MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
MAY 31. 
height, using a measure, but on account of the 
inequalities of the ground, you cannot get them 
right at first, and should only tack them at each 
end. Then let one stand off some rods, and 
another raise and lower the boards till they look 
all right; then tack the middle of the boards in 
the same manner. It may want a little 
springing up or down, if the edge is crooked, 
or the surface of the ground quite undulating. 
Remember that the good looks of your fence 
depends mainly on setting your posts straight, 
and putting on the top boards right. Next, nail 
this top board firmly, with two strong nails in 
each post, taking care to keep the posts upright 
while so doing by taking hold of the post while 
driving, or having another person hold it on the 
opposite side. 
The putting on of the other three boards may 
be done quite rapidly, by hanging a measure 
on the top board, with marks on it for the tops 
of the other three. Of course you will break 
joints, or lap your boards alternately on differ¬ 
ent posts, as the strength of the fence depends 
very much on this process. When the four side 
boards are all on, saw off the tops of the posts, 
standing on the side on which the boards aie 
nailed, and laying the saw on the top board, 
with the point a little depressed ; then put on 
your four-inch cap, breaking joints as before, 
and driving two nails in each post, and one into 
the top board through the cap, at least once in 
two feet. I put on no battens, except in the 
repairing of an old fence. True, the fence looks 
more complete with them on, but the boards rot 
sooner at the joints, they are much in the way 
of repairing when the fence gets old, and on the 
whole not much of an ornament and of little or 
no use. In putting on the boards, I think the 
ends should be one-fourth of an inch apart, as 
the boards swell a little lengthwise when wet, 
and care should be taken to keep the posts per¬ 
pendicular, especially while putting on the cap, 
as the fence (as you will learn) is not easily 
racked afterwards. 
Y T ou have now but to fill up the holes, pack¬ 
ing the earth around the posts, taking care, if 
there are hills sloping at right angles with the 
fence, to make the earth level for a foot or so from 
each post, to prevent the frost from pressing the 
posts down hill, and you have a complete fence, 
not liable to be pushed down by cattle, torn 
down by climbing over it, not uselessly encum¬ 
bered by a great weight of lumber, exposing 
but little surface to the action of the wind, tak¬ 
ing up but little room, easily repaired by sub¬ 
stituting a new board or post sufficient to turn 
any cattle that ought to be kept on a farm, and 
with a little care each spring to see that it is kept 
perpendicular, the boards will seldom get off, 
and you will learn that it is not easily thrown 
down, even should one, two and even three posts 
rot off in succession. 
I observe that many work at building board 
fence without any system, spending twice the 
time necessary,\ising fifty per cent, too much 
timber, and having an ill-looking,rickety struc¬ 
ture after all. When the ground is soft and the 
digging easy, with good tools, good sense, and 
good willing muscles, two men will build from 
16 to 20 rods of the above fence in a day. h. 
CORN, CULTURE, VARIETIES, ETC. 
Eds. Rural J^ew-Yorker: —You have been 
devoting much time and space in giving infor¬ 
mation relative to corn culture, but I cannot 
perceive that the correspondence which has ap¬ 
peared in your paper is calculated to be of 
much, if. any benefit. Each correspondent 
praises the kind of corn that he at present 
raises, and decries all others; his is the best; 
it is the soundest, earliest, and yields the most 
to the acre; his manner of plowing, planting, 
hoeing and harvesting is also superior to any 
other. The experience of your correspondents 
is diversified—one prefers a gravelly soil, an¬ 
other clay or loam; one likes the hills, the 
other the valleys ; one prefers the eastern sun, 
another the southern. Fall plowing, deep 
plowing, spring plowing, manure broadcast, 
manure in the hill, plaster, lime, ashes, compost 
and guano, each and all have their advocates. 
Some say two feet and a half, others three feet 
apart. As regards varieties, the difference is 
still the same ; some want the yellow, others 
Dutton, others again, white, King Philip, etc., to 
the end of the catalogue. Some say it should 
be hoed once, others two or three times; some 
top the stalks, others cut up from the roots, and 
thus it goes, every man has his own way, he will 
hear the reasons and modes of others, but will 
continue his own course. Your ways may do 
well enough for you, but he can do a little better, 
and nothing but the failure of his crops can 
change his opinions. 
