The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-06-19
MARCUS WATSON. Prin,er.
agritultarul.
Fruits, Birds and Flowers.

Fruits, Birds and Flowers.
Among the many bOunties and blessings
OF Providence, which human beings do not
sufficiently appreciate, may be mentioned the
trio which stands at tbe head OF this article.
Fruits constitute one OF Our choicest luIaries,
rs we'll as one Of our most wholesome and
most essential kinds of food. Could our
whole population hayean abundance ot good
fruit, at all periods OF life from the cradle
to the grave, We should certainly, as peo-
pie, have greater yisor and better health,
while We should, in all probability, be COM
plrltiycly free from many Of the diseases
which now deya,tate civilized society ut all
seasons Of the year, and, occasionally, in all
places. ;.
Were our children, beautifully supplied
with god fresh fruit and plain bread. in lieu
of fried meats and arded short cakes, we
should hear very little Of the multltudinous
bowel complaints which, in the warm season
sweep the children TO their graves us though
they were only born to die; and still :eSs OF
the scarlet fc"crs and erysPclatous affections
which, as children arc now fed. rage among
our infIntrlc population as though their lit
tie bodies were all unsOundncss and cOrrup-
ton.
Fruits are scarce and daar all over the
country. and in some places hardly obtainn
bic ON any terms. In our citi's they are the
most expensive item in IL proper dietary
But they should be the most abundlnt and
the cheapest of all food. They can BE-, and
will be, whenever our aSricultur.s;s take the
requisite pains to cultivate them. Aud they
will then prove the most remunCratiyc pro.
duet or the farmer.
One Of tho leading objections to iruit.cul-
turc is the liability Of the fruit, and even the
trees. to Be damagcd or destroyed by insects
Gardeners aud nurserymcn have discovered
n regiment Of enemies to contend with. in the
shape Of some hundreds Of bugs, flies, worms,
ect which delight to prey on their fruits,
flowers, vegetables, plants, shrubs, and trees
And this is, lndccd, formidable obstacle.
But for all this, We suspect man has only
TO blame his own short sightc'lncss, or folly, |
or pesysrsity. lie has destroyed the birds,
the natural protectors Of all these things
In the admirable arrangements Of nature,
the fcathcrcd songsters are intended to be the
most efficient of the husbandman's auSilla-
ries. Not only do they, in the natural or
der, amusc US with their canGols, and en-
tertain our morning and evenings with the
inspiring music of JOY and the sweet songs
of love, but they destroy by feeding ON them,
the very creatures which, otherwise, rarage
our gardens, and orchards, und vineyards,
our meadows, and pastures, and groves.
by destroying the birds we destroy the
balance the all-wise Creator has established
in the animal and the vegetable kingdoms
We have taught cur little children the wick
ell sport of killing birds, thus depravinc
them as we'll as injuring those who never
did single deed that was not kind
and good. Our BOYS and our young men
have, in the absence of real game or injurious
animals found a cruel pIstime in the hab
oG"cunning' and they have esteemed 1t Il
manly enterprise to shoot the little innocent
birds while rrolckin: IN their rUseatc bow
crs, or singing merrly ON the tree'tOPs.
uh u,u, Ur-nuie t.rI
H.. ltpr ~hsu P-b.lr..- n.turs srosn bsn,Nh
h"T rts~
Verify, We have our reward. The bugs
destroy oar vines, the vcrmln rcvel in our
frwcrs, the worms deSpnil our fruits, ant
the insects prey on the foliage OF our shade
trees.
But our folly has not stopped here. The
marshes and the siagnlnt pools, which fora
time, are p,rmiticd to exist on various parts
OF the earth's surface, exhalc poisonous and
deadly miilsma But wherever it is proper
or necessary for man to spread his domain
and build his habin,ion, there benciScnt
nature has provided the scaycngcrs to gather
up the milsmatic influence, and transform
tnc ucAuly virus INTO Siu"liods ISiiuh'S
and delishtGul arOmas. The flowers spring
up, spontaneously, Us it seems to Us, in and
around the marshes. The suna,wcr opens
its boauteous petals, 'akc from the atmos-
pherc the pcstilential yapor. and returns to
US its elements rccompOundoi in the form ct
vital air. The water-lily, which sometimes
coycrs the whole AREA of the shallow lake or
tupid pond, and skirts the borders of our
swamps AMI pools, ab orbs the mephetic
glses, and renders them innOcuous TO man.
And 80 Of u thousand other beauteous ira
grant flowers which adorn tho landscape and
cnliycn the wilderness. Yet man has not
permitted the flowers to live!
We say then, in conclusion, to the hus
bandman. cultivate fruits. plant flowers
and spare the birds. Life illustrated.
Soar Srps TOR CURRANr BrsnEs. A cor
respondent Of the Indiana Farmer says; 81
have found the cultivation Of currants to b
very profitable. BY care and attention
GREATLY Increased the size Of the bushes an,