MOORE’S RURAL NEW-IORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL;. 
IMPROVEMEirr OF ETTRAl SOCIETY. 
Mr. Editor :—In your efforts for the 
improvement of the Farmer and his inter¬ 
ests, let not the well being and the moral 
necessities of the rising generation be neg¬ 
lected ; for to them do we look for the fu¬ 
ture cultii ation of the soil. Faimei*s, as a 
class, are under the necessity of keeping 
more or less hired help. But few of the 
o'reat mass of the owners of the soil are 
O 
able to till it sufficiently, without having at 
least one hired man; and often at the time 
of completing the bargain, which is per¬ 
haps binding on both parties for months, 
the hired person is almost, if not quite an 
entire stranger to the employer. This person 
is generally taken into the family, and be¬ 
comes one of the household; and in many 
instances is suffered to become intimate 
with the children and family of the farmer. 
This is all ver\' well—and in accordance 
with Republican intitutions, and the maxim 
tliat “ ail men are created free and equal ” 
—provided his moral and social character 
be .such as we should ■\rtsh our children and 
friends to possess. But is this always the 
case ? How often otherwise! How' often 
do men of the highest moral chai-acter 
themselves, ha'S'e men in their employ who 
are notoriously profane, and addicted to al¬ 
most every vice! These are admitted into 
the farmer’s family; and, if not on terms of 
intimacy, are at least thrown into the soci¬ 
ety of the farmer’s sons—perhaps work 
with them for daj s together—at a season 
of hfe, too, when the mind is more easily 
influenced, and more susceptible of impres- 
.sions, than at any other period. The con¬ 
sequence is, the mind is tainted with vice, 
and receives evil impressions which yearn 
of care and vigilance will be unable to ef¬ 
face. “ Can a man handle fire and not be 
burned?” Neither can a child or youth 
a,ssociate with a profane man or debauchee, 
without imbibing impressions deleterious to 
^ irtue. 
This is one of the crying evils of our 
I'ural population—a tendency to social equal¬ 
ity with the profligate wiiile at w^ork in the 
fields. But it may be asked, “ Hoav is this 
to be remedied, while the farmer is obliged 
and chooses to labor with his hired hands, 
and to have his sons do likewise?” I an¬ 
swer, in the fii’st place, hire no one until 
you are well assured that his moral and so¬ 
cial character is of such a nature that you 
can suffer him to minjrle with the femily 
circlq without contamination. Such men 
can be found, and when found, you should 
consider them a treasure, and keep them. 
No matter if you do have to pay them a 
few' more dollars per month; be assured 
you will find it again after mam' days. 
Mr. Editor, I consider this a subject of 
great importance to the rural population of 
our countiy, and this is my reason for call¬ 
ing their attention to it, in your pages. 
Greece, Jan., 1850. F. W. Lay. 
The City*of New' York has a larger pop- 
ulatic:: than either of the States of Js^ew' 
Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, or Mich¬ 
igan. It has fully the population of New' 
Jersey. It has more than the three States 
of Arkansas, Florida, and Texas, together. 
It has also more population than the States 
of Rhode Island, low'a, and Delaw'are, ad¬ 
ded to that of Oregon territory.—S'wn. 
The State of New' York cannot be clas¬ 
sed as “ small potatoes,” for according to 
the last census, it grew' 27 millions of bush¬ 
els of Potatoes—more than six bushels for 
every man, w'oman and child in the State, 
and more than three times as many as any 
other State in the Union. But w'e must “ ac- 
knowdedge the com” to a good many States, 
particularly Tennesee, w'ho ought to be the 
“corn cracker” of the Union; it grow's an¬ 
nually 76 millions of bushels of Indian 
Corn — nearly five times more than New' 
York. We produce more w'heat than any 
other State, except Ohio, w'hich raises 20 
millions to our 15-^. New' York raises more 
than 12 times as much barley as any other 
State, and more lye than any other State 
except Pennsylvania, w'hich takes the stif¬ 
fening out of any tiling that can be scared 
up —producing 13,500,000 bushels amiu- 
ally; a part is used for bread stuffs, but the 
greater portion to feed that w'orm that nev¬ 
er dies — the worm of the still. 
