Those that are dug up in the autumn should be laid in a heap in a barn or shed, and covered with sand; but the whole of the crop should be taken up in the beginning of February for as soon as the flower-stalks begin to form, the roots become hard and lose their quality. Parsnips are excellent food for all kinds of stock, and there are none but will eat of them freely. For milch cows they are to be preferred to mangel wurzel, carrots, or turnips; the latter of which give an unpleasant flavour to milk and butter, which is often so rank and bad as to be almost unfit for use; but the parsnip gives a peculiarly good flavour and richness to them, and makes them quite as good as when the cows are feeding on the sweetest pasture. They may be given to neat cattle; but for horses they should be cut and mixed with chaff: they should also be cut for sheep. In the isles of Jersey and Guernsey the parsnip is extensively cultivated for milch cows; and much of the butter produced from them is sent to Southampton and Portsmouth, which in the winter is far superior to any made in England. At that season of the year, Mr. Carr, an eminent agriculturist, near Warminster, has cultivated and fed stock more on this root than any agriculturist known in this country, and he speaks very highly of them as food for all kinds of stock. There are several varieties; but those best adapted for field growth are the Guernsey, if on a deep soil, as they frequently grow from two and a half to three feet long; but on a soil of less depth the hollow crowned will be best suited.-Weekly Paper.

EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS, &c.

THIMBLE-RIGGING.-We have often been called to record the evil consequences arising from the folly of individuals in being induced to gamble with thimble-riggers, but we do not remember to have heard of a case, the end of which was so tragical as that we are about to mention. A young man named Manners, in the service of Mr. Sawers, Bell's Mills, having received his half year's fee at the term, fell in with a gang of thimbleriggers, who lured him to play with them, and, in a short time, stripped him of his whole money. He returned home in a melancholy state, and remained in that condition for some days, till he disappeared from the

place, and was not again heard of till the forenoon of Sabbath last, when his body was found in the canal. He was a sober steady young man, much respected by his master and fellow-workmen.-Edinburgh Paper.

SEED BEDS OF WHEAT.-Allotment tenants are earnestly recommended by one of their best friends to make seed beds of wheat, and then plant out the plants four inches apart, in rows at different distances, as four inches, six inches, nine inches, and see which answers best.

SOAP SUDS.-Gardeners and others are not sufficiently aware of the value of this article as a manure. It is commonly poured down the drains and suffered to run to waste; whereas if it were applied occasionally to the roots of vines, fruit-trees, &c. the vigour of the plants will be surprisingly increased. The exhausted lees of the soap-boilers has long been used as a manure; but few people think of applying the oil and alkali of the soap in its more valuable state of liquid.-Sussex Paper.

CLIMBING ROSES.-Many of the climbing and trailing sorts, and particularly the evergreen varieties of these, are well adapted for undergrowth in open woods; but in this case the timber trees should not be so close as to shut out the rays of sun from the roses. These also should be allowed, in some places, to climb to the tops of the highest trees, where they will flower profusely, and in a few years hang down, occasionally forming festoons from one tree to another, in a manner singularly beautiful and picturesque. The different varieties of rosa arvensis, especially the Ayrshire and evergreen roses, are particularly well adapted for this purpose.-Loudon's Arboretum. PAYING of debts is, next to the grace of God, the best means in the world to deliver you from a thousand temptations to sin and vanity. Pay your debts, and you will not have wherewithal to purchase a costly toy or a pernicious pleasure. Pay your debts, and you will not have what to lose to a gamester. In one word, pay your debts, and you will of necessity abstain from many indulgences that war against the spirit, and bring you into captivity to sin, and cannot fail to end in your utter destruction, both of soul and body.-Delany.

"TWELVE months since," says one of our reformed characters, at Leeds, "I was, although in full employment, at a good trade, and no one but myself and wife to keep, a poor, ragged, wretched drunkard. I signed the pledge; and since that time I have spent 18. in wearing apparel alone for myself and wife; besides paying off old scores, and procuring other useful articles for domestic use, and contributing to the help of the good cause. And this is nothing compared with the peace and satisfaction of mind which I have enjoyed; indeed, I have had more real enjoyment for the last twelve months than I had in all my life before, and I wish every poor drunkard was as happy as I am."-Weekly Paper.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received the communications of L. S. R.; W.C.; Y.; A Layman; X. X. X.; A Bee-Keeper; Rev. C. V. Le Grice

ON THE COLLECT FOR THE INNOCENTS' DAY.

