MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
I5TEEESTING CORRESPONDENCE. 
PKESIDENT TAYLOR AND THE STATE FAIR. 
The following correspondence between 
the President of the N. Y. State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, and His Excellency the late 
President of the United States, will be read 
with deep interest at the present time.— 
The letter of Gen. Tay^lor possesses a mel¬ 
ancholy interest *from the fact that it is 
supposed to be the last he ever wrote. It 
is also important as showing the great in¬ 
terest he fclt in the promotion of the cuuse- 
of agriculture: 
Mt. Hopk, Ai.Bvsy, May 18, IS.TO. 
His Ezcellenaj, Z. Tatloh, J^rcsH U. S. 
Sir —The New York Slate Agricultural Socie¬ 
ty was greatly disappointed that the state of your 
Excellency’s health did not allow you to become 
its guest at Syracuse last autumn. The Society 
and F’armers of New York, however, flattering 
themselves that their disappointment was altributa- 
bly only to temporarj' indisposition, have hoped 
that the welcome they had prepared for their Chief 
Magistrate was only postponed—not lost. 
Acting as their organ, as the presiding officer of 
the State Society, and in accordance with an unan¬ 
imous vote passed at the last meeting of its Ex. 
Board, 1 have now the honor of repeating the in¬ 
vitation for their Show, to be held near this city, 
during the first week in September next. 
Y"ou, sir, have taken too deep an interest in the 
objects to which the Society is devoted, to make it 
necessary for me to say more than to assure your 
Excellency, that no part of this great Republic 
could give you a more cordial reception, than will 
await you at this great Farmers’ F'estival. 
I am, sir, with great respect, &c., 
E. P. Prentice, Pres’t. Ag. Soc. 
Washington, July 5, 1850. 
E. P. Prentice, Esq., Albany, N. ¥.: 
Sir; —I have duly received your favors of May 
18th and June 25th, the former wishing me to at¬ 
tend the Annual Fair of the N. Y. State Agricul¬ 
tural Society in September next, the latter kindly 
asking my company at your house oil that occasion. 
In the extreme uncertainty attending the ad¬ 
journment of Congres.s, until which event I cannot 
leave the seat of Government, 1 find it quite im¬ 
possible to give any assurances in regard to my 
presence at the State Fair. I was greatly disap¬ 
pointed .when circumstances prevented my atten¬ 
dance at the Fair last year, and it is my hope this 
season to have the gratification of witnessing a 
similar exhibition. Unless prevented by an extra¬ 
ordinary prolongation of the session of Congress, 
or by other circumstances, not now foreseen, I 
shall certainly comply with the invitation which 
you have extended me, as President of the Agri¬ 
cultural Society. 
I fear, however, that I shall be obliged to decline 
your very kind request, that I should make your 
house my homo during my attendance at the Fair. 
It will hardly be in my power to accept any private 
invitations, but should 1 do so, that of Gov. I’lsii, 
which I some time since received, would have the 
strongest claim upon my attention. 
With many thanks for your hospitable offer, I 
remain, very truly, yours, Z. Taylor. 
SEED WHEAT. 
WEATHER TABLE. 
The following Table is said to have been 
constructed bj the illustrious Astronomer, 
Dr. Herschel. 
oODoi»-<a S' Sod o> ~tog 
^pppp p pp p pp^ 
03333 3 33 3 335 - 
D.D.c.p.i:L a. 0.0. Q. 0.0.3 
3— tC 3^- CO Ol — 5" 
'TJ 
S cr^p o p p 
2 P 3 S* Qj 
The late Rev. Henry Colman, some 
years since, in his “ Notes by the Way,” 
related the following anecdote of a farmer 
in' Vermont, who always obtained a high 
price for his seed wheat, which he called 
“ barrel wheat”—his neighbors resorting to 
him for their seed, and paying as high as 
$3 per bushel. The wheat was, in fact, su¬ 
perior in appearance, productiveness, and 
early maturity. The secret w'as at last dis¬ 
covered, when those w'ho had been in the 
habit of paying him three prices, availed 
themselves of his practice of,making “ bar¬ 
rel wheat” for themselves, and they saved 
the difference in price. 
