VOLUME I. y 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-TIIURSRAY, MAY 23, 1850 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Mr. A. said anotlier process had been re- 
THE RUTA BAGA. 
ISOME six or eiglit years since, a majority 
of farmers had their patches of Ruta Ba- 
gas, or other esculents, for the benefit of 
their stock; and Ave opine that it is not that 
the raising of root crops has been found to 
be unprofitable, but rather that the excite¬ 
ment of the new thing, of which so much 
was then said and written lias died away, 
which has caused it of late to become so 
widely neglected. It is true that they ap¬ 
pear most valuable to the grazier and dai¬ 
ryman, rather than to the grain-grower, but 
the latter should remember that by their | 
culture, still more of his farm may'be put 
under the plow, instead of being employed 
as meadow or pasturage—that, by the 
proper cultivation of lialf an acre of Ruta 
Bagas, he can obtain as much food for his 
cattle as from several acres of hay. The 
amount of labor required, both in raising 
and feeding the former, exceeds that of the 
latter, but still not enough to counterbal¬ 
ance other advantages. But an able com¬ 
munication on “Root Culture,” in a late 
number of the Rural, renders it unneces¬ 
sary to revert more particularly to the val¬ 
ue of these crops to all who keep stock, 
whether few or many in number. 
There is yet nearly a month’s time be¬ 
fore the sowing of the Ruta Baga; but to 
have the ground properly prepai ed it is ne¬ 
cessary to begin in season—and after corn 
and potatoes are planted, the sooner the bet¬ 
ter. A piece of green-sward or clover ley, 
deeply and smoothly turned under, forms 
an excellent foundation whereon to spread 
a good coating of well rotted manure, which 
by repeated harrowing should be thorough¬ 
ly mixed with the surface soil. Sward land 
will be less apt to be filled with weeds than 
any other, at least in the early part of the 
season when these pests are most trouble¬ 
some. By the 20th of June the seed should 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY. 
Office in Burns’ Block, corner of Buffalo and State 
streets, (entrance on State,) Rochester. 
conduct:^ by d. d. t. moore. 
(Laie Publisher and Associate Editor Gen. Farmer.) 
Ij. B. LANGWORTFIY, Associate Editor. 
Corresponding Editors: 
ELON COMSTOCK, (former Ed. Central N. Y. 
Farmer,) of Oneida County. 
T. C. PETERS, (Editor of the Wool Grower,) 
of Genesee County. 
Educational Department by I.. WETIIERELL. 
If birds were simply created to destroy 
insects—and “X. Y. Z.” estimates thg im¬ 
mense amount that a single bird is capable 
of destroying—then I a.sk, why were birds 
made, or what is their use to man or beast ? 
—and what link of the great economy of 
creation would be broken, if they should 
become extinct? The sole design of the 
creation of birds could not have been for the 
destruction and keeping down the teeming 
productiveness of insect life, as a considera¬ 
ble share of them are not camiverous, but 
exist on grain and seeds; but as they do 
not perform that office to any great extent, 
it would follow that it was a failure in the 
design of the Creator, a corollary that can¬ 
not be admitted. 
Man is fearfully and wonderfully made, 
and so is the worm we tread upon, and in 
many cases with an exertion of a far excel¬ 
ling combination of wonderful and inscru¬ 
table principles. There is nothing develop¬ 
ed in the anatomical construction of the hu¬ 
man species, that involves the immense out¬ 
lay of power and wisdom, or that parallels 
the change of the ovim of the insect, to the 
disgusting larvce and its changes, and revi¬ 
vification to the winged soaring imago, to a 
state of life, beauty and joyousness. What 
an exuberance of invention all vitality ex¬ 
hibits, of that prolific redundancy of pow¬ 
er, possessed by an All-wise and powerful 
Creator. Yet all these wonders do not 
save birds and insects from the categoiy of 
being determinately a curse to man, and so 
they were desinged along with the thorns 
and thistles, noxious weeds, reptiles and 
vermin. 
I may, Mr. Editor, be very uncultivated, 
I and devoid of enthusiasm, and have no mu¬ 
sic in my soul; but if you should ever have 
your kitchen and flower gardens scratched 
into mole hills—your corn cropped before 
it had come up—your strawberries, melons 
and tomatoes hen-pecked worse than an 
obedient husband—your corn fields ravag¬ 
ed by black birds and jays, and pulled up 
by crows—your cherries plundered by 
robins and cedar birds — your apple trees 
bored by wood-peckers and sap-suckers— 
your wheat fields stripped by yellow birds 
and pigeons—your bees gormandized by 
the bee-eater and king-bird — I think, sir, it 
would take the enthusiasm out of all bird 
fimeiers. 
