Q16 
No. 150 . 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
“THE CUT F I N G E R.”— From a Painting by G. Edward Frere. 
(Engraved for the American Agriculturist.) 
The Editor with his Young Headers. 
Here’s a picture for you, boys and girls, that is beauti¬ 
ful. It is to us, one of the most interesting we ever saw. 
We can not tell exactly why, but it goes straight from the 
eyes to the heart. Don’t it go right to yours, boys 1 Did 
you never hurt your finger and run to sister to bind it up ? 
(We have—and this picture calls to mind more than one 
scene of our boy-hood days)—And did she not express, 
and feel, too, such sympathy and kindness as the girl in 
our picture shows'! Perhaps you never thought of it, but 
you will now, when you can look on as a spectator—not 
as the little half frightened boy himself, who looks and 
feels just exactly as you and ice have looked and felt. 
See how his feelings show out even in his right hand. 
The wound may be only a trifling one, but to him it is a 
very serious matter. He feels so, as you can see by the 
expression of his eyes and face. But our eyes wont keep 
away from that good, kind, anxious sister. See how 
skillfully, and yet how gently she handles the wounded 
finger. Her whole sympathies and attention are enlisted 
in alleviating the pain. We don’t believe she knows that 
one of her shoes is half off. Well, this sister is like almost 
every other sister, whose heart has not been made cal¬ 
lous by rude, unkind treatment from a brother, and even 
then there is always a tender spot left which will be 
touched when pain or suffering comes to even the most 
ungrateful boy.... 
BUSY. 
We can hardly stop for our usual chat this month 
with our young friends—we’re so busy. Do you imag¬ 
ine, boys, that while you are driving away at work, 
your friend, the editor, is quietly esconced in some cool 
room with little to do! Not a bit of it. The past two 
months we have been on our new homestead every mo¬ 
ment we could spare from office duties, with coat and 
vest off, plowing, harrowing, spading, digging, planting, 
etc-, sweating like a beaver, and how we have enjoyed 
it. We only wish the Agriculturist would go on itself 
for a while, or we could dream it out at night, and thus 
have time to stay out-doors .all day, every day in the 
week. This out-door work is just the thing to mak e 
one feel well and be well. Did you ever stop to think 
liOVT WORKING MAKES ONE STRONG. 
We'll try and tell you. In our bodies are two sets of 
little tubes or blood channels, called arteries and veins. 
The main arteries go from the left side of the heart, first one 
large tube, which divides into branches like the limbs of 
a tree ; then these branch more and more, until they 
reach the'minutest point in the body. The end branches 
are smaller than the finest hairs, yes, so small that you 
can not see them. At the end of these arteries begins the 
other set of fine tubes called veins, which grow larger 
and larger, and continually run into each other, until 
they finally form one large vein that opens into the right 
side of the heart. There is a second set of arteries from 
the right side of the heart to the lungs (“ lights ”), and 
there they join a second, set of veins, w hich come back to 
the left side of the heart. Now see how the blood flows. 
First the heart contracts (“beats” or draws together), 
and drives the blood out through the first set of arteries. 
We can feel it as it is driven along in the wrist towards 
the fingers. The arteries are packed away deep in the 
flesh, near the bones, so as to be out of danger, for if cut 
or broken, the blood would be driven out forcibly every 
time the heart beats. At the end of the arteries the veins, 
which are larger, pick up the blood and carry it back 
more slowly to the heart. The veins lie more on the out¬ 
side, and the blood does not “ spurt ” out when they are 
cut. When the blood gets to the heart, it is thrown from 
the right side into the lungs, where it comes in contact 
with air, is purified, then returns through the second set 
of veins to the left side of the heart, to be again sent out 
all over the body. But these blood vessels pass among 
the muscles, that is, the portions of lean flesh which are 
used when we move our limbs or bodies. By exercise 
we keep drawing the muscles down upon the blood ves¬ 
sels, and this pushes the blood along through them much 
faster than it would go if we were not moving. Now the 
blood carries the food that nourishes us—it can not get 
from the stomach into the flesh, except the blood carries 
it—and small particles are left here and thore to build up 
and make strong every part of the body. So, by exercise, 
we work the little hose-pipes (the blood vessels)—they 
carry more blood—more blood carries more food—and 
more food makes us stronger. The active working boy 
on the farm or elsewhere, has more strength than half a 
dozen band-box boys who do no work, but have servants 
to work for them—and we guess they are worth half a 
dozen of them for active service. We must tell you more 
about the way the food gets into the blood, and some 
other curious matters concerning our bodies, some time, 
when we have leisure to make engravings. There are 
many very surprising things constantly taking place with¬ 
in us, all going on so smoothly that we cannot perceive 
them, unless some of the machinery gets out of order. 
