PbOCKSSTER, N. Y-THURSJ)AY, AUGUST 1 , 1850 
MOORE’S RURAL NEAV-YORKER, 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY. 
Office in Bums’ Block, corner of Buffalo and State 
streets, (entrance on State,) Rochester. 
Thin out white turnips that are sown 
broad cast and come too thick. There should 
be a hoe blade between each plant 
Draw out your old manure and composts 
onto the summer fallow for the last plow¬ 
ing, so as to put it under the surface where 
it will do some good. 
See to your cattle, whether on two or 
four legs—be industrious, frugal and eco¬ 
nomical—encourage the County and State 
Fair—read the Rural and other kindred 
works—and you will have no need to con¬ 
sult the Rochester knockers to tell your 
fortifhe. Prompter. 
whole country, and cropping out or ap¬ 
proaching very near the surface in many 
places; in some places on the rivers the 
banks forty feet high are composed of it al¬ 
most entirely. Altho’ generally decompo¬ 
sed, infinite fine fossil shells and bones of 
enormous size are found; (I have now by 
me a vertebrae bone near a foot in diam¬ 
eter.) This marl contains from 25 to 90 
per cent, of carbonate of lime, besides phos¬ 
phates, and in many places a considerable 
portion of .sulphate of lime or plaster of 
Paris, which sometimes is in the form of 
crystals. From its composition it will be 
seen at once that it is a most valuable fer¬ 
tilizer, and being so abundant and ea.sy of 
access, it gives great additional value to the 
lands of tliis region—though, strange to 
say, its value is only beginning to be appre¬ 
ciated even where it most abounds. I haVe 
seen, in places where it has been acciden¬ 
tally spread, as line a spontaneous growth 
of white and red clover as I ever saw on 
the best cultivated field or meadow in Penn¬ 
sylvania or Ncav York. Many farms, the 
surface of which w^as entirely exhausted by 
bad culture, have within a few years been 
rendered highly productive by the applica¬ 
tion of 250 bushels of this marl to the acre, 
seeding clover and plowing it in, without 
any other manure. Lands on or near the 
rivers with exhaustless beds of this marl, 
can be purchased at from $5 to $10 per 
acre, often witli good buildings, and which 
by this easy and cheap process can in a 
very few years be made to produce 30 to 40 
bushels of wheat and 40 to SO bushels of 
corn per acre—while the increase of every 
crop after the application will more than 
repa}'^ all the expense and labor. 
The average prices of produce in this 
market are—wheat $1,10 to $1,15.; cofn 
50 to 75 cts.; oats 35 to 45 cts.; potatoes 
75 to 100 cts.; beef, veal and mutton 8 to 
12^ cts. per lb.; butter 16 to 31 cts.; cheese 
10 to 15 cts.; eggs 10 to 16 cts.; .hay 60 cts. 
to $1,25 per hundred lbs., and 'bats in 
the sheaf the same. Tlus is very nefpr^y 
the range of prices throughout the year.— 
Chickens not larger than quails or part¬ 
ridges, have sold all this spring for 16 to 
20 cts. each. 
I have just received last week’s “ Rural,” 
and observe the questions of Ontario, 
“ about thoser Virginia Lands.” I think I 
^n answer them to his or her satisfaction, 
and will take an early opportunity to do so. 
I send with this an advertisement of an es¬ 
tate on the James River—a potion <of the 
large and fine Sandy P^t Estate, which 
has been visited by a number of your citi¬ 
zens, and pronounced equal to any hinds in 
your State, This would make two or three 
farms, and at the price at which it is offer¬ 
ed, I consider it the cheapest land I ever 
saw anywhere; a^ its location, on the banks 
of the noble river, here more than a mile 
wide, is as beautiful as almost any one can 
desire. 
The mean temperature of the 6th month, 
at sunrise, was 65.3° —at 3 P. M., 84.6°: 
mean for the month 75°. The latter part 
hot and dry—rain on 8 days, but mostly 
very light showers. Since then we>have 
hud copious rains and warm weather, and 
the corn is groi^ng very finely. In many 
places the rust w^ veiy destructive, in oth¬ 
ers the wheat is fine. 