The farmer in question “ used, before 
threshing his wheat, to select the best 
sheaves, and striking them over the head 
of an open barrel three or four times before 
laying them down to be threshed, obtaining 
in this w^ay a superior seed. As, in this 
way, the largest and earliest white kernels 
would be shaken out and fall into the bar¬ 
rels, he obtained what might be considered 
a select seed, which he denominated his 
‘ barrel wheat,’ and which, until the farmers 
heard how to do it for themselves, found 
their advantage in purchasing.” 
The hint contained in the above anec¬ 
dote, may, we think, be profitably availed of 
by wheat-growers generally. 
Industrial Exhibition of 1851.—Pre¬ 
parations are already in progress for the 
transmission of the productions of American 
genius and ingenuity to the approaching 
great Industrial Exhibition which takes 
place in 1851 in London. A meeting of 
the Central Committee for the United States 
coi»ned at the National Institute, in the 
Pa^t Office, Washington, on Thursday, 
the 13th ult., Hon. Millard Fillmore presid¬ 
ing, and Prof. W. R. Johnson acting as sec¬ 
retary. Among the various communica¬ 
tions read at the meeting, was one from the 
secretary of a former meeting, held on the 
27 th of last month, containing the names of 
those appointed on the Central Committee, 
among which are the following: Hon. Mil¬ 
lard Fillmore, Hon. Levi Woodbury, Profs. 
Joseph Henry and Alex. D, Bache, Com. C. 
''Vilkes, Lieut M. F. Maury, Col. J. J. Abert,' 
ii.id Mr. Ewbank, and others, 21 in number. 
I It has been believed by many people 
I for a long time that the^moon has an 
influence upon the weather. This Table 
was made after due philosophical consider¬ 
ation of the attraction of the sun and moon 
in their several positions, respecting the 
earth, and was confirmed by the actual ob¬ 
servation of many years. It becomes thus 
easy to predict what kind of Aveather Avill 
follow the moon’s entrance into any of her 
quarters. Every season has its peculiar 
characteristics, which, of course Avill cause 
some modifications of rules for prognostica¬ 
tion. __ _ w. 
S'WING SHELVES FOR CELLARS. 
This very essential convenience should j 
be the occupant of every cellar, especially 
the farmers. They are very convenient for 
setting milk, cakes, pies, bread, &c.; and 
wdien properly made there can be nothing 
better. If made with wooden arms, they 
are sometimes visited by mice. This being 
the case Avith one in my cellar, I contrived 
almost every way to keep them off, but did 
not succeed until I hung the shelf on wire, 
Avhich I find answers a very good purpose 
and I think there can be no better or cheap¬ 
er way. 
To make a double shelf 12 feet long, 
Avith four cross bai-s, it requires about 10 
yards of whe—8 for the upper and 2 for 
the lower shelf. The reason why the up¬ 
per shelf requires more than the loAver is, 
because it is hung farther from the point of 
fastening and it requires tAvo strands instead 
of one as the whole heft of the two shelves 
come upon the upper A\ures; 4 strands 18 
inches long is all that is required for the 
loAver one. A shelf made after the above 
plan will require some bracing, in order to 
keep it steady; this should be done Avith 
Avire as Avooden braces would be Avorse than 
Avooden arms. The A\dre I used was No. 
12. G. w. M. 
THE RAVAGES OF INSECTS. 
Such insects as Hessian and wheat flies, 
curculios, weevils, army and boll worms, 
annually destroy crops to the amount of 
twenty millions of dollars. If a pirate on 
the high seas, or an Indian savage on the 
land, injures the property of a citizen to the 
amount of a few dollars, millions are ex¬ 
pended, if need be, to punish the offender. 
