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THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



From Dvright's Journal of Music. 



The Preaching of the Trees. 



At midnight hour, when silence reigns. 



Through all the woodland spaces. 

 Begin the bushes and the trees. 

 To wave and whisper in the breeze, 



All talking in their places. 



The Rose-bush flames with look of joy, 



And perfume breathes in glowing; 

 "A Rose's life is quickly past! 

 Then let me, while my time shall last, 



Be richly, gaily blowing?" 



The Aspen whispers, "Sunken daji 



Not me thy glare deceiveth! 

 Thy sunbeam is a deadly dart, 

 I'hat quivers in the Rose's heart — 



My shuddering soul it grieveth!" 



The Blender Poplar speaks, and seems 



To stretch her green hands highei; > 



"Up yonderlife'S pure river flows, 

 So sweetly murmurs, brightly glows, 

 To that I still aspire!" 



The Willow looks to earth and speaks: 



"My arm to fold thee yeameth: 

 I let my hair float down to thee: 

 Entwine there in thy flowers for me: 



As mother her child adorneth!" 



And next the wealthy Plum-tree sighe: 



'•Alas! my treasures crush me! 

 This load with which my shoulders groan 

 Take off — it is not mine alone: 



By robbing, you refresh me!" 



The 'Fir-tree speaks in cheerful mood: 



"A blossom bore I never: 

 But steadfastness is all my store; 

 In Summer's heat, in Winter's roar, 



I keep my green for ever!" 



The proud and lofty Oak-tree speaks: 



"God's thunderbolt confounds me! 

 A'nd yet no siorm can bow me down. 

 Strength is my stem and strength my crown; 



Ye weak ones, gather round me!" 



The Ivy vine kept close to him. 



Her tendrils round him flinging; 

 "He who no strength has of his own. 

 Or loves not well to stand alone, 



May to a friend be clinging." 



Much else, not half forgot, they said} 



And still to me came creeping. 

 Low-whispered words, upon the air, 

 While by the grave alone stood there 



The Cypress mutely weeping. 



0! might they reach one human heart, 



These tender accents creeping! 

 What wonder if they do not teach? 

 The trees by starlight only preach, 



When we must needs be sleeping. 



Proportion of Milk to Butter. 



The following account is compiled from 

 Johnston's statement of the yearly produce 

 of a cow, in Scotland, England, Holland 

 and Switzerland: Ayrshiracow — 135 lbs., 

 or 1 lb. of butter to a little over 8 quarts 

 of milk. In Holstein and Lunenburg it is 

 considered, on an average, that 15 quarts of 

 milk will yield only 1 lb. of butter. In 

 most districts the average of the whole year 

 is much less than a pound a day, even for 

 ten months only. In Devon, for the first 

 20 weeks after calving, a good cow will 

 yield 12 quarts of milk a day; from which, 

 by the method of scalding, a pound and a 



quarter of butter can be extracted. In 

 South Holland a good cow will produce, 

 during the summer months, about t6 lbs. of 

 butter. In the high pastures of Scarain, 

 Switzerland, a cow will yield daring the 

 ninety days of summer, about 40 lbs. of but- 

 ter, or less than half a pound a day. In 

 Holstein and Lunenberg it is considered a 

 fair return if a cow yields 100 lbs. of butter; 

 and even in England [British Husbandry, 

 11 p. 404,] 160 to 180 lbs. is reckoned a 

 fair annual produce for a cow, or from 8 to 

 9 ounces a day for ten months in the year, 

 — [Johnston's Ag. Chem. p. 552, 553. 



-«•»- 



Timothy Seed. 



Mr. Editor: — ^Within the last few years 

 our timothy seed has been mostly imported 

 from abroad. This ought not to be. It can 

 be saved by our farmers with little trouble; 

 and the present season they can have no ex- 

 cuse for not doing so — the timothy fields 

 yielding good crops and of course a perfect 

 article of seed. Farmers who have mowing 

 machines can cut it, so as to gather it in 

 bundles, and place it where the rains will 

 not injure the seed; and afterwarrds they 

 can get it out when they can conveniently 

 spare the time. 



We must BOW more timothy and bar* 

 larger meadows than we have been accustom- 

 ed to have. We can get less expensive food 

 for. stock by cultivating timothy than by 

 growing corn. It requires less labor than 

 corn, which is a matter of great importance 

 with farmers. I am aware that the seasons 

 for the two last years have been against 

 the grasses, — but the present season is ex- 

 cellent, and I hope we may have future favor- 

 able seasons. 



It is a more difficult business to raise and 

 secure clover seed than timothy. *We must 

 have headers and cleaners for the purpose 

 of getting the seed into marketable order, 

 which cannot be done without considerable 

 expense; — so much, probably, that small 

 farmers may find it economy to buy their 

 seed. 



I have thought, Mr. Editor, the subject of 

 this short article an important one to my 

 brother farmers, and that now is the time 

 for making the suggestions given in it most 

 useful. A SMALL FARMER. 



Ib= 



A dentist presented a bill for the tenth time 

 to a rich skiofiint. "It strikes me," said the 

 latter, "that this is a pretty round bill. "Yea, 

 replied the dentist, "I've sent it round often 

 enough to make it appear so, and I have eiJIed 

 now to get it square." 



'''''"' '" 111- J 