Samuel S. Griscom. 
Peterfburg, Va., 7 mo., 23</, 1850. 
THOROUGH DRAINING. 
TiiE following extract not only embraces 
the information desired by a coiTespondent 
—who inquires relative to different modes 
of draining and their comparative cost—but 
is otherwise interesting and seasonable. It 
is part of an essay contributed to the Tran¬ 
sactions of the New York State Agricultu¬ 
ral Society for 1848, by that efficient and 
worthy friend of improvement, John Dela- 
FiELD, Esq., late President of the Seneca 
Co. Ag. Society. After giving an interest¬ 
ing account of the geological character of 
the soil and rocks of his county, and clearly 
demonstrating the necessity of under-drain¬ 
ing, Mr. D. thus enters upon and discusses 
the practical part of the subject:— 
“ To drain fields devoted to grain mea¬ 
dows, it is important so to locate and con¬ 
struct the drains, as that no plow or other 
instrument when used at their greatest depth 
can derange them; and that the drainage 
may be effected, they must be so guarded, 
as to carry off the water with reasonable 
rapidity. It will naturally occur to every 
mind, that in locating a drain, the lowest 
point on the field must be the starting point, 
and from thence the main drain must be 
carried in as straight a line as practicable 
along the lowest ground and gradually as- \ 
cending to the highest, the grade or rise be- ^ 
ing strictly preserved in the same ratio as > 
to distance. This main drain is usually lar- S 
ger than other drains on the same field, as a 
it is intended to receive the collected waters \ 
from other portions; its outlet must also be > 
kept well open, and protected from any and ^ 
every obstruction. When the main drain 
is completed, lateral drains may be cut run- / 
ning from any low or wot portion of the ^ 
field into the main drain. Fields having a s 
uniform slope in one direction, may have all < 
the di-ains parallel to each other, sending ) 
all the water to a main drain, constructed at > 
the lowest headland of the field, and thence ) 
flowing to the adjacent loiver grounds. ' 
The various undulations of the ground ; 
call for as varied positions of drains; so va- '■ 
ried a.s to forbid suggestions or plans that ' 
will suit the wishes of every man; but with ;; 
the foregoing general remarks, it must be ■ 
remembered as a general rule that every 
main drain must be not less than three feet < 
deep; nor must any other or lateral drain ; 
be less than thirt^j inches deep. The width ' 
of a drain depends upon the material used ; 
for construction, varying from 6 to 12 inches. ^ 
Many and various are the contrivances 
used in the construction of drains, and as : 
usual, in all projects used 9s experiments, \ 
they are faulty, and soon become useless. \ 
Among the most approved are the following: '/ 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE. 
(Late Publisher and Associate Editor Gen. Farmer. 
L. B. LANG WORTHY, 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 L. WETIIERELL. 
O’ For Terms, &c., see last pnge. 
FARMING LANDS IN THE TIDE-WATER 
REGION OF VIRGINIA. 
Friend Moore : — Please permit me thro’ 
the columns of the Rural to answer some 
of the very numerous questions which are 
put to me by correspondents from your re¬ 
gion, since this fine country has been 
brought to their notice. I find it out of my 
power to answer every letter received, as 
fully as I desire, and as the [writers very 
properly wish, tho’ I endeavor to reply to 
every one, as well as my time and ability 
will permit—giving only, statements sub¬ 
stantially true, and endeavoring to avoid all 
exaggeration. We have had numerous vis¬ 
itors from your State, and others west and 
east of you: and I believe in almost every 
instance Avhere they have taken time to e.x- 
amine the country, they have been satisfied 
that my representations were correct. Sev¬ 
eral have told me that I had not exhibited 
things nearly as favorably as I might — 
while a few have come here on the railroad, 
stayed a day or two about the town, with¬ 
out going into the country at all, and gone 
away out of humor with themselves for 
having incurred the expense of the journey. 
The face of the country generally is gent¬ 
ly undulating,—neither too hilly, nor level. 