Advantage of Draining. —An English 
paper says, that in a garden in Hampshire, 
England, the temim'ature of the soil was 
raised fifteen degrees by draining heavj' 
land, four and a half feet deep. This, if 
true, is a great gain—^beyond w'hat could 
have been anticipated as a permanent result. 
ANOTHER RAT STORY. 
Mr. Moore: —As your correspondents 
are in the vein of telhng Rat Stories, if you 
are not tired of the subject, permit me to 
tell mine. 
Previous to the late w'ar, and during the 
Embargo and Non-Intercourse law's, I kept 
a tavern on the lines betw'een Canada and 
Yei-mont, and I will not say but w'hat many 
contraband articles Avere stored w'ith me, 
Avith the intention of e\'ading those law's.— 
Among other articles, Avere several large 
lots of cheese, w'hich Avere put in a tight 
room over the kitchen. Not long after, I 
discoA'ered that a colony of Rats had taken 
possession, and Avere full tilt Avorking at their 
trade. Whether the}^ believed the moon 
w'as made of gi-een cheese or not, Avas nev¬ 
er clearly established, but at any rate, they 
made my cheese pass through all the pha¬ 
ses of that luminar}', from iJie new moon, 
to the last quarter; yet Avhere they procur¬ 
ed ingress defied my scrutiny. The cheese 
Avas piled in the centre of the room, and 
there w'as not a hole or crack to admit a 
mouse. 
After various Avatchings and examina¬ 
tions, I gave it up as absolute w'itchcraft, 
and commenced remoA'ing the cheese; and 
almost the first pile discovered the secret. 
They had eaten a hole through the floor, 
directly under a cheese, and on the hidden 
side, had a sally port, Avhich admitted them 
to the Avhole lot. I put them back in their 
original positions, and fixed a heavy iron 
Aveight in such a manner, that as soon as 
they commenced their infernal orgies, I 
could let it fall, so as to stop the hole and 
cut off their retreat—which, about ten 
o’clock the same night, I successfully per¬ 
formed. Three others Avith myself sudden¬ 
ly entered the room, armed w'ith suple 
sticks prepared for the purpose, and com¬ 
menced operations. After killing a dozen 
or tAvo, they became furious, and ran up the 
Avails and over our persons. Two of the 
men were badly bitten, and a thin pair of 
boots that I Avore Averc fairly bitten through. 
Directly oue of the men commenced scream¬ 
ing, stamping, and jumping; he Avas per¬ 
fectly frantic. A large Rat had run up his 
leg, under his pants, and Avas giving him 
particular Jesse, as the boys say; he grab¬ 
bed it Avith both hands and belloAved bloody 
murder—knocked out the light—kicked 
the door open, and the rats and tlieir slay¬ 
ers Avere equally anxious to beat a retreat. 
The man in his fright, had grasped the rat 
so firmly, that he had squeezed day light 
out of him; he Avas as dead as a smelt, and 
he shook him out of his trousaloons. The 
fright made liim sick for a w'eek. 
On returning to the battle scene, there 
w'ere forty-six dead on the field; hoAv many 
escaped w'e never kncAA'. This foray effec¬ 
tually broke up the nest of robbers, and 
they never returned, but the neighbors, di¬ 
rectly after, had plenty of that kind of 
customers. l. a. 
Rochester, Jan., 1850. 
THE PROPER MODE OF FEEDING CATTLE. 
An English Avriter obserA'cs that two great 
points in feeding cattle, are regularity and 
a particular care of the Aveaker individuals. 
On this last account, there ought to be 
plenty of rack room, that too many may 
not feed together; in which A'ery common 
case the Aveaker are not only trampled down 
by the stronger, but they arc Avorried and 
become cow'ed and spiritless; than Avlfich 
there cannot be a more unfavorable state 
for thrift; besides, they are CA'cr compelled 
to shift Avith the Avorst of the fodder. This 
domineering spirit is so remarkably preva¬ 
lent among horned cattle, that the Avriter 
has a hundred times observed the master 
beasts running from crib to crib, and abso¬ 
lutely neglecting their OAA'n provender for 
the sake of driA'ing the inferior from theirs. 
