It would require a severe apprenticeship for our men to acquire a taste for sharp ale or strong beer as a beverage under our July sun.

A pail or jug of sweetened water, perhaps with a few drops of cider to the pint, to sour it slightly, and a spoonful of ginger stirred in, is our substitute for malt liquor.

Sometimes beer made of nothing but hops, water, and a little molasses, is brought into the field, and makes even an exhilarating drink, without any alcoholic effect.

Cold coffee, diluted with water, and re-sweetened, is a healthful and grateful luxury to our farm laborers.
It would be a blessed thing for all the outdoor and indoor laborers in this country, if the broad chasm between the strong beer of Old England and the small beer of New England could be bridged, and they be carried across to the shore of a better habit.

The farm hands here need a good deal of gentle leading and suggestion in this matter.