Away up on the left of this way, as you go which we followed along for many miles. The from the Baths to Leuk, is a small village, on a general aspect of the valley of the Rhone is barmountain, where amid a fine tract of pasturage, ren, but the hills are covered with grapes grown and some good tillage, there is a population of on terraces, wherever the exposure to the sun several hundred. These villagers have no means permits their culture. I counted on some of of reaching the Baths, which are much resorted these hills, which may perhaps be called mounto by invalids, and tourists in summer, and of tains, forty terraces, rising one above another. course, furnish a good market,-by any highway, There are also good fields of Indian corn, the without descending a steep path, and going up best I have seen in Europe. At Sion, some many miles by the carriage-way. twenty miles from the Baths, we stopped to dine. About two miles, however, from the Baths, is As we entered the hotel, we noticed a peculiar a precipice, several hundred feet in height, up and disagreeable odor, and while waiting for dinthe side of the mountain where the village is ner, we several times closed the door to exclude perched, and to save distance, ladders have been this strange perfume. At dinner, among other placed up and down this precipice, which is nearly delicacies offered us was chamois, a dish which perpendicular, and the villagers use them as their we all wanted to try, because chamois are pecucommon way to and from the market at the liar to the Alpine regions, and considered a great Baths. We went to the foot of the ladders. delicacy. The chamois came on the table, and it The first one goes up, perhaps, thirty feet, and required no organ but that of smell, to satisfy then there is a resting-place on a cliff. Another us that we had been on scent of that game since goes twenty or more feet to another landing on we first entered the hotel. The chamois was orthe natural rock, and so on, it is said, several dered off untasted. hundred feet. And up and down these ladders, by day and by night, all the people of the village, young and old, male and female, carry their fruit and fowls and other products of their farms, and their purchases at the shops at the Baths.

However, in justice to this beast, it should be said that a day or two after, at Chamouni, we not only tasted chamois, but found it an excellent dish, and our conclusion is, that the chamois at Sion died about a month sooner than he ought We saw an old man and boy with large bas- to have died in order to be in good condition for kets of sticks, that had been gathered in the our table. We saw wine for laborers advertised wood at the foot of the ladders, and which they here at Sion, at six cents a bottle, a price, by the were carrying up the ladders to their houses on way, that need not surprise us when we rememthe top, to use for fuel. They strap these bas-ber that good cider is often sold in New England kets on to their backs and shoulders, so as to use at two dollars a barrel, which is about six cents their hands on the ladders, going up and down a gallon.

with their faces towards the wall. Nothing on After riding forty-five miles to Montigny we my whole journey has given me such an impres- walked nearly five miles and back to see the sion of utter poverty, as this poor old man and Pissbach Falls, said to be very beautiful, and boy, climbing those hills in this way, with a few found them not half so well worth seeing as Mr. sticks not worth the picking up at the door in Lowe's factory dam at Exeter, in a freshet. The our country, spending all their day, probably, for great difficulty with all the cascades and cataracts a single armful of fuel. hereabouts is, that they have not any water, exWinding along down to Leuk, through a cept in the spring. And this brings us to another strangely picturesque route of mountains and mountain pass, over which we will journey in my gorges, now on the brink of a gulf a thousand next letter. Yours, H. F. FRENCH. feet deep, and now in a tunnel through a rock, doubling backwards on our course to follow the WINTERING LAMBS.-The food and treatment mountain stream which we crossed several times, applied to calves will succeed equally with lambs. on beautiful bridges, we came to one of the great If they get ticks upon them, Scotch snuff distribroads constructed by Napoleon, over the Alps, uted along the back, by opening the wool, and called the Simplon Road. It leads from Valais rubbing it well in, will destroy the ticks. Do not to Piedmont, connecting Switzerland with Italy, crowd too many lambs together, and be careful is thirty-six miles in length and twenty-five feet mals are selfish, and have no sympathy for their to separate the strong from the weak. All aniin width, and is a good carriage way, over a inferiors. The larger, of whatever kind, will overmountain pass more than ten thousand feet high. run the smaller, drive them from their food, and It leads over steep precipices, through galleries starve them out altogether. Old or weakly sheep hewn in the solid rock, across mountain torrents, with lambs; for, if the old sheep be larger and may be wintered in the same stables or sheds by bridges, and is altogether one of the greatest wonders of human labor and energy.

We struck this road near the river Rhone,

stronger, the lambs are spryer, and can better dodge about them for their food. They all require fresh air, and plenty of it. Dry cold never

hurts a sheep, but rains in winter are frequently to utter a slander. But is it so? Fifty years injurious, particularly if of open-wooled varieties, ago, mothers with the aid at most of elder sisas they soak to the skin, and give them severe ters, were both cooks and tailors to their own colds. A severe snow storm, if dry, is less hurt- families, in many parts of our country; but now ful than a warm rain, and a sleet is worse than how is it? Not one mother in a hundred is tailboth together.-American Agriculturist.

or in her own family; and I do not believe that a majority of our mothers do their own cooking. I know of one mother in Massachusetts who fills with her own hands both these offices, and I beLIGHTENING THE BURDENS OF HOUSE-lieve there are more; but they are becoming

For the New England Farmer.

