TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.) 



•PROGRESS A_NX> IMPROVEMENT," 



[SIN*GLE NO. FOUR CENTS. 



TOL X. NO. 36. f 



ROCHESTER, N.Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1859. 



WHOLE NO. 504. 



MOOKE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 



RURAL, LTrEHABY AND FAMIT.Y KEWSTATKIL 



CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 

 With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributor*. 



and if allowed to remain in the ground until 

 frost, unless folly ripe, the sap becomes vit 

 and great lo?s of botb grain and stalks i 





idc to this subject only to give a few pi 

 Is, and our correspondent can write 

 "e useful subjects at Ibis lime thao tl 



....ins of securing the crops that remoir. 



harvested. 



YOTTBE GOING, OP COUBSE. 



I 



HARVESTING CORN, 4c. 

 Com*, Rbaks and Potatoes are Ihe prinefpaj 



log beans, so Tar as we have learned it from 

 observation and experience, for we have spoiled 

 a great man? by bad weather and had manage- 

 men t »i harvest. As this is a matter of a good 

 deal of importance, now that this crop is being 

 pretty largely cultivated, and is not very well 



lave been successful, or who may know of a better 

 plan than that recommended, to give us the benefit. 

 of their experience. 



The large potato growers wo know are looking 

 anxiously for a machine that will dig potatoes by 

 horse power, but though we have seen several, 

 and bavo endeavored to use some of them, we 

 know of none that we can now recommend for 

 tbn pnrpose, We saw half-a-dozen, perhaps, at 

 the last Slate Fair, but of the working of most of 

 11 1 em lie have seen nothing, nor have we received 

 any lavorable reports. Digging forty or fifty 

 aeits of potatoes witb tbe boe, fork, or potato- 

 book, is a slow, tedious, uud expensive operation, 

 oml there is a great necessity for a cheaper and 

 more speedy way. Improvements have been made 

 on some of the patent "potato diffftri," doling 

 tbe post Reason, and they will be eibibited, no 

 doubt, in large numbers at our State Pair at 

 Albany, and at other Tints. Committees, before 

 awarding a premium to uny, we hope will de- 

 mand a tl ial ,n the Geld, the same aa with reapers 



In this climate, and In fact in all the Northern 

 States, the whole of a fair season is required to 

 ripeu corn, and it is often injured by tbe late 

 frosts or Spring and the early frosts of Autumn, 

 ■ ; of corn niuy be hastened by cutting 

 off the tops above tbe ears, but we have no doubt 

 this earlier ripening is obtained at tbe expense of 

 the crop. Many of Ibc leaves that prepare tli 

 crude sap that passes up tbe stalk for making 

 torn, are above the ears, and tbe removal of any 

 Of these b.-fore the ears ore perfectly 



t ,i. ,i,,in vea , he[n of tbeir nourishment and 



detrocts from their value. Sometimes, however, 

 where crn il | 3le ftnd ff0lt a , most certaiu ^^ 

 I'M "i"-. it may be good economy. Removing 

 Hie tassel only might hasten ripening a little, 

 Without any injury. 



When '■ i 



wry for Jhe grain than allowing the" com 

 unmolested until fully ripe. Tbc , Wk| h * 

 method arc of less voluo tbnn if cut earlier t tl 

 root and plaoed in atooks, but no doubt more is 

 gained in grain than is lost in valuoof aUlks. As 

 a gejaend rule, however, wo think the best wn y i s 

 tu cut the corn at the surface of tbe ground when 

 tbe grain bos become glazed, or bard upon the 

 ouUioV, tud put it immediately into slooks, where 

 1,11 - I. frill ripen off well and the stalks will 

 By this plan the grain is in a great 

 measure protected fjom early frosts, and it no 

 doubt appropriates to its use a portion of the 

 sap olrcady in the p] un i, an d some even c 

 that tbc plant absorbs nutriment from the 

 p are loeld Ln the perfection of the grain. 



