TWO DOLLAES JL YBABJ 



'PKOGRESS AND IMI'IIOTEMKNT- 



[elKGLK NO. TOUR CENTS. 



VOL X. NO. 4. 



ROCHESTER, ». Y.,-F0R THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1859. 



1 WHOLE NO. 472. 



MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 



niTRAU LIT: I x RWSPAPBR. 



Omhroors i "f,.l. Scientific, I 



I ItCTWy snrf Newt Mailer, IntelSVaTBed I 



; Aouaounau, Ln- 



PE0QRES3 OF AGEICU1TUEE. 



Tan post history of Agriculture is at once curious 

 ;,,,,! in.iMi.inr — sometimes making a Utile pro- 

 gress — SOUHfimes rcinailliue; slllliulilin :n,.l :il 



o i> ■■■'. & alii ino I lenycenturics, 01 



Lhrnue;h uliat l,n ■!..■■■ n n . I imliilv£ti'i mcil the "(/<nX 



..■ ,', , ' iv if.; i . . ... \S nell.lmu- 



wiT, knowledge begSB to increase, and men leurn- 

 ed more of Nature — more of the earth on which we 



1 i '- ' ■ . mill 1 1».' l;n\ In » !iii ii H i - -in i rued, then the 



uii.ni ii hi nf i lir v. hr was. directed to Agriculture, 



ami kin-wh'ilf !■ wn\ ililfu.M"! ii- the people. 



Still tin- pm-ie-s dl' Agriculture wns slow, much 

 more so than other departments of the arts und 

 : j ' i"in i -, ;itnl niliir human pursuits of far less im- 

 portance to the world, Why this should be the 

 case with a pursuit its natural and attractive to the 

 human mind U it is essential tu out existence, is a 

 i.[ni if. u |..ilf.|., imi . a-ih mill siiiisuietuiilv iid- 

 av/ered, Still, something like on answer maybe 

 1. 1 ii ml )u i lir ,'.,,.-■ . . '.-■ of ih. mi/ijict. All nature 

 »< mis to testify to tho »low comparative growth of 

 .in ntly valuable. 

 Troea producing timber comparatively short-lived 

 and fforthlw mature in a few years, while the 



1 ■-''' I'* <<•:: " 'I M'lpm'e' ;■.'. i |„|- lli |.|Tl,'i.l| l .M 



The earth, too, without particular care or skill on 

 the part of cultivators had furnished food aud 

 clothing for man from the first morn of Creation, 

 iity for study aud improvement in 

 this direction was not feelingly apparent. At the 

 curly dawn of light, men, and particular!; those 

 who bad made inch discoveries as to place them on 

 the pinnacle of fame, WBW apt tO neglect the plain 



■ ihi [nTMtigationoftbetheoretical 

 The cultivation of the earth and the 

 study or vegetable growth was oot a promising 

 field for gathering a crop of immortal honors. 



Climate, which bus Wen the promoter 



and if i ii i the basis of commerce, has operated 



■ mnula' ion of Agricultural knowledge. 



rouges and QgSjOliveeand other fruits, 



and the fragrant spices of a worm climate, would not 



grow in a more norihern latitude, created a oeccs- 



.1...... and made itg pursuit profitable. 



But tola diversity of climate made the Agricultural 

 gained in ouc country of little use to 



others. The experience of the Egyptian, where 

 Iwid» were enriched and almost cultivated by the 

 annual overflowing of the ft .'.',, afforded little proo- 

 Ige tu the tanners of other lands. 



