1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



181 



EDITOR'S TABLE, 



CoMSiUNiCATioNs have been received during the past 

 moiill), from Johnson Scrvis, VV.R. Coppock, L. Wetherell, 

 M. M. Kodgers, *, B. Hodge, ,%, S. W., — ., and H. 



AcKNowi.KDGMENTs. — We are indel)ted to Hon. Geo. 

 P. Maks-h, for a copy of his address before the Rutland 



County (Vt.) Agricultural Society. 'J"o \V. Kkksk, Esq., 



for a iKiinphlet containing proceedings of Clinton County 

 AgricMlMiral Society for 1847, and Rules, Premium List, 

 &c., for 1848. To Hon. E. B. Holmes for .Annual Re- 

 port of Commissioner of the General Land Office. l"o 



E. Darrovv, Agent. Rocliester. for No. 12 of llie American 



Architect. To Hon. E. Burke, for a copy of ihe Report 



of (lie Commissioner of Patents for 1847. To , for 



pamphlet containing Premium List, &.C., of Yates Co. 

 Agricultural Society fur 1848. 



The June number, — the last of tlie 3d volume.— of the 

 "Farmer's Lil.rary and Monthly Journal of Agriculture" 

 announces that iis veteran editor, Col. J. B. Skinner, has 

 purcliiised tlie work of Messrs. Greely & McElrath. 

 Col. S. slates that " the work will be continued in Phila- 

 delphi.-*, under the ti'le of the Pi.ow, the Loom and the 

 Anvil, as advocating cordial alliance and mutual support 

 among all the great branches of American Industry, for 

 which we possess appropriate and adequate resources." 

 The price is to be reduced from $5 to $3 per annum— two 

 copies for .$5, and five copies for $10. The new volume 

 commences this monlli. Embracing all the subjects fore- 

 shadowed in its unique title, the work cannot fail of pos- 

 sessitie piuch value to the producing classes — the substan- 

 tial portion of community, wisiihig iis cxperienooil nditor 

 abundant success in his new enterprise, we commend the 

 Phw, Lonm and Ano'il to tlie support of all interested. 

 Address the Editor, or Zeiber & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 



The Farmer's Cabinet, published at Philadelphia, is 

 to be discontinued a: the clo.se of its present volume — this 

 month. It has been well conducted for several years, and 

 we regret to part compaiiy with its editor, Mr. Josiah 

 Tatum. May success attend him in other pursuits. 



Grand River (Mich.,) Pl/ster. — Having seen it suc- 

 cessfully used in central Michigan, we know this Plaster to 

 be an excellent fertilizer. For the benefit af our two thou- 

 sand Michigan subscritjers, we copy (he following item from 

 a late number of the Grand River Eagle : 



" Mr. E. W. Hudson of Detroit advertises 1,350 bbls. of 

 'Grand River Plaster' just received and for sale. Did the 

 farmers of that section rate the article at its true value, were 

 they sensible of the extent to which it may be made to fer- 

 tilize the soil, Mr. Hudson might have found it an object to 

 advertise twenty times that amount. It is imbedded in in- 

 exhuustilile quantities here yet. Farmers and dealers have 

 only to hint their wants to II. R. Williams, and, like 

 himself, in less than no time it will be all over the State. 

 In this as in all other matters, Mr. Williams opens a lib- 

 eral hand and deals out bountifully to all that ask of hira." 



Wealth of the Ukion. — The Commissioner of Patents, 

 in his recent report, gives some interesting statistical facts 

 respecting the wealth of the Union. The population is set 

 down at20,74(i,000 ; and the whole amount of personal and 

 real property is estimated at $8,294,5lJ0,(J00. New York is 

 the richest State, her property being estimated at $1,12,- 

 000,000. 



Agricultural Fairs for 1848.— We give below the 

 time and place designated for holding Fairs the ensuing 

 fall. Several Societies have not yet determined the time, 

 and from others we have received no information : 



New York State, Buffalo, Sept. 5, 6 and 7. 



Fulton County, Johnstown, Oct. 4 and 5. 



Jefferson " Watertown, Sept. 27 and 28. 



Orleans " Albion, Sept. 28 and 29. 



Ontario " Canandaigua, Oct. 10 and 11. 



Oswego, " Pul.aski, Sept. 27 and 28. 



Otsego " Cooperstown, Sept. 28 and 29. 



Monroe " Rochester, Oct. 4 and 5. 



Rensselaer" Troy, Sept. 20 and 21. 



Saratoga " Ballston Spa., Sept. 26 and 27, 



Seneca ' ' Seneca Falls, Oct. .5 and 6. 



Wyoming " Warsaw, Sept. 27 and 28. 