t of great 

 early shrinkage is the 







ritbu 



b?" Why, I 

 ice again, on 



cultural Exhibi 



asked if you were rtody—it the stock »B9 in 

 be looked at and admired — if you 

 were not possessed of tbc best samples of grain aod 

 roots in tbe country, and intended to lake "First 

 Premiums " fortbe same— if the " better-half" hod 

 not completed such specimens of her handiwork 

 as would make the hungry crowd look with long- 

 ing eyes, and such "comfortables" as would com- 

 pel bacbclordom to envy your happy possession, 

 and drive them to— molrimony. But ibe day for 

 such a query is over; you acknowledge the utility 

 of these annual gathering*, and we take it for 

 granted that you will bo there — the buys expect it, 

 and you're goiog, of course. 



"What's tbe use? I've been there time and 

 ngain.and all is hurly-burly. I could never gel 

 any good, and don't believe I ever benefited nny 

 one by tny presence," remarks my left-band neigh- 

 ' ■ -. Then you are the very individual that needs 



nanol mode of procedure on such occasions. We 

 write il your mode, for if your statement be not at 

 variance with fact, the evil lies at your own door. 

 If there is ono place more than another at which 

 the farmer may drink from the Tount of agricultural 

 knowledge, and one period possessing superior 

 advantages, that place is at your County Fair, and 

 that time during any of these Farmers' Holidays. 

 It is the duty of the farmer to create a desire for 

 investing his Home Exhibition with those features 

 that will aid in the promotion of its intercuts, and 

 will redound to the welfare of the section wbich 

 claims him as a resident, and he cannot perform 

 this duty acceptably as long as he deprives the 

 Society of tbe influence exerted by bis presence. 



In addition to being there himself, the family 

 have " rights" which should be recognised. The 

 household need relaxation from everyday cares, 

 aod such opportunity for recreation as tbe occa- 

 sion affords. If the "head" never received any 

 va'uable information, who can say but the per- 

 ceptive organs of the wife arc better developed, 

 aod that her bump of acquisitivenecs will appro- 

 priate an idea worth many dollors to the domestic 

 circle in coming time. A nice roll of butter, a 

 loaf of excellent bread, or any of the tt cdtras Bo 

 dexterously produced by female fingers, are 

 wonderfully promotive of a healthy ambition, aod 

 your wife and daughters wilt soon be rivaling 

 those who bore away tbe priie. 



Ilaviog made a special plea for tbe "last best 

 gift," we can't pass over the bay. That would 

 never answer, as we have a good deal of youthful 

 blood in our veins, though some ill dispost-iJ per- 

 sons contend that theiodications of age are plainly 

 observable. No, we will not forget those who ore 

 to be tbe farmers of the future, and if the father 

 o to recogoitionon these partic- 

 ■ hold ourselves in readiness to 



OTorlooka 



get up a revolution. What has your son to bring 

 forward as the result of bis toil and care? Has 

 he hod a spot of ground on which to expend bis 

 energies in the development of any product V Did 

 you give him a colt or a yoke of steers to train 

 and "sdueafa for good T" If there Is Something 

 on tbe farm known as "A."*," then we My 'Unwell; 

 but if uot, you are behind the times, and the 

 sooner you got steam up and propel, the better. 

 Where boys are thus led to take an interest in 

 things around them, we seldom, very seldom, hear 

 of their forsaking the "homestead" and seeking 

 a livelihood amid tbe artificialities of city life. 

 Boys that arc rightly tutd, will, nine times out of 

 ten, stick to the farm; it is those who mabund 

 that leave the spot which to them was a home 

 only in name. The agriculturist whose lads per- 

 form any of the labors of the farm, and who does 

 not give to them something as a return therefor, 

 something to call forth energies that would other- 

 wise remain latent — bands that unite the young 

 heart to the interests of the helrtbatone— commits 

 not only a grievous error but wrong:" u 

 As the propriety ond utility of all 

 ignoultural Exhibitions have been admitted, a few 

 of action upon the 



words relative 



grounds may prove practical, at least to ibaTcl.ss 

 been benefited. 



who "bare \ 



tempt obtaining i 





ibe i 



xpen 



hears nothing, and knows nothing, compared with 

 what be might see, bear, and learn, if ho devoted 

 tbe greater portion of his time to some specialty. 

