MOORE'S &TOAI* KEW-YORKE&. 



...in.^rLick.Mrihould 

 u.rronbj compelling tbe 

 keep it down ; the draft 

 "from point of CUttM or »hear, nod the centre of 

 clevis at end of beam, iboald be id such a position 

 - ii will lifi or jump pcr- 

 pcmiiMilir.ond :ioi*iJ'- ways, so us to taken fellow 

 ,; the point ortbe bandies. 

 Your plow should run square and truo, just bud 

 enough and no more, and if anything a little too 

 deep, because there is less danger in plow tog too 

 deep (ban not deep enough ; besides, if your plow 

 runs too deep, it is cut and natural for a good plow- 

 i.imself by bearing down slightly upon 

 tie point or end of the handles ; it is much easier 

 to bear down than lift up. I know it used to he 

 the complaint in on earlier day, in plowing rough, 

 ■ tony, or lull side land, that many were hurt in 

 various ways, In the ribs nod sbina ©specially, by 

 a quarter and half-quarter 

 of u century ago, when our parents were our ege 

 or less. When our plows bad wooden muhlbonids 

 and heavy and largo beams, as if nil the strength 

 and qualities of the plow laid in the size of the 

 beam. Were plows manufactured now as then, 

 they would not sell at one-tenth the cost of making. 

 There is as much improvement in the make of a 

 plow as any iool a farmer has to use; and if II. K. 

 F.'a plow is in the habit of breaking ribs, I would 

 advise him to get one of more recent moke, for it 

 is do small matter to have a rib broken. Why, if 

 you had un animal that was in tbe habit of ki 



tvery t 





onl.l I 



your premises or the same as soon os possible.— 

 Why not, then, rid yourself of a kicking plow, (for 

 it is equally dangerous,) and get a good one — one 

 that is at least one-third lighter in weight, and that 

 will perform a third more plowing with more ease 

 to man and beast t Let mechanics live, also. 



Yum hawing a heavy and good sized team, with 

 a heft in proportion to your woik, is all right , it 

 is no use to plow heavy plowing with a light one. 

 You talk, too, of having the ends of the lines of 

 cloth, or something that will prevent friction 

 around the ueck. I always had a horror agaiost 







looked too much like bunging. I don't believe I 

 could stand hanging with any kind of a string. 

 This pulling the lines around one's neck, or fasten- 

 ing them around the wheel, or carrying the ends 

 forward to hitch, is bad farming as well as bad 

 practice, and many accidents happen in conse- 

 quence thereof. Why not drive a horse team, in 

 the plow especially, without d line, the same as an 

 ox teum, in Miuul » itlicuit being hitched? 



ABOUT CHEESE AND CHEESE-MAKING 



-I, 



i of I 





a fact that a largo por- 



.} 



hods Eta ivjv to our markets, is far from what it 

 should bo in those qualities so desirable to nil 

 lovers of good cheese 1 The labor and expense of 

 making a poor article is the same as that of pro- 

 ducing a good one, as ail dairymen will acknowl- 

 edge. There is n hat way for doing everything, 

 and all admit the importance of doing things in 

 that way in then' particular branches of business, 

 pet ii .1 i.n tltul many dairymen lose sight, in 

 great measure, of that word " Excelsior" in prac- 

 tice, and thereby lose much in a pecttniarypoint of 



cheese doe* not suffer iu comparison uilh 

 neighbor who may hare an article that will out-sell 

 him by far. Tbe lime has come when the old way 

 ul malting oheese should be abandoned. Dry, hard 

 cheese, thai will ennoble almost at the touch, is uot 

 what moat of peoplo want in these days when bet- 

 ter can be had, thill is, more moist, richer, liner 

 flavored and pleasant. I think many salt too 

 much, which has u tendency to harden cheese and 

 make tht-ui crumb!,-; seasoning too hi^b will make 

 it tough and tasteless. It is a nice point to know, 

 und to acquire the experience to meet all the vari- 

 ations necessary to produce an even dairv the sea- 

 son through. The changes of the weather from 

 heat to cold and back again. A certain amount of 

 heat iu scalding to-day may not answer for to- 

 morrow. In very warm weather the tendency of 

 tin; i-iii-d i~ I.. harden and become sour, aud then 

 less heat sluiuM lie hm.i1 because the whey and curd 

 are more separated and in a more advanced state. 

