Ifz 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY. 
Office in Rums' Block, corner of Buffiilo and State 
streets, (entrance on State,) Ilocheeter. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE. 
{Lott Publisher and Associate Editor Gen. Farmer.) 
L. B. LANGWORTHY, Associate Editoh. 
Corresponding Editors: 
ELON COMSTOCK and T. C. PETERS. 
(IIP For Terms, &c., see last page. ,f(] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
VISITING FARMERS IN HARVEST TIME. 
“ There is a time for nil tilings." 
While all admit the truth of this notable 
saj’ing, comparatively few practice its teach¬ 
ing in the various concerns and occupations 
of life. Like numerous other truthful 
proverbs it is held as orthodox, yet the pre¬ 
cept inculcated is too frequently honored in 
the breach rather than the observance.— 
Our present design is not, however, to make 
a general application. On the contrary, we 
will simply allude to one matter in the per¬ 
formance of which it is quite proper that 
people should consider the time, and pay 
some regard to the circumstances of others, 
instead of looking solely to their own con¬ 
venience. 
Many denizens of our pent up cities and 
villages are in the habit of visiting their 
country friends at a season when, to say the 
least, their advent is most unpropitious— 
and not unfrequently greatly deterimental 
to the comfort and interest of those favor¬ 
ed with their presence. They do not stop 
to consider the propriety, the seasoaahle- 
ness, of the vi.sit, or the circumstances of all 
the parties interested; but in this, as in most 
other affairs, usually consult their own plea¬ 
sure, without regard to, or more likely not 
thinking of, the trouble and \'exation which 
may be caused those among whom they so¬ 
journ. A little reflection would perhaps 
change their action in the premises. Few 
people unacquainted with the details of 
farming, however, are aware of the fact that 
at certain periods most farmers are altogeth¬ 
er too busy to receive and entertain com¬ 
pany—hence there is some excuse for those 
who intrude unwittingly. And hence, also, 
we may be pardoned for giving a season¬ 
able hint on the subject. 
The present time, of all seasons of the 
year, is the most unfavorable to enjoij a 
visit with country friends and relatives.— 
Harvesting is the most important and labo¬ 
rious operation connected with farming, and 
should not be interrupted by untimely 
“cousining.” In grain growing sections 
particularly, extra help is required during 
harvest, for both field and kitchen—yet la¬ 
bor is so scarce and dear at this period that 
many farmers find it impossible to procure 
sufficient assistance, so that the number em¬ 
ployed is often inadequate to the-work to be 
performed. Consequently all are busy, 
when the Aveather will permit, from sun to 
sun. “Time is money” now', and none can 
be wasted until the golden harvest is secu¬ 
red. If friends come for a day only, they 
cannot be entertained Avithout great detri¬ 
ment to the farmer’s interest—for avGry one 
has his or her duties to perform, and these 
duties are of such moment that they can 
ncitlier be omitted nor neglected, Avithout 
resulting in serious inconvenience or loss. 
But, we are getting prolix, Avhen we only 
desired to give our readers a gentle hint— 
Of course those to Avhom our remarks ap¬ 
ply will not “ forget to remember” that, 
however pleasant a resort to the farm house 
may be just now, it is no place for visiting. 
If they must go into the country—and es¬ 
pecially to tnriy aAvhile among friends— 
let them be sure to “ time things right,” or 
seek the abodes of such as have no har¬ 
vests to gather. 
THE WHEAT - WEEVIL. 
Nearly four thousand species of the 
weevil have been described by naturalists. 
They belong to the order Coleoptera, 
aheath-Avinged insects. These insects have 
each four wings, the upper pair being crus- 
taceous, forming a shield to the loAver pair, 
as in the beetle. 
Dr. Harris in his able and excellent Re¬ 
port on the insects of Massachusetts, says: 
—“The most pernicious of the Rhynchop- 
orians, or snout-beetles, are the insects 
properly called grain-Aveevils, belonging to 
the old genus Calandra. These insects 
must not be confounded Avith the still more 
destructive larvae of the corn-moth, {Tinea 
granella^ Avhich also attacks stored grain, 
nor with the orange-colored maggots of the 
Avheat-fly {Cecidomyia Tritici,) Avhich are 
found in the ears of groAving Avheat. Al¬ 
though the grain-Aveevils are not actually 
injurious to vegetation, yet as the name 
properly belonging to them has often been 
misapplied in this country, thereby creating 
no little confusion, some remarks upon them 
may tend to prevent future mistakes. 