 Passing through the varied departments with a 

 rush, tbe glance can be but superficial, and the 

 information acquired imperfect. Btforc setting 

 out, just look over the farm and find out in what 

 particular brunch a change for the belter is most 

 needed. If defects are most apparent among the 

 ■lock, scrutinize very closely tbe animals upon 

 exhibition, aod find out all that is possible in 

 regard (o blood, rearing and keeping ; if in grain, 

 look well at tbe samples offered in competition 

 and uscerlain varieties, modes of culture, yield, 

 period of ripening, bardioess, enemies, etc. Thus 

 passing away tbe time, and intercbonging expe- 

 riences frankly and fully, a thousand fold of good 

 may be acquired, nod the County Pairs will attain 

 the posilion they ought to occupy, becoming ave- 

 nues of intelligence for those whose interests they 

 were intended to protect and advance. 



ICE-HOTJSES. 



In previous yenra wo have given directions 

 for building Ick-Uousf.r and keeping ice, but 

 there is still a great demand for information 

 on tbe subject from the thousands who have be- 

 come readers of the Rural within the past year 



We 



jrefor 





e full 



information 



on Ibis G 



ubjeel 



and in doing bo we 



shall give 





s lU 



have heretofore ap- 



poured in o 



ur column 



it 





It would 





titrte tu talk of ice as 



a luxury, fo 



r of late years, <t 



has become almost a 



necessity. 



Ooe p 00 » 



d of 



good hard butter is 





when placed o 





pounds of \ 



arm, oily 





uch as those have to 



content themselves w 







Then there 



s nothing 



more 



efresbing of u warm 



day than a 



loss Of IC 





. It also enables us 



to preserve 



meats, ic 



from 



becoming injured in 



the wu nut- 



t weather. 



givin 



us in the ice-house 



out we are enduring an almost tropical heat. This 

 catching and imprisoning Jack Frost, and com- 

 pelling him to do lis good service in hot weather, 

 is a grand idea. If left in freedom he would leave 

 us at the time his services were needed, and tbe 

 only time when his company is particularly agreea- 

 ble. Toauswersoine inquinesostolhesureslnnd 

 cheapest method of keeping him with us all Ihe 

 summer, is our present oiijeet. Those who live in 

 Cities or large villages can generally procure ice 

 from the dealers who save il in large quantities, 

 in supply every day suflieietit for family use, at 

 from $3 to ?10 tbe season, according to the quan- 

 tity used. This is of course the cheapest way of 

 obtaining ice, but farmers are compelled to save 

 their own or do without it. As a store-room for 

 meat and other perishable provisions, the ice- 

 house is of great value to the farmer. 



Building a bouse for preserving ice is a very 

 simple work, and yet there are a few important 

 facts that all should learn before commencing, or 

 their labor may be in rain. We shall endeavor 

 briefly and plainly to point out the most important 

 of these. Damp and heat are the two great 

 agents* of thawing, and the first endeavor must 

 be to counteract these by every means in our 

 power. For tbe first, ventilation is necessary, and 

 for the latter, the most non-conducting material 

 available must he used for the bouse. Tbe old 

 plun of building ice-houses under ground was 

 bad, us it was almost impossible to secure good 



inage i 



i the 



dampness wbich is sure to exist in all under- 

 ground rooms or houses. Theu tbe ground is too 

 good a conductor of heal, and communicates its 

 heat very readily to ether bo dies, much more so 



The best im,ai:e for an ice house is ubovo 

 ground, on a gravelly subsoil, where good.uaturul 

 drainage can be had, so that the water that forms 

 as the ice melts will pass off freely, Tbe best 

 material is wood, though brick is good enough 

 where it con be obtained more readily than wood. 