This is right. But when public enemies of 
a different name do a thousand times more 
injury to a whole country, are its citizens 
under any necessary restraint which forbids 
their making a common effort to protect 
their property from insect devastators ?— 
Parasitic plants, such as rust on wheat, and 
many fungi, as Avell as injurious insects, are 
on the increase. To attempt to explain the 
reasons Avhy this is so, would lead at once 
into questions in animal and vegetable phys¬ 
iology, out of place in this brief synopsis of 
such rural ^topics as are believed to be of 
general interest. It may not be amiss to 
remark, however, that many boys are ap¬ 
parently educated to kill all small birds that 
subsist mostly on insects, so soon as these 
youngsters are large enough to shoulder a 
gun. 
Government can do much to check the 
ravages of insects, by collecting and diffu¬ 
sing useful information as to their, habits, 
times of transformation, and the best means 
of destroying or avoiding them. If farm¬ 
ers fold their arms, and say that nothing 
can be done by the science of entomology, 
nor by any other means, what but an in¬ 
crease of the evil is to be expected ? Not to 
inj to escape the infliction, is treating one’s 
enemies Avith unmanly forbearance, and 
evinces a belief in- fatalism AA'orthy a disci¬ 
ple of Mahomet.— Patent-Office Report. 
GREEN CROPS FOR PLOWING UNDER. 
The great feature in the modern system 
af improving light soils is the use of green 
crops for plowing under. 
That I may not be misapprehended by 
farmers in this district, it is necessary here 
to say that w'hen speaking of the green 
crop system, I mean both the crops that 
are plowed Avhile green during summer, 
and those that arc left until the ensuing 
spring and then ploAved in dry. It is in 
both cases an improvement by the use of 
green crops, there is only a difference as to 
the time of ploAving in. 
Vegetable matter seiwes many of the pur¬ 
poses of clay in retaining moisture, and pre¬ 
venting the escape of fertilizing substances. 
Thus many soils Avhich contain little clay, 
are yet veiy fertile because a large portion 
of them is vegetable in its origin; such are 
some of our rich garden moulds, or drained 
swamps. 
Green cropping fortunately enables us to 
supply the deficiency of vegetable matter 
much more easily and cheaply than that of 
clay; hence it has become a prominent fea¬ 
ture in the management of every farmer 
Avho is desirous of really advancing the val¬ 
ue of his land. The plants used as green 
crops are numerous, and speaking of the 
theory or theories connected Avith their op¬ 
eration, I may properly devote a fcAV Avords 
to the mention of those varieties Avhich are 
most important in this and other countries. 
Here, at least in the Northern States, al¬ 
most the only green crop employed is clo¬ 
ver. The properties and appearance of this 
plant are so well knoAvn as to require no 
description. Upon most soils it is easily 
grown and in those where it does not thrive 
naturally, skillful manuring will generally 
bring it in. More would bo gained by 
ploAving under the crops of two successive 
years than in any other way, but this plan 
would not work Avell on most soils and there 
are few farmers Avho Avould be Avilling to 
let land be idle so long as this Avhile it 
Avould bear anything at all. Many prefer 
to go on cropping until they scarcely get 
I their seed back, and then are obliged to 
let the land lie idle for a series of years in 
place of one or tAvo, until it has regained 
strength to bear another scanty crop.— 
Many, too, are unable to resist the tempta¬ 
tion to cut and carry aAvay the clover if its 
growth is heavy. Their intentions are good 
early in the season, but as haying time ap¬ 
proaches, they begin to think of the two or 
three tons per acre of hay which might be 
obtained by cutting, and finally the advan¬ 
tage of present gains more than counterbal¬ 
ances the prospective improvement of the 
land. They afterwards ploAv in tlie rowen, 
it is true,'but that cannot make up for 
the far heavier growth of Avhich they 
have already robbed the soil Some ex¬ 
cuse themselves by saying that so large a 
crop cannot be got under, but it is not so, 
for this can be done by going over the sur¬ 
face Avith a heavy roller in advance of the 
plow, the clover then lies flat, and a plow 
wiih a sharp coulter has no difficulty in 
turning it over completely. Others recom¬ 
mend a heaAy chain hung from the ploAv- 
beam so as to drag the clover doAvn before 
the plowshare reaches it. On the light 
soils of Avhich I speak, these precautions 
AAull probably be needless for some time to 
come. 