I cannot understand why one manner of cul¬ 
ture is not as good as another, providing the re¬ 
sult is the same. The old Dutchman used to 
say that when he went to Albany with a load 
of wheat, the dealers there did not ask him by 
what road he came, but was his wheat good ? I 
think that millers can give the best advice rela¬ 
tive to the right kind of corn for farmers to raise, 
because they are the judges, and the persons 
who place a market value on the result of his 
labors. Their experience, furthermore, is larger 
and more varied than that of any farmer. 
The most of the corn raised in Western New 
York of late years, has been manufactured into 
meal for family use. There are distilleries and 
starch factories that consume a large amount^ 
but their supplies are principally received from 
the Western States, and their consumption of 
corn grown in Western New Y"ork is small in 
comparison to the amount used for bread. Then- 
demand also is occasional, and when they do 
buy of the neighborhood, their purchases are 
confined to one or two months in the year.— 
Farmers cannot depend on them for a market, 
and it would be poor policy to grow an article 
that if distilleries did not buy, others would 
not purchase except at a low price. ___...F T r? 
— Consumers and millers universally prefer the 
eight and twelve rowed flat yellow corn, as it 
makes the best and sweetest meal for family 
use, gives the largest quantity of good bolted 
meal to the bushel, and will always sell in 
preference to any other. The bran of high- 
colored corn cuts up fine in grinding when dry 
and colors the meal, giving it a speckled and 
dirty appearance. It is harder to grind, and 
will not soften down like yellow meal. White 
corn meal has a different taste from yellow 
meal, and to the person who has been in the 
habit of using the yellow, white meal when 
cooked, tastes raw, and but very few persons 
like it. Last spring I tested a lot of three 
thousand bushels of flat yellow corn. I ground 
for the Oswego retail trade, and the yield was 
fifty-seven and a half pounds, (57)^) of first 
quality bolted meal to the bushel of sixty lbs. 
For twenty years past the eight and twelve- 
rowed yellow corn with the small cob has been 
each year uniformly good, and the best in mar¬ 
ket; and during the' past year, which was a 
very bad one, where the land was moderately 
dry it was sound and good. I have some of 
the past year’s growth that weighed 61 lbs. per 
bushel, and the yield was over fifty bushels per 
acre. The small cob corn has cured well, while 
that with the large cob has much of it been 
damaged. The large cob kind is said to yield 
most to the acre, and generally is equally good. 
Dutton corn when first introduced here was 
very sound, and made the sweetest meal. It 
was more oily than other corn and was harder 
to grind, but when ground, it had little bran, 
looked well, and was a favorite with consumers, 
but for the last three years it haS failed some¬ 
what, the chitt having turned black and most 
of it being very light. Bridges corn is similar 
in appearance to the King Philip, has been 
very sound and heavy for twelve years, the 
yields neither large nor small at any time. Last 
year, it yielded as well as any corn, and ripened 
earlier and more uniform. The ears are from 8 
to 12 inches in length, eight rowed, and the 
corn will average 60 lbs. to the bushel. During 
the fall it makes good meal, but after it gets 
dry the bran colors it too much for market. Its 
cultivation has been confined to a few farms, 
because millers do not like to buy it. 
Flour Corn, or as called here the Rochester 
Cheat, is but little raised. I think it would be 
good to grind with buckwheat, as it would flour 
easy, yield largely, and not injure the color. I 
have used other kinds of white corn for that 
purpose, but unless kiln-dried it would not 
yield flour enough to make it pay. 
White corn has its friends, because the yield 
per acre is generally good, sometimes more 
than the yellow, but it will seldom sell as 
readily or for as much as yellow corn. Some 
farmers will say that in the New York market 
white corn is generally quoted the highest of 
any, but the kind sold there at the highest 
prices is only the Southern variety, and that 
alone from its peculiar fitness for making 
hominy. 
I have some King Philip Corn grown in my 
garden from seed that was two years old, re¬ 
ceived from the Patent Office. The longest ears 
are 6% inches and small, the color is dark yel¬ 
low. I planted it the last week in May, and 
had boiled corn therefrom the last Sunday of 
July—about nine weeks from the seed. It 
makes very inferior looking meal, and would 
be unsaleable. I do not know of any here that 
will plant the King Philip corn for a field crop. 
My advice to farmers would be to cultivate 
the kind of corn that sells the best, and I be¬ 
lieve that to be the yellow, corn. With good 
cultivation it is the surest and best for a crop, 
and for any purpose it will find the most ready 
market. Wm. Kevill. 