 Less salt should then boused. I think there are 

 no set rules that can be given to make good cheese 

 without practice toaeeiinipauy them. The changes 

 required are too many, vet a few suggestions may- 

 be valuable to new beginners. Any information 

 that iswantedou this subject through the columns 

 of the RottAl I will give as far as I can. 



I would inquire if any one knows the cause of 

 rennets being so pom- and almost worthless with 

 us — many nthei.- In this vicinity compIain*of the 



HOW TO SHEAR SHEEP. 



Eos. Ri'iial;— In your issue ot June 11th is 

 an article from the OHO / : ' '■' r, headed '■Sheep 

 [Shearing." The writer gives very good directions 

 till he comes to the " mode of shearing," which 1 

 thiuk may be unproved. I was so fortunate as to 

 secure the services of a scittitifie shearer, Mr, 

 EnmiM, Helkn.w, who sheared a small flock for 

 me to-day. I soon saw that he bandied sheep 

 adroitly, and thought 1 might benefit some of your 

 readers by communicating his modi, and accord- 

 ingly, psnai] , u hsnd, I noted down as correctly 

 ■»■ Buaoislj ss l wold, the operation, by watch, 

 lag i it motions of the shearer. I send von the 

 result. My nota wc approved by Mr. Bblksap. 



ilavc a stool j«, t kuec-high to the operator, IS 

 inches square, of SO ft wood , aocd *- 

 covercd.-a dry good's bo* that height will answer 

 "Kj* foot on thsttonl, 80t your sheep 

 so that hil back will rest a^inst your right thigh, 

 with your right arm forward of his fore Us«- com 

 menceat the brisket, with yo ur shears across th, 

 sheep, shear the belly, quite down, trimmtn ■ thi 

 The belly wool must be UU MiJe t0 U{ 

 i the fleece,— that done, pine, j 0llr ^p 

 h the left side of the »heep 

 logon your left leg, hack Ki you ; comma 



)int of the right shoulder, and with a curve 

 backwards, open the wool with tbe shears to the 

 back of the neck, marly, and ending at the back of 

 the right ear. Shear the shoulder, and the neck 

 lengthwise, and forward to the under side of the 

 neck. As the operation progresses, turn the sheep 

 gradually to the right, till the bock ree 

 thigh, with tbe right side to you, shear around the 

 neck, , lengthwise.) and down on the left leg and 

 shoulder, (the neck being the first finished,) then 

 downward aloDg the side, hind leg, and ham, then 

 lengthwise upward and backward till the backbone 

 or spine is passed a little. Now gather the fleece, 

 holding it against the back ond uosheared side, 

 turn the sheep on his haunch bones, as on a pivot, 

 to tho right, place your right foot on the stool, 

 resting the left side or the sheep against you, with 

 its back on your right thigh, shear down tho right 

 thigh and ham, which finishes the operation. In 

 this way you roll the sheep out of his fleece, rolling 

 the sheep to the right and the fleece to the left. 



I think there are important advantages in this 

 method. Sheep require an easy positioD, or they 

 will be restless and often unmauageable. So pOBi- 



his side, and none easier than the sitting posture- 

 though kept on end during the whole sbeariug. 

 The position is changed often enough to keep the 

 sheep from being restless; fur you are turning 



holding, his feet or legs should never be touched, 

 and he will scarce ever move them, — if he does, he 

 cannot touch the fleece,— that is all tbe time out of 

 the way of his feet, to the left. If handled gently, 

 and not kept too long on the stool, he seems to 

 enjoy the luxury of being divested of his fleece in 

 warm weather. The lower point of the shears should 

 be leveled a Utile, so that they will run easily over 

 the skin without catching, aud the wool should 

 never be pulled, for the skin is raised with it. To 

 smooth wrinkles, draw the skin with the left hand. 

 Gentleness will make tbe sheep lie quiet. Finally, 

 why not suppose this the ancient mode of shearing? 

 I never was so fully convinced of the aptness and 

 force of the passage " as a sheep before her shear- 

 ers is dumb, " than when watching the motions of 

 Mr, B., while shearing our sheep. S. S. Bates. 



