AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY, THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. - Waebinotok. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
VOL. XIII.—NO. 4.] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1854. [NEW SERIES.—NO. 56. 
m»FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, frc., 
SEE LAST PAGE, 
Agricultural Snow.—It is now too late, if 
not needless, that we should say more in refer¬ 
ence to this Exhibition. Doubtless every 
farmer in New-Yorlc State who could do so has 
ere this made arrangements to be among the 
army of visitors to Hamilton Square. There 
will also doubtless be present large delegations 
from Connecticut, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
and other States. To promote the convenience 
of those who are not familiar with New-York 
city, we have again inserted a 
NEW-YORK CITY DIRECTORY AND MAP, 
which will be found on the 56th, 57th, and 58th 
pages. With this map, and the accompanying 
directions, a stranger can make his way through 
any part of the city without difficulty. We also 
refer our readers to our advertising columns, 
and especially to page 61 for Hotels, Lodgings, 
Eating Houses, &c. 
-• « fr - 
PATENT CIDER MILLS, 
These are convenient machines, better per¬ 
haps for limited use than almost any other pa¬ 
tent of the kind, if people only knew how to 
manage them. The idea of a man’s taking one 
into his wagon, and traveling over the country 
to do up the apple grinding and squeezing of 
any one farmer within a few hours, is all non¬ 
sense. The pomace, to yield good cider for any 
purpose, requires to be exposed to the air in a 
broad, shallow vat, from twenty-four to forty* 
eight hours, according to the weather, and turn¬ 
ed two or three times with a wooden shovel, to 
absorb the oxygen of the atmosphere, which 
ripens, sweetens, and colors the liquor, giving it 
body. It should then be laid up, and pressed 
slowly, and for the best of cider, be twenty-four 
to forty-eight hours under the process. For 
vinegar, or apple butter, this course of proceed¬ 
ing is equally essential as when the cider is 
made for drinking. These articles require 
strong-bodied cider. The chief objection to 
these modern, fast mills is, the application of 
iron teeth or graters, in the grinding process. 
Iron vitiates apple juices, and hence is objec¬ 
tionable, if it remain long in contact with it. 
For large cider vats, the old-fashioned, wooden 
nut-mill, where it grinds the apple sufficiently 
fine, or better still, the revolving stone of four 
or five feet in diameter, moving in a circular vat 
or trough, and drawn by a horse, are the best 
-cider mills ever invented. New things are not 
always the best, especially in cider making. 
VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 
Last year w r e visited and reported upon the 
first exhibition of the Virginia State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, and were so well pleased that we 
designed to be present again this year, but we 
fear that ill health, and a press of duties in the 
office, will prevent our doing so. The Exhibition 
is to be held at Richmond, Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. 
There is a large number of premiums, many of 
them $50 to $100 each, and judging from what 
we have already seen, and what we learn by 
private letters, this show will be one of the 
best of the season. 
-— • - 
FAIRFIELD COUNTY (CONN.) SHOW- 
One of the best local or County Shows we 
have ever visited, was held from Tuesday to 
Frida} of last week, at Stamford, Fairfield Co,, 
Conn. We have not space to go into particu¬ 
lars, but must notice a few things. The 
town of Stamford alone, raised by subscrip¬ 
tion the amount of $1,015. A new tent cover¬ 
ing about 9,000 square feet, was purchased by 
the Society at a cost of some $700, out of sur¬ 
plus funds from last year. About $1,000 were 
given as premiums. Over $2,000 was realized 
this year from subscriptions, memberships, and 
shilling tickets of admission. 
The tent was well filled with agricultural pro¬ 
ducts and specimens of mechanical skill. The 
ladies contributed largely. Of vegetables, John 
W. Hubbard exhibited 128 varieties, G. K. Ri- 
ker 94, and James W. Faulkner 79. There 
was a very large and beautiful display of Amer¬ 
ican Porcelain, manufactured by the American 
Porcelain Company, of Green Point, L. I. Sev¬ 
eral swarms of bees, in hives filled with beauti¬ 
ful honey, attracted considerable attention. We 
pass over the fine carriages, agricultural imple¬ 
ments, clothing, &c., &c. 
Outside the tent, on a spacious field near by, 
was an extensive exhibition of animals, includ¬ 
ing sheep, swine, poultry, and some 200 horses. 
But the great feature of the Show was the ex¬ 
hibition of working and fat cattle and milch cows. 
Immense trains of oxen came in from different 
towns, one of which, from Greenwich, alone 
numbered 86 yoke. The fat cattle could 
scarcely be surpassed. We noticed two pairs 
of these, exhibited by Col. Thomas A. Mead, of 
Greenwich, one of which weighed 4,800 lbs., and 
the other 4,300 lbs. We did not remain to wit¬ 
ness the plowing and spading matches on Fri¬ 
day, for which there were, up to Thursday even¬ 
ing, 15 entries for plowing and 13 for spading. 
During the afternoon and evening of each 
day, meetings were held in the tent, during 
which speeches and brief addresses were made 
by several gentlemen, including Messrs. P. T. 
Barnum, Rev. E. II. Chapin, of New-York, 
George Waring, Dr. Dadd, veterinary sur¬ 
geon of Boston, and others. Mr. Judd, of 
the American Agriculturist , was called out at 
different times to speak upon deep plowing, the 
inutility, as a general thing, of soil analyses, the 
advantages and pleasures of a knowledge of 
chemistry to ladies, and to present the claims of 
the Connecticut State Agricultural Society upon 
the farmers generally. He also gave a brief ad¬ 
dress to the children of the public and private 
schools, who, in company with their teachers, 
visited the tent in a body on Wednesday after¬ 
noon. They came both from Stamford and the 
neighboring towns. This was a very interest¬ 
ing feature of the exhibition, and worthy of im¬ 
itation. Among the live stock, we think the 
show of the human , from fifteen years down to 
two years and younger , not the least important. 
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 
MOWERS, REAPERS, AC., AMONG FARMERS— 
OTHER HINTS. 
Perhaps in no one of the mechanical arts has 
there been greater improvements within the 
past half century, than in that of the manufac¬ 
ture of agricultural implements. Within this 
time more has been done to perfect the plow, 
than was done before for two thousand years; 
while harrows, rollers, cultivators, shovels, 
spades, hoes, forks, and many other implements 
for the field and garden, have been improved 
in so superior a manner, as to have almost be¬ 
come new implements. But the greatest labor- 
saving machines recently brought into use— 
although not absolutely new inventions—are 
the mower, the horse-rake, and hay press; the 
reaper, thresher, winnower, and horse power. 
The saving in labor, at a time when most in de¬ 
mand, and at its highest rates—in the invention 
and improvement of harvest implements—is im¬ 
mense ; but a still greater saving is in that of 
the hay and grain crops. By the use of these 
implements the farmer is enabled to cut his 
grass and grain at the proper time, secure them 
in the best condition, and get them to market 
in season. Previously there was so much loss 
in hay and grain for want of hands to secure 
them at the proper time and in good weather, 
that it was often equivalent to one-fourth, and 
in some instances, one-half of the harvest. 
Tt gives us great pleasure to observe that in¬ 
telligent farmers are becoming alive to their true 
interests, in availing themselves of the use of 
these new and improved implements; adding 
greatly thereby to the value of their property, 
and not a little to their comfort and happiness. 
Others not so well informed still remain in the 
background, and are consequently laboring un- 
