WHAT a useful animal is the Cow? What would little girls and boys do if she did not afford them her nice sweet milk every morning and night for breakfast and supper? I think they would not find any thing so nice, or that would do them so much good. What thousands and millions of little folks feed on this delicious and healthful food every day! What a useful animal is the Cow! And not only does she provide excellent food for little boys and girls, but from her milk the rich cream is skimmed, which is to be mixed with your father's coffee and your mother's tea; or else the cream is kept until a sufficient quantity is collected, and then they put it into the churn, and it is worked about until it is made into butter:-butter, which you know is so useful for puddings and pies and many other things. But this is not all; some farmers keep many Cows, and send their milk-maids early and late to milk them, and they bring home large quantities of good milk, of which they make cheese; and cheese is a very useful article of food: and thus in so many ways, beside others we have not named, is this valuable animal useful. Well, little reader, let us remember one thing, God Almighty made the Cow for our use; let us thank him for his goodness, and never forget, when your basin of good sweet milk is set before you morning and evening, to thank the great and good God, whose tender mercies are over all his works, for giving you your portion of meat in due season; and remember, that the same Great Being who gives you your daily food, gave you his Son from heaven to die for your sins. ADDRESS TO A COW. The late Robert Robinson, having received a particular favour from a gentleman, resolved to make him a recompense by presenting him with a favourite Cow. Along with her he sent the following lines: To Henry Keene, Esq., Walworth, Surrey. On condition of finding her good grass and hay. R. R. Go, milk white messenger, to Walworth go, Go, fav'rite heifer, browse beneath his eye, She'll milk you softly: don't you kick her down, Nor whisk your tail about her Sunday gown. I knew a widow, who with one red cow, Brought up six sons-there's no such woman now. Milk was the beverage of paradise ; Milk, harmless milk, that never gender'd vice. Run, Judith, run: your mistress rings for cream. See there the circle sits,-the circle I esteem. They all are wise, and every one loves cream? Ev'n tea's insipid without that, they deem. But what thy milk? and what thy luscious cream? My favourite cow! there's pleasure in the theme. With milk, the Baker shortens his hot roll; With milk, the school-boy fills his morning bowl. With milk, the plaisterer silvers o'er the wall; With milk, the poultry's whiten'd for the stall; With milk, the farmer fats both pork and calf; And of a pudding, milk's the better half. With milk the wench stirs up the ploughman's pies, And fries nice Shrovetide pancakes for good boys. Cheesecakes and custards from the milk pail flow, And thence come syllabubs, and trifles too: Thence curds and whey, posset, and white pot come; Thence many a nick nack at the farmer's home. See how the flummery on the table shakes, Thy weekly butter, and thy daily cheese, Long live, and preach, and let your master know, God gave a noble present, when he gave a Cow. INSECTS. THE fertility of insects far exceeds that of birds, and is surpassed only by that of fishes. Some produce but a single egg, and others only a small number; but the silk-worm moth produces about 500, the great goat moth 1,000; the female wasp at least 30,000. The queen bee varies considerably in the number of her eggs; in some cases it may amount to 40,000, 60,000 or more. One insect lays 200,000; but all these are surpassed by one of the white ants, which deposits not less than sixty in a minute; which gives 3,600 in an hour, 86,400 in a day, 2,419,200 in a lunar month, and the prodigious number of 31,536,000 in a year. It is probable that she does not always continue laying at this rate, but placing the sum as low as possible, it exceeds that produced by any other known animal in the creation. From in sects are thus sometimes produced countless swarms. Numerous accidents, however, to which they are exposed, from the depositum of the egg to their final transformation, reduce = their numbers, and prevent their becoming excessive. Thus, as in the other cases, evils are averted by that gracious Providence which includes within its care the least as well as the greatest, the atom as well as the globe, and the insect's egg as well as the angel.—History of Insects-Religious Tract Society. PROCRASTINATION. WHAT is Procrastination? That steals away that precious boon, The mind it lulls with flattery; There's time enough it says, What is Procrastination? |