t J T" '" ' s '" 7, to °- bM d0M mudi l " re,apd 



(be rapid advancement of Agricultural knowledge, 

 i to experiment 

 for .Uelf and laorn what course wo. best adapted I 

 iu own sod si. jw i ltUe cou)d ^ gaincd fnm 

 knowledge of the p,«. Uce ,„ othw l0CtI|t|M> 0f 



1 acme general principle, are applicable 



ently situated. ha* 

 ■"proper procli 

 "- which experience 



point for fourteen years, and insisted that he was 

 iglvt. It was a sense of the fact that wo are 

 udenroring to set forth, the ilitb.i . nt culture 



. .ji.ili'.l l.v .l.ll.'i i'iiI -.nil-, lll.ll r-mi-,1 'I II- I.i u 1 Hi', 



a reporting this discussion — *' a good many excel- 

 lent farmers thought the speaker had pursued and 

 recommending an improper system, hut he 

 had u hi -iglil eye, and »t have no doubt had learned 

 in fourteen years' experience what course of plow- 

 ing was best adapted to his mountain home." This 

 impoi No i' point is often forgotten in reports of ex- 

 |i, liiiful-:, premium crops, Ac (In the other hand 

 we are well aware thnt peculiarities of the soil ciil- 

 : ■ ',,| i f iii -uincnt i.fieti res-m ted to us a defence 

 for the very worst practices, when every other ar- 



iment has failed. 



Another impediment in the way of the rapid 



en i.i ul:i i ill' Agricultural knowledge is the con- 

 dition which the pursuit of Agriculture renders 

 l If I'.u mi r is, I ■ v tin' very tialure of 

 his pursuit, more or less Cmlotol. The influence 

 i.i Hi.it men i :d aMritii.ii— the combat between mind 

 and mind— consequent upon congregation in towns, 



denied him. The advancement of art is mainly 

 promoted by tniul'.iti'-n, but emulation and com- 

 pnrisnn arc almost mil of the question in a sparsely 

 settled country. To overcome this obstacle in the 

 way of progress, Furmcr/ Clubs were established, 

 i.ii discussion, for pitting mind against mind, 

 ■mil lad iigainst fact , :uid /'ii.r.-v, fur tho compari- 

 son of stock, produce, Ac., aud they are well cal- 

 culak'd tu aecomplii.il ilu; ubjecl, and have heen 

 eminently successful. 



< in.>" i n gout oft be *<:'i\'iiit 'purines* of population 



peculiar, to a new country, are other facta which 



l Iheii influence on agricultural pro- 



rigu in Europe, but ouSte recently iu 



.ml . '.Vim. mi ' ■ 



the abandonee and cheapness of land, only the 

 very best, requiring the least skin ami ■• m ■. i- ,ul 

 tnuti.il, produce is cheap and labor generally 

 scarce and dear, and the wits of the farmer are 

 directed to getting along with the least possible 

 outlay of labor. On the first settlement of a coun- 

 try, too, the farmers are poor. Every dollar Hint 

 :■ bed out of Hie earth is needed to pay 

 taxes aud make payments for land as fast as they 

 come due. Nothing can be spared for improve- 

 ments, at least only those that are absolutely neces- 

 sary. It is only when an increased population and 

 quent scarcity of the must fertile land, 

 and the higher rates of produce induces the farmer 

 apply his skill to the cultivation of less fertile 

 iU, and the improvement of those which, from 

 d management, are becoming exhausted, thai the 

 Ofbssion of farming assumes the true features ol 

 to receive aid both from science nnd 

 experience. 



fact to which we have before alluded, must 

 be taken into account. Agricultural ktuml- 

 edijcciiii have in. mushroom growl b, Experiments, 

 be reliable, and to establish principles, must be 

 couducted with Hie greatest care and patience, and 

 then should beoft-repculcd. Conclusions ar- 

 rived at hastily are worse than useless. Nature 

 gives but one lesson yearly; bonce progress is slow. 

 The doggedness with which many adhere to old 

 customs ih tarda Uu onward maxobjof improvement. 

 Some strictly regard tho latter part of the uld 

 maxim, and "lndd fast that which ia good," or 

 which they believe to be good, but forget the first 

 and equally important part, to " try all things." — 

 It is for this reason that wo so often see farmers 

 continue ia about the »ame course for years, with 

 very little unproT^MntkWbilQnunja,nMehoniooi 

 professional roan who engages in formiDg in mid- 

 dle life, with no knowledge of the details of the 

 ska up in zeal, study aud nli.-ervation 

 what tbey lack hi practical knowledge, and in a few 

 years outstrip tho man who has boon a farmer all 

 hi* days. Of tbia we have many examples around 

 us. This fact was observed by an old author who 

 said such persons "often form the most intelli- 

 gent and accurate of husbandmen. Like converts 

 In y have more zeal and fewer preju- 

 dices to feurmouul. than those who have beeu bro't 

 on in a from their iufancy; their indefatigable 

 attention make* more than ameods for their igno- 

 rance of minutiiv; and having been at the pains 

 to acquire a knowledge of the theory of their new 

 pursuit, they establish their ideas on rational prin- 



ABOUT INDIAN CORN. 



