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[ SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
country has long been settled, and timber be¬ 
gins to be scarce and a doable— if there is 
abundant material, such as good gravel, or stone 
which may be easily transformed by the ham¬ 
mer into shape convenient for McAdamizing 
purposes,—if the farmers along the line are rich 
and in the possession of fields yielding abun¬ 
dant crops, and the villages are within half a 
dozen miles of each other on the route—if fire¬ 
wood at the city terminus is worth six dollars a 
cord, (as is the case at present in this city,) and 
plank are worth ten to fifteen dollars per thous¬ 
and board measure, then plank roads will not pay. 
It is a wicked and wasteful destruction of the 
forest products, and will in the end react upon 
the community disastrously. 
There are an infinite variety of uses for which 
a wholesale appropriation of timber must be 
made, such as tire-wood and locomotive fuel, 
fencing and building, railroad ties and bridge 
structures, together with the thousand branches 
of the mechanic arts familiar to us all, without 
applying it to a purpose which insures the ear¬ 
liest possible decay and destruction, and for 
which it is much less naturally adapted than an 
inexhaustable supply of inorganic and imper¬ 
ishable material near at hand. A McAdam, or 
even a gravel road, may cost more in the first 
instance than a plank one ; but its re-construc- 
tion will not involve any risk of exhausting the 
material from which the supply is drawn, nor 
will the original superstructure ever decay.— 
When a re-construction becomes necessary, the 
original furnishes a permanent base on which 
to build, and thus, with every addition, the 
road becomes more and more permanent and 
solid. 
The conclusions we oe to, then, in the 
economy of plank roads, are these. They are i 
of the greatest utility and value in such locali¬ 
ties as the dense, luxuriant forest regions of 
Northern Indiana, and some portions of Michi¬ 
gan, Wisconsin, and Canada West; but not in 
the densely populous, long settled regions of 
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS: 
H. T. BROOKS, Prof. C. DEWEY, 
T. C. PETERS, L. B. LANGWORTHY, 
H. C. WHITE, T. E. WETMORE. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unique and 
beautiful in appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
and Variety of Contents. Its 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, Horticul¬ 
tural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and News Matter, 
interspersed with many appropriate and beautiful Engrav¬ 
ings, than any other paper published in this Country,— 
rendering it a complete Agricultural, Literary and 
Family Newspaper. 
For Terms, and other particulars, see last page. 
AN OCTAGON HOUSE. 
A few years since, the mania for plank roads 
was very alarming, and all parts of the country 
embarked in these enterprises. Not alone in 
the new States where lands were to be cleared 
—where timber was an incumbrance, and its 
removal, even by an entire destruction of the 
products of the forest, a matter highly impor¬ 
tant—where the roads at all seasons were bad, 
and at times utterly impassable, were plank road 
projects started ; but alN> in the older and more 
thickly settled States, where timber w 
The principal advantages claimed for the 
Octagon style of architecture are, stability and 
symmetry, from the form of the building, and 
cheapness, from enclosing larger space with 
less wall than any other. In former volumes of 
the Rural it has received some notice, and Mr. 
B. F. Ham, of Baldwinsville, N. Y., now en¬ 
ables us to present the accompanying original 
design to our readers. 
kitchen each 16 by 16 feet. 7 and 8 bed. 
12 by 12. 9, pantry, 9 by 12. 10, piazza 
wide. 11, stairway. 
r as com¬ 
paratively scarce and valuable, and where the 
roads were well worked, or at least money 
enough to do it was yearly expended. 