Yates " Penn Yan, Sept. 29 and 30. 



Windsor Co., Vt., No. Springfield, Oct. 4 and 5. 



Lightning Rods.— In an article on the importance of 

 protecting farm buildings from destruction by lightning, the 

 editor of the Prairie Farmer gives some valuable hints oa 

 the construction of rods for that purpose. The matter is 

 important, and worthy of particular attention at the present 

 time. Our contemporary slates that — 



A sufficient protector, 50 feet in length, can be furnished 

 for $3 or less. A man's hat costs him $4 to keep off the 

 sun and rain from his head. A bonnet for his wife costs 

 him from $2 to $15, and it will scarcely keep off the ram at 

 that. Why should not $3 be expended for protection 

 against the most active, terrific and fatal of all the agents 

 of nature, encountered by man, especially when that pro- 

 tection extends to life as well as property 1 Procrastination, 

 ignorance, superstition, or neglect is fatal. 



We have heretofore given directions for putting up a sim- 

 ple rod, but as many of our r-eaders have never seen these 

 directions, and never will, we repeat them in short hand. 



Procure round iron rods of some size, known as 5.16, § or 

 1 inch— let a blacksmith weld the pieces together and shar- 

 pen the upper end to receive a tip of silver, which may be 

 obtained at the silversmith's for 75 cents or $1. Dig down 

 to permanent moisture for the lower end of the rod, wheth- 

 er it be three or fen feet ; or what is belter, let the rod go 

 down into the well, if it is feasible. It will not be necess- 

 ary to dig deeper than ten feet in any known circumstances. 

 Fasten the rod to the building by passtVig it through wood- 

 en blocks, which are nailed to the building, ai.d on the top 

 place the tip of silver. Let the rod project over the buil- 

 ding according to the size of the latter. It will protect a 

 space equal to twice its length each way— that is, if the 

 building be forty feet in length, and tl:e rod be in the centre, 

 let it project ten feet above the building. If there is a chim- 

 n<ry any where near the centre, fasten it to that ; or if a 

 chimney is so situated as to carry the rod to a right projec- 

 tion, whicli may be judged of in the circumstances, it is the 

 best preventive. Cover the rod with paint made of lamp 

 black and oil, to protect it from rust, and the work is done. 



New Carriage.— The Worcester Telegraph, says that 

 Mr. Isaac Woodstock of that place, has made a most impor- 

 tant improvement in a two wheel carriage as recards both 

 ease in riding and beauty in appearance. The advantages 

 which it possesses over a common built carriage, consist in 

 the compact combination of a chaise or buggy body, with 

 an axle, pair of shafts, and half eliptic springs, so arranged 

 that the entire weight of the body and its load is suspended 

 to the axle, neither resting upon or fatiguing the horse, and 

 so also that the motion of the body of the vehicle is kept 

 perfectly steady, and is prevented from violent jerks or vi- 

 brations, however rough or uneven the road may be. It is 

 also constructed so as to pass the weight binder the axle, 

 instead oi ovr. as in the old way. It balances on level 

 ground, bears upon the horse in ascending, relieves him of 

 the weight in desceiiding a hill. 



A Soap Plant. — At a recent meeting of the New York 

 Farmers Club, Liuet. Washington A. Bartlett, U. S. N., pre- 

 sented two bulbs of tlie Amvle or Soap Plant of California. 

 The bulbs are used throughout California for washing every 

 description of clothing, in cold running water. In using 

 them as soap, the women cut off the roots from tlie bulbs 

 and rub them on the clothes, and a rich and strong lather is 

 formed, which cleanses them most thoroughly. To propa- 

 gate the plant, the bulbs are set in a moist, rich soil, and 

 will grow most luxuriantly in the soft bottoms of valleys 

 or bordering running streams. 



Wool trade or Michigan. — The wool trade of Michigan 

 increases rapidly. The crop of the State last year was es- 

 timated at 1,700,000 pounds, of which 1,000,000 was a sur- 

 plus for exportation. In 1841 the amount exported did not 

 much exceed 20,000 pounds. The stock of sheep has been 

 largely increased during the past season, and the surplus 

 wool of this year, it ts presumed, will reach 1,500,000 

 pounds. 



English Horses. — By a late census of England, the num- 

 ber of horses in England has been found to have diminished 

 from 1,000,000 to 200,000 within the last ten years : in other 

 words, the Railroads have dispensed with the use of 

 800,000 horses, and these animals, as well as oxen, are now 

 scarcely used fur iransportatioii, and ihus the grain and food 

 the 800,000 horses formerly consumed have been dispen- 

 sed with, and the land used for the growth of hay and grasa 

 is devoted to the growth of grain alone for the supply of 

 bread. 