CTTLTTJBE OF CAKEOTS. 





i had i 



with your permission, give it to the readers of the 

 Rural. Perhaps I shall tell nothing new orvalu- 

 able to farmers who have been in tbe habit of rais- 

 ing them, but it may be of some use to new begin- 

 ners. There are few, if any, crops that will yield a 

 greater number of bushels to the acre than carrots, 

 when well cultivated. They are less affected by 

 the worms and insects, arc easily harvested, and 

 keep well through tho winter. Many animals, 

 especially cattle, are very fond of them, and will 

 when fed on them. I have heard that 



rill 1 



killed by them, or am Hint there was any signs of 

 their dying or being hurt, and believe that there 

 is much more dauger of their being killed for the 



The carrot thrives best in .a deep, rich, sandy 

 soil, or asand and clay mixed. The ground should 

 be plowed deep, fine manure well mixed in, and 

 all sticks and stones removed. They can be sown 



from the first of May to the fixator middled" June, 

 according to the wcuther and situation. In this 

 State they do bestwhon, sown on sandy soil, the 

 first of May. Sow in rows or drills, from a foot 

 to sixteen inches apart, arnudirig to the fancy of 

 the raiser — I generally have tho rows about four- 

 teen inches apart. The seed should bo sown thick, 

 as some of the seeds will not grow, and many 

 plants will be destroyed by worms and insects. 

 After the young plants have attained u sufficient 

 size, the ground should be hoed between the rows, 

 and all the weeds destroyed. This process should 

 be repeated through the Summer, and the plants 

 thinned to about two or three inches apart in the 

 rows. This is all the culture they will need. 

 They wUl grow until hard frosts come in the Fall, 



ihen they should be dug and put in the cellar, or 

 pit dug for them— flic* iismdl\ keep well either 



rav. W. H. H. Pearson. 



I'llcaim.SL. Law. 00..N.Y., 1669. 



SEEDING TO GEASS.-LIGHT WANTED. 



Messrs. Ens.:— Having failed iu securing a good 

 catch of grass seed for some years past, I write 

 this iu hopes to receive some advice and sugges- 

 tions for further trial. Iu the first place, 1 will 

 state what course I have taken, with the result. 

 My land is a low, flat piece, (not. marshy,; heavy 

 clay, with from three to live inches black soil, or 

 vegetable mold, on tho surface. I first planted to 

 corn, (it being an old meadow,} had a fair crop. 

 The spring following sowed to barley — the neit 

 spring sowed to oats, aud ten quarts of Timothy, 

 with two of cloverseed, per acre. HaTestedafair 

 crop of oats, hut the grass being in spots, aud too 

 thin at that, I plowed up one-half and sowed to 

 rye the 20th September, with twelve quarts of 

 Timothy seed per acre. This time the grass seed 

 came up and looked as well as any I ever saw at 

 the commencement of winter, but tho spring fol- 

 lowing my prospects were blasted by finding tbe 

 grass in one loose mat, completely throwu out. I 

 then sowed twelve quarts per acre more, und ob- 

 tained a meugrc catch. In the spring of Is;,-, I 

 sowed tho other half to oats, with twelve quarts 

 of Timothy seed per acre, harvested the seed light- 

 ly, but, as usual, not one-third of the grass seed 

 came up and matured. Not wishing to plow the 

 laud again in the month of March last. I sowed 

 eight quarts of Timothy and eight quarts of red 

 top per acre, and this time it came up tolerably 

 well, but the dry season here has nearly used it 

 up again. 



Now, If ul prdtjf well uud up in the grass seed 

 line, and as the land is uncertain for winter grain, 

 I am thinking of trying once more by putting on 

 buckwheat, oud, sometime during the fall, harrow- 

 ing over tho ground and sowing to grass seed 

 again. Will others, having experience and better 

 judgment than I, be good enough to advise me 

 through the Bubal what course to pursue, oblig- 

 iii c the writer aud perhaps others': h. j. b. 



the country would revive as speedily aj 

 prostrated. The sequel has not verified 

 the prophecy. On the contrary, we notice a gen- 

 eral quiet soberness as compared with the mad 

 excitement which everywhere prevailed two years 

 ago. Then, with a wild hurrah, we were bent on 

 bu.-iiiess. prioress, wealth, improvement, etc.— 

 Now. men arc confused, and seem to be waiting for 

 something tu turn up that will bring back tho 

 swimming prosperity that n as -o suddenly chocked. 