In the State of New York, for instance, and 
in such well settled localities as Rochester, 
Buffalo, Syracuse, and Utica, plank roads ra¬ 
diate in all directions and stretch off many 
miles into the country, using up hundreds of 
thousands of feet of lumber, and, while the 
roads were new, it must be acknowledged, af¬ 
fording admirable carriage ways for all kinds of 
wheel vehicles. But all might have seen, even 
without an experiment, that the wood of which 
plank roads are constructed, must under any 
circumstances be a very perishable material, 
and, under the ordinary circumstances of con¬ 
struction, especially so. Rendered soft and 
easily cut under the passage of hoof and wheel 
by the constant soakings of mud and rain, even 
the short period allowed theoretically for decay 
is greatly lessened. Six years was the time 
set by engineers as the time for the planks to 
last; but experience demonstrates that on 
tracks of considerable travel the renewal must 
be made within a much shorter period. The 
consequence is that a wasteful and ruinous de¬ 
vastation of our forests is incurred, where the 
tolls have proved sufficient to warrant the ex¬ 
pense of relaying ; and where they do not, the 
surrender of charters and the loss of the entire 
stock to holders, the moment the road becomes so 
bad that community will stand the nuisance no 
longer. Scores of these roads are now being 
abandoned in whole or in part, and are teaching 
a lesson that ought to have been learned ere the 
error was committed, viz., that it was very im¬ 
politic in an old and well settled country to 
substitute valuable timber in the construction 
of roads in the place of gravel or broken stone. 
It is vastly agreeable, as we can vouch from 
our own experience, after having dragged thro’ 
mud up to the hub of a buggy for half a day, 
to strike upon an excellent plank road, and we 
have paid the tolls with a blessing upon the in¬ 
ventor of such a pathway, Avithout stopping to 
inquire whether the economy of the thing was 
not on the Avhole a matter of great doubt. This 
question of economy in the appropriation of the 
forest to the construction of plank roads isi’ery 
easily determined. If there is a superabund¬ 
ance of timber, which it is desirable to remove 
in order to admit of a greater breadth of soil for 
cultivation, and which, it not appropriated to 
some economical purpose, will be burned up or 
otherwise disposed of uselessly upon the spot; 
if the nature of the soil is such as to render it 
difficult to construct good roads from the adja¬ 
cent earthy materials—if the population is too 
sparse to allow of taxation sufficient to build a 
McAdamized or a thoroughly graveled road_ 
then a plank road will be an investment sure to 
pay either directly or indirectly ; but if the 
SECOND FLOOR. 
Explanation.— 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, rooms 16 
by 16 feet. 17 and 18, rooms 12 by 12. 19, 
bath, 9 by 12. 20, roof, c, c, closets. 
This plan contemplates a building, the sides 
of which are 20 ft., thus being 48 ft. across.— 
The first story is 10 feet, the second 8 feet high, 
between floors. 
Those who are under the influence of tradi¬ 
tion in farming are, generally, rigidly opposed 
to what is called “ book-farming ;” and such as 
are advocates of “ book-farming” are, mostly, 
rejectors of traditional farming. Are not both 
partially right, and partially wrong ? Each 
having an undue bias to his own notions and 
ways of doing things, causes him to be either 
too ultra or too conservative, just according to 
his stand-points. 
It is probably true of most men, no matter 
what their calling or vocation, that they are 
really under the control of tradition to a far 
greater degree than they are conscious of.— 
There is much truly valuable knowledge that 
cometh to all men by tradition, and which should 
not be rejected for this cause. Much of error, 
is also communicated and received by way of 
tradition. This should be repudiated, though 
endorsed and approved by a long line of wor¬ 
thies, eA-en until now. While tradition should 
be received and practiced Avhen right, it should 
be sturdily met, opposed and rejected, when 
wrong, hot because it is tradition, but because 
it is erroneous. So of book-knowledge, (this 
includes all printed matter,) when right, receive 
it, practice it, and it will do you good ; but 
Avhen Avrong, refuse it, and have nothing to do 
Avith it, aside from the benevolent work of re¬ 
futing it, for it will do you harm. 
But says the thoughtful reader, this will re¬ 
quire the careful scrutiny of both tradition and 
book-knowledge, on the part of every person ; 
in other Avords, the full and free exercise of “pri¬ 
vate judgment.” True. And this is the high 
privilege of every intelligent person,whatever his 
vocation. Man is endowed with reason, under¬ 
standing and judgment, for this very work.— 
And Avithout the due exercise of these attri¬ 
butes of the mind, he is constantly liable to be 
misled or misguided, whether traditional or 
book-knowledge be his oracle. 