KEEPERS.

scarcer and scarcer every year. If things are to MR. EDITOR:-Your Gardner correspondent, go on for the next fifty years as they have done Mrs. Barlow, may not fully apprehend me after for the last fifty, I know not what we shall come all, when she compliments me on my efforts to to. If the devil now sends us cooks and dresslighten the burdens of woman. For since it is a makers, whether they come straight up from the scriptural injunction on us all to bear one anoth- nether regions or come by way of Paris and Loner's burdens, it was not so much my object to les-don, what shall hinder him, ere long, from sendsen or lighten the toils of woman, in the aggre- ing us shoe-makers and carpenters and farmers gate, as to change the form of these toils. I was -aye, and school-masters, too, and other teachanxious and still am so-to have what I call ers high and low? Extremes, it is said, somewoman's sacred fire expended more wisely than it times meet. Lawyers have, for sometime past, usually is when she is enslaved-bound hand and been regarded as Satan's emissaries; doctors are foot and heart too-to custom and fashion. beginning to be thought so, and ministers are by some suspected-what are we coming to?

Woman may, like her compeer, sometimes work too hard; but I doubt whether she as fre- I would return, not to nature in a savage or quently works too much as too little. She works uncultivated state, but to nature in her simplicitoo much for the body, in my opinion, and too ty. Mothers are the natural teachers and educalittle for the mind and heart, particularly the tors of their own children. They are, of course, as physical educators, the natural cooks and

latter.

When, however, I say she works too much for dress-makers of their children. I do not say that the body, I mean for certain departments of the there are no circumstances in which these same body. Too much is done for the brain, stomach offices can be delegated; for there are such.and skin, too little for the lungs, heart and mus- These, however, are the exceptions, and not the cles. Appointed, though she is, to elevate and general rule; and as in other such cases, they purify and ennoble humanity, by her misdirected seem to confirm and strengthen it, rather than in efforts she depresses it and degrades it.

the least to invalidate it.

Pity, indeed, it is that she who has it in her But how can mothers find time to do every power to raise man-the grace of God assisting thing for their children? you will perhaps ask. her-to capabilities which no angel or seraph There is, in the nature of things, no real or inknows, should, by her mismanagement, so often trinsic difficulty here. My own mother had no sink him below the beasts that perish. Pity that advantage of birth or education or fortune bewhile her whole nature is tenderness and love and yond the women of her time. Early thrown uppurity, her mistake, in education-especially in on her own resources, she came to the head of physical education-should tend to the opposite her family in the deepest poverty, except of mind of all these, viz.: to cruelty, hatred and sensual- and heart; yet she educated four children. She ity. Yet is this not the usual result? was for the most part-that is, as a general rule How can a child be other than impure and-spinster, weaver, dyer, tailor, cook, physician, brutal and cruel, whose blood is made so stimu- nurse, teacher and general housekeeper. Nor lating as to over-excite, and in truth over-heat was she alone. Fifty years ago, as I have intiand irritate the heart and all the vessels connected mated already, there were many more like her. therewith through which it is continually sent I will not say that my mother is the standard -midway between a savage and a cultivated I would lighten the labors of cooks and dress-state-to which it is needful to return; but I do makers, and consequently of those mothers who say that a return is necessary, to something like are their own cooks and dress-makers-if, indeed it. Nor do I say that the golden age is past, and any such mothers are left to us. That cookery that all things earthward tend. I am not yet old is for the most part unnecessary and even hurt-enough to see everything in the retrograde. But ful, whether done by one person or another, seems I do say that just in proportion as we depart to be conceded in giving currency to the old ad- from nature's simplicity-not nature's barbarity age, "God sends meats, but the Devil sends-in any society whatever, we begin to have cooks;" but we have as yet, so far as I know, no among us those materials which give rise to equivalent adage or saying with regard to dress-peace societies, temperance societies, moral remaking. Perhaps it might be said, that God form societies and charitable societies and charisends us clothing but Paris sends us dress-mak-table and home institutions.

forth?

ers; or clothing comes to us from God, through There may be no harm in buttering my bread, the windows of heaven, but dresses come from apart from the fact that butter seems to be the reSatan, through the chambers of death at Paris sult of a degree of putrifaction, provided human

and London.

