Agriculture is the most healthful , the most useful , and the most noble employment of man .— Washington. 
VOL VL NEW YORK, JANUARY, 1847. NO. I. 
A. B. 
Allen, Editor. 
Saxton & Miles, Publishers, 205 Broadway. 
THE NEW VIGNETTE. 
We promised our subscribers a new vignette for 
this volume, but are prevented giving it in the first 
number, by an unfortunate accident. It was en¬ 
graved on the 23d of last month, and sorry are we 
to add, that just as it was put in the form for use, 
it split through the centre, owing to a defect of the 
block, which so materially injured it as to render it 
unfit for use. We could not wait for a new block 
to be cut, as this would require nearly a week ; 
and thus we are compelled to go to press without 
the promised vignette. The engraver has set to 
work again on a new one, and we hope to present 
it in the February number, without fail. The de¬ 
sign is rural, chaste, and pretty, and such as no 
doubt will give general satisfaction. 
COLD WATER FOR STOCK. 
Farmers, are you aware that very cold water m 
the winter, as well as summer, is injurious to your 
stock ? If not, we can assure you that such is the 
fact. It often causes disease, especially of the 
bowels; and under no circumstances will cattle 
drink so much of it as is absolutely necessary for 
their thrift. 
Water, if possible, should be obtained from a 
spring, and be drunk as it bubbles out, at a mode¬ 
rate temperature, or be pumped up fresh from a 
well, or be taken from holes cut through the ice of 
a deep stream or clear pond. The water of a swift 
running stream, where more or less of its surface is 
exposed to the frosty atmosphere, is usually quite 
too cold for healthy drink. That also taken from 
standing troughs or shallow pools, with the ice 
broken up in it, is equally injurious. It is better to 
have the water brought from a spring, into the yard 
or stable, and when wanted, turn it into a trough 
| easily accessible for the stock. When they have 
drunk sufficiently, stop the running of the water 
and draw the troughs dry, then no ice is made to 
chill the water excessively, to the injury of the 
animals drinking it. 
PUMPKINS AND APPLES FOR SWINE. 
The English editor of Boussingault’s Rural 
Economy, asserts, that Americans say, “ a hog will 
die upon pumpkins and apples alone, but he will 
live and fatten on a mixture of the two.” This is 
the only place we ever met with the above observa¬ 
tion ; yet so far as our experience extends, we know 
it to be incorrect. V/e have kept swine of various 
ages for weeks, exclusively on pumpkins, and 
never knew them to do better; and that they will 
not only live and thrive on apples, alone, is noto¬ 
rious the country over. 
We once shut up a lot of Berkshires of various 
ages, in a tight pen, with a plank floor, and com¬ 
menced feeding them on raw pumpkins. As our 
neighbors dropped in from time to time they would 
look at the grunters, shake their heads and declare 
if we did not take the seeds of the pumpkins away, 
they would cause the swine to stale so exceedingly, 
as to make them skeleton poor in three weeks. We 
had great faith in our breed, and so let them conti¬ 
nue to eat the seeds and all for upwards of six 
weeks. During this time they had nothing else 
that we recollect but water, of which they drank 
very sparingly. They throve finely during this 
time, nor did they stale much more than common. 
Indeed, so well were we satisfied with their condi¬ 
tion.at the end of this period, that we should have 
continued them on the same food as much longer, 
had not the pumpkins been all consumed. 
W ith a poor breed of hogs we have no doubt but 
