MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL, DEVOTED TO 
Agriculture, Horticulture, Mechanic Arts and Sci¬ 
ence, Education, Rural and Domestic Economy, 
General Intelligence, the Markets, &c., &c. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D, T. MOORE, 
ASSISTED BY 
J. H. B1XBY, L. WETIIERELL, and H. C. WHITE. 
Contributors and Correspondents: 
L. B. Langworthy, 
William Garbctt, 
S. P. Chapman, 
David Ely, 
Myron Adams, 
(J. W. Marshall, 
F. W. Lay, 
T. E. Wetmore, 
R. B. Warren, 
Archibald Stone, 
Chester Dewey, ll. d., 
J. Clement, 
W. Wallace Shaw, 
R. G. Pardee, 
Samuel Moulson, 
Jas. H. Watts, 
W. K. Wyckoef, 
W. H. Bristol, 
W. D. Allis, 
L. D. Whiting. 
And numerous others—practical, scientific, and literary 
writers—whose names are necessarily omitted: 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
LETTERS ON 
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE, ETC. 
BY M. M. RODGERS, M. D. 
ENGLAND. 
__ 
THE SMITHFIELD FAIR AND CATTLE SHOW. 
London, January, 1851. 
D. D. T. Moore, Esq., — Dear Sir: In 
my last letter I proposed to give you some 
account of the Annual Fair and Cattle Show 
of the “ Smithfield Club,” which I think 
may be, in some respects, both useful and 
amusing, to many of your readers. This 
Fair was held on the 10th, 11th and 12th 
of December, at the Bazaar, in Baker st., 
London. This is an elegant and commodi¬ 
ous building, fitted up with every conven¬ 
ience for exhibiting such animals and articles 
as are presented for inspection; clean, airy 
and well lighted, and divided into different 
apartments, so that each class has its proper 
place to appear to advantage, and without 
confusion or inconvenience to spectators. 
On the first day there was a very fine 
display of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, of 
various breeds and qualities. The cattle 
were mostly Devon, Durham, and Here- 
fords, with a few curly-haired Welcli oxen and 
milch cows. They were of course designed 
for the market, and were valued at from 
$90 to $400, each. They excelled in size 
and beauty any large lot of cattle I have 
ever seen,—having been curried, groomed, 
and even trained, until they were equal in 
smoothness of skin and docility of disposi¬ 
tion to most of our first rate horses. 
There were also many fine hogs and 
sheep of such varieties as were exhibited at 
the Smithfield Market the week before, and 
to which I alluded in my last letter.— 
Among the successful competitors for prizes 
was Prince Albert, who took a premium on 
an ox and a litter of pigs,—although they 
were not the first on the list. During the 
exhibition, several artists were on the ground, 
painting in oil, the portraits of such animals 
as the owners prized most highly, or those 
which took prizes. 
There were exhibited a large number of 
agricultural implements, some of which were 
of very good patterns and fine workmanship, 
while others were heavy, unwieldly and 
clumsy. One thing worthy of remark was 
the fact that many which have been in use 
for many years in England, are now just 
being patented in the United States, and 
supposed to be new inventions. The patent 
two wheeled plow, I have seen both in Eng¬ 
land and France, and have been informed 
it has been in use many years. I noticed 
among hundreds of articles, only two worthy 
of special remark, viz., glass milk pans and 
other dairy furniture, and a new machine 
for making hollow bricks and tiles and pipes 
for draining. The bricks made by this ma¬ 
chine are perforated longitudinally by a 
square opening in the centre from one to 
two inches in diameter, so that they are laid 
in the wall in such manner as to allow of a 
free circulation of air; they have also the 
advantage of being lighter, quicker burnt, 
and requiring less material than solid bricks. 
A large quantity of all the vegetables of 
the season were exhibited. Among these 
were some superior specimens of roots, and 
the cabbage family; among the latter, a va¬ 
riety not commonly grown in America, call¬ 
ed “ Brussels budsthese are small, solid 
heads of cabbage, about the size of butter¬ 
nuts, and when boiled very tender and finely 
flavored. Only five or six varieties of the 
potato were exhibited. Among these was 
a long white potato labelled “ American,” 
and one labelled the “ Snake potato;” the 
latter was a black skinned root, about an 
inch in diameter and 10 to 12 inches in length, 
and so coiled and contorted as tomake it ap¬ 
pear quite as repulsive as its name would indi¬ 
cate. The balance were round white varie¬ 
ties and pink eyes,—the round ones when 
cooked are peculiarly excellent. Many va¬ 
rieties of beans and peas, and one hundred 
varieties of wheat, were exhibited; of the 
latter, some specimens were very fine while 
others were quite inferior. Barley and hops 
were also exhibited in large quantities, and 
received the degree of attention due to them 
as constituting the basis of one of the first 
necessaries of an Englishman’s existence, 
viz., malt liquor. 
