AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
[COPYKIGHT SECURED.] 
THE FIRST SMOK E. — Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist, 
Boys frequently think that it is somehow a mark of 
manliness to smoke. These boys in the picture think 
they have done a great thing. They have bought cigars, 
pipes and tobacco at the grocery store, and feel that they 
are now as big as any one. Look at the little fellow at 
the right and observe what airs he puts on. Poor fel- 
lows I they will pay dearly for their first lesson. Indeed, 
the center boy does not look as if he enjoyed his pipe. The 
others, seem disposed to laugh at him, but they too will 
soon feel like doing any thing except to laugh. Proba- 
bly the oldest smoker has not forgotten his early alt empts 
to acquire the habit of smoking. But few escape the 
penalty being paid by the boy in the picture. Who can 
forget the terrible nausea, the deathly paleness, the trem- 
bling limbs, and, worse than all, the smell of tobacco in 
the breath and upon the clothes, which told the tale when 
he went home. Then, which was worse than all the 
sickness — the shame at having disobeyed the commands 
or known wishes of his parents. But some boy will say 
that his father, his uncle, or some other very good man 
smokes, who would not do it if it were not right and 
proper. Let this boy ask the best man he knows, who is 
a smoker, if he would advise him to smoke ; and the an- 
swer will most certainly be, "No." And he would proba- 
bly add, " I would give a great deal if I could shake off 
the habit." Now, smoking cannot be a very nice thing 
if fathers will not advise their children to do it. Per- 
haps some boy will be tempted to try to see if it is so 
very bad. Let him look at the sick boy in the picture 
and hesitate. The sickness is but a very small part of 
the matter, however. The worst thing about smoking is 
giving up to a habit which controls us and makes us a 
slave to it for life. 
Many, if not most of our boys and girls, live in the 
country. They have heard their city cousins say, " Oh, 
the country is very pleasant in summer, but I should not 
like to live here in the winter." Now, is winter in the 
country all desolate and dreary ? We, who write for you 
boys and girls, live in the country both summer and win- 
ter. In front of the house runs a river, with a wooded 
bank, and at the rear of the "plantation" is a wooded 
hill. Now, we have a daily pleasure between these two. 
Ilow pleasant it is to watch the Ice King stop the flow of 
the river ! and it is just as pleasant to see how the river 
gets the better of the Ice King, when the great blocks of 
ice come floating down and crush one another against 
the banks, and pile themselves against the roots of the 
great hemlock tree, that is half in the water and half out 
of it. Then the trees upon the river bank, and the trees 
in the woods— what varied tints they present ! To be 
sure the old pines are always green, but the willows have 
theircolors. and the birches theirs. Then whatpleasuiv it 
is to go up into the woods, when the snow is not too 
deep, and see all the preparations made for next spring! 
Jnst lift up the leaves, nature's own blanket, and see how 
ready, and waiting, the lovely woodland plants are for 
spring. Then, upon these mild winter days, how the 
mosses enjoy it, and what, fine tufts we can find to bring 
home, which, by keeping them cool and moist, we can 
preserve with all their bright verdure for weeks, per- 
haps months. Then there are the lichens, those grey, 
queer things that grow, sometimes upon the bark of 
trees, and sometimes without any apparent attachment, 
and which people mistakenly call mosseB— they, in these 
mild, sunny days, seem to flourish more than ever before. 
Then, when in the woods, look at the buds of the differ- 
ent trees. All summer these buds have been getting 
ready for next spring's opening. Sec how different the 
bud of the beech is from that of the hickory. Buds, 
what wonderful things they are I It needs only a few 
days of spring to set them agoing. It is as if all sum- 
mer had been spent in winding them up, and they were 
all ready to go off at command. Then observe the dif- 
ferent colors of the young twigs of trees and shrubs. 
When the leaves are out we are not apt to notice this, 
yet every tree and shrub has in its young twigs a charac- 
teristic color. The writer onco went through a Western 
forest with a young man who knew every tree by its 
bark, but could not distinguish it by its leaves and twigs; 
while the writer knew every tree by its leaves and 
twigs, and could tell but very few by the bark. This 
goes to show that we do not half observe the common 
objects around us. Every boy and girl ought to know 
the name of every tree and shrub upon the place, and 
know it so well as to be able to recognize it in its winter " 
nakedness or summer clothing. There is much to be 
learned in the country in winter, besides what con be ob- 
tained from books. Books and papers are most useful 
sources of information, but we must not rely entirely 
upon them, but learn to use our own ears and eyes, and 
to read from the book which the Great Teacher has 
spread open to us all. lie must be hard to amuse who 
can find no beauty in the wondrous changes that each 
day presents. With so many interesting things to 
look at and examine, it would seem impossible that 
winter should ever bo dull in the country, or that time 
should ever hang heavily. 
