274 
THE PEA FOWL, ETC. 
ally crying, “ come back,” “ come back,” Oil! 
Lord deliver me. The little taste I have for the 
noise, always gave me a distaste for the meat; and 
I think that if the writer of this article had lived 
as many years as I have, upon a cotton plantation, 
among hundreds of these noisy fowls, his commen¬ 
dation of their good qualities would have been less 
warm. 
Ground Ivy , or Ale Hoof .—Is this pest of Vir¬ 
ginia planters, like, or similar to the coco grass of 
Louisiana'? If it is, it is one of the most impor¬ 
tant subjects for the interest of southern planters 
that can be discussed, as to how it shall be pre¬ 
vented from spreading, or got rid of. 
On the Culture of Silk '.—I cannot tell you how 
much I was interested in the perusal of this article 
from the prolific pen of your very interesting Eu- 
tawah correspondent. I could not help thinking 
how many other “ burnt lingers” there were, be¬ 
sides those of E. S., and how many other than 
eocoonry fires- wherewith to burn our fingers. I 
believe that some of your readers are of opinion 
that in some of the comments made upon various 
articles published in the Agriculturist, that a cer¬ 
tain gentleman, with name unknown, occasionally 
burns his fingers. This is not doubted. For who 
ever knew any mortal to meddle so much with 
other folk’s business and keep sound fingers, figura¬ 
tively speaking \ But until I shall burn them more 
badly, I shall continue to be your Reviewer. 
DURATION AND FERTILIZING EFFECTS OF 
ANIMAL Mi\.NURES. 
All portions of animal manures are good, but 
different in the rapidity of their fertilizing effects, as 
well as in their duration. The principle of this 
difference is described by Professor Johnston as 
follows :— 
Horn, hair, and wool depend for their efficacy 
precisely on the same principles as the blood and 
flesh of animals. They differ chiefly in this, that 
they are dry, while the blood and flesh contain 80 
to 90 per cent, of their wmight of water. Hence, 
a ton of horn shavings, of hair, or of dry woolen 
rags, ought to enrich the soil as much as ten tons 
of blood. In China, the hair, which, in every ten 
days is shaven from the heads of the entire popula¬ 
tion, is collected and sold for manure throughout 
the empire. The effect of soft animal matters is 
more immediate and apparent, while that of hard and 
dry substances is less visible, but continues for a 
much longer period of time. Woolen rags, when 
made into a compost, and fermented, form an excel¬ 
lent manure for hops, turnips, and most other kinds 
of crops. 
Carrots as Bee Feed. —Some years ago, M. 
Scheidlin, gardener to the king of Wurtemberg, 
observed that bees were fond of sucking the sac¬ 
charine particles of the boiled raspings of carrots, 
and accordingly placed some, boiled to a jelly, near 
their hives. 
A Hint to Bee Keepers.— The Greeks and 
Romans eradicated all poisonous and bitter-tasting 
herbs from the vicinity of their apiaries, lest they 
should impart a bad quality to the honey. 
THE PEA FOWL. 
The peacock view, still exquisitely fair, 
When clouds forsake, or when invest the air ; 
His gems now brightened by a noon-tide ray ; 
He proudly waves his feathers to the day, 
A strut majestically slow assumes, 
And glories in the beauty of his plumes. 
Paraphrase of the Book of Job. 
The common pea fowl (Pavo cristatus), has 
probably been tamed and domesticated ever since 
there have existed human eyes to admire it. It is 
said to have been brought from the barbarians into 
Greece ; and being for a long time rare, it was then 
exhibited for money to the admirers of beauty in a 
similar manner as menagerie birds are with us, at 
the present day. At Athens, both men and women 
were admitted to examine it every new moon, and 
profit was made by the show. 
As might be expected of a bird that has been 
reared in captivity for several thousand years, the 
pea fowl may be rendered very tame, and capable 
of considerable attachment to man. B) r regular 
feeding, it may easily be made to take its place, as 
a liveried attendant at the front door, in order to 
show himself, and await with great punctuality, 
for his meals. Indeed, so charming is the perfect 
combination of grace and splendor, displayed by 
these most lovely creatures, so excellent is their 
flesh, so hardy are they in their adult state, that, 
were it not for certain inconveniences attendant up¬ 
on keeping them, and also perhaps, for the indiffer¬ 
ence with which everything not rare is apt to be 
regarded by us, they would be sought after as 
never-tiring objects wherewith to gratify the 
sense of sight. Who does not remember the thrill 
of delight with which, in childhood, he first gazed 
upon their brilliant gorgeousness ? Peacocks and 
gold fill our youthful imaginations as fit elements 
of the magnificence of Solomon ; and no fable more 
fitly chose its decorations than that which attached 