By their extinction, the epicure and gour¬ 
mand might miss his snipe, wood-cock and 
chickens. Let him go to grass with Xebu- 
chudnezzar, and learn temperance and ab¬ 
stemiousness. The luxurious might miss 
the downy pillow; but hair, wool, husks, or 
straw would benefit his hahits and his health. 
For quills we have the golden stiletto, a 
more effective 
RU’ For Terms, &c., see last page. 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT, 
AGRICULTURAL DISCUSSION. 
BONE MANURE. 
[Reported for the Rural New-Yorker.] 
The Central Farmers’ Club convened at 
their Rooms, March 30, 1850, at the usual 
hour. Col. G. in the Chair. 
The meeting was called to order by the 
Chairman, who suggested the propriety of 
discontinuing the weekly meetings, on ac¬ 
count of the shortness of the evenings, and 
the commencement of the important avoca¬ 
tions of the farm, and that hereafter they 
only meet monthly. Agi-eed to. 
Mr. McD. proposed, that a committee be 
appointed to examine and report on the sub¬ 
ject of the advantages and feasibility of em¬ 
ploying one or more 
musquitoes, fleas and bed-bugs, or the hu- \ 
man vermin of a Mexican dimgeon, as I ? 
have — or stung by hornets, wasps and. bees ) 
—poisoned, choked and irritated by house ; 
flies, ants and spiders—harrassed by the \ 
nameless, numberless creeping and flying \ 
abominations; all kinds of unclean 
insects 
invading their food and drink, their bed and 
board—and I think they w'ould not die in 
extacies over insect life. 
This is not all of the infliction. Your 
fruit trees are destroyed Ijy the borer and 
grub — every kind of fruit inoculated by 
the curculio — the whole planting of a sea¬ 
son cut oft by the wire and cut worm — 
your roses and grapes destroyed by the 
rose-bug—the foliage stripped from your 
shade and fruit trees by the caterpillar and 
army worm—your wheat ruined by the wee¬ 
vil, and peas by the pea-bug. Every bles¬ 
sing under heaven seems to have its insect 
curse. Your horses die of the botts, and 
your sheep by the worm in the nose; half 
tlie diseases of man, from the itch to chole¬ 
ra, are attributable to insect life. They are 
a worthless, annoying pestilence to the whole 
race. Only a half dozen of the 200,000 
species contribute in any possible way to our 
comfort, or use; none of which are indis¬ 
pensable. The honey-bee—we have other 
sweets; silk-worm—its produce a mere lux- 
ury; Spanish-fly—there are other eschar- 
otics; Cochineal—a color not inimitable, or 
important; and for leaches we can cup or 
phlebotomize. 
So, Mr. Editor, I am only confirmed in 
my former assertion, that the whole crea¬ 
tion of birds and insects were either design¬ 
ed as a curse and infliction on man, or one 
of prolific nature’s redundancies, without 
motive or design. n?. 
Clyde, May, 1850. 
ness and preventing the attack of the fly, 
has doubled the ability of the country to 
produce that root 
One bushel, costing 
about 50 cents, more than doubles the value 
of a wagon load of manure, and analysis 
shows that it contains more than 00 times 
as much valuable saline ingredients, as cow 
manure. Horn clippings and shavings con¬ 
tain more gelatinous matter, but less lime 
and phosphoric acid; they are a quickly act- 
ing material, but not as lasting as bones. 
Mr. A. said that its use kept the soil when 
once clean, entirely free of weeds; but he 
doubted whether its expense would allow it 
to be used extensively in making any kind 
of crops. It is true it might be drilled in 
with Avheat, associated with ashes, and made 
to pay—and even on corn hills; but as a 
general fertilizer it could hardly be expect¬ 
ed to come into general use. 
The Chairman announced the hour for 
adjourning, but begged leave to remark, that 
probably his views on the uses of inorganic 
manures, differed, from most of the gentle¬ 
men present. He smd, with his slight knowl¬ 
edge of vegetable physiology, he could not 
conceive of any real vegetable producing 
agent, but the decomposition of vegetable 
matter, or at least a material that will give 
up carbonic gas. It is true that some of 
the salts may increase decomposition, and 
stimulate vitality in the plant, but he had 
very little faith in the ability of the chemists 
to produce the perfectly developed vegeta¬ 
ble structiu-e, in pure sand and clay, by any 
steeps or other mineral substances which do 
I not produce carbonic acid freely. What the 
plant is able to absorb from the air, is AvhoUy 
insufficient, in lus opinion, to benefit the lig¬ 
neous structure—as the atmosphere con¬ 
tains only about a thousandth part of car¬ 
bonic acid gas. 
He had no doubt that the application of 
bone manure, plaster, ashes ,&c., applied to 
soils containing a proper quantity of decay- 
.ing vegetable matter, acted as pepper, salt 
and catchups, a mere condiment to stimulate 
the plant and quicken its aptitude to take food. 