 Tbc walls should be made double, by boarding 

 both on the outside and inside of the frame tim- 

 bers. The space between the inside and outside 

 boards should bo filled with some non-conducting 

 material. Charcoal dust is an excellent non-con- 

 ductor; dry tan-bark, or sawdust, will do very 

 m§, And if neither of these can be procured, 

 ; ,.iver a very good purpose. Where 

 the natural drainage is not first-rate, drains must 

 be dug and filled up wiih stones. Il left open the 

 cold air will pass through them very freely, and 

 its place be supplied by warm air from above. 

 Ice keeps best iu lur^e masses, and for Beveral 



face exposed in proportion to tbe whole. Ik-lting 



t (ailed to furnish a supply nil the 

 summer, will 6nd that by simply enlarging the 

 house Bay one-third, the additional quantity of iee 

 will be preserved, unless there is some radical 

 defect in its construction, of which iheycau judge 

 on reading the principles wo have presented. A 

 house twelve feet each way on Ibe ground, and 

 eight or ten feet high, is large enough for aoy 

 family, and even for two or three families, and 

 yet it is as small as we would recommend any one 

 to build, as tbe cost and trouble is but little more 

 than for a house just large enough, and tbc supply 



Where the drainage is good a board floor is uot 

 necessary, aud we think they are not used in any 

 of our large ice-houses, though in most cases it 

 would be best to lay down a loose floor a few 

 inches from the surface of the ground. If a 

 quantity of brush was first laid down and covered 

 with straw, and the floor put over this, it would 

 make tbe work complete. If n board floor is not 

 used, there should be at least a foot or eighteen 

 inches or straw, but a few inches on tbe boards 

 will be sufficient. The ice made in the early part 

 of the wiuler, and that which has been subjected 

 to no change from freeze'ng to thawing, is the best. 

 It should be sawed out in square cakes as uniform 

 in size and thickness as possible. All snow, and 

 ice formed from half-melted snow, should be re- 

 jected, as ii. will not keep. After one layer is put 

 down, the crevices should be filled with pounded 

 ice, and this Bbould bo continued until the house 

 is filled, when tbe whole will frcOM Into a solid 

 mass. A few inches of straw should bo placed 

 between the walla of the house and the ice, and 

 this should be done while tbe house ii being Sited, 

 Then cover the whole with a foot or so of straw, 

 and the work is done. An opening must be made 

 in the roof for ventilation. 



For the sake of convenience, the ice-house should 

 be near tbe dwelling, and where desirable it may 

 be madeqoiteornamenlal al a very little expense. 

 In this connection we give a plan of a very pretty 

 house built by Lewis F. Allen, of Buffalo. The 

 posts of this bouse, it will be Been by Ihe plun, are 

 on the outside. This makes a very strong build- 

 ing. When the boards are nailed outside of the 

 posts, tbey sometimes burst off, particularly when 

 filled with any fine material, like charcoal or tan- 

 bark. The following is Mr. A.'s description of the 

 manner of building bis house: 



" Hark out your ground the sire you require fur 



dig, opposite each other, a double set of holes, one 

 foot deep, and two and a half feet apart, on each 

 side of tbe intended building, say three feet equi- 

 distant, so that when the posls stand ur> they n i 11 

 present a double set, one and n half feet apart.— 

 Then set in your posts, which should be of oak, 

 chestnut, or some lasting wood, and pack the earth 

 firmly around them. If the posts are sawed, they 

 may be 4 by 6 inches in size, set edgeways towards 

 each other. If not sawed, they may be round 

 slicks cut from the woods, or split from tbc body 

 of a tree, quartered — but sizable, so as to appear 

 decent— aod the ineides facing each other ns they 

 stand up, lined to a surface to receive the plonk- 

 ing. Of course, when the pests are ■*« In ,ho 

 ground, tbev arc lo show a square foi 

 ton of what' the building is to he when completed. 

