34 
SMALL FARMS. 
SMALL FARMS. 
There are thousands of farms in the New- 
England states, varying in size from twenty- 
five to one hundred acres, upon which thou¬ 
sands of families not only live, but are well-to- 
do in the world, and have reared large families 
in comfort and prosperity. It is true, the chil¬ 
dren, for want of room to work, have to go to 
contriving , and it is this necessity that has tilled 
the whole country with Yankee contrivances of 
all kinds, from a basswood pumpkin seed to a 
steam engine. 
One of the greatest crops of the diminutive 
farms, is, that inventive genius which character¬ 
ises the whole nation. No Yankee clock ever 
run with more regularity than the whole of the 
operations connected with some of the small 
farmers. Look at their cattle, horses, hogs, 
sheep, geese, ducks, and chickens. There is an 
appearance of unmistakable thrift about every¬ 
thing animate and inanimate, upon some of 
these places. It is true, many of the occupants 
work with the same old-fashioned tools their 
fathers did, and follow all the same time-honor¬ 
ed practices; but the next generation will be 
more alive to the spirit of improvement 
STEALING- FRUIT. 
In a late conversation with an intelligent 
farmer of Westchester county, we recommend¬ 
ed the raising of fruit, upon the rocky hill sides 
of the region north of this city, as the most 
profitable mode of cultivation that could be 
adopted; the New-York market being so easily 
approached by two rivers and three railroads, 
that intersect this county. His reply aston¬ 
ished us in no small degree. He said: “unless 
a great change is soon effected, farmers will be 
obliged to abandon the orchards now growing, 
and put the land into grass; because of the ex¬ 
tensive system of robbery, that is carried on by 
hordes of idle vagrants, everywhere within 
reach of New York, who not only plunder nuts, 
berries, and fruits, growing wild, but actually 
enter the orchards in gangs, in open day, strip 
the trees, and carry off the fruit by baskets and 
bags; and if, interfered with, they are boldly 
insulting, and sometimes show fight, rather than 
give up their booty. Even corn, potato and tur¬ 
nip fields are invaded, and the produce carried 
off by the wagon load. This kind of stealing 
is generally done in the night; but Sunday is 
the great day for robbing orchards; not only 
depriving the owner of his fruit, but destroying 
all the enjoyments of a quiet Sabbath day’s rest 
or worship. 
It is due to American character to say, that a 
large share of these intolerable thieves are for¬ 
eigners, mostly Germans of the very lowest 
grade, perfectly lawless, and utterly heedless of 
the right ownership of anything they can lay 
their hands upon ; acting upon the principle that 
this is a free country, and actually arguing that 
every one has a right to a free distribution of 
all the fruits of the earth. If the nuisance con¬ 
tinues to increase for the next five years in pro¬ 
portion to the last, all fruit cultivation will of 
necessity be abandoned in the vicinity of the 
city ; and it will become a question with farmers 
whether railroads are not a greater curse than 
blessing; as they afford facilities to such vast 
numbers of petty thieves from the city, to 
penetrate the country and carry off all the mar¬ 
ketable produce that would otherwise be sent 
forward by these lines of easy communication; 
thereby making the land more valuable, induc¬ 
ing better cultivation, and greatly enhancing 
the happiness of our rural population. 
COLD, OR CATARRH IN SHEEP. 
Flock masters should take particular care of 
their sheep when affected with a cold during 
the winter months; for if neglected, it frequent¬ 
ly becomes so deeply seated as to be incurable, 
and ends in phthisis, or consumption. The best 
remedy for a cold is, first, place your sheep in a 
well-ventilated,dry stable, comfortably littered; 
and second, give it any slightly purging medi¬ 
cine, with a moderate allowance of hay, and a 
bran mash, one fifth of which should be oil 
meal. Colds, or catarrhs, are not only epidemic 
but endemic; be careful, therefore, where you 
winter your sheep, that there be no predispos¬ 
ing cause in their locality; and when they are 
attacked, remove them instantly from the flock. 
By following these precautions, and keeping 
them well fed, sheltered, aired, watered, and 
salted, one may bid defiance to disease among 
his flocks. 
Connecticut Tobacco. —The growing and 
manufacturing of this crop, in the Connecticut- 
River Valley, has become a great business. 
At Suffield, there are some thirty cigar facto¬ 
ries, at which 150 persons, at least, are employ¬ 
ed. These hands will average 2,000 cigars a 
week, making 15,600,000 a-year, in one town. 
Most of them are made of domestic tobacco. 
Some of the best, with Cuba wrappers, are sold 
for real Spanish imported. Many a New-York 
dandy, while puffing his three-for-a-shilling , real 
regalias , is unwittingly contributing to the ag¬ 
ricultural interests of old Connecticut. 
