MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
AGEICULTUIlAl SCHOOLS. 
In order to bring the subject of Agricul¬ 
tural Schools more intimately before the 
public, we publish the Memorial of Messrs. 
Buel and Peters, as presented to the Leg¬ 
islature late in the session. The proposed 
manner of trying the experiment is in accord¬ 
ance with the Adews expressed in our second 
number, and preferable to the plan for a 
single gigantic establishment that has been 
before the House the past winter. These 
institutions, to become beneficial, must be 
accessible to all; they should be located 
within reach of every section, and adapted 
to the peculiar climate and culture of their 
respective locations. 
We are opposed to submitting laws al¬ 
ready passed to a test vote of the people, 
as it is palpably unconstitutional; but there 
can be no objection to submitting any ques¬ 
tion for their views, and instructions to their 
legislators. 
This project, which emanates from gen¬ 
tlemen of standing and ability, commends 
to the favorable consideration of all 
who have at heart the advancement and 
e levation of the tillers of the soil—the found¬ 
ation of all the wealth and prosperity of this 
Republic. And as the Legislature has ad¬ 
journed without adopting any measure for 
the promotion of Agricultural Education, 
we hope that the subject will be “ kept be- 
fort' tlic people” and fully discussed, preti- 
ou.s to the next session, so that some judi¬ 
cious plan may then be presented and acted 
upon. Our columns are open to a free dis¬ 
cussion of the question, and we invite the 
views of correspondents: 
MEMORIAL 
Oj' tt'M. Bu>:l und T. C. Peters oh the subject of 
a division of the State into Agricultural Districts 
and for Agricultural Colleges. 
To the Honorable Legislatnre of the Stale of New- 
York : 
The undersigned, memorialists, beg leave to call 
vour attention to the subject of Agricultural 
Schools, and the means of giving to the people an 
opportunity for a more practical education than can 
now be obtained. 
We believe that the plan which has been sub¬ 
mitted to you by the Commissioners is defective; 
because we are fully satisfied that no plan can be 
successful which does not bring the supervision of 
the school immediately within the reach of the 
farmers. 
The plan proposes but one college, which at best 
can onh accommodate a small number of students, ‘ 
in comparison to the great number to be educated; 
,.cr can so great a variety of soil or climate be em¬ 
braced in the e-xperimonts of the farm. 
It appears to us that a wiser policy would be to 
so commence the system, as to insure a number of 
colleges within the State. To this end, we propose 
to divide the State into four districts, embracing 
not too large a territory, but still sufficiently popu¬ 
lous to make the tax necessary for the erection of 
the buildings, and the future support of the school 
so light \ipon the property, as not to be felt as a 
burthen. If it be required to raise the sum of one 
hundred thousand dollars which we think quite 
small enough, the State could be .so divided as in 
three of the districts, if raised in one year, the tax 
would not exceed one mill upon the assessed valu¬ 
ation, while in the fourth it would not require to 
exceed one-third of a mill; but as the money will 
not be wanted faster than about twenty-five thou¬ 
sand dollars per annum, the tax will not be larger 
than one-fourth of one mill upon the dollar of as¬ 
sessed valuation. 
In the annexed sciiedule, marked A, we have 
given the plan for the several districts, showing the 
counties in each, and the valuation of the personal 
and real estate of each; and although we do not 
claim it to be the best division that can be made, 
yet we do believe that it is one that will commend 
‘tself to your favorable consideration, when you 
shall have examined the geological map of the 
Stale. We feel assured that a college wmuld be as 
w’ell supported in each, as a single one for the whole 
State. 