 Whet, this is done, square off the top of each post 

 lo a level ell around ; then frame, or spike on to 

 each line of posts a plate, say six inches wide, and 

 stay the two plates together strongly, so as lo form 

 a double frame. Now plank, or board up closely, 



the inside of each line of post?, that the space be- 

 tween them shall be a fair surface. Cut out, or 



ton wont it, two and a half C 

 feet wide, and six and a half fee', high, and buord 

 up the inner partition sides of tbia opening, so as 

 to form a door-casing on each siJe, that tho space 

 between tba two lines of pos'smny be u contiiraohs 

 box all around. Then till up this space between 

 tbe pnsls with moist tan-bark, or sawdust, well 

 packflj from tbe ground up to ihe plates ; and tbe 

 boriy of the bouse is inclosed, sun-proof, end air- 

 Now lav do wd, inside the building, some sticks 

 — not much mutter what, bo that tbey be level— 

 and on ibem lay loose planks or boards, for a floor. 

 Cuver tins floor ivilh a coating of straw, a foot 

 thick, and il is ready to receive the ice. 



For the roof, take common S by 4 joists, as raf- 

 ters; or in place of them, poles from the woods, 

 long enongh, in a pitch of 35* from a horizontal 

 line, to carry the roof at least four feet over tbe 

 outsides of tbe pistes, and secure tbe rafters well, 

 by pins or spikes, lo them. Then board over and 

 shingle it, leaving a small aperture at the top, 

 through winch run a small pipe, say eight inches 

 in diameter— a stove crock will do— for a ventila- 

 tor. Then set in four posts, say two feet high— as 

 in the design— throw n little four-sided, pointed 

 cap on to tbe top of these posts, and the roof is 

 done. If you want lo ornament ihe under side of 

 the roof, in a rude way— and we would advise it — 

 taVe some pieces oT 3 by -1 scantling, such os were 

 used for the roof, if the posts are sawed stuff— if 

 not, rouc,b limbs of trees from the woods, to match 

 Qli rou [h posts of the same kind, and fasten them 

 (o the posts and ibe under side of the roof, by way 

 of brackets, as in the design." 



Vkhy Omup Ick-House.— A subscriber of Rock- 

 ford, Illinois, sends us the following plan Tot a 

 cheap Ice-House :— "For the benefit of those wlio 

 wish to enjoy a little cool luxury during long, not 

 summer days, I send you tbe plan of a cbeop Ice- 

 IIousc in which I kept ice from February to Octo- 

 ber, using from it every day uftrr wurm wcaiber 

 commenced. Nailed up a pen, lo by Ii fee* four 

 feet on tbc eDds, eeveu feel on the "Ides, leaving 

 tbe gable ends opeu-the ground descended about 

 one foot in twelve— filled in saw-dual about six or 

 eight inches deep— sawed the ice as eqnure as pos- 

 sible with a cross cut saw, and packed it in, tear- 

 ing a space of a foot on the aide, all around. 

 Pounded the cracks between the ice full of fine 

 ic-; filled the space »rouod with sawdust, stamp- 

 ing it down so as to make i' <'°se « possible; then 

 covered tbe whole 1- or 1"' inches deep with saw- 

 dust and put oo <ho roof. After warm weather 



■need I generally « 



9 I 



pounded the place full of saw-duat. This bouse 

 will hold from L'].j to 3 1 .; cords. If il is allowed to 

 freeze solid, more will be wasted than used. I 

 have tried that plan, but if left as it is packed you 

 can roll out u block and eaw off with a hand saw 

 us much us is wished." 



A friend in Seneca Falls writes— " We have kept 

 ice for two seasons past iu our wagon-house, taking 

 up the floor in ono corner and making what jou 

 might call a large bin, about nine feet square, 



floor, but not quite, leaving room for a free circu- 

 lation of air above the covering of the ice ond tho 

 floor overhead. 

 There was slope enough to tbo bottom for thor- 



my opinion, as well u« th 

 placed in ihe bottom ahoi 



ipace above. We 

 thick Of si 



: louse bourds for 



:;«e£&*s&§8JE! 