There are some soils where even a scanty 
yield of clover can only be obtained after 
much trouble and expense; on these it is 
best to commence by the cultivation of some 
plant more particularly suited to such situa¬ 
tions.— Prof. J. P. Norton. 
THE GOPHER. 
Our friends of Moore’s Rural New- 
Yorker are in a confab Avith a correspond¬ 
ent about the Gopher. One affirming that 
“ the Gopher is a little ground squirrel, Avith 
pouches on the outside of his cheeks to car¬ 
ry the dirt from its hole, living on the West 
side of the Mississippi, but never crossing 
to the East of that river.” 
A correspondent takes up the case and 
declares the Gopher “ a little ground squir¬ 
rel, but no pouches on the outside of his 
cheeks,” etc., etc. 
The gentlemen are both right and both 
wrong. There are three animals in the 
Northwest called Gophers, besides a terra¬ 
pin in Florida wearing the same name.— 
Our three animals are: first, a grey ground 
squirrel somewhat of the Marmot tribe: 
next, a little striped squirrel Avith spots be¬ 
tween his stripes. This animal resembles 
the Chipmunk of the Eastern States. He 
has pouches on the inside of his cheeks, but 
he is no such fool as to put dirt there. He 
is spread all over the West, and is a saucy, 
chirping, thieving little rascal. The third 
is a black, or dark brown, rat like animal, 
with pouches outside his cheeks; but he 
puts no dirt in them, not he. He uses them 
to store roots and other fodder for carriage, 
or temporary purposes. He is the Gopher; 
so named by the French who first found 
him here, or rather Avhere he lives, for he 
does not live here, but West of the Missis¬ 
sippi, and East of that river, but South of 
the Illinois. This has all been said before 
in this paper; but our Eastern friends ought 
to have a chance to knoAV it too.— Prairie 
Farmer. 
WHITTLING SHINGLES. 
ScENK.— Mr. Plowtiandlc’s door-yard — John and 
Editor, seated on logs on the sunny side of his 
great wood-pile. John whittling a beech chip: 
the Editor a bass wood-splinter. 
The Editor. —Whittle from you, John; 
why don’t you Avhittlc from you ? 
John. —What’s the difference? Whit¬ 
tling is whittling, any way, Avhether you 
Avhittle tOAvards you or from you. 
Editor. —A mistake, John; a palpable 
mistake. There is philosophy in Avhittling. 
There is a right Avay, and a Aviong Avay to 
do every thing; and for the right ay ay there 
is always a good reason. 
Jfo/m.—Pray Avhat reason for Avhittling 
from you? It’s a small matter at best— 
really too small to codsider. 
Editor .— Wrong again! It’s the observ¬ 
ance of these little things—the consideration 
of trifles—that constitute what men call 
good or bad luck. There now, you have 
cut your finger—not bad, I hope. 
John .— Not very. Blast the knife.— 
{Throws it down) 
Editor .— Well, this is an apt illustration 
—proof positive — before I had commenced 
my argument. 
John .— I’d like to knoAv what cutting my 
finger has to do Avith luck, good, bad, or in- 
diff'erent ? 
Editor .— Everything. If you had con¬ 
sidered a moment you would have seen that 
Avhittling tOAvards you was dangerous; com¬ 
mon prudence Avould have shoAvn you that 
you might cut your fingers; Avhile if you 
whittle from you, there is no danger. Here¬ 
in, then, is the key to that phantom Avdiich 
men call luck. 
John. —Don’t you believe in luck ? 
Editor. —Don’t I believe the moon is a 
green cheese? No, sir. There is no such 
thing. It’s all moonshine. Just now you 
cut your finger, and you say “ I am un¬ 
lucky.” No such thing—you Avere stupid, 
careless. There’s old Gripe, who began 
with no other capital than his axe, Avorth 
noAV his thousands; and you and everybody 
else says, “ as lucky as old Gripe,” and yet 
Ave all knoAv that he has made his money 
by the operations of a clear intellect—a 
shrcAvd, close observance of little things — 
turning the stream at the fountain, and not 
Availing until it gets to be a river. 