The dairy was also largely represented, 
—the department devoted to cheese, fully 
sustained the reputation which it has long 
enjoyed abroad. The Cheshire cheese is, 
in reality, rich and deliciously flavored, be¬ 
yond the conception of one who lias never 
tasted it; this is owing partly to the skill 
employed in its manufacture, and partly to 
the food of tiie cows, being composed of 
sweet nutricious roots, and the rich tender 
pasture which a mild moist climate produces. 
The butter, however, is far inferior to that 
made by our best dairymen in New York; 
it is adhesive, tasteless, too fresh, and nearly 
all more or less tainted: this latter quality 
is attributed to the season of the year,—but 
a dairy conducted on scientific principles, 
ought to produce butter which will keep 
through a winter, and if necessary, through 
one or more whole years. But whatever 
the explanation may be, I have not seen or 
tasted a particle of good butter its yet, in 
England or France. 
SOCIETY OF ARTS. 
On the evening of the last day of the 
Fair, I attended a lecture before the “Smith- 
field Club,” by Prof. Calvert, on the Grow¬ 
ing and Manufacture of Flax and Cotton: 
Hon. Milner Gibson, M. P., presiding. The 
Professor alluded to the perfection in which 
some fabrics of flax were manufactured by 
the ancients;—he also described three va¬ 
rieties and detailed a process for rotting the 
stalk in a much shorter time than is required 
by the usual mode, and without injury to 
the bark, or part used for linen: thirty-six 
different processes were described which 
are used in the bleaching of linen. A brief 
description was given of China grass, and 
another species from the Cape of Good 
Hope, which were proposed to be worked 
into the same fabrics as are produced from 
flax. Diagrams were exhibited illustrating 
the difference between the fibres of cotton 
and those of linen, as seen under the mi¬ 
croscope ; the principal points of difference 
are that the cotton fibres are knotted at in¬ 
tervals, or are in sections with joints between 
them,—while the linen fibres are continu¬ 
ous, and much smoother, longer mid stronger 
than the cotton. The lecturer discussed to 
some extent the manufacture of cotton, and 
described ten different processes for bleach¬ 
ing and coloring the yarn and cloth. 
At the close of the lecture, several mem¬ 
bers spoke upon the various topics discussed. 
Most of them opposed the use of chemical 
processes in rotting flax, and the bleaching 
and dying of linen and cotton fabrics, on the 
ground that they were injurious and more 
expensive than the “ natural,” or old 
methods. Mr. Donald, oae of the largest 
manufactures in Ireland, exhibited speci¬ 
mens of bleached flax, and linen fabrics, 
among which were some beautiful pieces of 
colored linen velvet, equal in softness and 
lustre to silk. 
He opposed, chemical processes for the 
reasons mentioned by other gentlemen, and 
the additional one that it deprived a large 
number of women and children of the labor 
which they now perform in rotting the flax> 
and cleaning and bleaching the linen, <fec. 
The general opinion of the Society was, 
that flax and hemp might, and ought to be 
more extensively cultivated for manufacture 
than heretofore,—they being both natural 
to the soil of Great Britain. By this means, 
linen goods, which for most purposes are 
better than cotton, would become cheaper 
than at present,—more laborers would be 
employed and the dependance of Britain on 
foreign countries for cotton much lessened. 
This philosophy appeared sound enough in 
some respec ts, but in others it appears to me 
fallacious. Whether British policy, labor 
or machinery, will ever diminish her depen¬ 
dance on foreign powers may be doubted by 
any one who has been acquainted with 
either by personal observation.* 
The week following I attended another 
lecture before the Society of Arts, at their 
hall, by Mr. Adams, Civil Engineer, on the 
subject of steam and railways. Charles 
Dickens, Esq., (Boz,) presided. The lec¬ 
turer gave a history of steam and steam 
navigation and engines, and thought steam 
might be applied much more extensively 
than now; he alluded to the attempts at 
steam plowing, threshing and propelling of 
common wagons, and thought they would 
ultimately be successful. Mr. Adams al¬ 
luded several times in favorable terms to 
American enterpise and ingenuity. Some 
discussion followed the lecture and the 
meeting adjourned. 
