70 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
A “ Straw Ride.” 
Every season has its peculiar pleasures, and I am 
not sure but winter has the largest share. There 
is the coasting—what fine sport where a good hill 
is near with plenty of sleds and boys and girls. 
Many, I dare say, reckon skating as the highest de¬ 
light which the cold of winter brings. The pleas¬ 
ure of gliding swiftly over the ice, on river, lake, 
or pond, exceeds even that of bathing in its cool¬ 
ing waters during the sultry midsummer days. 
Then there are the “ pitched battles,” and the fort 
building when the snow packs well into balls. 
Even the face-washing in the snow, when gently 
indulged in, has its rewards. I shall not soon for- 
merrier. If there is a young reader who fails to 
appreciate the picture on this page, he must live 
where they have no snow in winter, or his early 
education is sadly at fault. Suppose the children 
have been kept busy with their studies all the 
week ; the sleighing is of the very best; the moon 
is bright. Now, with two fast going horses hitched 
to a large bob-sled and a great wagon box put on, 
filled with clean straw and well stocked with robes 
and blankets, we have the elements for a real good 
time. Let the driver bring such a sled before the 
door and what child is not ready to take a part in 
the exercises! When all hands are iu let the long 
whip be snapped, and with laugh and shout the 
merry load starts off. The miles seem short as 
developed and cultivated in childhood and youth. 
This can be helped by a sort of competing game, aa 
good as any other, and more useful than most 
“ plays.” Let the players, two or more, select some 
person or thing, and each try to describe as many 
characteristics as possible, the one giving the great¬ 
est number to be the winner. If a person be chosen 
as the object, tell bight, probable weight and age ' 
form of body; color of eyes, and whether promi¬ 
nent or deep sunken ; shape of nose, chin, mouth, 
lips, teeth, ears; color of hair, and whether coarse 
and stiff, or fine and soft, straight or curly; form 
of neck, large or small, short or long; and so on of 
other personal characteristics; the clothing, color, 
cut, appropriateness or otherwise; conduct, con- 
A MERRY MOONLIGHT “STRAW RIDE” IN THE COUNTRY. —Drawn and Engraved Expressly for the American Agriculturist. 
get the snow captain we made one day at school. 
It took so much snow to construct him, and so 
many helping hands, in shaping his gigantic head 
and limbs, and strange looking body. A thaw 
came—there is usually one in January, as the al¬ 
manac tells us—and when all the snow banks and 
artificial mounds were gone, our old snow man, 
though much reduced in size, stood an ill shaped, 
mud-stained monument of our school-day fun. The 
winter of the farmers’ children is not so dreary as 
the thermometer would lead one to suppose. Sharp, 
cold weather makes the blood run more freely, 
and gives a quickness of step that is a joy to see- 
The hand sled upon the hillside, or when quickly 
fastened to the rear of a passing sleigh, is a source 
of great pleasure to the sport-loving lad ; but there 
it is toil, often very hard, mingled alternately with 
the fun. If a boy coasts he must draw his sled to 
the top of the hill before he can ride down again. 
If he is taken far by a “tie-behind,” he knows 
that when the ride is over, he must either run his 
chances of a return sleigh, or play horse to his 
own until he reaches home. The highest type of 
sleighing for the young is found in the “ Straw 
Ride.” It is a “hit or miss,” “hurrah boys,” 
wide awake time, and the more engaged in it, the 
theylpass over the hill and into the valley to return 
it may be by the “ river road.” The hours fly like 
minutes, and possibly midnight is not far away 
when all have reached home, and are snugly in bed 
dreaming of the “ Straw Ride.” I can not see such 
a merry load of children fly by without thinking 
that the snow—as it falls on some still night, 
covering with pure whiteness the hill and plain, 
the housetop and the evergreens—is a benediction 
of peace and joy. I cannot but believe that if 
rightly used such a covering of the earth is an im¬ 
portant element in the proper education of the 
youth. “ Straw Rides,” and other merry, healthful 
sports, are a part of right living,—that children 
may have more of them is the wish of Uncle Hal. 
“describing Points ”—Useful l*lay. 
A habit of observing closely is important. It is 
is not only exceedingly useful in many ways, but it 
adds immensely to the enjoyment of living. One 
may travel a mile or a hundred of them, or work a 
day or month in the field, and see little if anything 
of interest. Another, going over the same journey 
or work, will see points of interest at every step. 
The habit of careful, close observation should be 
versation, peculiarities, etc., etc. In the game 
score one mark for each item added to the descrip¬ 
tion to any player. Take the same course with ani¬ 
mals, trees, plants, houses, implements, etc., etc. 
A teacher sends us a printed description, that 
would fill this column, of a swindler that had im¬ 
posed upon him. Here are some of the items:_ 
“ About 45 years old; hight about 5 feet 6 inches ; 
smooth black hair; a tooth missing from the lower 
left jaw; lantern-jawed when speaking... .Slovenly 
dressed; dark suit; blue-black velvet vest; black 
silk neckerchief, tied in a large double bow with flow¬ 
ing ends; carries eye-glasses, to be used or not;.... 
easy in conversation; talks as if deeply versed in 
constitutional law, and in all political questions ”.... 
Many more “points” are stated, showing this 
teacher to be a close observer of human nature. 
Criminals are almost daily found out because of 
the ability of some person to minutely observe and 
describe every one they happen to set their eyes 
upon. To some this is quite natural. It will readily 
become second nature if any one begins to cultivate 
the habit in youth. As above stated, tbe habit is 
of far wider usefulness than in merely detecting 
criminals. Let our young readers play “ Describ¬ 
ing Points,” with all sorts of subjects for practice. 