The true wheat-Aveevil of Europe, Cal- 
andra {Sitophilus) granaria, or Curculio 
granarius, of Linnseus, in its perfected state 
is a slender beetle of a pitchy red color, 
about one-eighth of an inch long, Avith a 
slender snout slightly bent downAvards, a 
coarsely punctured and very long thora.x, 
constituting almost one-half the length of 
the Avholc body, and wing-cov'ers that are fur¬ 
rowed, and do not entirely cover the tip of 
the abdomen. 
This little insect, both in the beetle and 
grub state, devours stored Avheat and other 
grains, and often commits much havoc in 
granaries and brew-houses. Its poAvers of 
multiplication arc very great, a single pair 
producing 6,000 descendants in one year. 
The female deposits eggs upon the Avheat 
after it is housed, and the grubs Avlicn 
hatched immediately burrow into the wheat, 
each occupying alone a single grain, the 
substance ot Avhich it devours, so as often 
to leave nothing but the hull; this destruc¬ 
tion goes on Avithin, Avhile no external ap¬ 
pearance leads to discoA'ery, the loss of 
weight being the first evidence of the mis¬ 
chief done, or doing, to the grain. In due 
time the grubs undergo their transforma¬ 
tions, and come out of the hulls,' in the 
beetle-state, to' lay their eggs for another 
brood. These insects are effectually des¬ 
troyed by kiln-drying the Avheat; and grain, 
that is kept cool, Avell ventilated, frequently 
moved, is said to be exempt from attack. 
Another grain Aveevil, hardly differing 
from the foregoing except its color Avhich is 
black, is found in Ncav York. It is the 
Calandra {Sitophilus) rcmote-punctata of 
Schonherr. Whether Avheat and other grain 
suffer to any extent in this country from 
either of these Aveevils, I have not been able 
to ascertain, as the accounts given of the 
ravages of the insects supyjosed to be Avee¬ 
vils are rarely accompanied by any descrip¬ 
tions of them in their different states.” 
There are several species of flies that are 
destructive to Avheat in the field. These are 
as great enemies to the Avheat grower as 
the Aveevil, and consequently as much to be 
feared. It is not very easy for the farmer 
to distinguish between the ravages caused 
by the fly and those caused by the Aveevil. 
The fly belongs to the order Diptera. Pro¬ 
tect the birds, and exercise due care in oth¬ 
er respects, proA’ided your neighbors will do 
the same, and you Avill have little or noth¬ 
ing to fear from insects. Neglect these 
things, and at no very distant time, you may 
SOAV and have no harvest, for the insects will 
utterly destroy your grain before hai-vest- 
time. w. 
THE WEEVIL OR WHEAT MIDGE. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: — It is fear¬ 
ed that the long looked for crisis has arrived. 
An insect supposed to be the Aveevil or 
Avheat midge, has appeared in many Avheat 
fields in this vicinity. Some Avheat heads 
containing this insect I presented to you a 
day or tAvo ago. 
Having never seen the midge in any oth¬ 
er locality, and knowing but little of its 
character and peculiarities, I write merely 
for information and to note ray observations 
on the insect — hoping that some person ac¬ 
quainted with its character and habits may 
inform us, as Ave feel much interested in 
the matter. The insect is a small yclloAv 
grub, Avithouf, to the naked eye, any ap¬ 
pearance of legs, and is found Avithin the 
chaff feeding upon the beriy. As far as 
my observation extends it is found mostly 
in spring Avheat, and very late winter Avheat 
— the earlier fields and heads being almost 
entirely exempt from it, while all pieces of 
spring wheat I have examined are nearly if 
not quite ruined. 
Last season I noticed a fcAv of the same 
insects among the screenings, at the time of 
cleaning grain but not knoAving what they 
were, did not take much notice. In the 
heads of spring wheat that I have examin¬ 
ed the chaff’ containing the insect has a 
black spot, as if penetrated by some insect; 
Avas this the Avork of the fly at the time of 
depositing the egg ? I ob-serve that Avinter 
Avheat has the same spotfe, but seldqm contains 
the midge;—is this because the nusk is so 
thick or dry that it Avas not able to pierce 
through it to the kernel? 