This is, much oftener than is suspected, the 
chief reason of this difference in a lot of 
beasts after a Avinter’s keep. It is likcAA'ise, 
he says, a veiy common and A'ery shameful 
sight, in a dairy of coavs, to see several of 
them gored and w'oimded in a dozen places, 
merely from the inattention of the OAvner 
and the neglect of coupling the horns of 
those that butt The Aveaker animals should 
be kept apart; and in crib feeding it is in 
in cases a good method to tie up the mas¬ 
ter beasts at their meals. Dr. Dean says 
there should be more yai'ds than one to the 
bam, AA'here divers sorts of cattle are kept. 
The sheep should haA'c a j'ard by them- 
seh'es, at least; and the young stock anoth¬ 
er, that they may be AA'holly confined to 
such fodder as the farmers can afford them. 
SiiOAv yourself, at all times, so great a 
lover of truth, that more credit may be giv¬ 
en to your simple Avord than other’s oaths.' 
PATENT CHEESE PRESS. j 
Of the various Cheese Presses in use, 
Collins’ and Stone’s is one of the cheapest 
and best. We copy the accompanying fig¬ 
ure and description from the Catalogue of 
H. L. Emery, of the Albany Agricultural 
Warehouse: 
“ This cut is a correct view of the press 
in actual use. It is constructed by means 
of double or compound levers, Avhich are 
so arranged that the Aveight of the cheese 
or curd is the poAver Avhich presses itself, 
and as they arc usually made, press in a 
ten or tAvelve fold ratio. This is found 
enough for the commencement of the pro¬ 
cess, but Avhen more is required, by simply 
placing on the platform an extra Aveight, as 
a brick Aveighing four pounds Avould give 
forty to forty-eight pounds of extra pressure. 
It is sufficiently strong to hold a cheese of 
150 or 200 pounds Aveight The press is 
loosened in an instant by a small lever, 
about four or fiv'c feet long, and a child can 
loose it By hooking doAvn the lever, the 
press ansAvers every purpose of a table to 
turn and trim the cheese upon. The Avhole 
Aveighs from thirty to fifty pounds complete, 
and occupies a space of about tAvo feet 
square. There arc three sizes now' made; 
No. 1, smallest $5,00; No. 2, second, $5,50; 
No. 3, largest $6,00.” 
WINTER MANAGEMENT OF FOWLS, 
' The gTcatart in the management of hens, 
in order to render them profitable, is to 
cause them to lay in Avintcr, as it is this sea¬ 
son in Avhich eggs are scarce and high. If 
a person keeps a flock of hens in order to 
supply his family Avith eggs, or for the pur¬ 
pose of selling the eggs in market he must 
manage so that they Avill lay in Avinter, else 
they Avill not generally pay their expenses. 
For in the first case, he Avill be under the 
necessity of buying eggs Avhen they are very 
dear, and if he produces eggs for the mar¬ 
ket, he has them only Avhen every body’s 
hens lay, and he must sell them at a Ioav rate. 
To cause .hens to lay in Avinter, furnish 
tliowi with a warm, Gry shelter, in a Avami 
location, Avhere they can be free from cold 
Avinds, and enjoy a good share of sunshine. 
The hen-house should be kept clean, and 
all filth from remains of food should be care¬ 
fully removed. There should bo a good sup¬ 
ply of gravel, Avhich ought to be renoAved 
occasionally, or dug over so as to furnish a 
fresh lot often. 
Hens should have a constant supply of 
pure Avater, and pure Avholesome food.— 
They are fond of corn, Avheat, barley, oats, 
buckAvheat, rye, rice, millet, boiled potatoes, 
and various other kinds of food. Generally, 
the cheapest grain may be used as their 
principal food; but it is better to supply them 
Avith several kinds. They are A'eiy fond of 
corn, and they flourish Avell Avith this as their 
main food. Boiled potatoes, mashed up, 
Avhile hot, Avith meal of almost any kind of 
grain, or Avith Avheat bran or shorts, and 
given Avarm, are an excellent food in cold 
Aveather, and greatly promotes laying.— 
Changes in food are adA'antageous. Hens 
prefer variet}', as Avell as non-feathered bipeds. 