Sterling, Cayuga Co., 1856. 
POTATO CULTURE. 
Eds. New-Yorker :—In perusing your val¬ 
uable paper, I find various statements on the 
culture of the Potato crop, which differ some¬ 
what from the plan which I have adopted. I 
first select my seed of a medium size, not the 
smallest. If I have a number of different vari¬ 
eties, I plant each kind by itself. By planting 
the different varieties separate, much larger 
and better crops are produced. Where two or 
more different varieties are planted in the same 
hill, they are invariably of an inferior size. In 
preparing my land, I plow in the fall if possi¬ 
ble,—and in the spring, just before planting 
time, harrow the furrows down smooth, and 
then throw up the land in ridges about three 
feet apart, and plant across the ridges. By this 
method we can work among the potatoes both 
ways, with a plow or cultivator, which saves 
nearly one-half of the labor in hoeing. 
By following the above directions, it is sel¬ 
dom that you will fail of obtaining a good crop, 
and clear from rot. Dig early, and house them 
when they are dry. The soil, in this vicinity is 
of a clayey loam. — A Subscriber, C'lymer, N. Y. 
Sugar Millet for Fodder.— Last spring I 
obtained from the Patent Office a paper of sugar 
millet seed, and after trial I am satisfied that it 
is superior to corn for fodder. Sown either in 
drills or broadcast, it grows as tall as broom 
corn ; and the stalks are sweet, and the leaves 
are broad and full of nutriment. It is also a 
prolific bearer of seed, and can be cropped 
twice. Inclosed you will find some seeds. Sow 
in drills two feet apart, and run a cultivator 
once between, or if the land is clean, sow 
broadcast.—Y. G. Austin, Glebe Cottage, Alexan¬ 
dria Co., Va. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. 
whipple-tree for three horses. 
Eds. Rural :— I am quite inclined to the 
opinion that your “ evener for three horses,” 
figured and described in a late number of the 
Rural, is susceptible of improvement in one re¬ 
spect, at least,— that is, it can be somewhat 
simplified. And if so, the same degree of 
strength can be attained with less weight of 
material. The following figure will show how 
it may be done better than a verbal description : 
It will be seen, however, that this arrange¬ 
ment is subject to an objection, if your corres¬ 
pondent desires to oblige each horse to perform 
just one-third of the labor. And your last de¬ 
scribed evener is open to the same objection.— 
[Our correspondent is evidently in error, for, as 
will be seen by reference to that diagram, 
if either horse fails to draw his part, a portion of 
his evener will fall back.— Ed.] In either case 
the middle horse may draw more than his share 
of the load, or he may draw less without being 
readily detected ; for he “keeps up his end” if 
he keeps moving, whether he draws any or not. 
Again : should the middle horse draw the en¬ 
tire load, the outer horses will keep even, and 
may seem to draw, if they only keep their tugs 
straight. If a person has three horses of equal 
strength, and each disposed to do his share of 
the work, I think the above arrangement pre¬ 
ferable to either of yours. If, however, it is de¬ 
sired to work three horses together of about 
equal ability, but one of them is disposed to be 
a little lazy, by adopting your arrangement first 
described, he cannot indulge his propensity 
without detection.—E. A. M., Naples, N. Y. 
Friend Moore :—I send you the description 
of an arrangement for three horses, which I 
think preferable to either of those described in 
the Rural of May 17. It is nearly the same as 
the first figure given by you, with this differ¬ 
ence: instead of the two horse evener being 
fastened forward of the common bar, it should 
be put on top. This can be done by a strap of 
iron and a bolt, similar to fastening whippletrees’ r 
on a wagon. It costs but little if any more, 
and prevents the middle horse from letting his 
end of the evener drop back against the com¬ 
mon bar, causing the others to perform more 
than their share of the labor.—G. Q., Mendon 
Centre, May, 1856. 
LINES FOR THREE HORSES ABREAST. 
Friend Moore :—I saw in last week’s Rural 
two plans for arranging three-horse eveners, 
which were all right, although I consider the 
first the best, it being more simple and easily 
rigged. But there is one thing more that is 
quite as essential for the ease of the team as 
the eveners. It is the arrangement of the lines. 
My plan is to use two cross-lines, making one a 
little longer than the oilier, and running from the 
nigh to the off horse over the back of the middle 
one, and visa versa. It is the usual plan to tie 
their heads together, and use a set of two-horse 
lines, which does not give the team room in 
turning, and they are more liable to step on 
each others feet; and in reining them you pull 
on the outside horse, and he on the others ; but. 
not so with the three horse lines, for you pull 
on each horse alike.—M. H. Green, Rush, N. Y. 