Will not some person in the middle or 
central part of the State, acquainted Avith 
the insect, giv'e us, through the Rural, a 
definite account of its habits and destruc¬ 
tiveness ? W ill it, after destroying one ker¬ 
nel, leave that and penetrate another?— 
Will it feed upon the grain after being cut> 
or in the granary ? As our Avheat harvest 
is somewhat earlier than at the east, Avill it 
be likely to injure us as much ? Can its 
ravages be prevented by using early kinds 
of seed and soAving early ? Will it be like¬ 
ly to materially injure or entirely destroy 
the crop for next year? Is the Mediter¬ 
ranean Avheat less subject to it than other 
varieties ? 
Any person Avho will reply through your 
A'aluablc paper, Avill oblige many farmers of 
Western New York, and throAv light upon 
an important subject. 
Yours, P’. W. Lay. 
Greece, (near Rochester,) July 20, 1850. 
Smart Weed is almost a sure remedy in 
a case of cholic. Steep and drink the same 
as in any other herb tea. In the next place 
it is Avorth 85 per hundred for a stock of 
cattle, if it is cut and Avell cured Avhile in 
full bloom. Give an ox, cow, or Jiorse, one 
pound per Aveek, during the time they are 
up to hay, and it Avill keep their bowels and 
hide loose. It is an excellent physic. If a 
horse has one pound a Aveek, there is no 
danger of his having botts or Avorras of any 
kind; and they Avill eat it sooner than they 
Avill the best of hay. 
Tobacco Planting in New York.— The 
Syracuse Star states that Robert Pflemino' 
and Peter R. Reed have purchased a fifty 
acre lot three miles northwest of Syracuse, 
and arc planting the Avhole of it Avith tobac¬ 
co, employing some twenty men. They 
have also several other fields in different 
parts of the same County, from all of Avhich 
their crops Avill be heavy. For several yearn 
past they have been very successful in groAv- 
ing tobacco at Manlius. 
Every friend is at the same time a sun 
and a sun-flower; he attracts and folloAvs. 
KENDALL’S PATENT CHEESE PRESS. 
The above cut represents the most ap¬ 
proved Cheese Press in use for large dai¬ 
ries. We understand that this press is gen¬ 
erally used through the counties of Herki¬ 
mer and Oneida. It has, we believe, been 
awarded the first premium of the New 
York State Agricultural Society. Its con¬ 
struction is simple yet peculiar, embracing 
a combination of levers Avorking togethtr, 
and so arranged as to give any desired 
amount of pressure—a suspended Aveight 
of lAventy pounds being sufficient to gwe a 
pressure of ten tons. They can be had of 
Emery & Co. of the Albany Agricultural 
Works, Albany, N. Y. 
REAL ESTATE OBTAINED BY DREAMING. 
Ed. Rural New-Yorker: —The des¬ 
cription of the vafley of the Ko inedieyu, or 
West Canada Creek, in Herkimer county, 
I by your correspondent H. C. W., reminds 
me of many historical facts and anecdotes 
relative to that section of the State. One 
of these, a historical anecdote, is Avorth re¬ 
peating, as it Avill probably interest many of 
your readers, though some may have seen 
it in print heretofore. It Avill be observed 
that the tract of land referred to lies in the 
valley described by your correspondent, and 
consequently is noAv the locale of some of 
the best farms in Central Ncav York. The 
anecdote is given as I find it in one of the 
periodicals of the day. 
It is related that Sir William Johnson ob¬ 
tained from Hendrick, an Indian Sachem, 
nearly one hundred thousand acres of choice 
land, now lying chiefly in Herkimer coun¬ 
ty, north of the Mohawk, in the following 
manner:—The Sachem being at the baronet’s 
house, saAV a richly embroidered coat and 
coveted it. The next morning he said to 
Sir William, “ Brother, me dream last 
night.” “ Indeed,” answered Sir William. 
“ What did my red brother dream ?” “ Me 
dream that coat be mine.” “It^ yours,” 
said the shrcAvd baronet. Not long after 
Sir William visited the Sachem, and he too 
had a dream. “ Brother,” he said, “ I 
dreamed last night” “ What did my pale 
brother dream ?” asked Hendrick. “ I 
dreamed that this tract of land Avas mine,” 
describing the square bounded on the south 
by the MohaAvk, on the east by the Canada 
Creek, and north and Avest by objects equal¬ 
ly well known. Hendrick Avas astonished. 