We propose, after the State shall have been di¬ 
vided into districts, that it shall be submitted to the 
slectors in each to vote at the next election for or 
against the measure, and if in any district a ma- 
ioriiv shall be found in favor of establishing the 
college, then it shall be the duty of the Comptrol¬ 
ler to fix the amount which each county shall raise 
as its j)roportion of the twenty-five thousand dollars, 
and the same shall be raised by the Board of Su¬ 
pervisors in each county as other State taxes are 
raised. When the sum of one hundred thousand 
dollars shall have been raised, then the sum of ten 
thousand dollars may be raised annually, if the 
Commissioners shall certify the same to be neces¬ 
sary. The Commjssioners shall be appointed by 
the Boards of Supervisors, one from each county ! 
in the district, tvho shall be divided into classes, and 
a certain number go out every year. The Com¬ 
missioners should select the site for the college, and 
purchase so much of a farm as they may deem 
proper, and designate three of tlieir number to go 
on and make the necessary erections, and proceed 
xo put cvcr'th^.g ill order ready for the commence- i 
ment of the school. The whole subject of the { 
.r-^vfv'meut of the school to remain in the Board 
of Commissioners. 
Your memoriaiists further believe that the plan 
now before yyu is further i^idically defective, be¬ 
cause it has made no^rovision, nor contemplated 
any, whereby the Mmer^dau^ter shall be edu¬ 
cated aw well'anc^ aft thortJughly as the farmer’s 
son. We believe quite as much of the prosperity 
and more of the liberty and independence of our 
country depends upon the education of the daugh¬ 
ters than of the sons. The character of the future 
voter is formed by the mother, and how can that 
be otherwise than defective if the education of the 
mother be not commensurate with the high posi¬ 
tion she is to occupy. We therefore hope that no 
plan will be adopted by you which does not give 
the same opportunity to the daughters to obtain a 
thorough and practical education, as is given to the 
sons. ^ 
Trusting that your deliberations will result in the 
good and happiness of all, we shall, as in duty 
bound, ever pray, &c. WM. BUEL, 
March 22d, 1850. T. C. PETERS. 
(A.) 
A plan for dividing the State into Agricultural 
Districts. 
I. DISTRICT. 
Counties. Valuation. 
Chautauque,.^5,053,667 
Cattaraugus,. 3,642,483 
Erie.15,099,723 
Niagara. 5,149,223 
Orleans,. 4,968,187 
Genesee,. 6,136,640 
Wyoming,. 4,384,099 
Allegany,. 3,659,303 
Livingston,.10,191,600 
Monroe,.14,769,740 
Waylie. 7,138,147 
Ontario,.13,565,564 
Yates. 4,172,178 
Steuben,. 6,811,614 
$104,742,168 
II. DISTRICT. 
Chemung,. 2,907,196 
Tompkins,. 4,125,450 
Seneca,. 5,967,714 
Cayuga.10,.533,516 
Tioga,. L903,080 
Broome,. 2,066,676 
Cortland,. 2,222,646 
Onondaga,.16,807,658 
Oswego,. 6,245,242 
Jefferson,. 7,213,636 
Lewis,. 1,618,000 
Oneida,.12,446,643 
Madison. 6,702,488 
Chenango,. 4,297,813 
St. Lawrence,. 3,604,911 
Herkimer,. 6,237,655 
Otsego,. 5,539,599 
Delaware,. 3,684,873 
$104,123,797 
III. DISTRICT. 
Franklin,. 1,766,819 
Clinton,. 1,743,131 
Essex,. 1,593,337 
Hamilton,. 302,798 
Warren,. 1,083,206 
Washington,. 6,269,233 
Saratoga,. 7,007,809 
Fulton,. 1,443,351 
Montgomery,. 3,545,398 
Schenectady,. 2,997,273 
Rensselaer,.14,046,576 
Albany,.16,299,936 
Schoharie,. 1,795,587 
Greene,. 3,025,745 
Columbia,.... 9,272,541 
I Dutchess.. 
Ulster. 5,249,251 
Sullivan,. 1,443,978 
$96,080,998 
IV. DISTRICT. 
Orange,.11,751,426 
Putnam,. 2,989,064 
Westchester.15,304,283 
Rockland,. 2,506,181 
Richmond,. 1,806,053 
Kings,.38,292,425 
Queens.11,683,275 
Suffolk,. 6,137,597 
New York,.254,192,527 
$344,462,829 
ON THE CULTIVATION OF ASPARAGUS. 