John. —’['raining the sapling and not the 
tree. 
Editor. —Exactly. A good idea. You 
ahvays find him about his business. His 
Avork is never behind. His hay don’t get 
caught out in the rain. His' Avheat is never 
Avet in the bundle or SAvath. He looks iit 
little things. If his grain is to stand out 
over night, it’s all nicely put up in stocks 
and capped; if his hay can’t be carted the 
same day, it’s raked and cocked. He says 
I am not master of the elements, but I am 
of my time. So ho makes siu-e against con¬ 
tingencies Avhich he cannot control. He al- 
Avays Avhittles from him; and he is called 
“ lucky.” 
John .— And he is lucky. 
Editor. —No such thing; if you mean by 
that, chance favoring him more than others. 
Noav there’s Dick Careless, he is always 
railing at his bad luck. Dick wmrks hard. 
I think he does more real hard Avork than 
Gripe. But every body pities poor Dick, 
he has such “ hard luck.” If it Avere not 
for his Avife he Avould have been in the poor 
house before now. Every body says “Avhat 
a clever felloAv'is Dick;” and so he is, he 
minds every body’s business but his OAvn. 
Dick stacks his hay, but neglects to put on 
binders, and the top bloAvs off and his stack 
is ruined. He has a nice crop of wheat cut, 
and intends to cart to-morrow, so he loaves 
the wheat carried into bunches. But to- 
morroAv it comes on to rain, and his Avheat 
gets wet and sprouts, and then you say 
“ Avell, that’s just Dick’s luck.” Dick has 
had “ bad luck” with his sheep and cattle 
and horses, always loosing more or less eve¬ 
ry year. Now, you believe in luck, well, 
just tell me Avhy he looses more than you 
do? 
John .— He is careless. Don’t take pains 
enough Avith them. 
Editor. —Oh! that’s it. Which Avay do 
you think he Avhittles ? ’Javo to one, John, 
he Avhittles towards him. He can’t see any 
difference ; and like you is a firm believer 
in luck. ’There’s ’Tapewell, every body says 
“ Avhat a lucky fellow he has been, got rich 
as a nabob, and had only a fcAv goods to 
start upon.” While Gingham, who had a 
fine store, full of goods, Avent all to smash 
in three years! 
John.—Yes, and old Tape bought his 
fine store and house at about one-quarter 
its cost Wasn’t that luck? 
Editor.— sir. ’Tape lived Avithin his 
means, and accumulated his profits. He 
did not care for a fine store Avhile he could 
sell his goods in the old one; and being at 
less expense he could ahvays sell a little 
cheaper, and thus get the best custom.— 
Gingham lived up to his income, and a lit¬ 
tle over, so Avhen hard times came he could 
not pay, and down he went; while ’Tape 
was snug in his old store. Poor Gingham 
Avas called unlucky. But, you see, the dif¬ 
ficulty Avas, he Avhittled towards himself, ’till 
he cut his fingers—vtffiile ’Tape always 
Avhittled the other Avay. No such thing as 
luck there, John. 
I John. —Don’t give it up yet. You’re as 
plausible as a lawyer in a bad case; but 
still I am not convinced. I lost a young 
colt, the other day—dropped down dead in 
the field—was worth a cool hundred—now 
was not that bad luck ? I don’t knoAv what 
you’ll call it, but I call it confounded bad 
luck. 
Editor. —How had you kept the colt ? 
John. —In the stable all Avinter, on car¬ 
rots and hay, in fine order. ’Turned him 
out to grass the other day and before night 
of the second day he Avas stone dead. 
Editor. —Did he run much Avhen you let 
him go ? Large field ? 
John .—Ah! did’nthe run! Only a ten 
acre lot. I thought the fellow never would 
get enough. What an elegant racer he 
would have made. 
Editor. —Day Avas Avarm and night cold! 
John. —Yes, but Avhat of that? 
Editor. —Oh, nothing! only you whittled 
towards you. 
John .—How so? 