HOW TO HEAD OR BURY THE CUT-WORM. 
Eds. Rural :—As there was so much damage 
to the corn crop last year, from the cut-worm, 
and fearing the same this year, I submit for 
your disposal the following fact: 
About twenty years since, my father found 
the cut-worm likely to destroy his corn crop ; 
so, taking opportunity after a rain, he went 
over his corn-field, and with a sharpened stick 
about the size of a broom handle, made several 
smooth holes around each hill. When the 
worms were crawling from one hill to another, 
during the night, it so happened they would 
fall into these holes, and on account of their 
clumsy nature were unable to extricate them¬ 
selves from their prison house. This simple 
remedy, my father found saved his corn crop.— 
B. F. Wright, Elbridge, N. Y., May, 1856. 
[An experienced farmer, to whom we have 
just read the above, says he tried the same 
remedy, and that it proved effectual.— Ed.] 
STRAWBERRY POTATOES. 
Eds. Rural :—I have seen several statements 
concerning this potato within the past year, 
all speaking of it in highest terms of praise, 
both as to quality and its tendency to yield 
abundantly,— and from the various accounts I 
was induced to send to New York and procure 
some at the high price of $4 per bushel. I re¬ 
ceived them last week, by Express, costing me 
$5 per bushel. But imagine my surprise when 
I found them to be neither more nor less than 
my old beloved acquaintance, the “ Mexican 
Potato," which I have grown several years, and 
which I believe is not excelled in quality by 
any other potato; and my only hope in trying 
any other sort was to find, if possible, another 
kind as good as the “ Mexican,” that would 
yield larger crops.—T. G. Yeomans, Walworth, 
N. Y, May, 1856. 
To Destroy Flags. —In answer to inquiry 
would say that I have tried, successfully, drain¬ 
ing and plowing the piece. What I intend try¬ 
ing, on patches diflicult to drain, is this :—Sink 
a well of proper depth in the center, stone up, 
and cover one foot below the surface. Then 
plow and cultivate. 
To save corn from being pulled up by hens, 
crows and blackbirds, mix the seed with a 
proper quantity of good tar. Roll in good 
plaster. It is a sure remedy.— Sub., Nunda. 
Hitral foies anil.Items. 
The Crops. —The newspaper reports relative 
to the appearance of the Wheat, Grass and 
Fruit crops, in this and other Northern and 
Western States, are generally favorable. Such 
accounts, though not always reliable, and often 
somewhat contradictory, indicate that the severe 
Winter and Spring will be succeeded by a 
fruitful season—that seed time and harvest are 
certain, with the prospect of a bounteous yield 
of the staple products of the country. The 
backwardness of the season, however, has some¬ 
what discouraged many farmers in this and 
other sections, and greatly retarded spring 
operations. But the sun shines brightly at last, 
wreathing all Nature, and at least some hus¬ 
bandmen, with smiles and gladness—and the 
latter, in imitation of the former, should make 
amends for lost ti i.e by exhibiting renewed 
and increased energy. The Garden, the Or¬ 
chard and the Field, each and all require the 
immediate attention of those who would avail 
themselves of the timely and indispensable 
agencies now at work in Nature’s stupendous 
laboratory. 
The Short-horn Herd of S. P. Chapman, 
Esq., of Clockville, Madison Co., N. Y., has 
long been noted as one of the best in the coun¬ 
try. This celebrity is deserved, for Mr. C. is 
not only a careful breeder, but makes frequent 
additions of superior animals from other and 
good sources. He recently purchased the two 
best Short-horn cows in the herd of Judge 
Sheldon, Sennett, N. Y.—“ Lucilla 4th,” and 
“ Red Lilly.” Both are said to be very superior 
cows—the former an excellent milker. 
— We regret to learn that “Red Lilly,” no¬ 
ticed above, has strayed from the premises of 
her new proprietor—an exhibition of bad taste, 
certainly. A description of her, just received, 
says she “is six years old, good size, red and 
white (mostly red,) and has several inches of 
one horn broken off.” Of course any of our 
Central New Y T ork readers who note such an 
estray, will advise Mr. Chapman. 