Tub corn crop has always been an important one 



to tho people of this country. It was so long be- 

 fOM ItS disooveTJ by (lie trfcite man, It was 

 almost the only crop cultivated by the natives, and 

 [he only one ilf ■ lIh.ti. sn ii is 



tho staple grain crop Of the Contineut, nor is 

 there any other plant cultivated by the farmer that 

 compare with it in value. It* cultivation 

 should be encouraged and extended, fur in it we 

 bare the elements ol wealth. In com wo have 

 beef, and pork, and mutton — we have milk, und 

 butter- -a health) food for man as»a»ll as fur beust. 

 Unlike the other grains the annual prodnctioj of 

 has been steadily increasing for the last 

 twenty years in the older States, and since 1M0 

 crease has been very marked and permanent, 

 The United States Census of 1S40 slmv. ] thai for 

 the year 1839 there was gi,.\vu in the 



New England Stales, i>,932,009 busbols. 



New Yurk, New Jeiwy arid l'enn.,..->a,5T4,2i>3 » 



Total, 88,5ffT,m " 



the Census of I860 we find that the increase 

 been large, lor by thai il appears that for tho 

 r l 19 there was grown in the 



i". i ;/.. .'. i„ i,. i-, 

 ew York, New Jtrney aii'l 1'eiiu.,. 4u.4£3,81S " 



Total, BBjoM.tW " 



Being a gain of 19,061 ,9S2 bushels in icu pears.— 

 The largest gain ma in OOT own Slate, being a 

 trifle over 7,000,000 bushels. 



The next Census, fbculd this year be as good a 

 rn year as the past, kill show more bushels 

 ised in this State tbonaue aggregate of all the 

 States montiuiii'l in *<aw 



In England ration oTroots 



marks an incrrase in tbe\ animal production of the 

 i,ii m. Bo in llns country, Whenever there is an in- 

 crease in the cult i vii t ion of corn we may look for an 

 increase in animal productions, for it is only thro' 

 that means, the corn can be profitably carried 

 to market. We may safely conclude then, that so 

 far us our own Slide is concerned, there is progress 

 in the right direction. The object of tho present 

 article is not so much to go into I he del nil ol culti- 

 vation, as to call the attention of farmers to the 

 gieut importance of the crop. — p. 



SAINFOIN AS A FORAGE PLANT. 



Amosi"; the many herbs grown in Europe for fod- 

 der is Sainfoin, of the order Leijum, ii 

 showy red flowers aud spreading stems. Its cul- 

 tivation was introduced into England from France 

 in 1051, and it was then called French ungar-grais. 

 Its nii-iiit a] 1 1 a! hit urn is tlallic, and doubtless re- 



s to the 



rut H.hli.s,, 



Iua 



.hl» 



all. Imitation of other*, aift 



IM U, effusion, and often to l ,„ 1 , r „ Lier prftcl]Cl% y omc of tho tUoughu WQ ^ „, from „ j^ 

 paraM a oooroewoicn experience on Agriculture, by C. Wbkx Uutm, iu which 

 .. adapted to their on*.^ m 13 noled , m ™ ^ pftr t, culir Iy affecting Engllah 

 -tly condemned Th 01u who ^ AgricilllurC; illdl „ w , and 



" ,e t KU "«™ft« .ion forsporUof.be field, which caused the fori, 



r.ng the Stat* Fur, at S,i« u »e, tion of laws prolecUng annual, »d birds, which 



landlustrauonol th.afacl. 0ue preyed upon the products of the fanner's industry, 



' "< EnWd ' '^o-iipLm, ! The feud U , .,, the ogricultu. 



■ ..-to., to the oxpenence of aluoot , ral work „ ;U1 ^ Ql \ t0| ratKl . r xh%a „ lin . 