 The propbeeiersof " smooth things" told us a year 

 ago that tho annual crop, soon to be harvested, 

 would set everything in motion again and make all 

 right, but did it prove so ': Let our idle shipping, 

 our comparatively light railroad receipts, our 

 diminished canal revenues, the dearth of new en- 

 terprises, and the general stagnation, answer'. — 

 And the same hope is being again indulged. A 

 splendid crop is being garnered — a very superb 

 crop, the farmers having made a determined ellurl, 

 — and this, assuredly, will set everything agog. 

 The same old story, you perceive, to be followed, 

 perhaps, by a similar disappointment. 



Our difficulties lie too deep to be quickly cured. 

 As a nation we have been "fast," and have boasted 

 of it; aud, as sometimes happens with young 

 sprigs to whom that term is applicable, so we have 

 got into trouble. In our hoste, we have forgotten 

 the Giver of tbe increase. We have magnified 

 material progress. We have worshiped images 

 which our own hands have made. We have sought 

 to contravene tho established law of Goo that we 

 shall eat our bread in the sweat of our brow. We 

 have glorified our so called labor-saving inventions, 

 ond have imagined that in their perfection and by 

 their use, we were ;ill goin^ to yet rich surely and 

 with case-. But lo ! when all was ready, when the 

 land was filled with reapers and mowers, and the 

 thousand nnd one improvements of modern con- 

 trivance, and threaded with multitudinous lines of 

 railroad, Ac , to convey the products of tbe soil to 

 market, and covered with a net-work of wires 

 n hereon lo flash the latest pricics in our centers of 

 trade, what do we hear'.' Why, that the nation is 

 in debt to Europe hundreds of millions of dollars 

 for articles of necessity and of luxury; that our 

 Government is a borrower in the market for money 

 wherewith to keep ils wheels moving ; that one- 

 tenth of the deni/ens of some of our cities are sup- 

 ported, in whole or in part, by charity during a 

 portion of the year ; that the prisons of tbe State 

 of New York need enlargement j that the whole 

 vest sum of railroad stocks in tbe country is verg- 

 ing towards nothingness; that over extended tracts 

 of tho Northern States the standard fruits are fail- 

 ing ; that flood and frost, drouth aud tornadoes, 

 rot and weevil, and the whole insect race are doing 

 their dreadful work beyond anything dreamed of 

 before the distinctive a^e of progress commenced; 

 that our soil— even that for which tho poor pre- 

 tence cannot be set up that it has been made sterile 

 by the foot of the bond-man— does not produce as 



man, as it did when the condemned implements of 

 olden days were in use. while virgin prairies of 

 unsurpassed richness are all the time inviting nnd 

 receiving cultivation ; and that the general mass 

 of American farmers are growing neither rich nor 

 happy from tilling the soil ! 



Is it not well to stop and think of these things, 

 and to ask if prosperity may not lie quite in the 

 opposite direction whence we have looked for it ,J — 

 Whether human progress is not really downwards V 

 Whether the highway to national greatness is not 

 quite away from creature exaltation'' Whether, 

 in short, we may not profitably turn it way our 

 eyes from beholdiug vanity, to Him in whom our 

 strength is ? But such views are not relished.— 

 Human nature greatly prizes human sagacity, and 

 rejects, as sheerest nonsense, the truth that man's 

 wisdom is folly, and his strength weakness in the 

 everyday business of life. w. n. p. 



THE JENNY LIND POTATO. 



Messrs. Hra.V— One of your correspondents, W»i. 

 C. Mills, Silver ("reek, N, 1'., makes inquiry 

 through a recent Rural about the potato called 

 tbe Jenny Lind. I have grown tbe variety of po- 

 tato described bj Mr. Mills for the last four years, 

 It is very productive in this locality, and yields 

 more to the acre than any other potato I am ac- 

 quainted with. It does not rot in the field, but is 

 very subject to dry rot in the cellar unless thiuly 

 spread. It is a late potato, and wants the whole 

 season to come to maturity. The vines will be 

 fresh and green until hard frosts in (lie lull | 

 came to the conclusion last winter that the dry rot 

 wns partly, if not wholly, in consequence of the 

 potato not being fully ripe when dug, and I planted 

 them last spring two or three weeks earlier than 

 formerly, Imping by so doing to avoid their rolling 

 in the cellar. Jenny Liud is the only name of this 

 variety of potato. It was introduced into this 

 place a few years siuee from the east side of the 

 Floosick Mountain, and said, by some, to have 

 originated from the seed ball of the Merino, hut it 

 more nearly resembles the Rohan potato. 



