The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-05-30
ttion Of the produce, with perspicuous
iefnil of tha eSnenana nnd 5itreaiilfa

II
detail of the expenses and results
She then undertook to show me the
yards and offices, the byres, the feed
ing stalls, the plans for saving, increas-
ing and managing the manure; the cat
tie for feeding, for breeding, the milk
ing stock, the piggery, the poultry-yard,
the stables, the harness-rooms, the i'm
plcment rooms, the dairy. She ex-
planned to me the process ofmaking the
different kinds Of cheese, and the gen
.eral management of the milk, and the
mode of feeding the stock; and then,
conducting me into the bailiff7s house,
she exhibited to me tho Farm Journal,
and the whole systematic model of keep
ing the accounts ana making the re-
turns, with which she seemed as famil.
lar as if they were the accounts Of her
own wardrobe. This did not finish our
grand tour; for, on my return, che nd
mitted mo into her boudoir, and showed
me the secrets of her own admirable
houscwifery, in the exact accounts
which she kept of everything connect
ed with the dairy, the market, the table,
and the drawing.room, and the SER
wants hall. All this was done with a
simplicity and frankncss, which showed
an absence Of all consciousness of any
extraordinary merit in her own depart
ment, and which evidently sprang
solely from a kind desire to crafty a
curiosity on my part, which, hope,
under such circumstances, was not un-
reasonable.
"a short hour after this brought us
into another relation; for tho dinner bell
summoned us, and this same lady was
found presiding over brilliant circle Of
the highest rank and fashion, with an
ease, elegance, wit, intelligence and
good humor, with q kind attention to
every ones wants, and an unaffected
concern for every ones comfort, which
would lead one to suppose that this was
her only and her peculiar sphere
Now, will not say how many mud
puddlcs we had waded through, and
how many manure heaps We had cross
ed, and what places we had explored,
and how every farming topic was dis
cussed; but I will say that she persu-
ed her object without any of that fas-
tidiousncss and affected dclicacy, which
pass with some persons for refinement,
but which, i'll many cases, indicate a
weak, if not corrupt mind.
Now, / do not say that tho lady to
whom I have referred was herself tile
manager Of the farm; that rested entire
ly with her husband. but / have in
tended simply to show how gratifying
to him must have been the lively inter
est and sympathy which she took in
concerns which necessarily so much en-
gagged his attention; and how the coun-
try would be divcstcd of that dullness
and cnnui, so often complained of as
inseparablc from it, when a cordial and
practical interest is taken in the con-
Germs Which belong to rural life. I
meant also to show-and this aud ma
NY other examples, which have come
under my observation, emphatically do
show-that an interest in, and familiari-
ty with, even the most humble occupa-
tons of agricultural life, ore not incon-
sistent with the highest rcinements Of
taste, the most improved cultivation of
the mind, and elegance, and dignity of
manners, unsurpassed in the highest
circles of society,"
10 this truly English picture we add
the following companion piece from
Downing's Horticulturist, giving a
charming glimpse of an AMERICAN La
DY in the midst Of grounds md shrub
berry that Calypso and her nymphs
might have envied' d'-dclightfully situa-
ted, as we venture to add, on the banks
of the Hudson:
sIn tho midst of the richest agricul-
tural region of the northern states, lives
lady; q young, unmarried lady; mis-
tress of herself; of some thousand of
acres of the finest lands; and o mansion
which is almost the ideal of taste and
refinement. Very well. Docs this
lady sit in her drawing-room all day, to
receive her visitors? By no means
You will find her in the morning, either
on horseback or driving a light carriage
with q pair Of spirited horses. She OK.
plores cvory corner of the estate; she
visits her tenents, examines the crops,
projects improvements, directs repairs,
and is thoroughly mistress of her whole
demesne. Her mansion opens into tho