In AA'inter, and in summer, Avhen confined 
to small yards, hens should have a small 
supply of animal food. Refuse meat or fish 
may be gAen, cooked or raw'. Scraps are 
often obtained, for this purpose, from the 
tallow dealem; but this is not so acceptable 
to hens as fresh meat or fish, Avhich may be 
obtained at a cheap rate, or gratis, from the 
fish market or butcher. Fresh, unburnt 
bones, pounded or chopped fijie, are excel¬ 
lent, as they supply both animal food and 
hme.— New-Encjland Farmer. 
Suffolk and Middlesex breeds of 
Savine. —In our late excursion to Massachu¬ 
setts, Ave frequently sbav specimens of these 
excellent breeds, and crosses between them. 
They Avere first introduced by Mr. William 
Stickney, of Boston, aa'Iio has made several 
impoi'tations of them. He breeds them 
chiefly at his farm in Vermont; but he 
shoAved us a fine boar and a young soav at 
his place in Cambridge. W. G. Bartlett, 
Esq., of Worcester, has some excellent cros¬ 
ses of these breeds. Col. Jaques, of the 
Ten-hills Farm, Somerville, has some prime 
pigs from a cross of the Suffolk and Mac- 
kay. We are informed that pork from these 
breeds readily sells in Boston at a cent and 
a-half per pound above the average market 
price. They fatten easily at any age.— Ib. 
Though abject povert}' be nearly allied 
to misery, depend on it that riches and hap¬ 
piness are far from being inseparable com¬ 
panions. 
WHITTLING SHINGLES. 
My goo(FJohn, this is rather a rotten shin¬ 
gle you have given me; your roof must haA'e 
been veiy old by the look of these old shin¬ 
gles Avhich have been throAvn doAvn. 
Only fifteen years? 
Well, it’s a good deal of an item to have 
to reneAv a roof eveiy' fifteen or tAventy years. 
No use in it at all, my good felloAv;— 
Shoidd like to knoiv how to 'prevent it? 
I’ll tell you how'; and if you Avill folloAv 
mj' directions, your roof Avill last a centuiy. 
Gas tar? 
Exactly. You read my paper, I see.— 
Gas tar is one of the very best paints you 
can use, and it is so very cheap. 
How is it put on? 
Easily enough; any one can do it. Thus: 
—it’s already mixed, and of a proper consis¬ 
tence for putting on Avithout any further 
preparation. Put on a heaA'y coat Avhile 
the roof is dry and in hot Aveather.—It Avill 
soon dry. Put on another and let that diy. 
For your third get ready a good supply of 
clean sand. Take a large iron kettle and 
kindle a fire under it, out of doom and aAvay 
from yoiir buildings; fill it up Avith as much 
of the tar as Avill be needed for your last 
coat. Heat it hot and put on; then throAv 
on the sand freely. If Avell done you Avill 
have a roof almost as solid as stone and quite 
as durable. 
Is it good for anything else? 
Best kind of paint for the running parts 
of your wagons and carts. We find it A'eiy' 
useful to have our Avagons and carts clean¬ 
ed up in the Avinter, and giA'e them one or 
tAvo coats of tar. Its cheapness makes it 
a handy paint, and every farmer should have 
a barrel. We sell for three dollars. 
Have a barrel then? 
Glad to hear you say so. I am glad to 
see that you have been repairing your build¬ 
ings. It’s a good plan. Keep everything 
snug, and let nothing run behind. If neigh¬ 
bor Careless had only driven in a nail the 
other day, Avhen that board on the side of 
his barn Avas loose, it Avould not have bloAvn 
off—the COW' Avould not haA'e gotten her 
head in and torn off another, and his oxen 
lain at his Avheat raoAV all night.. The profit 
of a farm lies in saA'ing the trifles. But are 
you prepared for Avinter ? It’s upon us, and 
has been so for a month. 