Editor. —Simple John! ’This you call 
“ luck,” while it’s rank stupidity. Your 
colt Avas in high condition—had not been 
exercised. A prudent man Avould have put 
him into a small yard, until he had become 
somewhat quieted. Old Gripe Avould not 
have left him out over a cold night, after he 
had been exercising so sev'erely in a hot siin. 
’The colt Avas a Auctim to your own thought¬ 
lessness. He killed himself running. Lucky 
John! 
John.—Wow could I tell he would hurt 
himself by being turned out. Never had 
one before, and have done just the same 
thing times enough before. 
Editor. —’That’s it. We come back to 
Avhere we started. It’s the observance of 
these trifles, nothing more, that makes men , 
lucky or unlucky. Whittle from you, my 
good John, always whittle from you, and a 
fig for luck. 
John. —Well there’s one kind of luck I 
know you delight in, and that’s ready. 
PJditor. —And pray what’s that ? 
John. —Pot-luck, to be sure. 
Editor. —Good, I am with you.— Wool 
Grower. 
DOGS AND SHEEP. 
Will some body tell us how much it costs 
to keep a dog for a year? From our own 
observation avo should say Ave could keep 
ten sheep or one cow as cheaply as one dog. 
If Ave estimate too high Avill some friend of 
the dogs correct us? ’There are few fami¬ 
lies in this country that do not keep one, 
Avhile in the Slaves States there ai-e nearly 
as many dogs as negroes, if Ave are to believe 
some authorities. 'The dogs are more nu¬ 
merous there than here in proportion to the 
population. According to the usual rate of 
calculating, si.x persons to a family, there are 
about three and a half millions of families 
in the Union. Of those it Avill be moderate 
to say that fi?ll tAVO millions belong to the 
rural districts, and have each a dog. This 
Avould give us tAvo millions of dogs in the 
country, and there is nearly as many more 
in cities and villages. 
’The dog population represents then in the 
country, tAventy millions of sheep, or two 
millions of cows. 
But Avhat do dogs produce ? Nothing but 
contention and discord. ’They destroy sheep 
to an enormous extent, annually, and their 
numbers are so large in many extensiv’e 
districts, as to prevent farmers from keeping 
sheep at all. ’The annual profit to the far¬ 
mer on twenty millions of sheep, Avould not 
be less than on tAventy millions of dollars, 
and quite as much upon the two millions 
of cows. Is it Avorth Avhile to pay so much 
for so useless an animal as a dog ? We are 
no enemy to dogs; on the contrary Ave have 
a strong attachment for them. But we do 
not think the necessities of the country re¬ 
quire any thing like the number that is now 
kept. We believe it would be for the in¬ 
terest of all that the number should be sen¬ 
sibly diminished. ’There has long been a 
laAv in this state for taxing them, but it is 
noAV, and htis been for many yetirs since its 
passage, a dead letter, OAving to the very 
culpable neglect of the assessors. The law 
has not been repealed, and it is entirely 
competent to levy the tax. 
In some toAvns the people are becoming 
alive to the subject. ’The town of Batavia, in 
Genesee county, at their last tOAvn meeting, 
adopted the following resolution: 
“ Resolved —’That our Supervisor be re¬ 
quested to use his influence with the Board 
of Supervisors of this county, to lay a tax on 
dogs.” 
It would be Avell to see if the assessors 
cannot be punished in some manner for their 
neglect of duty, for we think the tax has 
never been repealed.— Wool Grower. 
’Tobacco Dust. — We last year procured 
from a snuff mill a barrel of dry but dtim- 
aged snuff flour, and prepared drudging 
boxes, covered Avith fine bolting cloth, Avith 
which we sifted it over the surfaces of any 
plants attacked by insects, and with success. 
’The snuff should be applied, if practicable, 
Avhile the plant is wet Avith deAA", and repeat¬ 
ed after every shower. If the boxes ai-e 
properly made, (like a common flour drudge,) 
and the snuff is perfectly fine and dry, but 
little time is necessary to go over an acre of 
plants. Even the rose-bug, cabbage-louse, 
thrips on grape vines, &c., all yield to the 
influence of snuff'. 