I u, and in face of the ridi 



bac^dgrowtbebeatCTOpaof „, dc «igned, howawr, to only furnish our readan 



i-M.ble-onIy.bout I . few subjecia for profitable thought, we leave it 



B« bad experimented on this | for the present 



The 



ullu 



tl.i' 



eastern or ulti i 



Suiuii.in takas tbi ploi 1 1 



'iiv iiii'i.".. in'/ cultivation may be attributed 



nib to its being highly esteemed -.is fund for "beep 

 and other stuck, and to its proving an excellent 

 preparation fur wheat. On the better clnssof soils 



■ i l\ In . ii Muted, stands only fur one 



Imi ■■ii -iniih mill 1 1'.: liter -niK I'.v.i w:i : - me 



allowed, giving the land more time to recover its 

 fertility for grain-prod ueing. On the lightest soils 



.ot uncommon to permit il to I 



t four bushels of seed are sown to the acre, 



and the land u generally i led with barley after 



turnips. Drillinapsvery highly esteeniwl,nnr> , the 



mode prnclici d with 



young wheul with tin- hmd iu good cOnJBiou 



in. i i ougbly Bteao. Dpon land mi ■ ■ 



with aJiuely pulv«iaed stii 

 ith tho greatest certainty." 

 The manner :■( making into bav is i 

 ent from the process employeUVitfa i 

 needs to be exctei.'eil and tl 



is possible while the Mm is shining with fall 

 power, or the virtues ol the lea*! -the best part — 

 ill be sadly injured. For sotting sainfoin is per- 

 lII\ adapted— il maybe cut green and fed — and 

 here the requisites of the orop arc met — cleauli- 

 sss nnd good condition of the soil- I 

 my be taken iu the season. 

 In a fresh state, sainfoin, when in flower, con- 

 iins from TO^ffi 78 per ceut. of water. Dr. 

 VostCKBB made a praclicul analysis with the fol- 

 lowing results : 



■ 

 state. 



Sugar, gum, nlbnraeu, un.l other 



water ... 

 Iiu-irjianie solulile salts ... ISO 



; ■ ible fibre 1MB 



Insi.lul.ik- inorganic suits 58 



Iu a dried 



The fresh plant contained .M.'.J per cent, of nitro- 

 geu — dried, 2.-1S per cent. According to this, the 



general composition may be represented as follows: 



Nltrogcnlzed organii 



was aluuist nltogeiher conlined tu the dry chalky 

 si ids of England, One of the peculiarities of its cul 

 tnre, says the Ci/el-jKidi't <■/ A yrini Uurt, is the factof 

 it* growth being cuuliued to districts. In oii 

 trict (on chalk) a greater breadth of it w 

 seen growing than any other herbage plant, while 

 iu another, probably only n few miles distant, (on 

 ilnvi it will bo as unknown as though it were i 

 fresh importation from America or Australia. 



When the system of turnip tin mi eg was inaugu- 

 rated Dpon the limestone hiUa of CotewoLd, and 

 upon the sheep farms of tho chalk formations of 

 Berkshire, Wiltshire, nnd Hampshire, the prestige 

 which Sainfoin had previously held begun to fade, 

 for, until that period, it was considered the main- 

 stay ot the stock-breeder. Nor has its fame be- 

 come totally extinct as yet, — the authority before 

 referred to, states "even now it is ackowledged to 

 be of so much importance that a clause iu many of 

 the leases compels the tenant to leave a certain 

 quantity of laud in sainfoin at the expiration of his 

 lease," The usual custom upon the Cotswold hills, 

 and the southern counties of England, was to allow 

 the land to remain in this crop for a term of years, 

 varying from four to seven. The growth of the 

 brat yeurVas inferior, the second and third good, 

 and then the uaturul grasses, and the growth of 

 seeds dropped by sheep fed upon hay, begin to 

 drive it out, and in u short period qniti 

 This result is attributed to carelessness nnd want 

 of cleanliness in culture, as a farmer in the eastern 

 cuunlies writes "to insure a lioecrop, andonsrAot 

 Kill continutfor a term of y*ar», it ia necessary 

 that the Und should be clean and iu good condi- 

 tion, for to the neglect of these principles of good 

 husbandry muy be attributed the failure of the 

 crop after a few seasons, and also the very generally 

 received opinion of the southern farmers, that tho 

 first year's crop is inferior to the two or three suc- 

 oocding ones ; while open highly cultivated soils 

 the first year's crop is found to be the heaviest." 

