TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 



'PHOGUES3 AND IMPROVEMENT." 



(SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 



VOL. IX. NO. O.i 



ROCHESTER, N. Y. -SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1858. 



i WHOLE NO. 450. 



MOOSE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 



Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 



CONDUCTED BY B. B. T. MOORE, 





\nn\ ffm-fjotfeje*. 



HEW YORK STATE FAIR. 



Wi have already devoted so much space to 

 matters of interest connected wilh the Fair of tbis 

 State, that we are compelled to make our synopsis 

 of the address macfa more brief than we had at 

 first designed. The subject was the Necessity of 

 furnishing Farmers' Sons the means of acquiring 

 a good Agricultural Education, and was delivered 

 by Hon. Josem R. Wixluvs, President of the 

 Michigan State Agricultural College. Mr. W.spoke 

 of the progress of Agriculture the lost fifty yeari. 

 the benefits derived from tho dissemination of 

 periodical?, the establishment of fair?, the general 

 discussion of agricultural question?, the nee of 

 Improved implement'', ,t-c , and when contrasting 

 the past with the present said, now "offensive ex- 

 hibitions of poverty are witnessed only at long In- 

 tervals, snO.in fact, raiely eeen atall." We regret 



He then quoted from the census of I860, showing 

 the average production of crops In the State of 

 New York, and remarked that this product could 

 be doubled by proper cnltare. The less on the 

 deficient crop of ivbe.it alone to this State annually 

 was fifty millions of dollars. To aid in the work 

 of raising mti.vim *m crops he recommended atten- 

 tion to Botany, Geology, Entomology, and particu- 

 larly chemistry. He did not attempt to show what 

 great benefits had accrued to agriculture from 

 chemistry, but after recounting what this bc 

 had done for the miuer, in medicine, Ac, 

 "Let as not discourage this science from delving 

 Into the earth, If such are the prolific results of her 

 researches elsewhere." 



The speaker then said that the young men of the 

 country were unable to acquire knowledge of 

 these sciences, as do Bchools were established 

 cesslblo to them. The census of 1850 showed that 

 there were ia the Stato of New York 250,000 young 

 men between the ages of sixteen and twenty. 

 There were only 2,073 enrolled In all the colleges 

 of the State. Allow nearly nine limes this number 

 to enjoy good advantages of education In ad- 

 vanced schools and noademles, making the whole 

 number 26,000, and thon allow for the class 

 Irremediably stupid that they will not seek, a 

 oould not profit, perhaps, by education, and 

 those who possess such vitality and energy ef 

 mind a% to overleap all barriers and drink in 

 cation as they live and move, 25,000 more, en 

 still have 200,cno of the young men of New York 

 deprived of all education beyond that which the 

 common school affords. The great . 

 great need, Is a chance for the boy to aid himself- 

 to study and work— to earn the means of educ 

 tlon while being educated. The speaker most or. 

 phatioally osed up tho notion th.it labor and study 

 are incompatible, by showing that the boy while 



i rudiments of an education i 

 oommon school was expected to work, sad do the 

 worst kiad of drudgery; and that some of the 

 greatest men la the world— these whose acquire- 

 menu lime ibtd ft i M | rt not on ] y opon their 

 names but upomheir country and their age— have 

 gained their knowing.- » u d their feme, while sop- 

 porting themselves and Umtlies by tbe hardest 

 kind of labor. That most of the Manual Labor 

 Schools had failed, the speaker admitted. It wa* 

 a now tyslorj), and in most new \^ ngK falIan) pre . 

 cedes success. They bad to contend «iih public 

 prejudice, sad Ihla public prejudice h»> frowned 

 down many a good thing. They had fined to 

 because the labor required of tho students hid r 

 connection with their stodles— their labor w 

 nit re drudgery— not labor and science united f 

 one great object, as ft is in Agricultural tkboo 



poor students worked, and this formed classes and 

 destroyed the institutions. 