About the first of April last, not having seen 

 any notice of the Jenny Lind in the HtraXL, I put 

 up a small package of that variety and ot one other 

 \ iiriely, which I think better of, to send to you, in 

 hopes you would give both a fair trial in your lo- 

 cality, and make your report iu ilie fall, but I (ailed 

 of the expected opportunity of sending them to 

 you in time for planting, but shall send you u 

 sample of each kind next tall or spring. By the 



came to this place from uoston a 

 culled the St. Helena potato. It n 

 the description von rruve some mo 



I'm.- All,, 



£ Bis" . . 



grows very smooth — is more i 

 cooking than the Jenny Liud— i 

 boiling, and better for baking. 



The following mode of curing clov 

 mended by the O&it Vality Farmer: — "I Q the 

 curing of herbs, where it is desirable 

 their virtues, we endeavor to have them go through 

 the drying process without exposure to the heat of 

 the summer sun. And if you would secure tho 

 best of hay from your clover, it should not be per- 

 mitted to remain spread upon tho ground only 

 long enough for the leaves to become partially 

 wilted. Then put it up in smalt cocks, say throe 

 feet in diameter and four or five feet high. Thus 

 put up, the air will circulate through the same, 

 and cure it sufficiently for the stack or the barn, 

 Every farmer should, however, provide himself 

 with cloth rapt. To do this, take cheap muslin, a 

 yard wide, and cut it up into yard lengths. These 

 should be spread over the cocks, and the corners 

 made heavy by fastening a stone or piece of brick 

 in them, 30 that the wind will not blow them off. 

 Clover, timothy or grain may thus be protected 

 against foul weather. If the clovei 

 week or ten days, it will be all the better. If, 

 however, there is an ample supply of bright, dry 

 straw on the farm to mii with the clo' 

 ter may be removed from the field aftei 

 in the cock only one or two days. In stowing it 

 away now, a layer of clover should be followed by 

 a layer of straw, and so on, alternating the one 

 with the other. This is an excellent plan, and 

 when opened in the winter, the straw itself will 

 be found superior fodder, besides having preserved 

 the clover front heating or moulding. 



-•Won 



The 



.ve-litn, 



the Encyclopedia BriUo. 

 speaking of the earth worm, remarks:— Though 

 apt to be despised and trodden on, it is really 

 useful creature in its way. Mr. Knapp describes 

 it as the natural manurer of the soil, consuming 

 on the surface the softer parts of decayed vege 

 ble matters, and conveying downwards the mi 

 woody fibres, which there moulder and fertili: 

 They perforate the earth in all directions, thus 

 rendering it permeable by air and water, both in- 

 dispensable to vegotahlt life. According to Mr. 

 Darwin's mode of expression, they give a kind of 

 under-tillage to (be land, performing the some 

 below ground that the spade does above for the 

 garden, and the plow for arable soil. It is, in 

 consequence, ctmlli by the natural operations of 

 worms that fields, which have been overspread 

 with lime, burnt marl, or cinders, become iu pro- 

 cess of time covered by a finely divided soil, fitted 

 for the support of vegetation. This result, though 

 usually attributed by farmers to the "working 

 down " of these materials, is really due to the ac- 

 tion of eorth-worms, as may be seen in the innu- 

 merable cattt of which the initial soil consists. 