[From the Wool Grower.] 
Mr. Editor: —As tlje season is now at 
hand for planting this valuable and produc¬ 
tive vegetable, and as I consider that every 
farmer should grow a sufficient supply for 
the use of his family, I will give my expe¬ 
rience, in which I consider the easiest mode 
to cultivate it. 
Choose a piece of good dry land, plow 
and drag it well, mark it out in rows 3 feet 
apart, and dig trenches 18 inches deep 
about as wide as your spade, then fill up 
your trenches about six inches wdth old 
bones, if you can get them, if not use chip 
manure, or rotten wood, then fill in the 
next 6 inches with rotten manure, well mix¬ 
ed with earth, on which, place your plants, 
8 inches apart, and cover up with rotten 
manure mixed with earth. 
If you cannot obtain plants, you can fill 
up your trenches as named above, and draw' 
drills on the top, and sow seed as you do 
for beets, and thin them out to about eight 
inches. It is much best to get plants, if 
you can, as it will come to cut two years 
sooner than it will from seed.- 
I consider it much better to work amongst, 
being in rows 3 feet apart, as you can ma¬ 
nure your rows well in the fall, and spread 
the manure the following spring, and dig 
between with a fork, and hoe out the weeds 
in the summer. 
Mow off the tops when they get dry, and 
burn them on the ground, and use plenty 
of goo'd manure and salt, and you will grow 
enough to cut, from the middle of April to 
the last of June annually. w. w'. 
Darien, Genesee Co., March, 1850. 
Capes in Chickens.—-A female friend 
who raises chickens, &c., for the Columbus 
market, informs us that she cures gapes in 
cliickens by simply applying spirits of tur¬ 
pentine to the outside of the throat and 
neck of the chicken—two or three applica¬ 
tions always effecting a cure.— Ohio Culti¬ 
vator. 
GALLS ON HORSES. 
So much injury and suffering is sustain¬ 
ed by this noble and generous animal, and i 
often so much loss of service, in consequence ( 
of galls produced by the saddle and har- i 
ness, that an efficient remedy, either preven- ( 
tive or curative, ought to be hailed as a sig- j 
nal benefit I have seen several remedies < 
prescribed for this evil. The one most ; 
highly recommended in published notices, i 
seems to be the use of powdered white lead 1 
applied to the wound. I have applied it to 
my own horses when on a journey, and al- ; 
so to my teams on the farm. I did not ap- i 
prove of it, and of course sought other rem- i 
edies. It answered the purpose tempora- : 
rily to be sure, by indurating the sore, and 
diying it up, causing a hard dead surface, 
like tanned leather. But a scar and white 
hairs, and something else than a healthy 
natural surface was the ultimate result.— 
Of course I rejected it, entirely. 
More than twenty years ago, when our 
large ferry boats were propelled by horse 
power, and the horses, by moving round in 
a circle, were exceedingly liable to be gall¬ 
ed by the collar, I learned from the ferry¬ 
men, the use of alum and whiskey. They 
bathed the neck and back, and w'herever 
the harness rubbed, with whiskey into which 
pounded alum had been put, until no more 
could be dissolved. When a gall had oc¬ 
curred, constant bathing would secure the 
continued use of the horse, and actually 
heal the wound while in service. I resort¬ 
ed to this remedy, carrying it with me when 
I journeyed, and have continued its use with 
undiminished approval, for more than twen¬ 
ty years. I apply no other remedy. When 
a horse has been put out for the winter, and 
has not been used, his breast and back will 
be tender. A single hour’s use of saddle 
or collar, in a hot day, will then scald the 
breast so as to produce serious injury. My 
uniform practice, therefore, has been, for a 
week before beginning to use the harness, 
to harden the breast and back by bathing 
them regularly two or three times a day. 