The speaker gave an account of his ova College 

 and ol the condition of the different States I 

 retpect, Uso of the isrrlcnltnr*! It 

 learning in Europe, and urged the claim of the 

 agricultural .u«rtsta to recognition and aid from 

 government, it* good farmer exetUd a good 

 him, and the ignorant and 



bBfll Dl i u .. 



prejudiced participate in this benefit, though they 



iOt acknowledge it. A friend called bloat- 



n to a Pennsylvania German who could 



hardly read and write, and bad a great contempt 



for papers and books on farming, but was the beat 



r In tbo neighborhood. The speaker told 



him he thought this basket would not hold water, 



id that tbla model farmer owed everything to the 



spirit of improvement abroad. His plow was a 



Troy plow instead of the old shsky implement, 



with wooden mould board sheathed with iron, with 



straight handles tipped with cow hom», which he 



id when a boy. His implements were mostly 



light, graceful, elastic ones, of recent patterns, — 



His frust was budded and grafted from such as bis 



i.'libors had imported from the best nuraerlea — 



Whatever superior cattle, or sheep, or swino he 



ivere obtained from neighbors at no extra 



Tho nails he shingled his house with cost 



lethird as much as those which his father 



When ho got up in the morning, he lighted 



c in a second with a friction match instead 



ig ten minuteawith flint and steel and tinder 



box, and he complacently composed himself to 



sleep at nfght under sheeting that cost eight cents 



per yard, as good as that which cost fifty cents 



when he was a child. The story is told of 



Plato having described man to be a bird without 



itbers. Diooenes, the cynic, laid a plucked 



osier before him and exclaimed, "Behold Pluto's 



tn!" If oar model farmer was deprived of all 



e benefits he had derived from that progress 



lioh he despised, if he was stripped of all bor- 



wti-1 plumes, he would be as Innocent of feathers 



In i. losing, Mr. W. urged all farmers, as "like 

 e," tj yet lie nest cows, horses and 

 eneep— to use tho best implements — open their par- 

 lore to themselves and their families — make home 

 cheerful and Instructive, so that their sous would 

 ander away in search of pleasure — to plant 

 rds and surround their homes with vluee, and 

 the air fragrant with flowers. 



had supposed that tbe prize was fairly merited nod 

 honorably wod by the best exhibition of fine horses, 

 tainotnuvxtAthraughOiefxmimtofani/vfduUual 

 We have heard of Rome persona being 'half hone," 

 and of others being a "teholt team," hot Solon 

 most have been a whole tiuJ f <f horse*, to have 

 secured tbe prize for the best equine exhibition, 



A very laudable desire waa evinced by the farm- 

 era in attendance at tbe State Fair to employ their 

 evenings more profitably than la lounging about 

 the streets and hotels, so it was announced thai 

 there would be meeting in the evenings to discuss 

 agricultural subjects. These meetings were not 

 attended by the officers of the State Society, whe 

 were of course fully employed in their responsible 

 duties, nor by any gnat men, bat by a host of 

 practical, hard-working farmers who did n 

 tempt to make ipetchu, but told their experiei 

 a common-Benso way. The 



At tho close of the address, Mr. George Gbddes, 

 of Onondaga county, made a few remarks, claiming 

 that tho farmersof Onondaga had donesometblug 

 towards approaching the speaker's standard of a 

 good farmer. They had educated men engaged In 

 tilling the soil, and ladies who were accomplished, 

 and at homo, either In the dairy or the parlor. Be 

 wished the speaker or other scientific men, would 

 (ell tbe farmers why it was that one plant in a cer- 

 tain soil would produce poison, while another in a 

 similar soil, so far as the farmer could judge, 

 would produee sugar. This was a rather hard 

 question, as the wisest know but, little of this mat- 

 ter, and the foolish know just as much. He pro- 

 posed a vote of thanks to the speaker, and. that a 

 copy of the addreos be requested for publication 

 in tbe Transactions of the Society, which was 

 unanimously adopted. Several votes of thanks 

 were then proposed by different individuals, tothe 

 Judges, Superinteadents, the people of Syracuse 

 und the Lidies, the Railroad', the Press, Ac. 



The managers of the National Hunt Show, at 

 SpringGeld, bad offered a prize banner to the State 

 I loolety of that State whose citizens 

 should enter for exhibition the largest number of 

 valuable homes. It stems that tbe exhibitions 

 made by New York end Vermont weie so nearly 

 equal, that it was decided to give a banner to each 

 State, Solo* Put in son was tbe bearer of the 

 banner to our State, and everything being cooked 

 ■ no, made a presentation speech on 

 Thursday afternoon, in which he announced him- 

 self as " the bearer of a trophy from a field of con- 

 tention, whore it was honorably won," and so forth. 

 ik- else read a letter from the President of the 

 Association, having in charge the :V 

 Show. Air. McCoun, President of the State Ag. 

