TWO DOLLALtS A YEAR.] 



"PROCiKESS AND IMPROVEMENT." 



[SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 



VOL. IX. NO. 40. 1 



ROCHESTER, N. Y. -SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1858. 



i WHOLE NO. 450. 



HOORffS RURAL new-yobier, 



Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 



('INDICTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 



I proprietor. Be gave to the young enterprise tbe 

 i aid of the best talent and skill be could command. 

 | He appealed justly to tbe wants of the farming 

 I community for support. At first it was looked 

 1 upon aa a pecuniary enterprise. By the attractions 

 I of a pleasing dress, and varied, genial aud instrue- 

 j tivo content*, it ha.i attained its present high posi- 

 | lion. It was worth tbo subscription money, and 



Bat l 



U.-b £ 





total gto- 



ico of loDg evenings, and the season of con 



■ ■ , 



THE BUBAL AND ITS BUBAL BEADEB3. 



Tax subjoined article from along-time reader 

 and able correspondent, is worthy tbe special at- 

 tention and profound consideration of those to 

 whom U la chietly addreseed— tbe Practical Read- 

 ers of tbe Rural. We bave deferred its publica- 

 tion for many weeks, in order to give it at a time 

 when iU arguments would bo most likely to induce 

 proper reflection and action on the part of those 

 engaged in Karat Pursuits — when the coming on 

 f compnra- 



raoflt interested to devote more thought to tho 

 subject disens-ed, in tho confident belief that tbe 

 suggestions of the writer would thus lead to prac- 

 tical, useful results. Ttie article should be read 

 and pondered by thousands of our readers — men 

 of long experience in farming, possessing good 

 souse and sound judgment, but who are too modest 

 or indolent to give their just criticisms: upon what 

 may appear in the Rural, or communicate through 

 its pages the results of their observation and 

 experience for tho information aud benefit of 

 its numerous readers throughout the country. — 

 Tbla Is the class of men whose aid we have deeir- 

 tfl and solicited from tbe commencement of tbe 

 Rural, and hence we ure glad to give the remarks 

 of one who evidently appreciates our wants and 

 knows by whom they can beat be supplied. We 

 are fully aware that "tbe Rural is not what It 

 ought to be" — farfromit — yet the fault is not 







We mo tbe best material at our command— and if 

 many communications given in these pages lack 

 the sense, judgment end practical results which 

 more experienced men could communicate, tbe 

 reason is because the latter do not perform their 

 doty to the Rbbal and its Readers, as we always 

 give preference to practical articles from this class. 

 As we havo remarked on a former occasion, the 

 primary object of this journal is V 

 part Information upon Practical 

 Jeota — Agriculture, Horticulture, and kindred 

 topics — to gather, arrange, condense and publish 

 all tbe facts, results of observation, experience, Ax., 

 which comprise reliable knowledge or important 

 suggestions for thoto engaged In Rural Pursuits. 



s and im- 



Ttii-. 





wilU 





eudo svor ; and we invite tbe aid and co-operation 

 ol all practical, experienced and scientific cultiva- 

 tors In furtherance of an olject so laudable, and or 

 such vast consequence to the great mass of our 

 large and constantly increasing pirish of readers. 

 Wq wish this class to manifest an interest in the 

 Bubal and the welfaro of its readers— to girt as 

 useful and reliable knowledge — to 

 write for ta wc ji M rea j jj 9 pages, and thus "teach 

 one anuther." a b onr correspondent suggests, the 

 Rural has become a "National Institution." It 

 has tens of thousand of stockholders, all of whom, 

 we trust, receive arapi dlvldenda annually — but 

 these would be far gr^tor and more satisfactory, 

 were the large class now addressed to make proper 

 iuvestrnrnts, in tbe »hapeof com rations compris- 

 lug the reliable rcauluef Hub ctMfll , and accurate 

 observation and experience la various branches 

 of Culture and Husbandry. 