How to Sustain Ag. Societies. — The Home¬ 
stead, in noticing the success of the first exhibi¬ 
tion of a County Society in Connecticut, gives 
the following rules for guidance, which we 
fully endorse :—“1. Circulate agricultural pa¬ 
pers among the people and wake them up. 2. 
Publish a liberal premium list, and send it to 
all who have anything to show, with a note of 
solicitation to exhibit. 3. Advertise your fair 
in newspapers and in handbills. 4. Get cheap 
fares on public conveyances. 5. Engage an 
orator who is greater on farming than politics, 
and let him know that he is to be paid in coin 
rather than puffs, that he may take time to pre¬ 
pare for the occasion. 6. Enclose your grounds, 
and charge a quarter for entrance. Farmers are 
as willing as any other class to pay for their 
own entertainment and instruction.” 
Potato Experiment, <fcc.— A Sister Farm¬ 
er,” writing to the N. E. Farmer, says :—“ It 
was my intention to enter the arena against 
potatoes, and I experimented carefully with 
eyes, butts, large, small, cut and whole potatoes ; 
and my conclusion is, that with well prepared 
soil and proper culture, small potatoes are as 
good as large.” She watered her garden with 
liquid from a cask, in which were placed drop¬ 
pings of her roost, and the slops and suds from 
the house, putting it, at night, with a pail and 
dipper, on beds, vines, <&c., and using no other 
manure on the garden. She was frequently ask¬ 
ed, “ How do you raise such nice peppers ? mine 
never get ripe.” The watering was the secret 
of it, as we know from experiment. 
Foreign Grain and Seeds. —Alexandre Vatte- 
mare, of Paris, has forwarded for the New York 
State Agricultural Museum, 60(1 bags of grain 
and seeds, procured from the contributions of 
the European nations, represented at the World’s 
Fair, 1855. He is also preparing a collection 
from France and Colonial Possessions, which is 
said to comprise the most complete agricultural 
and horticultural collection that has ever crossed 
the Atlantic. 
The Wool Clip will be a large item, this 
season, in many sections of the Union, and it is 
hoped the price of the staple will be highly 
remunerative to producers. We hear of some 
drawbacks, however. Among others, the Zanes¬ 
ville Courier says it is reported that very great 
losses of sheep have occurred in Ohio the past 
winter, and predicts that it will affect the wool 
crop of the State. 
Scratches in Horses —May be cured, unless 
very inveterate, by washing thoroughly with 
soap-suds, and then rubbing with lard fried out 
of salt meat. Keep clean, and wash and grease 
every other day until a cure is effected. Leav¬ 
ing mud-to dry upon the legs of a horse, is one 
great cause of this disease, and many horses are 
injured by want of care and cleanliness when 
driven in muddy weather. 
A Stump Puller. —Mr. Luther Hampton, of 
Woodbridge, N. J., says that the cheapest and 
best “stump puller” is to cut down the tree, re¬ 
move the limbs, chain the butt end to the stump 
and then hitch a team to the top of the tree and 
drive them round. The long lever thus obtain¬ 
ed will “yank” out any stump that does not 
hang worse than a four pronged double tooth.— 
A strong chain will be needed. 
Sale of Lecomte. —This celebrated horse has 
become the property of R. Ten Broeck, Esq., of 
New York. This gentleman is also the owner 
of Lexington, Lecomte’s only rival in this 
country. The price paid was $12,500. 