 Sooiety, responded, expressing his pleasure at be- 

 ing tbe "receiplent of the e legant tanner won In the 

 Meld, not ol w.us, but of civic honors." 



The banner Is made of bine silk, with a gold lace 

 border, with fringe. On one side is Boss Bon- 

 nam's picture of The Hone Fair, and "State 

 Prise Banner," in gilt letters; and on the reverse, 

 "State Prize Banner,— Awarded to the N. Y. State 

 Agricultural Society, at the Annua! Exhibition of 

 Imported, Blood and American Breed of Hoimi — 



After tbo address of the President, the Hon. T, 

 C. Pitxbs, of Parlen, said bo hoped the design on 

 tbe banner would be engraved, and given in the 

 next volume of Transactions, and also used here 

 after In the Diplomas of the Society which shall 

 be awarded to horses. He offered a resolution to 

 that effect, which was unanimously adopted. 



I BitTiwrN, of Sjracuse, moved that 

 the thanks of tbe Agriculturists of the State be 



whi.l 



-, and said he ssked no thanks 



lor ine aisoharge of hta duty, and madethe strange 



announcement, that "it was a matter of history, 



no egotism on his part, toasytbat 



o decrease- 



and its failure in mfiDy parts of the country elicit- 

 ed a very Interesting discussion as to the cause and 

 remedy. Mr. Clark, of Oswego, remarked that, 

 formerly, when barley was largely grown in that 

 county he regarded it as an exhausting crop, and 

 thought that waa the cause of the failure. 



Geobgh Geddxs, of Onondaga, said that his 

 county formerly produced more barley than tbe 

 whole State of Massachusetts Fo bud found it a 

 very sensitive crop, easily affected by moisture and 

 heat. It requires for success a heavy soil, will not 

 succeed well on light land. The avnage crop now 

 is about 20 bushels an acre; some raise 40, others 

 but 15. Thought it would 

 tho midge destroys it, anc 

 bldafair for a large crop about the time for the 

 ears to form, dry weather will disappoint i 

 peotationa of the farmer end dwindle User 

 very small amount. About the exhausting 

 of the crop he knew nothing, and therefore would 

 say nothing. Left that to scientific men, an 

 tended to keep up such a rotation as would 

 tinue the aoiliii good condition. 



Dr. Wells, of Seneca county, said many farmers 

 in his neighborhood bad raised large crops of 

 barley— bad beard of "0 bnshels to the 

 pretty good authority. The soil was mostly strong 

 or clayey. Some winter barley was raised in the 

 county and the largest crops were of this vs 



JrjDQB Enos, of Madison county, said the 

 ers of his section of tbe State had done very 

 poorly in rsisiug bailey tbe last three years, 

 had raised good barley for thirty years until the 

 last three— now he could get but about 10 

 to the acre. Kiised the (wo+euedot two varieties, 

 one of them being the Hess. The Hess had glvi 

 him C5 bushels to the acre— now it Is harder 

 raise 10, Was in the dark as to the cause. Hi 

 found no Insect. The plant seems weak and som 

 times does not bead out — in short, won't grew- 

 Tbe soil is as good and cultivated in the same wi 

 as formerly. Corn in tbe same ground will gl' 

 as large a crop na ever. Ratted 75 bushels i 

 shelled corn to tho acre, followed it with barley 

 and only got 1-L 



Mr. Brown, of Wayne, succeeded well with bar- 

 ley after corn, if the soil was In good condition, 

 but instance da cue in which he bad signally failed 

 in an attempt to raise barley after barley, although 

 the aoll waa good, while the field adjoining, every 

 way tbe same, except that it had borne corn the 

 previous year, produced a good crop. 



Jitge Ends, replied that be had grown a second 

 crop of barley of 50 bushels per acre, but he had 

 well limed the land before sowing. 