Tothb Beadirsof THa Rural:— Tbe present 

 position of the Rural NbTW-Yobub affords maw- 

 rialfbi Qu nbenaleoiullarMtouol thinking ra CD 

 Tbis paper, since its first appearance, baa riicn 

 rspldly Into popularity and pro»periiy. PrOffl a 

 local, it haa paaaed into a National Institution, and 

 now stands at the head of tbe Agricultural Joui 

 nalUra of this Country. Its position demands that 

 it not only be tbe promoter of our general and in- 

 dividual interests, as fanners; but that it stand tbe 

 true type and representative of the character, pro- 

 gress aud spun of our Republics Agricultural 

 Science and Industry. In the infancy of this paper, 

 its welfare depended solely upon the editor and 



of this paper's value, told in dollars and cents, 

 would be regarded aa short-sighted. Who does not 

 attach to itahighersignitlcance.anobler mission? 

 As tbe Rural bos been elevated in station, its 

 respooalbUltlei have increased. And haa not the 

 change in its condition changed our relations with 

 regard to it? 



practical questions suggest themselves, 

 during the progress of euch a train of thought. In 

 tbe hope of arousing, here and there, some terloua 

 thongbt which may be the forerunner of action, 

 addresses the readers of the Rural at 

 By way of preface, I will aay, that, tho' 

 '. papers of the kind, the Rural ia not 

 what it ought to be. Where lies the fault, and 

 where the remedy, I leave the reader to discern for 

 himself. An agricultural paper may be aptly liken- 

 ed to a bee-hive, and Us editor to the queen bee. — 

 does not make all the honey, but all 

 offspring, share in tbe gathered 

 etore, are expected to unite lu the labor. Nor does 

 tbo honey come from foreign fields, but from terri- 

 tory of greater or less circuit about the hive. So 

 the Rural hive is placed in a largo, flowery field, 

 and tbe Ruralist bees are to gather tbe sweet ma- 

 terials for their queen. Dropping the figure, the 

 Rural, lu its wide circulation, comprises all varie- 

 ties of toil and situation, and its reader? are poa- 

 I ant, observation and expe- 

 rience. And here tbe Klhal must find its stock 

 and its subscribers are duty bound to resolve them- 

 Eelves into a furnishing force. Now, a journal pro- 

 motive of the interestaof carpenters and architects 

 has stores of scientific informationnthaud. There 

 are books in abundance, treating of the science 

 from its rudimentary principles to the moat com- 

 plicated and perfect achievements. Thorein the 

 carpenter of a barn and the architect of a cathe- 

 dral may find complete directions. All that ia 

 required, Is that the editor be a well-versed, eoien- 

 tiflo man. But the editor of an agricultural paper 

 finda that his province is not that of theory. Math- 

 ematics cannot demonstrate bis problems. No 

 library furnishes systems of Agriculture, where he 

 can draw forth directions for bid rustic disciples. 

 More truth of this kind resides In tho brains of liv- 

 ing, observing men, than was ever written. Farm- 

 ing depends upon experiment nod observation,— 

 Tbe fields are its laboratories— there the discoveries 

 are made, and if ever this noblest of sciences, which 

 is Enivemally admitted to be in its veriest infancy, 

 ehall grew to vigorous manhood, it must be fed by 

 those who are intimately conversant with the soil, 

 and all the forms aud circumstances of vegetation. 

 The earth ia neither miserly nor prodigal of her 

 secrets. Every thinking, working man has wrung 

 many precious truths from her, but men have to 

 dig tor them, for even the ancients bad found out 

 that " truth resides in a well,'' or a mine. 