 These are obviously produced by tho digestive 

 proceedings of the worms, which take into their 

 intestinal canal a large quantity of tbe soil in 

 which they feed and burrow, and then reject it iu 



says Mr. Darwin, "a field manured with marl, 

 has been covered, in the course of eighty years, 

 with a bed of earth averaging thirteen inches in 



Although a little behind the season, we 'think 

 the following article from the Maine Farnur is 

 wijilhy (he space it occupies, and we consequently 

 put it "on record." " This is the time of year for 





i of art 



nuity, in the shape of old clothes statuary, and a 

 very odd and expressible tableau, us well as a 

 great amount of never-ending twine, glittering 

 pieces of tin hung on pole-, by i-n-r twisting and 

 twisting strings, nld coffee pots and dilapidated 

 hats, — oil to intimidate that very sable, but saga- 

 cious bird, the crow. Mr. Crow generally laughs 

 io his sleeve at all this expenditure of cast-off 

 toggery, and takes the com he wants before the 



to keep this inveterate poacher from pulling i 

 our corn, was to surround him w.th assailants 

 his own kind. Moke bird fight bird. We on 

 set up a couple of martin-boxes on poles iu o 1 

 cornfield. These were occupied by families of 

 martins, and woe fell on every crow's devoted 

 head that dared to show itself anywhere near the 

 premises. They were out as early as Mr. Crow 

 himself, and ready to give him battle all summer, 

 or uutil their young had flown and they got ready 

 to migrate South. There was many a battle 

 fought over the field, but no corn was pulled up 

 that year." 



Tins subject, is brought before the farmers of 



England, by a communication iu the Mark Lane 



Mr. R. B. Bamford claims thirty live 



years' practice aud experience in this matter; and 



it, which is brief in the following —lie does not 

 cut his potatoes for setting, but sets them whole, 

 and the largest he can select. The rows are thirty 

 inches apart, and the potatoes are put nine inches 

 from each other in the row. Tbe laud is plowed 

 onh eight inches deep, ire, ids the manure firmly 

 m tin- furrows, puts in the tubers, aud covers 

 them iu with tan refuse, nine inches deep, instead 

 of earthing up. In this way ho reports that in 

 is;: he raised 675 bushels of potatoes— not n rot- 

 ten one among them — to the acre, with nothing 

 bul state tan as a covering. This is of great im- 

 portance, the tan refuse being of little or no value, 

 and if it can be put to so important and advanta- 

 geous a use as in this case, it should be widely 

 known and practiced. 



a. attempt 



or otherwise disturb 



your horse while eating his meals, unless you 

 ..:- . D ; te ail d kick. But when you clean, .„ v 

 >nt of the stall, and make a business of it. 

 our horse in tbe center ot the stall, unless you 

 him to do, as most horses do, drive more on 

 rin than on the other. Horses that are liable 

 it themselves in their stalls, should be lied 

 mill neck -halters, giving il],-m much more freedom 

 of the head than the iiom- halter, tieiitleness, linn 

 ness and moderation will subdue tin- mosl ofadu- 



ligbL lUrvMt * 



m»td«»blo « 

 enough to cut, nnd w e think 



lornlay, comprised a fair display In the II 



utl.tpnl«l, was quite respectable. Tbe 

 ould be desired. We are unable lo give n 





light grass of the groundi. (nearly twenty acres,) a 



i or Williams of 



KvT-iiiM': patent wo 



ked adm 



rsblv, an 



was pro 



%£££%£& 



ess by m 



ny practtc 



nl men wh 



Tun Houisteid an 





at Mr, Q 



0, D. EAK 



baa purchased tbe proprietary in 





r. Wsli., il 



former publisher and a 





tlor, and 





business management 



f the pap 









o change 







Hint department. We 









lied fur the position or 





of publish 





(or both) of a rural Jou 



nal.aod 



hereforoco 



rdlally wel 



ami -Iucerely wish It, Mr. E. i 

 peroua and successful career. 



capital of t&n.uoo, ic 



■ I s, ;-, I'n I in Kar.ipe. Tlieengiucusedior open 



a steam plow should also be capable of bolng a 

 d to threshing, grinding and other operations ot 



,il,.Ouilli.lb inf.. Now,:- "Tlie Farmer,' t 

 n (Ilmume Co.) having at lastl DUStl 



3 by Its members, II was agi 



■ -el.'. 



anil ■ 



> find < 



i i.j ii 



standard of depth and width was adopted, (suited to 

 the locality,) and at a i-peciSed lime and placo Iho trial 

 came off, each plow working on its oivn tunil, bul hold 

 by any who wished to try iL A great number of plows 

 were on hand, and were fully tested, oach (armor Judg- 



