MOORR’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
A WEEKLY HOME NEWSPAPER, 
Designed for both Country and Town Residents. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
, ASSISTED HY 
J. H. BIXBY, L. WET HER ELL, and H. C. WHITE. 
Contributors and Oorresponiiknts: 
L. B. f,AN<)WORTHY, || CHESTER DEWEY, LL. D., 
William Garbutt, 
8. P. Chapman, 
Davio Ely, 
Myron Adams, 
II. I’. Norton, 
1’. C. Peters, 
F. W. Lay, 
T. E. Wbtmohe, 
R. U. Warren, 
Archibald Stone, 
M. M. Rodoers. m. d. 
.1. Clement, 
I). W. Ballou, Jr., 
R. G. Pardee, 
I. Hildreth, 
Jas. II. Watts, 
W. II. Bristol, 
Wm. T. Kennedy, 
S. Luther, 
L. I>. Wiiitino. 
And numerous others—practical, scientific, and literary 
writers—whose names are necessarily omitted. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to he unique and 
beautiful in appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
and Variety of Contents. Ms conductors earnestly labor 
to make it a Reliable Guide on the important Practical 
Subjects connected with the business of those whose inter¬ 
ests it advocates. It embraces more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and News Matter 
—interspersed with many appropriate and handsome en¬ 
gravings—than any other paper published in this Country. 
CF" For Terms, &.c.. see last page. JSJl 
PUORltDSM AND* I,H PIIOVKMUNT. 
BONES AS A MANURE. 
When the extensive employmentof bones 
as a manure, for the highly productive 
acres of England and Belgium is taken into 
consideration, there is little need of argu¬ 
ment to prove its worth to (hose who would 
avail themselves of every means of increas¬ 
ing the fertility of the farms they cultivate. 
The annual importation of this material in¬ 
to England, in addition to the closest econ¬ 
omy of that produced there, was estimated 
some years ago at $1,500,01)0 worth, and 
as giving an increase to the agricultural 
products of (ho country equal to eighteen 
million bushels of grain. In this country, 
were the whole truth told, we fear that it 
would he stated that a still greater amount 
which might readily be saved, is lost by 
neglect of this manure, and through want 
of proper appreciation of its importance and 
value. We find in agricultural text-hooks 
and papers a mass of information on this 
subject, and seek here to condense there¬ 
from a few hints for the consideration of 
our readers. 
The analysis of the bones of an ox, in 
Thomson’s Animal Chemistry, shows their 
chief value to be in the gelatine and phos¬ 
phate of lime which form more than 90 per 
cent, of their composition. A fraction over 
TOO parts gives, —of organic matter or car¬ 
tilage, 48 per cent.—of inorganic: phos¬ 
phate of lime 45 per cent., and about 0 per 
cent, each, of magnesia, soda and potash. 
Both these principal constituents are large¬ 
ly required in the formation of the grains, 
and hence the value of this manure in their 
production. The organic part produces, in 
its decomposition, ammonia and nitrogen, 
while the inorganic furnishes phosphoric 
acid and kindred substances, composing one- 
half of the ash of wheat, and «i large per¬ 
centage in all the most nutritive grains and 
vegetables. 
Bones which have been deprived of their 
organic or gelatinous portion by burning 
or boiling, it will be seen are less valuable, 
though they still retain all the phosphates 
and salts. Prof. Johnston estimates the 
relative value of burnt and unburnt bones, 
according to the freshness of the latter, as 
15 to 50 lbs. The unburnt yield from 5 
to 9 per cent, of nitrogen, while the burnt 
yield but one per ce^t. Whole bones, and 
those ground or dissolved, also vary largely 
in their value —8 or 10 bushels ground be¬ 
ing equal or better in effect, than 70 or 80 
bushels unbroken. They are also used in 
England, finely broken, but not powdered, 
under the name of inch, and half inch bones, 
from the relative size of the pieces. 
But what we would recommend is not 
the importation of bones or bone-mills, but 
the saving of all such as may come within 
the reach of the farmer, to be dissolved in 
sulphuric acid according to Prof. Norton’s 
directions. Large bones may be broken 
with a sledge hammer and then treated as 
follows:—To every 100 lbs. of bones about 
50 lbs. of acid are taken, which must first 
be mixed with two or three times its bulk 
in water, because if applied undiluted, it 
would only burn or blacken the bones with¬ 
out dissolving them. If they are finely 
broken, a less quantity of acid will answer. 