We would have Buiul subscribers feel that they 

 are a mutual aid society,— that they are life-mem- 

 bers of an agricultural association, whose motto if, 

 "Everyman does his duty," — and that the Maw- 

 Yobkkr is their organ, containing their experien- 

 ces end observations, and being ever their text-book 

 of agricultural study. Is it too much to expect of 



Does any farmer do bis dnty, if bo lives on from 

 year U) voir, without one careful, earnest search 

 for a new method of preserving or increasing bis 

 gruiosandfruits? Conclusions drawn from exper- 

 laients are liable to be hasty, premature, sometimes 

 quite ill-judged. There are eo many accidents, so 

 many varying circunistauctF, that a man might at- 

 tribute an effect to a wrong agent. Another man, 

 trying the same experiment, might think he bad 

 found tbo producing cause in another object or 

 circumstance. If they were dogmatists, they might 

 each aasert forever, that they were right— aud both 

 be wrong; or they might compare, and thua look 

 upon both theories, as at least not proven. A bet- 

 ter way would be to record in writing such experi- 

 ment, and then modestly aud qualifiedly append 

 your own deduction drawn from the premUea and 



result ia not the discovery of truth, It will 

 least narrow tbe limits which bound it, and make 

 »s attainment more easy and certain for Mother 

 attempt. It will do more; it will atir up investiga- 

 tion among many who had never turned their at- 

 tention In that direction. I have heard men criti- 

 cise with great judgment, and utterly refute theo- 

 ries and principle* promulgated in our public 

 prints, who never had written a line for the public 

 benefit— men who. perhaps, with a eerjse of their 

 ignorance thought themselves incapable of teach- 

 ing others; but ahould they not reflect that their 



fields and opportunities of observation, differ from 

 all other men in some respects, and that 

 quently they ought to know aome things unknown 



If men would feel themselves no obligated— 

 peelally the older class of men, by whose cover 

 tlon and judgment we are often made to feel o 

 eelvea great debtor?— if they felt that they had 

 ownership in tbo Rural mora valuable than any 

 acre ou their farm— if they 

 worth as an educator in their family circle, they 

 would then be prepared to exert and enjoy 

 and extended influence, and an impetus would 

 ere long be given to Agriculture, which would give 

 promise of soon turning farms into gardens, and 

 agriculture into a synonym of all that is healthy, 

 noble, end mind-expanding in human labor, 



A Rbadbb. 



INDIAN COBN-HABVESTINQ. 



Tub comparative success of the corn crop this 

 year, notwithstanding th; many fears of ita failure 

 will do much toward establishing it in the ptiUii 

 favor, as the cr op of tbe country — (if any thing wo 

 needed for that purpose)— and we shall see ou 

 beat farmers giving It a greater share of their at 

 tention, hereafter. We believe that corn, properly 

 cultivated, is " the sheet anchor of America 

 bandry," as turnips have teen declared to be 

 EDgllsh farming; and if wo employ this gi 

 onr tranr-Atlaatio bretb - en do roots — feeding It 

 out upon the farm— thua keeping more stock and 

 making more manure — we shall find our farmi 

 constantly growing mote productive, and bene 

 fitted for wheat and other -<nln crops. 



InepeakiDii ■ '.' ■ 

 three months ago, we rcinuiked, that the yield pei 

 acre is almost uniformly In proportion with the 

 attention given to the preparation of the soil— that 

 less depended upon uniformly favorable 

 blights, insects, and the like, than is the 



If we hare a 



be given for maturing before heavy frosts, a gooi 

 crop is as near a certainty as the farmer often 

 finds himself in his agricultural operations. But 

 it was our present purpose to speak more particu- 

 larly of the corn harvest 



"Topping vs. Cutting np Corn," was argued pro 

 and con. some years since in these columns — 

 believe the latter "took the case." Topping 

 cores tbe better portion ol the etalk before i 

 injured by frost; anil, allowing free access of i 

 and atr to the crop, may hasten ita ripening. It 

 requires less labor, aa lees fodder is secured, and- 

 but we must leave the advocacy of the practice t 

 other pens— we always cut up our corn. And alio 1 



eighbor 



. [act, 



raising as much corn in proportion 

 his stock as we did, topped bis coin— he began 

 feed hay six or eight weeks before we did, and kt 

 his cattle in no better order. Ilia top stalks wt 

 all gone, and hia buta aad husks left ia the fie 

 eaten or irasttd. much sooner than they would have 

 been under the cutting up system. 