 In these latter counties, on the light sands and 

 sandy looms, with calcareous, subsoils or adiuLx- 

 ture-i, oainfoin takes the place of clover in the ro- 

 tation, and lies sometimes only one, and seldom 

 more than two years, escept on the very lightest 



Cokiio* SaunroiK— (OnohryehU tatir*) 

 The common sainfoin, {OnotfJ/M* aafttv) of 

 which we give an engrevi 



mont prized in England and is thus deocribad:— 

 Woody perenniol root*, many straggling B t«ms 

 two or three feet long, taper, smooth, and not much 

 branched. The leaves consist of many poll 



I leuOets, which arc sometimes a 

 little hairy on tin' under aide The llower-atulks 



-liuul higher than Hie len\ i -, .unl tei u it.- in | 



spike ol variegated crimson papu- 



, win. !i mi -u. -.-■ il. tl by roundish, 



fl it, i i pod ■ rtronglj toothed at the edge, and 



netted and pi i- 



A second vurietv i- ulml [he Fwrn b i 



.. ! lin 



led in the central provinces of Fram. 



I '"' ■■.'■'■ II i 'I"' 1 :'i. "".ill , In ,',l.fl, On' I I : 



. ' 



<iml "'I'' o I' -i ' 'I "I il sin-lf .- Tin . i ii ii'It, 



hovfOVer, dues not meet v. ith in neb favor I ilu. 



Jufflish fiirmt'i, Id r.lnlf Ilf i ii liuiln'i 



Ii ■'- ith age, thindootrior- 

 «tes utter the Q] 



Sinrronr— (JTeatyiam 

 The above engi ai !ng \t token fron 

 Fbrag4Plant«,t)tCuAaJM L, Fmsr, Sec'y Maasa- 

 DhusettaAg. Society. The fruit is shown by figure 



1 and the tiowcr by ligure ' M. I I 

 experiments have bean in. I'le to introduce it into 

 Massachusetts without success, It has been found 

 notol svitheienl hard mess I" nee' I'ulli ■■■■ :lil ■■' : " 1 

 the effecta of a severe winter when young, but 

 after the second or third year it will bear up under 

 a considerable degree of cold. There has not been 

 such a multiplicity Of experiments, h-mever, iu 

 will warrant us in saying thai sainfoin laof DO use 

 to the American former. The t.i, I , we have already 

 given, in relation to the comparative failure of one 

 body of English farmers, and the entire success of 

 nnotber class, especially when we consider how 

 much our system is heliiiul Hint Of the Mn'her 

 Country iu its cleanliness, will go far iu removing 

 any belief as to the constitutional weakness of the 

 plant. With like care and experience it might 

 prove valuable, if for no other purpose, at leastfor 

 soiling. For this latter use it is a favorite in 

 France — iu fact, is considered indispensable as 

 Ei ■ 'i f ■■ i hi ii ■ ■■■■'■ ,. inore u in| the How of milk 





.ally i 



.liiy. 



—Who is tlieOrlgi- 



WHO IN VKN T KU THE MOWING MACHINE. 



Eds. Rural:— Amid the number ol 

 now exist as applied to Mowing Hacbf 

 qneation very naturally ar 

 ual InventorT The world ■ 



01 the original discoverer of (be fundamental or 

 main principles that attach woll the macl 



eoure- lividuol 



have their origin ur basis in some particular Im- 

 provement, which bos been lecnred to the inTentoi 

 as indemnity for his discovery, but not a. an in- 

 i All the ma- 

 chines now in use embrace, in the main, one and 

 ■", or principle; and tl 



P * granted i] roes Ainn.s«, 

 •mnery Co., N. V , doted Deosmner 

 •j ;,!, 1SS4, securing to bim the sole right of an 

 juvcnlioo or machine for "cutting hay und grain." 

 On examining the specifications accompanying the 

 Patent, the guards protecting the scythe, the driv- 

 ing wheel, crank motion, Ac, are in full similitude 

 with the machines now in use, though the scythe 

 baa been materially improved by substituting the 

 form of aaw tooth, for straight blade, while some 

 other minor improvements hove been 

 bringing the machine into a higher state of pefWC- 

 tion. The authors of tbece improvement' 

 only as seemnhu y lo the origU 

 Amdi.eh, whose discovery cmbrot 

 portent first prim 



...I -I Hi. UN 



icbine, and t 



i ti.e irorid ^ii." 



ml the 1 