He saw the enormity of the request, but was 
not to be outdone in generosity. He sat 
thoughtfully for a moment, and then said, 
“ Brotlier, the land is yours, but you must 
not dream again.” The title Avas confirm¬ 
ed by the British Government, and the tract 
Avas called the Royal Grant m. d. 
Ohedia Coiinty, July, 1850. 
Cast-Iron Pig Troughs. —In these days 
of iron, Avhen it is substituted for Avood so 
universally, Ave would like to know if cast- 
iron troughs have ever been used in this 
country for feeding hogs. 
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 
ABOUT SUNDRY MATIKR5 PZKTAINIRO TO FARMINQ. 
When a young man, a good many years 
ago, I used occasionally to be seized with 
the coethens scribendi, and wasted some ink 
and no little foolscap in “ saving the na¬ 
tion” by Avriting for a six by nine political 
organ. Whatever I thought at the time, I 
have since came to the conclusion that the 
nation and its political affairs continued about 
the same, notwithstanding my patriotic ef- 
tusions. Hence, of late years I have given 
my attention to other mattei’s, more especi¬ 
ally to the principles and practice of agri¬ 
culture; so much eo indeed, that some say 
I have run the thing “ into the ground”— 
Avluch, in the best sense of the phrase, is 
just what I intended to do in the outset.— 
With permission I will now and again fur¬ 
nish such rough jottings about rural matters 
iis I shall find time to make. And should 
my first chapter prove disconnected and in¬ 
sipid, there will be room for improvement 
in succeeding ones. Therefore alloAv me to 
make a beginning, in this wise— 
Experience and observation have taught 
mo that those Avho do a great deal or think 
they do, Avhen they cultivate, or pretend to 
cultivate, a larger quantity of land than they 
can thoroughly till, miss a figure in their 
calculations, and eventually lose money in 
the operation. In a word, it don't pay.— 
Sooner or later somebody has to pay the 
soil the expense of protest for non-produc¬ 
tion. The^ truth is this skinning system— 
which must prevail to a greater or less c.x- 
tent on all large farms, managed Avith little 
labor—is miserable business Avhen applied 
to land, however nice it may be in some oc¬ 
cupations. Some may argue with a degree 
ot plausibility that the crops in a well culti¬ 
vated field Avould require more labor in har¬ 
vesting—and be more tempting to cattle, 
I and consequently require better fences! — 
! The idea is suggestive, and Aviil bear inves¬ 
tigation. In my vicAv there is a not very 
remote probability that the additional yield 
would more than counterbalance for extra 
labor and repairs. 
The benefits of thorough culture are not 
based upon fabulous testimony. It is a pretty 
Avell ascertained fact that tares do not gen¬ 
erally grow higher on a piece of land well 
cultivated, than on a piece of the same size 
I half cultivated. And some people who 
have lived a good Avhile,—traveled consid¬ 
erable Avith their trunks and cai-pet bags, 
and always kept their eyes wide open when 
not asleep,—are of the opinion that it is not 
as much work to gather a hundred bushels 
of grain or roots from an acre or less, as 
from ten acres or more. The same geni¬ 
uses—on Avhose book shelves you will find 
such queer documents as “ The Cultivator,” 
“ Rural,” “ Agriculturist,” etc.—also assert 
with as much confidence as though they be¬ 
lieved it, that the soil has rights as well as 
its occupants, and that it will not Avork and 
produce forever Avithout proper nourish¬ 
ment. And this assertion, odd as it may 
seem to such wise-acres as are trying to eat 
all the pudding in order to leave the bag 
and string for the benefit of posterity, is not 
founded upon mere hypothesis. Indeed I 
have knoAvn a few instances Avherein cer¬ 
tain famous skinners and gormandizers have 
become so sensible of the rights of mother 
earth, and certain fortunate occupants of 
the same, that they have left for a more fer¬ 
tile region during a temporary eclipse of the 
sun! May their successors be “ few and 
far between.” 
Again: There are persons who do not 
scruple to afl&rra, even in the middle of the 
nineteenth century, that such things as barn¬ 
yard manure, lime, ashes, plaster, bone dust, 
Jzc., should be thrown upon the ground, in 
large quantities. But our old stagers, those 
ROCHESTER, K Y.-.THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1850. 
VOLUME I. I- 
■I NUMBER 30. 