No injmy has then resulted from the appli¬ 
cation of the collar. And when a bad gall 
has actually occurred, a frequent and perse¬ 
vering use of tliis remedy has secured the 
constant use of the animal, and healed the 
wound whilo in c>.>nthiuod sorvico. 
Should the canal -norses, now being cal¬ 
led in from their winter’s respite, have their 
breasts hardened by one weeks previous use 
of this application, I have entire confidence 
that a great amount of injury and suffering 
might be avoided. e. d. 
Weight and Value of Eggs. —It is most 
extraordinaiy, that the varieties in weight 
and value of eggs as an article of merchan¬ 
dise, should have been so universally over¬ 
looked. So far as known, it has always 
been the custom everywhere to sell eggs 
by nuvther, without respect to size, weight, 
or peculiar quality. Yet no absurdity can 
be greater. It has been a.scertained, by 
careful experiments recently made by the 
author, that the fair average weight for a 
dozen of eggs is 22^ oz. Recently, on ap¬ 
plication to a provision dealer, he made an¬ 
swer to the inquiry addressed to him, that 
he made no difference in the price, of his 
eggs. On examination of his stock, it ap¬ 
peared that the largest eggs weighed 24 oz. 
per dozen, and the smallest only 14-^ oz.— 
In the one case, a fraction over eleven eggs 
would equal the average weight of a dozen, 
and in the other, it would require over 18 
eggs to reach the proper weight. It appear¬ 
ed, to oui’ mutual astonishment, that the 
difference in weight between the two kinds 
was about one half, while the price was the 
same.—Dr. Bennett’s Poultry Booh. 
A Noble Horse. —Grant Thornburn 
says: “I once saw a horse in the neighbor¬ 
hood of New York, dragging a load of coal 
(1200 weight,) in a cart. The lane was 
very narrow—the diiver, some distance be¬ 
hind, was conversing with a neighbor. The 
horse, on a slow walk, came up to a child, 
sitting on his hind quarters in the middle of 
the road, gathering up the dust with its lit¬ 
tle hands, and making ‘mountains out of 
mole hills.’ The horse stopped—he smelt 
of the child—there was no room to turn oft'. 
With his thick lips he gathered the frock 
between his teeth, lifted the child, laid him 
gently on the outside of the wheel track, 
and ‘went on his way rejoicing,’ and well 
he might rejoice—he had done a noble deed.” 
Matched Horses. —A splendid pair of 
Bay Geldens, passed through this village 
yesterday ou their way to Lodi. They are 
brothers, coming 4 and 5, sixteen hands 
high, of the Sir Henry stock, and for sym¬ 
metry and elegance of form and color, are 
unsurpassed in the county. They were 
“raised,” so we understand, by John Y, 
Manning, of Varick, and sold by him to 
Hon. John DeMott, of Lodi, for the snug 
sum of $600.— Ovid Bee. 
BIRDS AND INSECTS. horse, could be done by steam at compara- 
, tively small expense. In Scotland, many of 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:—An article the large farms have steam engines-and so 
in your paper, treating of some singular cir- general is the use of steam engines among 
cumstances, relating to the introduction of the larger English farmers, that we now 
some of the most destructive insects, that have before us the copy of a debate before 
depredate upon and annoy the farmer and London Farmers Club, on the use of 
j i c i-u r u steam, in which we find remarks by mem- 
gardener, says, that many of them fo low bemjudiciously made on all the varioL kinds 
civihzation; true, and so does the gallows Qf engines, and their comparative economy; 
and the guillotine —but it does not follow and these remarks give evidence that the 
that they are blessings to that state of anti¬ 
barbarity. 
I was led to sum up and congregate in my 
mind, the many ills that flesh is heir to, in 
the scourge and annoyances of both bird and 
insect, and it made a most formidable ar- 
steam engine is in such common use among 
farmers there, that you could readily mis¬ 
take their remarks for those of professed en¬ 
gineers, so thoroughly do they seem to be 
acquainted with the details, &c. 