Whtn corn is fairly glazed, it ia Qttocntnpat 

 the root, and thus all the fodder is secured— that 

 portion "only lit for manure" included, but it lain 

 its place — the barn-yard — and of some value there, 

 which can hardly be said of stalks left in the field 

 to plow under. It' a severe fro^t comes before corn 

 glazes, or if one ia apprehended, the sooner It is 

 cnt up the better, but a slight froat often occurs, of 

 little Injury to the fodder, during the time of glaz- 

 ing. We would cut up frosted green corn, to save 

 it from that total drying onto! juices, which seems 

 to take place if allowed to remain U3 it grew, and 

 which Immediate cutting up prevents in greater or 

 less degree. If not hurried by fear of frost, we 

 should allow corn to stand until the busks began 

 to loosen, to facilitate their removal in securing 

 the crops. 



The implement used in cutting up corn, haa been 

 much improved and cheapened of late, and we now 

 have them of fair character — light, efficient, and 

 durable. Taking two rows at a time, about six 

 bills are placed together for a bundle — tops to the 



ient. The I 

 small bundle of rye straw, from a 

 band, and, stooping, ties il 



. n li 





taken tbe care be alionld to lay the stalks 

 evenly in the bundlo, otherwise they should be 

 raised erect to bring them even end may be tied 

 and left Branding. Where one has small bays out 

 of school, it is a convenience to the binder to have 

 the bands carried, or dropped upon the bundles be. 







; tJEi (■ 



ndiDK ■! 





every year of our boyhood. Tho bundles ehould 

 be placed in stooks of from six to ten bundles— eet 

 np firmly and bound with two bands, double, and a 

 single one near the top. Thua stooked. they will 

 cure in good order, and may stand for weeks, or 



Another method la to cut and set up some twen- 

 ty five or thirty bills around one, without binding 

 into separate bundled This saves time In cutting, 

 but the stalks are not aa convenient, either to husk 

 or feed on', aa when bound in the manner noticed 



DESIGN KOH A PIGGERY. 



In answer to the above, and several other In 

 quiries on the same salject, we give the accorrt' 

 panylng engravings and description of a Piggrr^, 

 from Allm's Rurut Art/utd/tir?, which were pub- 

 lished in the Rural Beveral years since. If any of 

 onr readera can furnish a better or cheaper pli 

 we will give it a place In our columns, for we know 

 many wonld like a good and convenient piggery 



The design here given, ia for a building 30 feet 

 long, and 2-t feet wide, with 13 feet poets; tbe 

 lower, or living room for the swine, 9 feet hlgb, 

 and a storage chamber above, for the grain aud 

 other food required for their keeping. The roof has 

 a pitch of 40° from a horizontal Line, spreading 

 over tho sides and gables at least twenty inches, 

 aud coarsely bracketed. The entrance front pro- 

 jects feet from the main building, by 12 feet in 

 length. Over ita main door, In the gable, in a door 

 with a hoisting beam and tackle above il, to take 

 in tho grain, and a floor ovtr the whole area re- 

 ceives it. A window ia in each gable end. A 

 ventilator passes up through thid chamber and tbe 

 roof, to let off the ateam from t 1 "-* cooking vate 

 below, and the foul air emitted by the swine, by 

 the side of which is the furnace chimney, giving 

 it, on tho whole, as respectable an appearance aa 

 a pigsty need pretend to. 



At the left of the entrance is a flight of stairs, l 

 leading to the clamber above. On the right fm 

 amall area, a, with a window to light P. A doo; 



lUnda 



from this leads into the main re 

 a chimney, it, with a furnace to receive the fuel for 

 cooking tbe food, for which aro two kettles, or 

 boilers, with wooden vats, on tho top, if the extent 

 of food demands them; tht;o are secured with 

 l r jad wooden covers, to keep in the ateam when 

 'joking. An iron valve la placed in tbo back flue 

 ■ -, Miluponclthcrsldr, to 

 shut off the firo from either of the kettles, around 

 which tho fire may revolve; or, the valve may 

 stand in a perpendicular position, at will, if both 

 kettles be heated at the same time. Over each 

 kettle la a sliding door, with a short epoui to ullde 

 the food into them, when wanted. On threo aldea 

 of this room are feeding pen?, r, and sleeping par- 

 tition^,/, for tbe Bvrine, These several apartments 

 are accommodated with doorp, which open into 

 ■epai ale ;, aids on the sliIeB and in the rear. 