This Society is a model institution; it is 
composed of practical engineers, manufac¬ 
turers, chemists, agriculturists and men of 
science and literary attainments. It has a 
fine gallery of paintings, a museum contain¬ 
ing specimens of agricultural products, do¬ 
mestic manufactures, models of machinery, 
useful minerals, diagrams, drawings, medals, 
(fee., <fec., together with a fine library and 
hall for lectures. Among the objects worthy 
of notice were some specimens of wire ropes 
and cables, —an electrical clock, a perfect 
time piece and a beautiful piece of mechan¬ 
ism—and an instrument called “ autophia,” 
of the organ species. This instrument is 
capable of playing any tune set forit without 
the keys being fingered. Perforated sheets 
of binders board with the perforations ar¬ 
ranged to correspond with the note of the 
music, are laid in the place where the fin¬ 
ger board is usually placed, and these pass¬ 
ing round a cylinder having pedals com¬ 
municating with each key, bring out each 
note perfectly, both in sound and time. It 
is necessary only to hare the notes of each 
tune to be played represented by the perfor¬ 
ations in the board, and then both note 
books and organist may be dispensed with, 
—a small boy is only required to blow the 
instrument and replace the sheets at the end 
of the tune. 
[Conclusion of this letter next week.'] 
Note. —We regret to state that the previous let¬ 
ter, to which our correspondent refers, has not been 
received. It was probably in the mail sent by the 
steamer Atlantic, which vessel met with an acci¬ 
dent, and was obliged to return. Should the letter 
come to hand, it will bo given hereafter.—E d. 
WIRE FENCE—NOT ABANDONED YET, 
NUMBER V. 
An article appeared in No. 11, volume 1, 
of the Rural New-Yorkfr, in which the 
writer reviewed somewhat severely Wire 
Fences , and gave in detail the expense of 
building “ the best plain board fence in the 
world.” He made the cost amount to $1,25 
a rod, and argues that “ while lumber and 
labor are at their present prices, there is no 
saving in making wire fences, so far as ex¬ 
pense is concerned, and ventures a prophe¬ 
cy, that twenty years wear will tell the sto¬ 
ry in favor of board fences.” 
I have no disposition to controvert this 
writer’s opinion, that such a board fence as 
he there describes is better than a wire 
fence; but would simply ask, how long 
red cedar posts and fence boards could be 
purchased at the prices he names—provi¬ 
ded that all who need new fence within 20 
years should apply to the lumber yards in 
your city ? I venture the assertion that all 
the fencing stuff ever sold in Rochester 
would not suffice for the repairs necessary 
the present year. I have no disposition to 
persuade those who live in the vicinity of 
•cedar swamps and saw mills to build wire 
fences. The question is, what material is 
to be used where rails and boards can no 
longer be had. This time is even now 
come, in many sections of our county. The 
choice is not between “ the best plain board 
fence in the world ” and wire fence—hut 
between wire fences and ditches, or hedges* 
or no fence at all. 
This writer also says—“ there is one point 
about which we anticipate some difficulty 
which we have not heard mentioned. Iron 
expands from 32 (the freezing point,) to 90> 
half the way to boiling (a heat not uncom¬ 
mon in the sun,) about the 16,000th part of 
its length, or about one eighth of an inch 
to the rod—making an expansion of 2-) 
inches in 20 rods of fence, if put up at the 
freezing point, and an equal contraction if 
put up at ninety, which, if the extreme 
posts did not give, would break the wire, 
unless there was slack enough to compen¬ 
sate for the shrinkage.” 
These are philosophical facts, and I have 
no doubt are truly stated. I have found 
the falling of the temperature in a few 
hours to sensibly affect my fence. I put 
up a large wire (No. 5) as a railing to a 
side walk twenty rods in length, and strain¬ 
ed it in the middle of a warm day. Be¬ 
fore night a dark cloud arose in the west, 
and a cold wind passed by. While at 
work, a few rods from the fence, I was 
startled by a sound which I supposed to be 
a heavy gun at a distance. Observing this 
wire to vibrate I found that the noise pro¬ 
ceeded from the slipping of the wire where 
it was lapped together. I learned from this 
that wires should be strained in a cool day, 
and when the thermometer is up to 90, and 
all nature is relaxed and prostrate by ex¬ 
cessive heat, this fence looks as flimsy as 
the laborer feels under its influence. I ap¬ 
prehend but little difficulty will ever arise 
from this cause although it is well that ev¬ 
ery builder understands the amount of this 
contraction and expansion. Large wire 
cannot well be strained, as I have hereto¬ 
fore described, because there is danger of 
breaking the wire by bending it so short 
I have used a screw for this purpose, ar¬ 
ranged in the same manner as in straining 
common wood saws. 