The bones arc placed in a tub, old hogs¬ 
head, or other convenient vessel, and half 
or two-thirds of the proper quantity of di¬ 
luted acid poured over them. They should 
be stirred, and another portion of the acid 
added after standing a day, and if not fully 
dissolved on the third day, pour over the 
remainder. As sulphuric acid is very cor¬ 
rosive— when undiluted, burning wood, 
flesh, or clothing with the rapidity of fire- 
care must be observed in handling it. 
Another good way to accomplish this ob¬ 
ject is to place the bones in a heap upon a 
paved or earthen floor, and pour a portion 
of the acid, diluted as before, upon them. 
They should first be broken, of course, nor 
should more of the liquid be applied than 
they will absorb without waste. After 
standing half a day the heap should be 
thoroughly mixed, and a little more acid 
added. In this, way the bones are dissolv¬ 
ed or crumbled down into a soft pasty 
mass, that is mostly soluble in water. Thor¬ 
oughly mix this with a quantity of ashes, 
charred peat, muck, saw-dust, or vegetable 
mould, sufficient to dry up the acid, and it 
will make a compound which can be sown 
by hand, or dropped from a drill machine. 
The American Farmer remarks in relation 
to this part of Prof. Norton’s directions:— 
“ We prefer to mix the paste with ashes, 
because, besides many other valuable or¬ 
ganic substances, it supplies potash, a most 
important—nay, indispensable element in 
all plants, and which is absent in bones.” 
The sulphuric acid is valuable as a ma¬ 
nure, aside from its action in dissolving 
Bones. It decomposes the silicates of the 
soil, preparing them to be taken up by the 
roots of plants, and it is said that on many 
soils a remarkable fertilizing effect may be 
produced by watering the growing crop 
with a very diluted solution of this acid. 
“From the composition, as already given, 
of this manure,” says Prof. Norto.n, “it is 
obvious that it must be one of much value, 
and the results of its application in practice 
fully confirm this conclusion. It is found 
that for many crops from two to four bush¬ 
els of dissolved bones produce an effect 
equal to 10 or 20 bushels of bone-dust, 
which is one of the most powerful of ma¬ 
nures”—producing eight or ten times as 
much ammonia as cow-dung, and 00 times 
the quantity of salts, weight for weight; and 
according to Gray, one bushel of bone-dust 
added to 40 of yard manure doubling its 
value as a fertilizer. “It is a cheap appli¬ 
cation also; two bushels of bones would not 
certainly be worth more than 50 cents, and 
would weigh from 100 to 120 lbs. Fifty 
pounds of acid to dissolve them would cost 
$1,50, making a total expense of $2. This, 
with half the quantity of ordinary manure 
is found quite enough for an acre, and thus 
appears to be far cheaper than anything 
else which could be used with like effect” 
There are few farms upon which two or 
three bushels of bones could not be saved 
in the course of a year, adding materially, 
if applied, to the fertility of several acres. 
The trouble of preparation is not great, and 
the application, either by mixing with other 
manures, or sowing broad-cast or in drills, 
is readily accomplished. As a manure for 
wheat, it has no superior. In the produc¬ 
tion of turnips and cabbages it is successful¬ 
ly and almost universally employed in Eng¬ 
land and Belgium. And for all crops it 
may be employed, with present and long 
continued benefit. Why, then, should it 
longer be so generally neglected ? Why 
should so valuable a sourceof increased pro¬ 
ductiveness be suffered to lie unemployed ? 
AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT. 
BY O. TURNER, ESQ. 
Our day and period, is marked by a 
strong onward current of invention, dis¬ 
covery and improvement. There is no use 
in being churlish or doggedly resisting.— 
Rather is it not the part of wisdom to throw 
ourselves into this current, to be wafted up¬ 
on its surface ? 
Our own country, is peculiarly the thea¬ 
tre of progress. , While the arts, the sci¬ 
ences, education is flourishing, intelligence 
is more and more diffusive. Heaven has 
been sending us fruitful seasons,—general 
health, and peace. You need hardly to be 
reminded, in detail, how improving and 
progressive is the age. How here, in our 
own happy land, free institutions are un¬ 
fettering the mind, and unloosing the hands, 
to work out the high destiny of our race. 