There is very little rough or broken land, 
or land not susceptible of improvement; 
and very little swampy land in the interior, 
or marshy land on the rivers and streams, 
which cannot readily be drained and made 
productive and profitable. The country is 
healthy as has been well tested by northern 
families and foreigners settled here and in 
various portions of the State of Virginia, 
east of the mountains — but especially in 
that portion below the falls of the rivers, or 
east of a line drawn from Richmond to 
Washington City, called the Tide-Water Re¬ 
gion, to which my remarks are intended to 
apply;—for, without disparagement to oth¬ 
er portions of this fine State, I consider this 
portion much the most valuable, and offer¬ 
ing more advantages than any other part of 
the United States. 
The soil is well adapted to all crops—no 
part of our country is better for wheat or 
com—clover and all the grasses grow most 
luxuriantly where they are cultivated. -Fruits 
of all sorts, apples, peaches, apricots, pears, 
plums, (fee., as well as strawberries, rasp¬ 
berries, currants, figs, melons, sweet pota¬ 
toes, Irish potatoes, <fec., all attain the great¬ 
est perfection. The water is pure, whole¬ 
some and abundant; almost everywhere 
fine living springs and streams abound. 
Above the tide, stone and granite of the 
finest quality for building abound. Below 
the falls of the rivers, there is no stone— 
and, with very few exceptions, there is no 
gravel in the soil to disturb the farmer.— 
There is no limestone in this region, but 
lime is brought from the Hudson River and 
sold here at from 6^ to 8 cents per bushel 
to the farmers. Throughout the tide-water 
region, beds of shell marl are abundant and 
inexhaustible. ♦ These beds are the remains 
of countless myriads of marine shells, and 
other fish and animals, underlaying the 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
NOTES FOR THE MONTH. 
August, with its shorn fields, and shrub- 
berries and forests redolent with luxuriant 
foliage, health and fragrance, now reigns su¬ 
preme. The bleached, sodden citizen will 
find an invigorating influence pervading 
his whole system when he quits the sea 
of red bricks and mortar — the brown 
roofs and heated pavements, and miasmatic 
yards, cess pools and sinks. 
Send out your children and your nurses 
to frolic on the green sward, and in the um¬ 
brageous purlieus of Madam August’s en¬ 
chanting grounds—and yourselves join the 
tanned and sun-burnt tiller of the soil, and 
partake his fare. It is better than pills, po¬ 
tions or hydropathy—and not half so bad 
to take. 
The cereal grains are now coming into 
the gamer, and the hay is already mostly 
imder cover. LooTt to the summer fallows 
that they do not get too grassy. If you 
depend upon the plow, give it three good 
turnings; if upon the cultivator, as .many 
dressings as will subdue all weeds and 
sprouting grasses. A clean clover and tim¬ 
othy sward may be mown in July, turned 
over the first week in September and sown 
by the 20th, and make better wheat and 
with less expense than by any other process. 
Clean out the corners of fences, and ugly 
bush corners in the fields, the two last' 
weeks in this month. The rationale of this 
process consists in the fact that it is too late 
in the season for the vital energies of the 
plant to develope the latent buds, and yet 
warm enough to sour the sap and cause 
death to most of the woods of this country. 
The ditching of low, drowned and wet 
lands should be attended to. It is one of 
the important cares of the farming process 
as no crops can be profitably grown with a 
wet sub-soil. 
Keep down all large seeding weeds among 
the root crops, either by the hand or the 
hoe, not only for present profit, but for fu¬ 
ture advantages. Do not allow ripe docks, 
Johnswort, tory weed, Canada thistle or 
other noxious weeds to go into your hay or 
straw, as they go to the manure heap and 
are unconsciously distributed over the farm. 
Better hire an extra boy to seperate and 
burn them. Gather up fallen apples for the 
hogs and thereby get rid of the insect that 
destroys them. An ounce of prevention is 
Avorth a pound of cure. 
Pear trees that are struck with the fire 
blight should be cut down to fresh wood, 
and then a foot lower to make assurance 
doubly sure. 