A writer in the Cultivator Almanac used 
common bed screws for straining, when the 
fence was two thirds of a mile in one pan- 
nel. A ring was welded to the screw, to 
fasten the wires to. The wires, were, how¬ 
ever, first strained and fastened to each post 
by staples. I have used a screw much in 
the same way, but did not like the opera¬ 
tion. The strain is too great for the thread, 
and it would tear off. Besides, the process 
is quite too slow,—I can strain a dozen 
wires with a windlass where I can one 
with a screw. Yours, <fec. 
Myron Adams. 
Ea*rt Bloomfield, January 31, 1851. 
MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP. 
WHAT IS THE BEST FOOD FOR BREEDING EWES ? 
Would corn and cob meal, and carrots, half of 
each, be such food as ewes before and after lamb¬ 
ing should be fed on for a supply of milk? If not 
what would hp best for them ? 
Are mangel wurtzels as profitable a crop as car¬ 
rots, to feed to sheep, all things considered ? 
A reply to these inquiries will oblige one if not 
more of your numerous readers. 
Yours, &c., j. j. c. 
Ellington, Chautauque Co., Jan. 27, 1851. 
[One of our contributors, who has had large ex¬ 
perience in sheep husbandry, has kindly furnished 
us the following reply to the above inquiries.—E d. 
R. N. Y.] 
I do not consider Indian eorn a desirable 
grain for feeding ewes with reference to 
producing a supply of milk. It is a strong 
and heating grain, and will produce founder, 
will induce a fever, sooner than any other 
grain, if fed out liberally. It has no ten¬ 
dency to increase lacteal secretions, but its 
influence would be to dry them up. For 
the purpose of keeping store sheep in heart, 
and of recruiting a flock in low flesh, no 
grain is so good as corn if prudently fed, 
that is, regularly, and in very small quan¬ 
tities to each sheep. I greatly approve of 
grinding the corn and cob together. There 
is some value in the cob, and the use of 
corn in this way, is much safer than when 
not thus ground. 
What would be the effect of intermixing 
the meal with carrots, I cannot, from any 
experience, suggest If the meal and the 
carrot should be combined, the meal in 
small quantities with the view of keeping 
the sheep in condition, and the carrot in 
larger proportion to produce a flow of milk, 
I think it might do well. I have cultivated 
mangel wurtzel and carrots for large stock, 
but not for sheep. 
I consider the carrot a more valuable root 
than the mangel wurtzel, and should esteem 
it preferable to the beetj in producing a 
flow of milk. But I think the same around 
D 
and same tillage will produce a larger pro¬ 
duct of the beet, than of the carrot In my 
own experience, the beet has attained the 
largest size. Which would be the most prof¬ 
itable crop to feed to ewes, all things con¬ 
sidered, it might be difficult to decide. If 
the circumstances of the soil and culture 
were such, as to ensure a great yield, I 
should prefer risking the carrot, for I con¬ 
sider it the richest and most nutritious root 
No grain I have ever fed to breeding 
ewes, has been so available in producing a 
flow of milk,, as good shorts from wheat— 
They induce no febrile action, are nutri¬ 
tious, and seem to exert a specific influence 
in producing milk. One bushel to a flock 
of 30 ewes, fed twice a day, say morning 
and evening, would be about two quarts 
each per day. Shorts of good quality 
should weigh 15 or 18 lbs. to the bushel. 
This affords about 1 lb. to each ewe per 
day, and I have found it sufficient, and to 
produce satisfactory results. But it may be 
objected, that this practice would involve 
an outlay of cash, to pay the miller’s bill; 
and that the farmer should contrive to sus¬ 
tain his flock within his own resources.— 
This is true. In planning a disbursement, 
the farmer should at the same time devise 
the means to meet the disbursement. And 
bow shall it be done ? In my own case, I 
have raised annually a crop of barley, for 
