no. 4.

ties, each at the enormous salary of 51, about halfthe statute labor was struck off, and 12 Commissioners were appointed at an annual salary of 101. each, and an annual salary of 501. to the gentleman who corresponded with them, and now let us admire the conse uence. It was former! thought that the road leading from Welsh’s erry to Tryon was about one of the stupidest roads that man could have planned. A Cow would have made one much better, it wentin alldireetions but the right one, but it has been far surpassed by late mathematicians. The old road to Prince-Tawn led over several hills and went in a north west direction, but in order to straighten this road and avoid the hills as well as to make a direct road to the Isthmus between Richmond and Bedeque Bays,it was deemed proper to go by the old road,north west toBagnall’s, and thento turn—not exactly round about—but at a right angle, namely, south west from Bagnall’s, sometimes inclining toward Bedeque and sometimes inclining toward no place at all, but a succession of hills infinitely more numerous and troublesome than the for- mer road. Then there were new impassible roads from New London in various directions. Then it was found that in taking a due course

, ' from the North river to the Isthmus (the before

. mentioned Bagnall’s house) was three or four

miles out ofthe way, besides leading over the hills, which the wearied horses now pant over. There had been a plan designed and partly ran, of a road leading from Bedeque river, over almost a dead level to the North river, but the progress of this road submitted to the Rams-horn-road already described was arrest- ed, something has been done to it latterly. PrinCe-Town itself is bedizon’d with roads like a -mariner‘s compass—so is Darnley.

I must break off for the present——bnt I have more roadsin my view, particularly that from Poplar Island Bridge, and some bridges and Wharves.

Your

obedient servant, RUB.

AGRICULTURE.

FARMERS WORK FOR SEPTEMBER.

The following valuable obesvations on har- vesting g‘rain, are from Lorain’s husbandry.

Custom has induced farmers generally to believe, that it is an improper and wasteful practice to cut either wheat or rye with the scythe and cradle. If the grain be neither lodged or entangled. it may be eut otf as clean by the scythe and cradle, as by the sickle. If it be properly gathered and bound. but little, if any. more loss will arise from gathering in this way. If the grain be cradledin proper time it shatters less, on the whole, than when it is reaped and secured in the usual way. It is readily granted that if grain be cradled and reaped at the same time, it shatters more by the former practice. It should be recollect- ed however, that the very tardy progress of the sickle greatly increases the shattering. by pro- crastinating the harvest so long that the chaff opens, and much of the grain falls out. Where- as the rapid progress of the scythe and cradle cuts off the grain, before any material loss from shattering can take place,if the cultiva- tor commences in time. No evil, but much good, will arise from beginning early. This not only prevents shattering, but also the risk of encountering the various injuries to which the

crop is exposed by useless delay. Some far. '

mers of the first respectability assert, that

THE BRITISH AMERICAN.

practice and observation have convinced them, that the grain. and also the flour, are best when wheat is cut much before the usual time. This hovever, does not accord with my practice. The middle course, between the extremes of cutting very early, or at the usual time. will be found the best; except when mildew occurs. In that case, wheat should be immediately out after it can be determined that the disease is severe. If the crop is on] slightly affected, it is far better to let it stan until the grain be fit to cut.

Manyjudicious. and well attested experi- ments determine, that when wheat is badly injured by mildew, the grain gets no bet. ter, if it be suffered to stand. That if it be cut off immediately afterthe injury is seen, the grain actually derives very considerable advantage from the sap contained in the straw.

Bad cradlers, and bad reapers, destroy much grain: infinitely more, however, is lost by those who could perform either well. if harvest was not considered, as the holidays too generally are, a time for drinking to excess. This ren- ders many incapable of doing anything proper- ly. Others, who are not quite so far gone, are dipsosed to run races a part of the day, and spend the rest of it in drinking under the shade, or in quarrelling and fighting.

In fact, too many of the labouring part of the community are at this season of the year, more like drunken savages than members of a civilized communit . This evil does not spring either from benevelence or hospitality in their employers. Avarice seems to have been the first moving cause of this enormity. In direct opposition to the laws of God, and the reason of man, this contemptible, selfish principle, induced many to outbid their neighbours by a more plentiful supply of ardent spirits.