Grape vines that are too full of foliage 
may have the ends of all the runners cut 
back to within one leaf of the cluster, but 
by no means destroy all the leaves among 
the grapes beyond that point Save a few 
strong leaders for next year’s bearing. Wa¬ 
ter and earth up celery and assist valuable 
strawberry runners to take root by laying 
a small stone near the head of the runner. I 
(■qOOP^ 
Drains made by masonry are intended 
for mains, but they are too expensive for 
our farms. The square stone and the tri¬ 
angular stone drains are probably the best, 
where stone of proper dimensions can be 
procured on the field to be drained. If, 
however, stone is to be hauled from any 
distance, then a tile drain, which will be 
described presently, is much the best and 
cheapest The other drains as figured, have 
been used with success while they lasted; 
but few ever perform their duty beyond two 
or three years. * • 
In all matters affecting our property, any 
prospect for its improvement needs a very, 
scrutinizing examination, that we may first 
be assured of its necessity, and then, the* 
best and cheapest manner for accomplishing 
the change. The necessity for improvement 
by draining has, I hope, been clearly dem¬ 
onstrated ; and the best method for locating 
and opening drains has been indicated; it is 
now intended to draw your attention to the 
most approved drain of the present day, 
•When you have judiciously marked out 
yqur field to be drained, and staked the 
CQUi-se of the several trenches, let them be 
accurately ^ug at least three feet-odeep, and 
not over thirty f§et asunder, foi;' thorough 
draining. The trenches or ditches must run ) 
down the slopes, and not across them, that ) 
the water may go off freely. Dig the 
trenches as narrow as may be, so that a 
man can clean out the bottom and construct \ 
the drain; the width at the bottom for the ; 
main drains need not exceed ten inches, ^ 
and for all other drains not e.xceed seven .j 
inches. • Be careful to have the grade on ^ 
the fall of the water not less than one foot 
in one hundred; remembering that a great- = 
er fall will more readily prevent the accu- : 
mulation ?f sediment. Cut the main trench \ 
.first all the way through the field, and do ' 
mol-lay in the materials until you have as- \ 
'certained that the dimensions and grade are S' 
correct throughout You are now ready to > 
cCmstruct the drain with tiles of a semi-cyl- ) 
indrical form. These tiles are made of ^ 
burned clay of various lengths, from 12 to ) 
13, 14 and 15 inches, the width and height ^ 
being 2^ by 3;) inches, and 4 by 5 inches. < 
When these tiles are well made they are • 
smooth and heavy, and ring when struck ^ 
with a hard substance. They are so strong < 
that a man may stand or leap on them with- , 
out breaking them. The drawing now ex- ^ 
hibited will explam the form of the tile, and ) 
the manner of laying them in the trench; { 
You will perceive that the tiles are laid 
upon flat tiles, called soles, and this is 
brought to your notice, because in this coun¬ 
try, drains have been made without any 
support for the tile, where the bottom has 
been a hard clay. This practice doesv.well 
for a few years, but it must be evident, that 
it the drains ever carry a rapid run of wa¬ 
ter, the tiles must evidently sink, more or 
less, by the wearing of the bottom, and thus 
in time destroy the drain. To prevent this 
mischief, soles are made of convenient widths 
and lengths on which to set the tiles, taking ) 
care to avoid placing the joints in contact, ^ 
by which ai-rangement the tile has a firm ? 
and uniform bearing. Having your tile > 
conveniently placed along the trench, they s 
must be laid with due care, first cleansing ^ 
the trench, so that the soles may lay solid. \ 
The tile being laid, it is best to cover the ) 
whole with a turf sod, and fill the trench by ! 
means of your plow or shovel, as may be ^ 
most convenient. Many use straw to cover ) 
the tile, but a turf cut about 18 inches long ) 
Experiment with Ashes.—A corres¬ 
pondent of the New England Farmer, says 
he spread, on a small square of a few rods, 
ten bushels of ashes, on a worn-out meadow. 
“ The grass there was three feet high, while 
all around, with equal advantages, except 
ashes, it w’as hardly five inches high in July.” 
