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Memory Rhymes


The Months.



Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

But February, which has twenty-eight alone.

Except in leap-year; then's the time

When February's days are twenty-nine.





Birthdays.



Monday for health,

Tuesday for wealth,

Wednesday best of all,
/> Thursday for crosses,

Friday for losses,

Saturday no luck at all.





The lines refer to the days of the week as birthdays. They are, in idea,

the same as the more familiar lines:



Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace;

Wednesday's child is merry and glad,

Thursday's child is sorry and sad;

Friday's child is loving and giving;

Saturday's child must work for its living;

While the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is blithe and bonny and good and gay.





Short Grammar.



Three little words you often see

Are Articles, a, an, and the.

A Noun's the name of any thing,

As school, or garden, hoop, or swing.

Adjectives tell the kind of noun,

As great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

Instead of Nouns the Pronouns stand--

His head, her face, your arm, my hand.

Verbs tell something to be done--

To read, count, laugh, sing, jump or run.

How things are done the Adverbs tell--

As slowly, quickly, ill or well.

Conjunctions join the words together--

As men and women, wind or weather.

The Preposition stands before

The noun, as in or through the door.

The Interjection shows surprise--

As Oh! how pretty, Ah! how wise.

The whole are called nine parts of speech,

Which reading, writing, speaking teach.





To Tell the Age of Horses.



To tell the age of any horse,

Inspect the lower jaw, of course;

The six front teeth the tale will tell,

And every doubt and fear dispel.



Two middle nippers you behold

Before the colt is two weeks old,

Before eight weeks will two more come;

Eight months the corners cut the gum.

The outside grooves will disappear

From middle two in just one year.

In two years, from the second pair;

In three, the corners, too, are bare.



At two the middle nippers drop;

At three, the second pair can't stop.

When four years old the third pair goes;

At five a full new set he shows.

The deep black spots will pass from view

At six years from the middle two.

The second pair at seven years;

At eight the spot each corner clears.

From middle nippers upper jaw,

At nine the black spots will withdraw.

The second pair at ten are white;

Eleven finds the corners light.

As time goes on, the horsemen know,

The oval teeth three-sided grow;

They longer get, project before,

Till twenty, when we know no more.





Bees.



A swarm of bees in May

Is worth a load of hay;

A swarm of bees in June

Is worth a silver spoon;

A swarm of bees in July

Is not worth a fly.





The Cuckoo.



May--sings all the day;

June--changes his tune;

July--prepares to fly;

August--go he must.





Rules for Riding.



Keep up your head and your heart,

Your hands and your heels keep down,

Press your knees close to your horse's side,

And your elbows close to your own.



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