If those farmers had known their own inte- rest, or wished to promote the interest, and rational happiness of those employed by them, or to act as men professing Christianity should, or. indeed, as an infi I would act, if he were not blinded by a f estimate of selfinterest, this shocking prac me would not have been introduced.

Every farmer who wishes to promote the in- terest of agriculture. should set his face against it, and in lieu of whiskey, dye. pay an equiva- lent in money. Ihave never found it ditficult to procure either in the back-woods, or else- where, as full a supply of workmen as my neighbours, who gave them as much ardent spirit as they w0uld drink, although they got none of this from me. After the harvest was over, it was clealy seen, that the workmen was far better satisfied with receiving an equivalent in money, in place ofinjuring their health by drinking ardent spirits to 'the amount of it. It is not. however, in my practice only, that the beneficial efforts of not allowing workmen either in harvest, or at any other time, intoxicating liquors appear. There are many farmers who would sooner suffer their grain to rot on the ground, than sanction this enormity.

Now, it is very observable, that these men ne- ver suffer by this arrangement; on the contra- ry, their fields are cleaner reaped, and With much~ less trouble and expense Why then, is not this dis raceful practice, of injuring the morals, hea th, reputation, and circumstances of neighbours abandoned? es ecially, as in doing this, we also injure ourse ves.

ANECDOTES 0P SHEEP, BY Till ETTIHCK SHEPHERD.

The Sheep has scarcely any marked charac-

29

tor save that ofnatural affection, of which it .

possesses a very great share. It is otherwise a stupid, indifferent animal, having few wants an fewer expedients. The old black faced, or forest breed, have far more powerful capa- bilities than any of the finer breeds that have been introduced into Scotland, and therefore the few anecdotes thatI have to relate shall be confined to them.

I have heard ofsheep returning from York- shire to the Highlands. This is certain, that when one, or a few sheep, get away from the rest of their acquaintances, they return home- ward with great eagerness and perseverance. I have lived beside a drove road the better part of my life, and many stragglers have I seen bending their steps northward in the spring of the year. A shepherd rarely sees these journeyers twice. If he sees them and stops them in the morning, they are gone long before night ; and if he sees them at night they will be gone many miles before morning, This strong attachment to the place of their nativity is much more predominant in our aboriginal breed, than in any of the other kinds with which I am acquainted.

A shepherd in Blackhouse bought a few sheep from another in Crawmel,. about ten miles distant. In the spring followmg, one of the ewes went back to her native place, and yeaned on a wild hill called CrawmillCraig. On a certain day about the beginning of July following, the shepherd went and brought home his ewe and lamb—took the fleece from the ewe, and kept the lamb for one of his stock. The lamb lived and throve, and never offered to leave home, but when three years of age, and about to have her first lamb she vanished; and the morning after the Crawmel shepherd, in going his rounds found her with a new yeaned lamb en the very gair of the Crawmel Craig, where she was lambed herself. She remained there till the first week of July, the time when she was brought a lamb herself, and then she came home with here of her own accord: and this custom she continued annually with the greatest punctuality as long as she lived. At length her lambs when they came of age. began the same practice, and the shepherd was obliged to despose of the whole breed.

But with regard to their natural affection, the instances that might be mentioned are without number, stupid and actionless crea- tures as they are. When one loses its sight in a flock of short sheep it is rarely abandoned to itself in that hapless and helpless state Some one always attachesntselfto it, and by bleating calls it back from the precipice, the lake, the pool, and all dangers whatever.

There is another manifest provision ofnature with regard to these animals, which is, that the more inhospitable the land is on which they feed, the greater their kindness and attention to their young. I once herded two years on a wild and bare farm, called fVillenslee, on the border of Mid Lothian. and of all the sheepl ever saw, these were the kindest and most af- fectionate to their young. I was often deeply affected at scenes which I witnessed there. We had one very hard winter, so that our sheep grew lean in the spring,and the thawrter-

ill, (a sort of paralytic affection) came among-'-

them, and carried off a number. Often have I seen these poor victims, when fallen down to rise no more, even when unable to lift their heads from the ground, holding up the leg, to invite the starvin lamb to the miserable pit- tance that the ud er still could supply. Ihad never seen aught more painfully affecting.

It is well known that it is a custom with shepherds, when a lamb dies, if the mother

have sufficiency of milk, to bring her in afiv'