The use of drill machines for planting, is 
being more generally adopted, and thus the 
lay. I am but a young farmer, yet I have seed is sown or planted in an equitable man- 
been about the world a good deal, and I am "f o''®‘''o ‘he same depth, 
, , . . 1 J • always yielding a larger crop and of more 
free to say that, in my travels and in my 
present vocation, I have suffered more from nowledged usefulness of this instrument more 
bird and insect, than from all the other tha§ three quaiders of our grain crops are 
troubles of life. Frost and hail, drought, planted without the use of this machine.— 
rain and winds, I do not take into computa- fO"*!™>T dnU 
ton, as they are the metitable results of the 
laws of nature; to them I bow in all humil- of turnips, carrots, parsnips, or even corn, 
ity, as concomitants of that complicated ma- peas, beans, &c., being planted by hand and 
chine, the globe, and its organization-—but sometimes broadcast, they may, by the use 
the annoyance and positive injury of the drill barrow, be sown in drills equi- 
X j 1 . 1 - i X -u • distant apart, and with regularity of distance 
feathered race, and the insect tnbe, is more 
than I can bear patiently. 
tween the drills being regular, the weeds 
It is said by those who strain to make the can be kept down by the use of the horse 
poorer seem the better reason, that every or hand cultivator, instead of the tedious 
thing was created for some good and im- expensive use of'the hand hoe the 
portant use, and for the benefit of man. It f*g * 
f . vator, may be kept contmuallv loose and in 
IS equally pertinent to say, many things w ere order—indeed, the best results in mod- 
created for a curse to man; for are we not em farming cannot be arrived at with suf- 
told, that “Thorns and thistles shall the ficient economy, without the use of this in¬ 
earth bring forth,” as one of the primal cur- strument. 
ses for man’s disobedience—and why may . ^ small sub-soil plow for effi- 
. J J. . , • a- X- ^ tivating corn, should not be overlooked, tor 
not birds and insects, those useless umictions, :xuxv;„- x x i ix- x 
’ ’ with this instrument and a proper cultivator. 
be considered in the same category ? < 
There is a great deal of false sentiment— 
of namby pamhy twaddle expended about 
butterflies and birds—larks and nightin- 
corn may be w'orked for half the expense 
usually applied to it. 
When the corn is about four or five inches 
high or less, run the sub-soil plow, with its 
gales-hut I am clear in my mind, that both ‘''.t “'IT 
° -111 • c , 1 “Om it to full depth, and the same on the 
races are implacable enemies of man s hap- 
piness; and if they were annihilated at one plant, but will leave the adjacent soil 
fell swoop, it would conduce to his welfare, most thoroughly disturbed to a great depth, 
and I ask emphatically in relation to the ready to receive moisture and atmospheric 
creation of the whole class, order and genus ipfl'>etoes, and enabling the corn roots as 
„,. , , . _ . ° fast as formed, to run down in this sub-soil 
of birds and insects, cm bono? n. g. receiving all the portions of manures 
Clyde, April, 1850. held in solution, which wiU all incline to- 
--ward this cut. The cultivator should then 
IMPROVED FARMING UTENSIM. be run in the broad space between the rows, 
_ , to disintegrate the surface, and the two rear 
We are ashamed to acknowledge that teeth may be formed like small plow-shares, 
while mechanics and others are daily adopt- throw earth towards the hills or ridges— 
ing the use of labor-saving machinery of all these teeth by being changed, placing the 
kinds, the farmers ffion^ who most need eco- the right in|lace of the one on the 
kinds, the farmers alone, who most need eco¬ 
nomical reduction in labor, remain incredu¬ 
lous and perverse in using the tools of the 
olden time, instead of adopting those which 
left, will take the soil from the hills when 
required. Corn so tilled, will need little or 
no hoeing, and our word for it, the soil will 
would reduce theii labor, and increase fbeir been more disturbed than by ten times 
profit. Many farms within 50 miles of New 
York, are without a cultivator, and although 
it has been clearly proved that this instru¬ 
ment in many cases will do the work with 
a single horse, of forty men with hoes, still 
it is far from being in general use, and even 
the cost of labor with the common hand hoe. 
