. Through the clear stream the fishes rise, 



22. And nimbly catch th' incautious flies; 



23. The glow-worms, numerous and bright, 



24. llluni'd the dewy dell la.«t night. 



25. At dusk the squalid toad was seen, 



26. Hopping and crawling o'er the green; 



27. The whirling wind the dust obeys, 



28. And in the rapid eddy plays; 



29. The frog has changed his yellow vest, 



30. And ill a russet coat is drest; 



31. Though .June, the air is cold and still, 



32. The mellow blackbird's voice is shrill, 



33. My dog, so altered in his taste, 



34. Quits mutton-bones, on grass to feast; 



35. And see, yon rooks, how odd their ilight, 

 , ,36. They imitate the gliding kite, 



37. And seem precipitate to fall, 



38. As if they felt the piercing ball. 



39. 'Twill surely rain, 1 see with sorrow; 



40. Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow. 



— />)•. J(nner. 



Growth of Forests in New Englanp. — To 

 encourage fiirmers to fence off a portion of their 

 poor pastures for tlic growtli of wood, Mr. J. 

 Lawrence, in his address at the meeting of the 

 Vermont Board of Agi-iculturc at St. Jolinslniry, 

 said, "tlierc are a few acres of liigli land about one 

 mile from this village, almost in sight from those 

 western windows, that sixtj'-four years ago grew a 

 good crop of corn, planted among the logs, Indian 

 fashion. The owner dying, it was left to itself. 

 It grew up again to wood. It has been twice 



thinned out, much good wood being taken from it, 

 and now lias 1.50 sugar trees to the acre that have 

 been used as such for six to eight years. That 

 maple grove is admired by all who sec it, and $200 

 per acre would no doubt be refused by the owner 

 to-day." 



AN UNSUCCESSFUL FARMER. 



It is a more common practice, as well as a 

 more desirable one, to speak or write about 

 successful tlian unsuccessfid farmers. But 

 there may often be as mucli profit to be gained 

 from learning the faults and mistakes of men, 



as from their successes. In the town of 



I once knew a man whom 1 will call Smith, 

 and though there are many Smiths in the world, 

 there are at least an equal r.imiber of farmers 

 who resemble this man in their mode of farm- 

 ing. When he was a young man and worked 

 out for a living, no better help could be hired. 

 He was stout, healthy, active and willing to 

 work. Soon after marrying a wife, he pur- 

 chased a farm in not a very iiniting region 

 for agriculture, and still less favorable for 

 good society. The place was a small one, 

 with a soil in not a very good condition, and 

 not ver}' easy to till. The buildings were 

 poor and were suffering sadly for want of re- 

 pairing. Perhaps many may say there was 

 not any chance for a young man to succeed 

 under such circumstances ; but was it impos- 

 sible ? I will acknowledge that this person 

 was not successful in his farming ; but what 

 were the reasons ? He did not seek to im- 

 prove his farm, by removing the stumps and 

 stones, by enriching the soil, or by making his 

 buildings more comfortable and beautiful. 

 Though he labored hard during the first few 

 years, he did not work for his farm. He 

 would have a threshing machine or a sawing 

 machine and spend a great deal of time in 

 threshing grain, or sawing wood, or doing 

 something for some one else beside himself. 

 For these jobs he did not get very large pay, 

 but perhaps as nuich as any day laborer could 

 get at hard work. But notwithstanding he 

 owed but little for his farm when he purcjiased 

 it, at the end of ten years I think the debt had 

 increased instead of diminishing. By work- 

 ing for other people he had to neglect his own 

 land. lie raised only produce enough for his 

 own family, and what he received for his wages 

 was scarcely sufficient to pay his other ex- 

 penses of living ; and consequently his accu- 

 mulated property received no increase from 

 year to year. His farm was diminished in 

 value, therefore he was making notliing by 

 way of rise in real estate. He being more in- 

 terested in people and things away from home 

 than at home, he not only failed to care for 

 his farm, but was negligent in providing for 

 his family. The store or bar-room had more 

 attractions to him than his own fireside. In- 

 stead of enjoying the luxuries at home, which 

 he might have done by cultivating fruit trees, 