Of course you are ? 
Let us see. Cattle are stabled nights and 
stormy days? 
. Certainly. 
Sheep got good shelter, and plenty of 
Avater easy of access. 
Yours don't require any shelter—do well 
enough without. 
Pull off your coat, John PloAvhandle, pull 
it right off. I did not think you such an 
unfeeling; man. Not shelter sheep from 
cold Avet storms, or snoAv storms! N o ani¬ 
mal on the farm so Avell pays for shelter and 
care as sheep. 
Their fleeces tvill keep them warm. 
All true, my good John, if the avooI be 
kept dry. Did you never get caught out 
in a cold rain storm, and get Avet to your 
skin ? 
You have? 
Well, did you not find it very difficult to 
keep Avarni ? Think then of the poor sheep, 
Avhose Avarm fleece w'hen saturated Avith 
Avater from rain or melting sleet, exposed 
to a cold Avind, and no protection except 
that afforded by a crooked rail fence. Such 
treatment Avould kill the hardiest kind of 
animals. 
Yours don't die much? 
True, because there is no animal that Avill 
li\'e through harder usage than a sheep.— 
But they come out Avith a light fleece of de- 
fecth'e Avool. For the substance that, if Avell 
kept, Avould have gone into the avooI is used 
to sustain life. If you Avould have a coav 
give a large mess of milk in Avinter, you 
must feed her Avell, keep her Avarm, else the 
secretion of the milk Avill not go on. If 
you Avould have cattle, or sheep, or hogs, 
fatten cheaply in cold Aveather, you mu.st 
keep them Avarm as Avell as feed high.— 
Just so Avith your sheep; if you Avould have 
a heavy fleece, you must jkeep them warm 
as Avell as give good feeding. 
M^ont pay? 
I tell you it Avill pay. Aside from the 
humanity of the thing, it’s decidedly a mat¬ 
ter of saA'ing, and a veiy important one too, 
that all animals should be Avell sheltered 
and kept comfortably Avarm, and dry. Let 
me just ask you Avhen you eat the most and 
the heartiest victuals ? 
In the ivinter to be sure. 
Exactly. Food is the fuel to the animal 
engine, and the colder, the more is required. 
It therefore folloAvs that, if you 'keep your 
animals Avarm they Avill require so much less 
food. The English fiirmers understand this, 
for I haA'e seen stables Avhere they Avere 
fattening bullocks for the London market, 
that Avere Avarmer than the cottage of many 
a laborer. 
It may be so. 
I knoAV it’s so; and if you Avill take pains 
you can very easily satisfy yourself. Put 
up ten sheep in a good Avarm yard, and let 
ten run outeide. Feed just alike and see 
the difterence. You Avont go long Avithout 
giving them shelter. 
Should like to know why? 
Well, send me tAventy subscribers and I 
Avill make you a present of Leibig’s Animal 
Chemistry, Avhich Avill tell you all about it, 
and give you some capital notions besides. 
While I think of it, I Avill tell you a secret; 
but you Avill tell somebody. 
Hot a bit of it. 
Honor bright, then. If you Avish your 
sheep to do Avell, and especially your lambs, 
do this. Get a plank or slab about twelve 
feet long and a foot Avide, put legs to it as for 
a bench say about a foot long, perhaps a 
little longer. Th.e bench sliould be about a 
foot or eighteen inches high. Make one of 
these for about every fifty sheep—three for 
a hundred Avould be better— 
For sheep to sit on? 
No, sir! Go to a linseed oil factory and 
get tAvo of their large round cakes, Avhich 
Aveigh about fiftj' pounds, for each of these 
benches. Bore a hole through the centre and 
into the plank, as near the end as may be, 
and pin the cake to the bench, one on each 
end. # 
Sheep wont touch it? 
Perhaps they Avont. Sprinkle some salt 
on the sides of each for a.few days, and you 
Avill find the sheep Avill soon begin to lick 
them. In moderate Aveather some of the 
flock Avill be gnaAving at them all day, but 
in scA'ere cold Aveather they Avill not w'ork 
at them much. They Avill manage to get 
off some, and will Avinter better than most 
flocks that haA'e grain. 
