10 
TI E ALPACA.-CISTERNS.-CLEARING SWAMPS AND MARSHES. 
among the Common Schools of the State; but we 
hope if anything of the kind is attempted at the 
present Session, for ONE particular journal, it may 
meet with the marked rebuff of last year. We are 
opposed to exclusive privileges—they are contrary 
to the genius of our Republic. We advocate the 
principle that all who are deserving shall share 
equally the bounty of the State; and we trust that 
this principle will be kept in view by the highly in¬ 
telligent and honorable body composing the Legis¬ 
lature this Session. 
THE ALPACA. 
We wish we possessed one-tenth the wealth of 
many a man we could name in this country, for one 
of the first things we would do with a very small por¬ 
tion of it, would be to import a few Alpacas, and 
naturalize them here for the benefit of the agricul¬ 
tural community. We wrote a little article on this 
subject in our April number, last year, and we in¬ 
tend to continue inserting others till we can influ¬ 
ence some one, who has sufficient patriotism, to 
make an importation of these most beautiful and 
valuable animals. It pains us, absolutely, to look 
around and see the worthless objects on which so 
much money is spent in every quarter of the United 
States; and*yet one might solicit for years, and it 
is doubtful whether so small a sum as one thousand 
dollars could be raised for the worthy purpose of 
importing what .might ultimately benefit the country 
untold millions. This does not arise from a want 
of liberality on the part of our citizens, but unfor¬ 
tunately from improper education. Yes; we mean 
education in its enlarged sense—an education which 
teaches people to do with their abundant means 
what is for the advantage of their fellow citizens— 
aye, and for the world, instead of spending them 
so exclusively for the gratification of their own im¬ 
mediate vanity, pride, and luxury. Is there not a 
merchant among the millionaires of this great city, 
who will stand up as Mr. W. Dawson did—hon¬ 
ored be his name—at the late meeting of the British 
Association for the advancement of science, and say: 
“ It is now six years since I first joined this society 
for a little recreation or relaxation from the trials of 
30 years close application to commercial life; and 
at Birmingham I brought a subject before its notice, 
which received its countenance in a special manner. 
I there declared the object of that paper, which was 
to induce our various manufacturers to exercise 
their ingenuity in discovering means to consume a 
wool of a silken texture (as can be seen retailing) 
in a manufactured state, and also to prepare our 
landed gentry and farmers to naturalize the animal 
called the “Alpaca”—a species of sheep that eat 
what the cow, the horse, the common sheep, &c., 
reject. The manufactures have succeeded beyond 
my most sanguine expectation, and the naturaliza¬ 
tion also : the former has created a national wealth 
of £3,000,000 to £5,000,000 per annum; the latter 
is progressing rapidly. I have proved these moun- 
1 tain-rangers can be domiciled in our own country, 
.though brought from beyond the Andes Mountains 
in Peru. [How much more easily then would they 
.do this in the United States—a climate similar to 
their own !] I have tried the experiment in my 
own lands, on the west coast of Ireland, in the 
wildest districts of the county of Kerry; and al¬ 
ready a company is on the tapis to bring over ten 
thousand of those animals for the national good. 
As the race is nearly extinct in Peru, it is desirable 
to bring them to our isles; their wool approaching 
silk, and their flesh being improved by English air 
and pasture. Our Sovereign and Prince Albert are 
now wearing royal robes manufactured from the 
wool of these animals, bred in the Royal Park, at 
Windsor. In ten years these animals will add £20,- 
000,000 per annum to the national wealth !” 
CISTERNS. 
Many farmers might conveniently, and with 
great advantage, furnish themselves economically 
with an extensive and permanent supply of water, 
when otherwise deficient, by constructing cisterns. 
Where they have compact clay land, no further 
preparation is necessary for ordinaly use for stock, 
than to excavate to a sufficient size; and to keep up 
the banks on every side, place two frames of single 
joice around it near the top and bottom, between 
which and the banks, heavy boards or plank may 
be set in an upright position, reaching from top to 
bottom. The earth keeps them in place on one 
side, and the joice prevents them falling in. They 
require to be only tight enough to prevent the clay 
from washing in. No appreciable quantity of wa¬ 
ter will escape from the sides or bottom. We have 
had such an one for years without repairs or any 
material wasting of water. This should be made 
near the buildings; and the rains, carefully con¬ 
ducted by the eaves-troughs and pipes from an ex¬ 
tensive range, will afford an ample supply. For 
household purposes, one should be made with more 
care and expense, and so constructed as to afford 
pure filtered water at all times. These may be 
formed in various ways, and of different materials, 
stone, brick, or even wood; though the two former 
are preferable. They should be permanently 
divided into two apartments, one to receive the 
water, and another to be used as a reservoir to con¬ 
tain such as is ready for use. Alternate layers of 
gravel, sand, and charcoal at the bottom of the first, 
and sand and gravel in the last, are sufficient; the 
water being allowed to escape from the bottom of 
the former into the latter, through the several layers 
mentioned, will be rendered perfectly free from all 
impurities, and furnishes the purest water in the 
world. Some who are particularly choice in pre¬ 
paring their water, make use of filtering stones, but 
this is not essential to securing a choice article. 
Occasional cleaning may be necessary, and the 
substitution of new materials will at all times 
keep them sweet. 
Clearing Swamps and Marshes. —The winter 
is decidedly the best time to clear the brush and 
timber from the swamps and marshes, in order to 
let the sun in to dry up the water, and prepare the 
way for ditching, much of which may also be done 
now to advantage. Labor is cheap and plenty at 
this season of the year, and it is the duty of every 
one, who is able, to give employment to the needy, 
and get rid of those unsightly rookeries which are 
of no other use than to harbor the blackbirds that 
pull up the corn. These swamps are usually the 
richest land on the farm, and will pay the greatest 
interest of any when drained and cropped 