When I speak with doubt whether we have any mothers left to us who are cooks and dress-makers for their children, I may seem to some, after all,

time could not be more profitably employed than in making a better article into one which is worse, and provided the wants of society everywhere, physical, social, intellectual and moral, were well

supplied; but I wish Mrs. Barlow or somebody the trap, he is surely a "gone bug." He may aselse would tell me by what right we spend pre-cend the trunk of the tree, up to the trap, and decious time-God's precious gift to man-in scend again as many times as he pleases, if that is changing articles from better to worse and in

preserving them with great pains and care, while any comfort to him, but he can only reach the there are so many around us in the world who branches of the tree by his wings. It cannot fail, need something more essential to earth and hea- we think, to prove effectual. It is simple in its ven both than butter. I should like to know by construction, and extremely cheap. what right we are at the pains to make butter It is the invention of Mr. JOSIAH FOSTER, of and spread on our bread and—monstrum horrendum-mix it in almost all our dishes, while thou- Sandwich, Mass., who is ready to dispose of sands and millions have not bread (of earth or rights for towns or counties, at moderate prices, heaven) even without any butter to eat, or rai- on application to him in person or by letter. As ment (moral or spiritual) to put on. Your cor- a portion of the Protector is made of tin, workers respondents must know that I am not insensible of that article will be proper persons to manufacto compliments on the one hand, nor to reproach and ridicule on the other. I have other reasons: ture them. A sample may be seen at this office. for my remarks, both here and elsewhere, than the love of approbation.

But I have run on at greater length than I intended. Mrs. B. and others must be a little cautious about calling me out, if they have a strong antipathy to long articles.

Auburndale, March, 1858.

W. A. A.

For the New England Farmer
VALUE OF MUCK.

For the New England Farmer. LABOR OF BOYS.

Is it worth anything or is it not? At the State Reform School the moderate allowance of ten cents a day for each day's labor has been made, and those who have made it complain that this is a reason why they cannot make both ends meet, on the farm. We see it reiterated in all the paThe compost heap is of great importance, and pers, that at the late meeting of the Board of could every farmer realize its worth, one extra Agriculture, it was concluded that the labor of link would be added to the chain of agricultural the boys was no benefit. In fact, I have heard improvement. Facts will convince many a stub- this distinctly averred by prominent members of born will. And facts enough can be obtained to the Board. If this be so, there must be a stitch wake up any farmer to a sense of the importance down somewhere, either in the government of the of using muck. boys or in those who superintend the labor. In the year of 1850, my father had a piece of In my neighborhood, from the first of April to land, worn out by continual cropping. Having the first of Nov., the labor of active, healthy boys plenty of muck, fifty loads were hauled and emp- from the age of ten to sixteen years is in great tied with ten bushels of ashes to the load. A demand, and such boys will command half as hole was then dug in the centre, and three barrels much wages as common men. Why, then, canof stone lime was put in. Water enough was not boys on a farm in the county of Worcester poured on to slake it. The lime was covered be made to earn their living as well as in the with weeds, straw and muck. In the fall it was county of Essex? Will it be said that the boys drawn out and thoroughly plowed in. The next at the Reform School are not generally so old as spring the land was sown to wheat and stocked those above named? But surely out of six hundown. From the two acres that the compost was dred, one hundred, at least, can be found of this spread on, we harvested forty bushels of nice age. My interest in the success of this Instituwheat. Since then the land has produced good tion, must be my apology for these suggestions. crops of hay, and worn better than land manured, February 6, 1858.

with long manure the same season.

REMARKS.-We are no less surprised, than is

The winter is an excellent time to haul muck if preparation has been made before by shoveling up. Mr. HOLBROOK's practical answers to Mr. our correspondent, at the statements we have Dimon's questions are of great value, and farm-seen in the public papers, purporting to give the ing in New England can be and is made profita- proceedings of a meeting of the members of the ble by the scientific farmer.

Caledonia Co., Vt., 1858.

MAPLE.

Board of Agriculture, that the labor of the boys on the farm attached to the Reform School is a bill of cost to the Board, at ten cents per day for

A NEW TREE PROTECTOR.-Many contrivan- each boy! If this declaration is sanctioned by ces have been resorted to in order to protect our the Board, we believe it labors under error,-for fruit and even ornamental trees from the rava- we do not believe that every hired man on the ges of insects-particularly the canker worm, farm during weeding time last summer, could who has annually denuded a great many of the have tended the root crops alone that were raised. finest trees in this State. The article of which We certainly should be glad to pay 15 cents per we now speak is a new device, and we think will day for such boys in weeding time, and pay for outwit any bug that "cannot take wings and fly." superintending them. We hope the Board will For if he ascends the stem of the tree, he soon correct the error, if it be one, or show us the finds an effectual stopper; and if he descends by facts to sustain the assertion.

WILLIAM A. WHITE. Lancaster, N. H., Feb. 15, 1858.