Mr. A. remarked, that he had no doubt, 
if the wheat drilling system prevailed, of 
whi^he Avas sanguine, it would be found 
profit^le to di-ill in with the wheat, not only 
bone dust but plaster and ashes. He wish¬ 
ed to observe to the meeting that fresh lime 
must in no case be used with bones, as it 
was fatal to its benefits—saponifying the oily 
matter—combining with the basis, imd dis¬ 
persing the gases. 
The subject proposed for discussion at the 
next monthly meeting, was the manner and 
benefits of lime 
qualified persons to 
lecture during the ensuing fall and winter 
in each town in the county; on the subject 
of forming Farmers’ Clubs, and to assist in 
organizing the same. He wished his reso¬ 
lution to lie on the table, for consideration. 
Mr. J. said he had heard a great deal said 
about bone dust, but had never conversed 
with any one who had used it Much has 
been said in its favor, but if it was such a 
powerful and important manure, why was 
it that the immense quantity of bones in 
cities, and even about farm houses, were suf¬ 
fered to cumber the ground entirely useless. 
He estimated that one quarter of the car¬ 
cass of all the animals consumed were con¬ 
stituted of bones, and yet he was not aware 
that there was a bone mill in this State. 
Mr. Van V. said he had been struck with 
the same reflections as Mr. J., and he had 
understood that a mill for grinding and pre¬ 
paring bones, was commenced in Rochester, 
but had been abandoned, the proprietor be¬ 
ing satisfied that the machine would not 
perform the operation—and that the pro¬ 
jector was totally ignorant of the process. 
He said he should like to be informed how 
solid bone was decomposed in the earth, or 
in what its peculiar fertilizing properties 
consisted. 
Dr. M. said that the principal constituents 
of bones were the carbonate and phosphate 
of lime, animal fat, and gelatine or glue.— 
It is evident to all observers, that bones on 
exposure to the weather, soon lose all their 
fatty and gelatinous qualities—bleach and 
lose a considerable part of their weight.— 
The strongest and quickest operating ma¬ 
nures, are the result of’the decomposition 
of animal matter; therefore, so far as this goes 
it is easy to estimate the virtues of bone. 
One of the most important inorganic fer¬ 
tilizers known is phosphoric acid, and bones 
contain a very large proportion of the nhos- 
A “LARGE POTATO” 
EXPERIMEHT. 
The following—one of our boyish ex¬ 
periments, noted at the time,—may throw 
some light on the question of cut or uncut 
potatoes for planting, and also on the proper 
amount of seed for good soils. In the spring 
of 1842, in digging over our garden, I came 
across a good-sized potato of the flesh-col¬ 
ored variety, which had remained undis¬ 
turbed through the winter. It had 10 eyes, 
and cutting it into six pieces, I planted in 
two hills, in the mellow garden soil. When 
dug (Sept. 16,) the product proved to be 40 
potatoes—thirty of which were of good size, 
some rather too large — the remaining ten of 
course, “ small potatoes,” and, in this case, 
“ few in a hill.” 
Had from ten to fifteen eyes, or more been 
planted, as is often done, I doubt not, from 
facts since observed, but that a much larger 
number, of potatoes might^have been pro- 
We have spoken more particularly of 
the Ruta Baga, because we think its cul¬ 
ture has been neglected, perhaps in some 
instances for other roots, to the detriment 
of the farming community. For cattle and 
sheep, as spring food, to bring them through 
to grass in good heart, we know of nothing 
better than the Swedish Turnip or Ruta 
Baga. 
In England where the climate is better 
suited to the turnip culture than in this 
country i* is esteemed, says Mr. Colman, 
“ the foundation of the improved husband¬ 
ry there prevailing; in the means it affords 
of supporting an increased stock, in the 
abundance of enriching manure it thus sup¬ 
plies”—and other, and consequent advan¬ 
tages “ too numerous to mention.” r 
weapon than all the poignards 
on earth. And the military hero—he can’t 
fight without feathers; let him strut in horse 
hair and tinsel, like a three-tailed Bashaw. 
Their music—aye, I had forgot that— 
True there are a dozen or so that have fine 
notes, and warble very melodiously, in har¬ 
mony with the loelings of love-sick swains 
and sentimental dreamers—(of which class 
I have no doubt your correspondents will 
have to plead to;)—but the thousands that 
have no note at all, or harsh, incongruous 
and discordant—what of them? For my 
part I am content to have my music from 
ruby lips, metalic strings, and brazen throats. 
In short, their total annihilation would be a 
Money skilfully expended in drying land 
by draming it, or otherwise, will be return¬ 
ed with ample interest 
as applied to crops. 
The Club adjourned to the 27th of April. 