Do I hear the whisper, coming from the 
moralist, --the religionist",—that their high 
purposes will be lost sight of in this onward 
march? Join then in this Progress; be 
co-workers; dip your oars in this strong 
current, and go along with it. The spirit 
of the times is utilitarian. Let practical 
utility be inscribed upon your banners. 
lie in whose advent a redeemed world 
rejoices, was a practical innovator, — the 
despiser of error, even if it was gray with 
age. lie sought out new ways of accom¬ 
plishing the high purpose of his mission.— 
The murmurs of the opponents of progress 
reached his ears unheeded. Examine your 
systems,—lop off the errors; make new in¬ 
ventions and improvements, where they are 
needed—where old ones have proved im¬ 
practicable. Holding on with a firm grasp 
to the essentials, lose sight of the non-es¬ 
sentials, or be less tenacious of them.— 
Adapt yourselves, and the manner of ar¬ 
riving at given objects, to the spirit and 
tendency of the age. in the great work 
before us, there must be a division of labor. 
Enter upon it. But the march is to be a 
rapid one. Encumbered with too much 
baggage, you will fall behind. 
It was but a mild sentence, that which 
determined the destiny of our race. A 
blessing in disguise! And mark, how it 
left useful agents, as to the helps and means 
to be employed! By the sweatof the brow, 
were we to eat our bread. There was no 
restriction as to how we should do it. The 
same kind Providence that gave the sen¬ 
tence, gave us the fertile earth—the atmos 
phere, light, heat, genial showers, and all 
that was required to grow bread. Great¬ 
est of all, He endowed us with His highest 
attributes—reason —intelligence,—to put 
in requisition these agents. If we fail to 
press on —to analyze—to investigate—to 
know more and more of nature, and appli¬ 
cation of the means put into our hands,— 
do wc not conn; short of the divine purposes ? 
Never, says an English paper, at any 
time or in any country has agriculture af¬ 
forded a wider or more important range of 
subjects for discussion than it does in this, 
at the present moment. It is economic, 
social, and political; scientific, practical, 
moral and educational; it is tallied from the 
castle tft the cottage; and has become com¬ 
mon ground, on which all men meet 
TOWN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
Much has been written about a State Ag¬ 
ricultural College, and for many years past 
the subject has been before tiie Legislature at 
their annual sessions, but as yet no definite 
action has been taken upon the subject.— 
This to me, is but little cause of regret, for 
whatever may be thought of such an insti¬ 
tution as a means of acquiring an exalted 
name among the nations, and as an avenue 
to individual fame, it will not be the school 
of the people, and consequently can have 
but a weak and uncertain influence upon 
the mass of the national mind. Doubtless 
such a college would do good—so have ag¬ 
ricultural books and newspapers, and such 
men as Buel, Gaylord, Skinner, Ac., have 
done incalculable good,—and this too, with¬ 
out appropriations from the public treasury. 
They have had their reward, but of quite 
another kind. 
•As one of the people, I confess I would 
much rather see such an institution rise on 
the basis of private associated effort, than 
as a child of the State, at least as long as 
political parties are governed by such influ¬ 
ences as now control them. If we must have 
a State College let it be open to the poorest 
in the land who will work—wiio earnestly 
seek the aid of science to qualify them to 
become practical, well-informed agricultu¬ 
rists. Let us have no aristocratic institution 
endowed by our government. If there is 
one hurtful thing to which, above all others 
men in masses seem to tend, it is in the dis¬ 
position to centralize and consolidate wealth, 
power and learning. Why, I would aslq 
should a thing be done in Washington or 
Albany, which could be performed better 
on any of our farms, or in our villages. 
In science all should have opportunity to 
investigate,—not on a privileged few alone 
should the glorious orb of science shine,— 
nor can it long be so, for “ Ignorance is of 
the earth,earthly, and must soon pass away.” 
Are not the laws of matter and of mind the 
same every where, and are not all equally 
interested in knowing the relations of things 
—but I shall be told that it is enough for 
us to be able to apply rules deduced from 
scientific principles, or at farthest to under¬ 
stand “ great leading principles,” and there 
is high authority for all this; but I do not 
believe it. We want to learn to deduce 
those great principles for ourselves from an 
infinitude of details, so that we may be able 
to strike out new trains of thought, make 
new discoveries and obey the gospel injunc¬ 
tion on all subjects—“search all things, 
hold fast that which is good.” There are 
men who so love a knowledge of the truth 
that they will investigate, in spite of obsta¬ 
cles—indeed difficulties seem often to give 
additional impetus and effect to their labors 
—while government institutions are too of¬ 
ten deficient in zeal, and therefore in inter¬ 
est and usefulness, and one reason for this 
is, that to a lamentable extent, places under 
government are filled by the mere force of 
wealth and patronage, with but a second¬ 
ary reference tothe fitnessof the incumbent. 