A VIOLENT Storm of hail and rain having prevented our going as usual to our blind friend, Charles, who had stayed for shelter in my lodgings, proposed that we should read together the portions of Scripture appointed for the Innocents' Day, and afterwards converse upon the design of the Church in appointing this day to be kept holy. After a few remarks on the cruelty of Herod, in putting so many infants to death in order to escape the danger of losing his crown, Charles said,

"It does not become us to inquire into the reasons which moved the Almighty to suffer such cruelty to be perpetrated. It is rather our duty to endeavour to bring the lesson which we may learn from it home to our own

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Q

hearts and consciences. I often think of our Lord's words to St. Peter, 'What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.' Coupled with his rebuke to the same apostle, who sought too curiously to pry into his fellow-disciple's future fortune, 'What is that to thee? Follow thou me.'

I was silent, for I felt Charles's reproof applied to me, as in the course of our conversation I had expressed some doubts as to the truth of the dreadful story we had been reading, on the ground of its seeming inconsistency with the divine goodness and justice. At length, Charles, observing my confusion, changed the discourse by calling my attention to the 2nd verse of the 8th Psalm, which he said would serve to explain the Collect we had been reading. "The Almighty," he observed, "makes use of the weakest instruments to accomplish his greatest purposes, and if we attentively study his Word, we shall there find much that appears dark and incomprehensible, explained. These infants were made the means of saving one child whose life was more precious than the world; even the Saviour of mankind, the holy child Jesus. It was for the glory of God that they suffered, and their light affliction wrought for them an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.'

"But," said I, "is there not yet another reason why the Church so highly esteems this day, as to set it apart for especial services? I have been told that it is designed to keep alive in our minds the remembrance of those words of our Lord, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." "

"Doubtless," said Charles, " there is a spiritual meaning in every history recorded in Scripture, which our Church teaches us to gather and store up for our instruction. The example of these children who suffered the Lord's will, is set forth to teach us that we, who are called Christians, must be ready both to do and to suffer whatever our Lord sees fit to command. It is true that these children had no will of their own, they knew not that they were glorifying God by their deaths, they had no power to choose death or life; but hence we may

learn that, to fulfil our Lord's precept of becoming as little children, it is needful that we give ourselves up wholly to his service, trusting ourselves and all our concerns in his hands, casting all our care upon Him, and saying with holy Job, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

"Observe further," continued Charles, "that we pray in the Collect for this day, that God would 'mortify and kill all vices in us.' In every child of Adam the seeds of sin and iniquity abound, they are implanted even before our birth, for we are conceived in sin, and they will spring up and bear their bitter fruit of misery and death, if not timely destroyed by the hand of Him who soweth good seed in the heart. Do you remember, last spring, when we were watching some choice plants in the nursery garden, the man who was working there, said to one of his fellow-labourers, You must plant that plot much thicker, to kill the weeds.' We looked surprised, and asked the reason of this, when he told us, that as it was very difficult to root up the weeds without at the same time, taking up some of the plants they were trying to rear, their plan was to prevent the weeds gaining strength by filling the ground, so that they were unable to spring up above the good plants. You see,' he told us, ' whichever is the strongest, kills the other. We cannot get rid of the weeds, but we can prevent their hurting our plants, they will never be strong enough to stop their growth.'

"Now," continued Charles, "this man's words have sunk into my heart, and I have endeavoured to grow wiser and better for them; for what is my heart, dear friend and yours too, but a garden where weeds will grow, weeds which we cannot wholly root up. What then should we do to hinder their growth?"

"O Charles," I exclaimed, opening the Bible, "this blessed book will help me to the answer; we must pray always with all prayer and supplication for that gift of the Holy Spirit, which, if it dwell in our hearts, will enable us to bring forth fruit with patience. We must pray that God would multiply the seed which He hath sown in our hearts, and increase the fruit of our righteousness', that

12 Cor. ix. 10.