So.pibb M. Bbown, of Elbridge, bad good sue- 

 cesanlth barley until tbe two last years — now it 

 fails— don't know the cause. Never sowa barley 

 two years In succession on the same land, but after 

 well manured corn. Once could depend on 40 

 bushelB to tho sere, now could not get 20. Last 

 year got in a piece of barley In excellent order, 

 and it looked well for a time, bat one-half of It 

 did not bead out. Could not tell the cause unless 

 it waa the heat. His barley this jear weighed K 

 jionuds to the bushel— has had it 53 pounds. — 

 Pound great benefit from tbe use of salt. Used 

 about a barrel to the acre. In one case tried an 

 experiment with salt— gave five bushels an acre to 

 eight acres, and left four acres of the same field 

 without salt. Tho result was 50 bushels an acre 



r manure heaps, to pre- 

 vent bunivig. Some one objected to this in all 

 cases as it might prevent decomposition, which it 

 undoubtedly would. There was, however, a general 

 feeling in favor of saH, which is not strange seeing 

 we were assembled in the Saline City. 



W. A. Wins, of Livingston, said last year be had 

 60 acres of barley wbicb gave only 16 bushels per 

 •ere. Previously he had grown 40. Attributed 

 the failure last year to the hot, wet summer— It 



a tbe salted a 



rusted. Barley does best in a cold season, and las' 

 aumrner did tolerably well on the cold, dry hills.— 

 Succeeded well with *rinter barley— 35 boshelflt< 

 •re, of admirable quality— sowed two busholi 

 1 aore the 15th of feptember. A neighboi 

 sowed 10 days later, and lost his crop with rus 



C. Winhoab, of Cajaga connty, formerly had 

 good crops of barley, this year poor, but he at- 

 tributed it to poor culture. Thought it best to 

 grow eorne four-rowed variety, aa it would sell 

 higher. Mr. Clark, of Otsego, Inquired how long 

 it wes customary to go between grata and grass. — 

 Mr. W, replied his system was clover, corn, barley, 

 seed again. Mr. Gbodsb said the usual rotation 

 was sod, corn, barley, wheat, grass. 



Mr. DrjNh'iNO, of Cayugu, preferred tbe two 

 rowed barley. Had tried tbe four-rowed and it 

 fell behind ten bushels to tbe acre. His rotation 

 waa the samo 03 that described by Mr. Geoobs. — 

 Depend upon barley as much as any crop. Last 

 year only averaged 20 bushels, this year 25, foi 

 merly 40. This year found a maggot iu tbe stra 

 which he considered the cause of the failure. A 

 the straw came through the machine found it full 

 of maggots. Sow barley as early as poasi 

 spring— last of April or first of May. 



C. Winsqab had injured his cattle by feeding 

 them barley straw. Mr. Clabb, of Otsego, had 

 found barley straw good feed. He would rooon 

 mend a change of rotation, to make barley folio 

 wheat, with a summer fallow to intervene. 



Mr. Dani'obthi, of Cayuga, said he oould n< 

 succeed ia growing hurley opon a clay soil— nevt 

 got more than his seed. Mr. GenuHB replied thi 

 In Onondaga they ueed the light bind for oats an 

 the most clayey for barley— still heavy and light 

 laud aro relative terms, and what would be called 

 light in one section ef the country would be called 



Mr. Bailey, of Kent Co., Michigan, had raised 

 barley on new land for several years — three years 

 ago got 30 basbels, last year 15, this year eight— 

 The eight bushels this year grew on soil that gave 

 last season 157 bushels of ears of King Philip 

 Had grown the two and/our-rowed side by Bide.— 

 The tun rowed was best. Charged tbe 

 unfavorable seasons. There appeared 

 substance in the straw. Did not despai: 



Col. Ekewbk, of Tompkins, lived on the hills of 

 Eufleld, in Tompkins coun'y 1,010 feet above Cay. 