In regard to the laws of nature, can I 
not investigate them as well on my little 
farm and in my own neighborhood, only 
furnish me with the necessary instruments 
and agents, as in some distant central col¬ 
lege?— true, I may and ought to go abroad 
for information—but even if I remain at 
home there are the press, and its hand¬ 
maids, steam and electricity, sweeping thro’ 
time and space to yield me knowledge of 
all the world is doing. 
Is it said that we need combined efforts 
to accomplish the work of scientific discov¬ 
ery;—a single town is no mean force to 
grapple with nature, could we but endow 
it wi|ji the will. Who that has reflected J 
does not know, that there is force of native - 
tident enough in almost every town, and > 
wealth sufficient, to officer and endow a cul-' > 
lege that shall be more effective in the work )j 
of progress, than the majority of the.*?? that /| 
now exist. Only get men to think less of <M 
wealth and power, and fame, and more of ( 
human elevation, so that they can forget < 
sell in their efforts to unlock the store house (j 
of knowledge and scatter its treasures among j j 
the people. We scarcely dream as vet, of jj 
the capacity of our little country towns, nor ) i 
shall we, so long as cities, those national > 
bubbles, “those sores on the body politic,” ) 
and foreign commerce, that school of na- ’ 
tional pride, speculation and corruption, are \ 
permitted to withdraw from the country / 
and soil, so much of its most valuable and \ 
consequently most exhausting product s,.^ 
while we receive in return the more cojtly 
production of labor which might,.much beA® 
ter be manufactured in our own immeeiVfe q 
vicinity. Again, by permitting- the cities^T 
in so great a degree to do our thinking— j 
to form our opinions for us—we are fast ma- 18 
king them the seats of empire. , 
The true plan is, to make every town a \ | 
college, and all the people students of na- \ j 
ture. How will this be most quickly and (j 
perfectly accomplish! d ? Not by a State 
institution, filled nitli Ecli men’.' sons, how• j! 
ever worthy they may be in their own caste : (3 
but by organizing the (own on some p] a n \ I 
that shall rouse the mass to activity, and ^1 
interest all, young and old, by giving all an : | 
intimate personal interest in progressive 
knowledge and improvement. 
S. Lutiieh. j 
THE FARMER. 
Mr. Editor: —Happiness seems to have j 
fixed her seat in rural scenes. The spa- \ 
cious hal’, the splendid equipage, and the ( 
pomp of courts, do not sooth and entertain \ 
the mind of man in any degree, like the j 
verdant plain, the enamelled mead, the fra- \ 
grant grove, the melodious birds, the sports > 
of beasts, the azure sky, and the starry ; 
heavens. j 
It is undoubtedly a fact, that in propor- \ 
tion to our population, too many leave the > 
occupation of the agriculturist, for other $ 
employments. If this arise from its being j 
considered that the employment of the fur- < 
mer is not respectable, it is it very great <| 
mistake. Every thing is honorable, which 
is useful and virtuous. This is an employ- j j 
raent instituted by God himself, and by him < ■ 
particularly owned and blest. It is that on < 
which every thing depends. True, it is la- i 
borious; but then labor brings health, and ^ 
health is the foundation of the farmer,—is ; 
the condition of independence. His little > 
dominion is his own, comforts are his own, / 
and he is not at the mercy of public whim < 
and Caprice. It is not necessarily the case, i 
in this happy country especially, that the < 
farmer must be a stupid, ignorant man.— 5 
He is taught in his youth the first rudi- ( 
ments of education, and he has many spare j 
hours to read. In the heat of a summer’s j 
noon and by the long winter evening’s fire, > 
he hits much time for his books, and in this ) 
country they are placed within the reach ) 
of all. j. s. g. } 
Hanover, Pa., Nov., 1831. ) 
Having Manure. —Overlook no. means 5 
of adding to your stock of manures. Do ) 
not scatter your coarse fodder over wide j 
fields in early winter because your yards > 
are muddy, but prepare racks and pens j 
around them, and save the refuse for litter- ) 
ing sheds and stables to absorb the iquid 
manure. 
Look to the drains in the wheat field. 
