18512 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
271 
September, I commenced feeding her with pumpkins and 
meal. To the astonishment of every one, she deteriora¬ 
ted until she became a skeleton.$ and about the first of 
October I killed her and took her hide. I examined, 
with much care, the diseased part; and often wondered 
how she had lived at all. I thrust a knife into it, and 
found it was a gristly, cartilaginous substance, full of lit¬ 
tle vesicles, containing blood and water. I forced the 
knife in another part of it, and a viscous, yellow ichor, 
issued out. Her grinders, on the diseased side of the 
jaw, were more than an inch longer than those on the 
opposite side. When they shut together, her mouth 
would be open about two inches. This accounted for 
the fact that she always carried her jaw on one side. I 
had often noticed that she performed mastication by 
moving her jaw from right to left, horizontally, without 
any vertical motion. This movement of her jaw crushed 
the food between the sides of the teeth, which I found 
were much worn away. 
In conclusion, allow me to remark, for the benefit of 
any one who may be so unfortunate as to have a wen on 
any of their animals, that they should be prepared for 
the butcher without delay. Had I known then, what I 
know now, I should not have lost twenty-five dollars 
needlessly. Truly yours, S. Edwards Todd. Lake 
Ridge., Tompkins co., N . F. 
Farmer’s Talk. 
Eds. Cultivator —If there is any one class of citizens 
and laborers that I feel an interest in, more than anoth¬ 
er, it is the farmers. If I were asked the reason of this 
feeling, I should answer, it is because I am, myself, one 
of that class. 
It has been often said by agricultural writers that 
farmers., as a class, are the least intelligent and poorest 
educated of any, and it often seems that we have the least 
influence and are the least respected. Whether this idea 
be correct or not, may be of no particular consequence 
in itself; yet, if such be the case, it is well to inquire 
whether, as farmers, we have not something to do in 
this matter. 
It is certainly remarkable to notice what a small 
amount of useful knowledge, we can content ourselves 
with. The reason of this is, that our present wants 
must bfe satisfied and the future cared for, while the mind 
is left to starve. The great object of life appears to be 
to make money and buy more land. The life of an 
American farmer has always been and must ever be, one 
of labor. This law of labor we cannot alter, and we 
would not if we could, because it is just and right. Yet 
I am satisfied that the mass of farmers labor a great 
many more hours in a year, than is necessary, because 
they do not work to the best advantage. We do not 
combine half enough of genuine head labor with our 
hand work, and for the ostensible reason that we can get 
along just as well without it. But it is not enough that 
a farmer can improve his soil so as to make it profitable, 
for hundreds of farmers do that, who possess an amount 
of general knowledge which every good citizen ought to 
be ashamed of. 
There is a principle beyond all this, which every farm¬ 
er ought to recognise, that is, to adopt improvement for 
improvement’s sake. Hot so much to gratify a selfisl 
and penurious appetite, as to refine and enlarge the 
generous, noble feelings of the man. Like all other 
classes of men we are in pursuit of happiness, and one 
of the most common methods of seeking it, yet by far 
the most unsatisfactory, is in the pursuit of wealth. 
One of the best antidotes for this restless, craving feel¬ 
ing, is to seek for and cultivate a contented mind, but 
not a dull and sluggish one; for with all the followers 
that “ Ignoramus” has had from time immemorial, he 
has never succeeded in making a single person rationally 
happy and contented. I believe firmly that the occupa¬ 
tion of the farmer is better calculated to ensure real en¬ 
joyment than any other business. Still there are hun¬ 
dreds of farmers who live a toilsome and complaining 
life because they do not labor for the right objects. 
I am well aware that it must be the farmer’s general 
rule to carry on his business for profit, and I find that 
those farmers who adopt the most improvements, both 
useful and ornamental, are the ones who succeed best 
and make the most money. 
We have often to struggle against poverty, but this 
should not discourage us. Honesty of purpose, with an 
indomitable perseverance and energy, will eventually ac¬ 
complish anything. We may safely depend that in in¬ 
dustry and the improvement of the mind, we are laying 
the foundation for future good and real success. L. Du¬ 
rand. Derbxj , Ct. 
Things I have Seen. 
1. I have seen farmers, who neglected to mend their 
fences in the spring, till after planting, and allowed their 
cattle and other stock to ramble about, till they had no 
control over them, which nine times ont of ten will make 
them unruly. 
2. I have seen farmers pasture their swine in the high¬ 
way, without a yoke or a ring in their nose, greatly an¬ 
noying their neighbors, by turning up the turf before 
their dwellings, ready to enter the door-yard or garden 
whenever there is a bar down, or a gate open, or a hole 
in the fence, forgetting the golden rule, 11 whatever 3 T e 
would that men should do to you, do ye even so unto 
them.” 
3. I have seen farmers let their best land grow up to 
briars and weeds, and remain from year to year encum¬ 
bered with all manner of trash, thus fulfilling the pro¬ 
verb, 11 1 went by the field of the slothful and the vine¬ 
yard of the man void of understanding, and lo, it was 
all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the 
face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken 
down.” 
4. I have seen farmers who had a tolerable theory of 
farming in their heads, but not the first principle in prac¬ 
tice, and were like the Scribes and Pharisies, “ for they 
say and do not.” 
5. I have seen farmers who thought it wicked to cul¬ 
tivate a fine garden, shrubbery, ornamental trees, flowers, 
or anything to make their homes pleasant and inviting, 
not discerning the hand of the Creator in all the works 
of nature—-but who esteemed it no sin to suffer their 
children to grow up in idleness, roving about with no 
taste for anything pertaining to home. 
6. I have seen farmers who let their tools remain in 
the field in all weathers, and during the winter, saving 
a great deal of time in not carrying them to and from 
their store houses, it is true, but forgetting the old max¬ 
im “ a penny saved is as good as two pence earned.” 
7. I have seen farmers who knew enough of farming 
without reading the Cultivator, and could not afford to 
take it, but who were able to pay for a novel, or some 
trash paper of the day. 
8. I have seen farmers, who were very officious in 
their neighbor’s business, and strange as it may seem, 
neglected their own. Geo. Cargill. Berkshire, N. Y. 