Farmers’ “Hole-and-Corner” Club. —While 
traveling in Virginia recently, one of the edit¬ 
ors (“ C. D. B.”) of the Prairie Farmer, met at 
a planter’s several members of the “ Prince 
George Hole-and-Corner Club”—an association 
of twelve farmers who meet monthly on the 
farm of some one of the members, thus visiting 
each farm once in the course of the year. Its 
name is derived from the fact “that each farm 
is thoroughly inspected by the members—every 
corner and hole undergoes the strictest scrutiny 
—all the fault found with its management that 
can with good reason be found, and the planter 
commended or condemned in proportion as his 
grounds exhibit care or neglect. The condition 
of the premises and the mode of cultivation is 
thoroughly discussed, and suggestions are offer¬ 
ed by each member of the club.” A dinner is 
next in order, and then a discussion of subjects 
of agricultural interest, hearing reports from 
committees formerly appointed to examine 
other farms, improved stock, new and useful 
inventions, <fcc. Invited guests take part in the 
discussions, and are criticised as closely as the 
farms and speeches of the members. An ab¬ 
stract of the proceedings is published in one of 
the county papers, and the influence exerted 
extends far beyond the plantations of the twelve 
members. “It is,” adds the editor, “a happy 
combination of pleasure and profit, and pro¬ 
motes a good social feeling, and at the same 
time, a frank, uninfluenced expression of appro¬ 
val or disapproval, which results in the righting 
of whatever is wrong, and in the rejection of 
theories based on the fancy of half-fledged vis¬ 
ionary ‘gentlemen farmers.’ ” 
These clubs are a capital idea, and the above 
informs us of the practical working of just such 
associations as we have always been in favor of, 
with the addition, in our part of the country, of 
more frequent winter meetings for discussions, 
<fcc., at some central point. And what an in¬ 
centive to thorough husbandry would this an¬ 
nual visitation be—how much care would every 
one take, not only to keep his fields and build¬ 
ings in good order, but to have no holes and cor¬ 
ivers that he would be ashamed to have people 
look into and examine. We second Brother 
Bragdon’s motion, that there be more such clubs 
among our farming friends everywhere. Who 
will start first in the matter ? 
Mules as Farm Teams. —In an agricultural 
meeting at Boston, reported in the N. E. Farmer, 
Dr. Fisher, of Fitchburgh, gave some of his ex¬ 
perience in working mules, and his views of 
their value as compared with oxen and horses. 
“ He purchased a pair last spring weighing 700 
pounds each, and he found they could be kept 
very cheaply compared with horses. His horse, 
which weighed about 1,150 pounds, eats more 
than both the mules, while they will do nearly 
double the work that he will. They will work 
more hours, arc less subject to diseases and ac¬ 
cidents, need but little grain—none except when 
worked hard. He had not found any bad tricks 
in them, though this is often an objection urged 
against them. They will pay for good treat¬ 
ment as well as a horse, and will bear poor 
treatment much better. They know how to 
shirk it is true—and in that respect seem to be 
more intelligent than the horse. They will 
draw as much on a dray, as a pair of oxen of 
double their weight. A pair of mules weighing 
1,400 pounds, will do nearly or quite as much 
work as a pair of horses that weigh 2,200 pounds, 
and they will not eat more than half as much.” 
It is said to be a proverb in Virginia that “ a 
mule never dies,” and it is true that their work¬ 
ing life is two or three times that of the horse. 
Still it will be long before they take the place 
which the horse now fills on our farms, though 
there can be no question but they might profit¬ 
ably do so to a considerable extent. 
Something of a Hen’s Egg. —A few day since 
one of our Brahma pullets dropped an egg quite 
worthy of an extra cackle. We do not publish 
the fact because we suppose it is so eggs- traor- 
dinary that it cannot be ei/i/s-celled. Roll them 
out—we care not how much more egg-static our 
readers can become over us. The egg in ques¬ 
tion measured nine inches in its largest circum¬ 
ference and six-and-one-fourth inches in its trans¬ 
verse circumference, and weighed four ounces 
averdupois.— t. e. w. 
Sale of the Largest Cow in the United 
States. —The great Durham mixed Cow, for 
several years owned by William Shepherd, of 
the Manchester House, this city, was sold yes¬ 
terday to Francis F. Hoyt, of Concord, for $500. 
This cow was raised in Pembroke, and is seven 
years old. She girts nine feet, and weighs 2,- 
760 pounds, being the largest cow in the United 
States.— Manchester American. 
Onions. —If you want the best crop of onions 
you ever saw, spade or plow your land deep, 
and manure it highly with the droppings of the 
hen-house. Roll the surface smooth, and scratch 
it with a fine rake before you mark off your 
rows. There is no trouble in raising twelve or 
fifteen bushels of onions upon a bed a rod and 
a half square, by using hen manure. Try it.— 
Tribune. 
Index to Good Farming.— An English agri¬ 
culturist quotes the old proverb, “Wherever the 
foot of the sheep touches, the laud is turned to 
gold,” and adds, “Show me a man’s turnip 
field, and I’ll tell you what sort of a farmer he 
is.” We may modify this for America, and say, 
“ Show us a man’s manure heap and corn-field 
and we will tell you his character as a farmer.” 
To Kill Milk Weeds. —Mow them while in 
the blow, twice each summer, for two or three 
years, and, you will have little trouble in your 
pasture lands after that.—J. Sibley, Forcstville, 
N. Y., 1856. 