Con sracer ion.— The frame i« of strong timber. 

 The Bills *hould be B Inches square, the corner poets 

 of the same- Biz*, and the intermediate posts B by 

 inches in diameUr. in the centre of these poet*, 

 grooves should be made, 2 inches wide, and deep, 

 to receive the plunk »ide«, which should be 2 inches 

 thick, and let in from ihe level of the chamber by 

 a flusu cutting lor tbai purpose, out of the grooves 

 inside, thua using no nails or spikes, and holding 

 the planks tight in their place, that they m*y not 

 be rooted out, or tubbed oil' by the hogs, and tbe 

 inner projection of tbe main posts left to aerve aa 

 rubbing posts for tbem. These planks, like tho 

 posts, should, particularly tho lower onee, be of 

 hard wood, that they may not be eaten oft Above 

 the chamber flour, tbianex planks may be used, but 

 all ahould be well jointed, thai they may lie snug, 

 aud shut out the weather. The centre post in the 

 floor plan of Ihe engraving is omitted, by mistake, 

 but ii should Bland (here, like tbo others. Inside 

 posts at the corners, aud in the sidea of tho parti- 

 tions, like tbe outride ones, should bo also placed 

 aad grooved to receive the planking, four and a 

 half feet high, aud their upper ends be scoured by 

 tenons into mortices In tbo beams overhead. Tbe 

 trougha rhonld then, if possible, be made of cut 

 i.iult of that, tte hardest of white oak 

 plank, itrongty apiked on the floor aad sides; and 

 tbe apartment may theu be called hog-proof— for a 

 more unquiet, dts:ructlvo creature to a building 

 in wblch he Is confined, does not live, than the hog. 

 The riide, or apout to conduct ihe swill and other 

 feed from the feeding-room Into the iroogb, should 

 be inserted through tbe p&uiiion (tonka, with a 

 steep timt tbe whole length of the trough, that tho 

 feed may be readily thrown Into any or all parts of 

 it. Tbisslldeshould be of two-Inch white oak plank, 

 and bound along the bottom by a strip of hoop- 

 iron, to prevent the pigs from eating it off— a habit 

 they are prone to; then, firmly spiked down to the 

 partition planks, and tbroogh the end?, to the ad- 

 joining studs, and the affair la complete. One to 

 three hundred dollars, according to the price of 

 material and labor, will build ihi.i piggery, besides 

 fitting it up with furnace and boilers. 



above. If any of the many busking machines are 

 to be made use of, this would be the better mode, 

 as they all take the stalks eeparoto and unbound, 

 and they can bo bound af;cr busking aa easily as 



In husking eorn by hand, a very convenient im- 

 plement la a peg of hard wood about foor inches 

 long, aharp at one end, and fastened to the band 

 by a soft leather strap passing over tbe two middle 

 fingera. The point comes up between tho thumb 

 and fingers, just right to nse instead of the thumb- 

 nail in tearing open the busk, and out of tbe way 

 in handling and breaking off the ear. It la of 

 gpeclal use if the corn haa been cut a little green 



and the husks are thick and tight A " husking 

 machine" equally simple, is a hand hatchet and a 

 block of wood bandy to ait or stand at. lilt «ach 

 but aa may be, and »« it la 







fall out more or leas competely husked— and, pcr- 

 baps a Utile shortened if the bit was on the corn 

 Instead of the stalk, aa It should be. 



But to return to onr corn-stooks. After husking, 

 replace the bundles in larger stooks than at first, 

 until that portion of the work Is completed. On a 

 dry day draw and stack oear the barn-yard, Id 

 small stacks— of not more than two loads each— 

 and It is well to place a pole In the centre of each 