You will try it? 
I hope you Avon’t be the only one. But 
I have AA'hittled my shingle into a spade for 
little Willy, and must be off. 
Go in and see the old woman? 
No, thank you; can’t stop noAA'. Give 
her my compliments, and say I will come 
some other day. 
Much obliged I 
You are Avelcome. Good-bye.— Wool 
Grower. 
TO MAKE THE BEST BEEF HAMS. 
Take the hind quarter of a good fat ani¬ 
mal, and make a cut doAA'n all the Avay into 
and the Avhole length of the bone; then cut 
out the bone, leaA'ing the meat with one long- 
cut into its centre—nearly resembling a 
split cylinder. Now' lay it doAvn in clean 
brine, of good salt, that has been boiled and 
skimmed, and into which there has be.en 
dissolved a little sugar. Let it remain in 
for about ten days, at least do not let it get 
too salt. Then lift it out and hang it on a 
hook to drip for about three days. ^ Take it 
doAvn Avhen all the brine has dripped out of 
it, and lay it upon a table. Have ready a 
very little quantity of fine salt, mixed w'ith 
considerable black pepper and ground cloves. 
Rub the meat by hand, both inside and out, 
and then have ready a ball of stout hempen 
cord or tAvine. Then roll the meat firmly 
round, nuiking it into a conical shape. Af¬ 
ter this take the cord and commence at the 
thickest part of the meat, to roll it round, 
draAving it firmly every coil, hav'ing each 
coil Avrapped and draAvn firmly round at 
about one-fourth of an iach apart, up to 
the top or small end. The cord must then 
be laced doAvn both sides opposite, in such 
a Avay that each loAver coil of cord may be 
cut Avithout loosening the cord above it.— 
This roll of beef is then the ne plus idtra 
of beef hams. It has but to be hung up 
for tAA'o or three days, and a slice of it (com¬ 
mencing to cut at the loAver part) either 
boiled or fried, makes a dish fit to enchant 
an epicure. To cut it, the roll should be 
laid upon a table, and with a large shai-p 
knife it should be cut in thin round slices 
and W'hen enough is a cut off for a meal, it 
should be hung up again. Hams should 
never be hung in a Avarm situation, but in a 
dry, cool, ;iiry place. The fat and lean in 
this kind of ham is beautifully mixed in ev¬ 
ery slice. The seasonings assimilate them¬ 
selves Avith the meat, and give it a peculiar 
and agreeable flavor. Let those Avho make 
their OAvn beef hams try this method, and 
if they ever forget or neglect to do it after- 
Avards, although it is a little more trouble¬ 
some than smoking the beef, Ave are no jud¬ 
ges of human nature. 
O 
Remedy for Asth.ma.—A n individual 
Avho has suffered much from asthma, and 
Avho has in vain sought relief from regular 
physicians, AA'ishes us to give publicity to 
the folloAving remedy: 
“Procure common blotting paper, and 
thoroughly saturate it in a solution of ni¬ 
tre, (saltpetre,) and let it be carefully dried 
by the fire, or by exposure to the rays of 
the sun. On retiring at night, ignite it, 
and deposit it, burning, on a plate or square 
of sheet zinc or iron in your bedroom.” 
In many cases, it is said, tliis has enabled 
persons painfully afflicted, to enjoy their 
rest. — Me. Cultivator. 
[Hundreds of nights w'ithin the last five 
years, Avhen the bitter pain Avidened the 
time in proportion as respiration became 
more difficult; hundreds of nights has the 
difficulty been lessened by a suspension of 
Avhat seemed an almost interminable agony 
in the smoke of burning nitre. As a means 
of averting present suffering, the editor of 
the Visitor can recommend, from his OAvn 
experience, the use of saltpetre almost iden¬ 
tically prepared as above. Many times has 
he lain doAvn in a smoke condensed seem¬ 
ingly to the smothering of a common 
healthy breather, and found relief from the 
Avorst suffering.] — Hon. Isaac Hill. 