CAPS FOR COVERING HAY AND GRAIN. pounds. I am certain it will improve the stock "See that big black cloud, in the west-how of hogs in New England to introduce this breed steadily and majestically it approaches us! There among them. For beauty and symmetry of form they cannot be surpassed. Mine have been exis something besides thunder and lightning in it, amined by good, practical farmers in this vicinity too. See, how it attracts the smaller clouds, in- and pronounced very superior animals. In all creasing its own volume as it moves on; by the points they excel the Berkshire or Suffolk. time it comes over our fields we shall have a Mr. Wood holds himself in readiness to ship drencher; well, boys, the corn-fields need it, and pairs, not akin, to any part of the Union at moderate prices. His stock is of undoubted purity, it wont hurt our hay, as it is all under the caps!" and I would cheerfully recommend it to all my Farmer Jones was right-that "drencher," brother farmers who wish to make a judicious wind and all, did not hurt his hay, and he got it improvement in their breed of hogs. all in the next day, while the hundred cocks of his neighbor Anticap had to be spread and cocked again! The verdict of an honest jury A NEW BREED OF SHEEP. would be, "sarved him right, he was able to procure caps and wouldn't-didn't believe in 'em." tural Bureau of the Patent Office, has received D. J. Browne, Esq., the head of the AgriculNo man who investigates the matter, can fail a very interesting letter from R. L. Pell, of Masto come to the conclusion that the use of caps for sachusetts, concerning a new breed of sheep which covering grain and fodder, is a matter of strict has been lately imported from China. Three economy; and we believe no man who has used years since, a Mr. Theodore Smith imported three ewes from Nankin, from which he obtained, in them one season has been known to lay them twenty months-three, four and five at a birthaside. Some object to using them, saying they and they commenced breeding at four and a half cannot stop to put them on when a shower is com- months old. This breed are perfectly hardy, ing on; the objection is not valid, because they having endured the past severe winter without have had no experience in the matter. Mr. E. any shelter, producing lambs constantly, which bore the cold as well as the old sheep, and maEMERSON, of Hollis, says :-As to the work of tured rapidly. They will not jump fences, either putting them on, I will go into the field with any stone or wood. The flock was separated last seaman of my ability to work, and put up hay and son from a rye-field by a cobble-stone wall two cap it, as fast as he can put it up so that it will and a half feet high, over which they never atdo without a cap, as it takes twice the work to description of fence. The fibre of their wool is tempted to pass, nor can they be driven over any trim a cock without a cap that it does with one. exceedingly strong and the fleece heavy. The Cocks of hay, or shocks of grain or stalks, put mutton cannot possibly be surpassed, as it is entogether only tolerably well, and covered with a tirely free from the strong flavor usual to sheep, piece of twilled cotton, will keep the cocks or and is tender, juicy and delicious. The tails are shocks dry through any storms that we usually ble marrow, and form a delightful morsel for the broad, and when properly prepared much resemhave in the harvesting season. A set of caps properly taken care of will last a life-time.

Some enterprising young men, Messrs. CHASES & FAY, Boston, are now preparing cloth to prevent its mildewing, and will furnish well-made caps at moderate prices and of any desired size. See their advertisement in another column.

For the New England Farmer.
CHESTER COUNTY HOGS.

epicure.

REMARKS.-We have received several inquiries about the breed of sheep spoken of above. We know nothing of it, and never have heard of such a man as "R. L. Pell, of Massachusetts." Mr. D. J. Browne, of the Patent Office, is the person to inquire of in relation to the sheep.-Farmer.

MORTON'S NEW FARMERS' ALMANACK for 1858.-This is an English work, by JOHN C. Having learned from various sources that a breed of swine called the "Chester county Whites" MORTON, a gentleman of some agricultural cewas superior to most or all of the foreign breeds, lebrity. 36 of its pages are occupied by an agrifor their early maturity, good form and quiet cultural history of 1857: 20 by a calendar of opdisposition, I procured a pair of them from erations for the farm and garden: 20 by an acTHOMAS WOOD, Esq., of Penningtonville, Chescount of the treatment of live stock under dis

ter county, Pa., a celebrated breeder of these hogs. I am exceedingly well pleased with them. ease: and 12 by a calendar for each month. It They are pure white, long body, with small, fine is filled with a thousand matters of interest, not bone and square built. Mr. Wood informs me the least among which is the table of the duties that the genuine Chester will make more meat which are levied on pretty much every thing but to the offal, and to the amount of food consumed, the air the people breathe. A man cannot build than any other breed. They will fatten well at

any age, and often weigh from 350 pounds to 400 a house, hire a servant, or look out of the window, pounds net, under a year old. When well fed without paying a duty for it. For sale by A. Wilto twenty months they will weigh 700 to 800 liams & Co., 100 Washington Street, Boston.