— Working Farmer. 
LARGE STEERS.--A CHALLENGE, 
We copy the following statement and 
many of our market gardeners continue to challenge from a recent number of the Wy- 
use the hand hoe for such crops as might be Mirmv • _ 
equally well cultivated by the cultivator, and ° ' 
at much loss expense. Even the hand cul- Xttic.v, March 23, 1850. 
tivator will enable one man to perform the Oxen and Steers. — Beat us if you can. 
work of twenty men with hoes, and but few —One day last week we saw 5 pair of Cat- 
know the instrument by name. weighed on the scales in this village; 
How few farmers have ro/Zers, and still owned by five different men in this town, 
in many soils this simple and expeditious and all residing in the same neighborhood. 
instrument is capable, if used at proper within ies 
times, of rendering the soil pulverulent, and and we c. 
of leaving the surface of lands to be mow- Yor 
ed, level, and less liable to attacks of insects, same age 
1st, Lyman Brainard’s, 2 year old pa.st,'working 
The use of the hand hoe instead of the William Powers’ 3 year old not broke' 
plow, in some parts of our southern country, ^ Steers,...3,816 “ 
is not more ridiculous than the use of the ^ year old twin work-^ 
hand flail instead of the thrashing mill in lihlm CoolejJr5’'yearoVd' working ’ 
the north, and still we hear the sound of the 
Steers,.4,200 “ 
flail in almost every county in New York ^th, L.eonkks Doty’s Fat Oxen,... . 5,100 “ 
and New Jersey. ' Our lamer class of far- One of Mr. Povyers’ steers weighed 2 060 
mers should not even be content with mov'- ^bs., and is a model of beauty, and all the 
ing the thrashing machine by horse power; head are very fine quality cattle, 
many could apply water power with but Verj-' respectfully yours, F. 
slight cost, while many others, who have 
large quantities of fuel which it is desirable Advice to Boys. —As the season for 
to transform into ashes, coidd use steam planting is approaching, boys should fur- 
with decided profit. In Holland, where nish themselves with seeds of melons, cu- 
every economy is resorted to, steam engines cumbers, early corn, flowers, &c. For each 
are in great use by agriculturists, the waste should have a little patch of land for his 
steam after supplying power for thrashing, own, on which he should raise some vege- 
grinding, &:c., being then used for cooking tables and some beautiful flowers. A boy 
food for cattle, hogs, &c. In many locali- who has a small plat cultivated by himself, 
ties peat ashes are wanted, draining tiles are will take great pleasure in keeping it in fine 
to be burned, grain to be ground, hay, straw condition, and in watching the changing 
and corn stalks to be cut, heat is required plants from the time they start from the 
to assist manure heaps in decomposition, or ground until they come to full perfection, 
to keep up the temperature of hot beds, hot Eveiy stage of growth will aft'ord some- 
houses, graperies, &c., &c., all,' ^or any of thing of novelty and interest, and when the 
which, could be accomplished by.a small cucumbers, melons, early potatoes, beans, 
steam engine and properly constructed boil- corn, &c., are fit for use, how pleased will 
er stack, and at much less cost than when the industrious boy be who sees his friends 
otherwise performed. partake of the product of his own hands! 
Such application of steam, however, is not --®— 
applicable to small ffirm.s, but our large op. A farmer should never depend upon liis 
erators should look to such uses of this cheap neighbor for what he can by care and good 
power. Pumps may be worked for irriga- management produce on his own farm; 
within less than two miles of this village; 
and we challenge any town in the State of 
New York to beat us wdth 5 pairs of the 
partake of the product of his own hands! 
A farmer should never depend upon liis 
neighbor for what he can by care and good 
management produce on his own farm; 
ting lands during drought, and indeed much should never beg fruit while he can plant trees 
labor which is now performed by man or ' or borrow tools when he can make or buy. 