 uga Lake. He had raised barley the last eight 

 years and for eeven years tbe crop had 

 morethauSobuabels. Sowed on clover sod. Barley 

 was an excellent crop to seed down with. Clover 

 was bis manure. Had made poor 

 or given it too much vegetable matter by repeat- 

 edly plowing In clover. Let clover lay only 

 year. His present farm when It came into his 

 session was so poor that it had been sold for $1 

 per acre. Ashes had been useful on his land and 

 plaster was almost indispensable. Had repeatedly 

 tried Bait and lime without the least benefit. He 

 found ft almost impossible to make clover 

 take ou clover sod, and thought there was t 

 thing in the decaying leaves that injured the 

 vegetation of the seed, juntos tbe pine leaves when 

 decaying In tba soil injure vegetation, so mi 

 that w ben c Hi' i rating new land he could tell 

 a pine tree had fallen end decayed as the form of 

 tho top could be traced in tho growing crop. He 

 was opposed to Bubsolllng nnd deep plowing, 

 his own farm, others could do as they found beat 

 Tffoand-a bait or three inches was as deep as ho 

 fonnd it bent tibial to plow. Bud tested this mati 

 for fourteen yesri— hu J experimented with 24, 

 4, 5 and C Inches deep, and foand 2 ; or 3 Inchest 

 best, >1 inches not as good, 5 laches still wor^e, and 

 1; Inches the worst of all Some one asked Mr. B. 

 If he ever raised 100 bushels or corn to tbe acre, 

 with such plowing. He stated he bad not A voice 

 replied " no, nor never will." Mr. B. stiid be did 

 not expect such a crop on his land, and certainly 

 should never get it with deep plowing. A good 

 many seemed to think Mr. B. was pursuing and re- 

 immentlnignQ Impropt rsvBtern, but be seemed to 

 ive a bright eye, and we have no doubt had learned 

 fourteen years' experience what course of plow- 

 g waa bcBt sotted to his mountain home. 

 T. C. Petibs slated that the beBt habella grapes 

 ke bad ever tasted were grown by the last speaker, 

 although ho bad no doubt that - 

 was adapted to bis soli, he wished Mr. B. would 

 how he cultivated grapes, so that tbe audience 

 might know that he did not believe Iu shallow cut 

 ;ure for everything. Mr. B. replied that he dug a 

 hole for each vine six feet deep, and the same 

 width and length, and filled it with boaes, manure, 

 good soil, &c 



Lxwia Mabshali, of Orh 

 barley in the spring, with 

 in March, 



It \ 



rot) huaheis to tbe 



kill it yields well, 



In' the fell- Bad been acquainted with 



lartey more than eight years. When sown 



early in the spring It ripens as soon as though I 



faiL Winter barley weighs about 50 



Mr. Gownr, of Lewis county, said barley sue- 

 eeded in that oouaty. Usually sow barley after 

 orn or oats. Get from 25 to 40 bushels. Thelaat 

 )ason the crop was poor. 



Dr. Yak Sltck, of Wayne, said since he first 

 made his home in Wayne county, (12 years Bgo,) 

 barley had been grown, snd always with Bucceaa, 

 natll last year, which waa very wet Barley re- 

 quires as good soil ss wheat Many do not give It 

 chance, but make it a kind of " catch crop," and 

 then wonder that they do not succeed. They turn 

 1 sod, then corn follows, and wheat, and bar- 

 ley last before seeding, when the soil is pretty 

 badly exhausted. We find the better way to be to 

 turn over clover, and sow barley first, end Invaria- 

 bly get from 20 to 4o bushele. Then followswheat, 

 <fcc. This year barley had been affected by the 

 midge when aown late, or on a cold, damp soil. — 

 Winter barley is the mont popular and yields from 

 20 to 50 bushels of better quality than spring, and 

 aelllng for 12 cents a bushel more. Clsy soil la 

 best but any good wheat soil will grow barley.- 

 Drill it in as it ia less liable to kiU out In faot, drlU 

 In everything. 



VARIETIES OF IDDIAH COEN. 



It Is generally admitted that all our varieties 

 Indian Com were derived from the same paren 

 tage, the Wild or Itooky Mountain Corn. There I 

 now an almost incredible number of kinds it 

 cultivation, of almost all shapes sizes and colon. 

 Annexed we present sketches of twenty varieties, 



POOL. 



3 the busheL 



The varieties of corn mix very readily, and It h 

 .re to find farmers who keep any kind pure. Iu 

 the interesting discussion at the New York State 

 on the Bulject of corn colture, (which we 

 give next week,) several times the speakers 

 asked what kind they cultivated, and tho re- 

 ply In almost every case was — "I »» Te a m |)ied 

 Sometimes the firmer bad given It a name, 

 and the general opln'nn was, that iheeo "nixed 

 give a better yield tbsu apy variety kept 

 . 11 make*. 

 when we givt 