It will, doubtless, be admitted that tradition 
has a much more powerful influence over the 
minds of farmers than any other agency. Go 
into any locality that has been settled fifty 
years or more, and make observation, and note 
GROUND PLAN. 
Explanation. —1, hall. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, par- 
r, sitting and dining rooms, library anc 
the results, and subsequently inquire for the 
reasons for doing this, that, and the other thing, 
and you will soon satisfy yourself to what ex¬ 
tent traditional farming prevails. It is proba¬ 
bly true, that in no other department of the in¬ 
dustrial arts or employments, is this true to the 
same extent. These have all, nearly, under¬ 
gone great changes and improvements under 
the influence of knowledge and skill. 
Not so, however, or not to the same extent, at 
least, of farming and the learned professions.— 
These are still, as they have been from time im¬ 
memorial, under the control of tradition, wheth¬ 
er right or wrong. There are, it is frankly ad¬ 
mitted, many noble exceptions to this remark ; 
yet these do not at all militate against its gene¬ 
ral truthfulness, but rather serve to demonstrate 
it to the minds of all careful observers. 
The time will come when the business of till¬ 
ing the ground will be reduced toAvard a posi¬ 
tive art. If you go to a plow-maker, or to a 
manufacturer of reapers and mowers, with an 
order for a specific kind of an implement, you 
are very sure of getting what you contract for. 
The mechanic is not governed by tradition, but 
by fixed and Avell-defined rules, whose results 
are sure. Not so with farmers generally. They 
are not governed by the sure laws of reproduc¬ 
tion, which are no less positive in their results 
than the laws of mechanics, the difference being 
in favor of the. latter because better understood. 
In these days of study, observation and prac¬ 
tical experimenting, it is not too much to hope 
that the errors of traditional-farming will be 
thoroughly exposed, and give place to that 
knowledge and understanding which shall en¬ 
able every farmer to report “progress.” Let 
every husbandman do all he can to hasten the 
day when it can be said, that the laws of agri¬ 
culture and stock-breeding are as well under¬ 
stood as the laAvs of mechanics.— av. 
CommtuucatiottS 
SPROUTED SEED WHEAT.—INQUIRY. 
Mr. Editor :—In the Rural New-Yorker of 
Sept. 1st, is an article headed “ sprouted wheat 
is good for seed,” and there is detailed an ex¬ 
periment by Wm. Garbutt, Esq., of Wheatland, 
wherein he says that every kernel of his wheat 
that had been groAvn grevv again the second 
time. 
Now, sir, I do not wish to call in question the 
veracity of your correspondent, but Avould like 
to have you give a reasoji Avhy his experiment 
resulted so different from many others who tried 
it. The writer of this tried several kernels of 
sprouted wheat, and not a single one ever grew 
again. One of my neighbors tried it also, and 
not one of his grew a second time. Conversing 
with a good farmer of East Palmyra, a short 
time since, he remarked “that he drilled over 
two bushels to the acre, but his wheat Avas very 
thin, and he did not believe that more than half 
of it grew.” Now the remarks of said farmer 
are correct as regards the stand of wheat in any 
field that I have observed. It is universally 
thin on the ground, and no doubt the cause must 
be looked for in sowing sprouted wheat. Will 
some kinds of wheat retain their vitality longer 
than others ? if so, what are they ? The kind 
tried here Avas the Mediterranean. 
A Mr. Roberts, of the town of Arcadia, 
planted seventy grains of the AA’hite chaff Soules 
variety of wheat that had never been sprouted, 
and before planting them, he divided into two 
parcels, one of which he called good, the other 
bad, and of the thirty-five bad ones seven of 
them grew, and only tAvelve of the good ones 
ever sprouted. Can some of your scientific cor¬ 
respondents tell us Avhat it lacked to give it vi- 