IT WILL COME OUT. 
We had a hearty laugh the other day at a neighbor of 
ours, w ho found himself in a rather ridiculous “ fix.” He 
had learned to smoke tobacco, and, as cigars were rathei 
expensive, he used a pipe; but although he no doubt 
thought it quite an accomplishment, he was yet rathei 
unwilling to be seen smoking, by every one. When any 
one whose good opinion'he valued, came in sight, he would 
hastily put it aside. The other day as he was puffing 
away, a gentleman called, and having no other place to 
hide his pipe readily, he shook it out as he supposed, and 
tucking it quickly into his pantaloons pocket walked into 
the parlor. While engaged in talking he was very much 
startled by the gentleman exclaiming “ Why John you're 
on fire !” lie sprang up, and sure enough the smoke was 
pouring out through a hole which had burnt through his 
pantaloons, and of course the hidden pipe came to light. 
You may be sure John was quite crest-fallen It is to be 
hoped, however, that he learned the lesson that, howev¬ 
er we may attempt to conceal our faults, they will at 
length come out—sometimes in a way least expected and 
most mortifying. 
TOOR TRAY. 
Animals sometimes have bad habits and thereby get 
into scrapes, as well as human folks. We were quite 
well acquainted with a farmer’s dog in the eastern part 
of New-York State, named Tray, that was once caught 
in a curious way. He used to run out and bark furious¬ 
ly at every thing that passed in the road near the house, 
which, although not injurious—for he did not bite—was 
very ill-mannered and annoying. It happened that a 
rail-road was built through the farm, quite near the 
house of Tray’s owner, and when the cars commenced 
running, the dog would rush out whenever they came 
along and bark, and snarl, and snap at the wheels, to the 
great amusement of the passengers. One day he ventured 
a little too near, so that his ear was laid upon the track, 
and of course the wheel took it off in an instant. Ki' 
yi! yelped poor Tray, and turned to “cut” for home, 
but turning so suddenly he brought his tail where his 
ear had been, and that too was as quickly severed ! You 
may be sure he quit one bad habit—his usual flourishes 
were most effectually cur-tailed. That came from being 
ill-mannered—don’t forget the lesson. 
THE FAITHFUL CHICK-HEN. 
Having given a specimen of the failings of animals.it 
is but fair to record some of their virtues, and the follow¬ 
ing account sent to the Agriculturist by J. It. Brown, Co¬ 
lumbiana Co., O., will do very well tooffset Tray’s delin¬ 
quencies. He writes : “ Among the many old hens that 
hatched and brought forth their brood last Summer, there 
was one that was the mother of six little chicks, all of 
which died, save one. This one she weaned, or tried to 
wean, but to no purpose, for the ‘ little one' would not 
be weaned. After a while, the hen commenced laying 
again, and chicky would go to the nest every day, and 
stay with her mother till she performed her duty. This 
she continued to do till the old hen commenced setting. 
They then both set together. The chickens were hatched, 
and our faithful chicken took as much care of them as did 
the old hen, except she could not scratch quite so hard. But 
by an accident the old mother went the way of all fowls, 
and the poor little orphan at the age of three months was 
left with a family to take care of. Bravely did she attend 
to the little chicks, although the loss of her mother was 
very sore. It was very funny to see such a young hen 
clucking about with a brood of chickens. This may seem 
a strange story, but it is every word true. Is not this 
little chicken an example to the girls of the Agriculturist 
family 1 ” [Yes, it is, and we know a little girl, only 10 
years old, who did the same thing for her half-orphaned 
brothers and sisters.— Ed.] 
THE “ FOURTH.” 
The heads of the little folks in this part of the world 
are so full of thoughts about Independence Day, that 
it is difficult to specially interest them about any thing 
else. Some of them have been saving their pennies for 
months, to spend on that day for fire-crackers, powder, and 
