RURAL L1F£ 
WP^CULTjJ 
ROCHESTER, I. Y.,—FOR THE WEEK EHIMG SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1859. 
The system of culture under the so - called 
“ eastern or alternate method” is thus described: 
“ Sainfoin takes the place of clover, and its grad¬ 
ually increasing cultivation may be attributed 
both to its being highly esteemed as food for sheep 
and other stock, and to its proving an excellent 
preparation for wheat. On the better class of soils 
it, as has already been stated, stands only for one 
year; but on sandy and lighter soils, two years are 
allowed, giving the land more time to recover its 
On the lightest soils 
oblong pointed leaflets, which are sometimes a 
little hairy on the under side. The flower-stalks 
stand higher than the leaves, and terminate in a 
close tapering spike of variegated crimson papil¬ 
ionaceous flowers, which are succeded by roundish, 
flat, hard pods, strongly toothed at the edge, and 
netted and prickly at the sides. 
A second variety is what the French call sainfoin 
a deux coupes, and which is very generally cultiva¬ 
ted in the central provinces of France. Its pecu¬ 
liarities are a rapid growth, by which the farmer is 
enabled to take off two crops of hay, or one of hay 
This variety, 
ABOUT INDIAN COEN. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
The corn crop has always been an important one 
to the people of this country. It was so long be¬ 
fore its discovery by the white man. It was 
almost the only crop cultivated by the natives, and 
the only one they valued. As it was then, so it is 
now, the staple grain crop of the Continent, nor is 
there any other plant cultivated by the farmer that 
can compare with it in value. Its cultivation 
should be encouraged and extended, for in it we 
have the elements of wealth. In corn we have 
beef, and pork, and mutton — we have milk, and 
butter — a healthy food for man as well as for beast. 
Unlike the other grains the annual production of 
corn has been steadily increasing for the last 
twenty years in the older States, and since 1840 
the increase has been very marked and permanent. 
The United States Census of 1840 shows that for 
the year 1839 there was grown in the 
New England States,. 6,992,909 bushels. 
New York, New Jersey and Penn.,. .29,574,283 “ 
Total,. 36,567,192 “ 
By the Census of 1850 we hud that the increase 
had been large, for by that it appears that for the 
year 1849 there was grown in the 
New England States,. 10,175,856 bushels. 
New York, New Jersey and Penn.,. 45,453,318 “ 
Total,. 55,629,174 “ 
Being a gain of 19,061,982 bushels in ten years.— 
own State, being a 
endeavoring to set forth, the different culture 
required by different soils, that caused us to write, 
in reporting this discussion—“ a good many excel¬ 
lent, farmers thought the speaker had pursued and 
was recommending an improper system, but he 
had a bright eye, and we have no doubt had learned 
in fourteen years’ experience what course of plow¬ 
ing was best adapted to his mountain home." 
important point is often forgotten in 
periments, premium crops, &c. 
w 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contrbutors. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed 
In Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and 
unique and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor de¬ 
votes his personal attention to the supervision of its various 
departments, and earnestly labors to render the Rural an 
eminently Reliable Guide on all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with the 
business of those whose interests it zealously advocates. It 
embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Edu¬ 
cational, Literary and News Matter, interspersed with 
appropriate and beautiful Engravings, tli*m any other jour¬ 
nal,—rendering it the most complete Agricultural, Lit¬ 
erary and Family Newspaper in America. 
This ! 
reports of ex- 
On the other hand 
'e are well aware that peculiarities of the soil cul¬ 
tivated is an argument often resorted to as a defence 
for the very worst practices, when every other ar¬ 
gument has failed. 
Another impediment in the way of the rapid 
accumulation of Agricultural knowledge is the con¬ 
dition which the pursuit of Agriculture renders 
necessary. The farmer is, by the very nature of 
his pursuit, more or less isolated. The influence 
of that mental attrition—the combat between mind 
and mind—consequent upon congregation in towns, 
is denied him. The advancement of art is mainly 
promoted by emulation, but emulation and com¬ 
parison are almost out of the question in a sparsely 
settled country. To overcome this obstacle in the 
way of progress, Farmers' Clubs were established, 
for discussion, for pitting mind against mind, 
and fact against fact; and Fairs, for the compari¬ 
son of stock, produce, &c., and they are well cal- 
fertility for grain-producinj 
it is not uncommon to permit it to lie four years. 
About four bushels of seed are sown to the acre, 
and the land is generally seeded 
Drilling is very highly esteemed, and the 
and one of seed in a single season, 
however, does not meet with much favor from the 
English farmer, for while the common is hardier 
and improves in its growth with age, this deterior¬ 
ates after the first year. 
with barley after 
turnips. 
mode practiced with the most success, is to drill 
upon young wheat with the land in good condition 
and thoroughly clean. Upon land moderately firm, 
with a finely pulverized surface, the seed vegetates 
with the greatest certainty.” 
The manner of making into hay is not very dif¬ 
ferent from the process employed with clover—care 
needs to be exercised and the swaths moved as 
sun is shining with full 
US'” AU communications, and business letters, should be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N. Y. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
little as possible while the 
power, or the virtues of the leaf-—the best part— 
will be sadly injured. For soillag sainfoin is per¬ 
fectly adapted—it may be cut green and fed—and 
where the requisites of the crop are met—cleanli¬ 
ness and good condition of the soil—two cuttings 
may be taken in the season. 
In a fresh state, sainfoin, when in flower, con¬ 
tains from 76 to 78 per cent, of water. Dr. 
Voelcker made a practical analysis with the fol¬ 
lowing results: . . , 
In natural In a dried 
state. state. 
7Vatcr. 77.32 
Sugar, gum, albumen, and other 
organic substances, soluble in 
water.. 8.00 35.28 
inorganic soluble salts.\ . 1.20 5.29 
Impure vegetable fibre. 12.95 57.09 
Insoluble inorganic salts.53 2.34 
100.00 100.00 
The fresh plant contained 562 per cent, of nitro¬ 
gen-dried, 2.48 per cent. According to this, the 
The largest gain was in our 
trifle over 7,000,000 bushels. 
The next Census, should this year be as good a 
corn year as the past, will show more bushels 
raised in this State than the aggregate of all the 
States mentioned in 1849. , 
In England the iriii Jfcy^'Uvatiqn of roots 
marks an increase in ••hMBWf production of the 
farm. So in this country, w - mover there is an in¬ 
crease in the cultivation of corn we may look for an 
increase in animal productions, for it is only thro’ 
that means, the corn can be profitably carried 
to market. We may safely conclude then, that so 
far as our own State is concerned, there is progress 
in the right direction. The object of the present 
article is not so much to go into the detail of culti¬ 
vation, as to call the attention of farmers to the 
great importance of the crop.— p. 
PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURE. 
The past history of Agriculture is at once curious 
and instructive—sometimes making a little pro¬ 
gress— sometimes remaining stationary, and at I 
others evidently declining. Tor many ceriLurles, all ( 
through what has been not unfitlyitermcd the “ dark 
ages," we note but little advancement. When, how¬ 
ever, knowledge began to increase, and men learn¬ 
ed more of Nature—more of the earth on which we 
live, and the laws by which it is governed, then the 
attention of the wise was directed to Agriculture, 
and knowledge was diffused among the people. 
Still the progress of Agriculture was slow, much 
more so than other departments of the arts and 
sciences, and other human pursuits of far less im¬ 
portance to the world. Why this should be the 
case with a pursuit as natural and attractive to the 
human mind as it is essential to our existence, is a 
question perhaps not easily and satisfactorily an¬ 
swered. Still, something like an answer may be 
found in the importance of the subject. All nature 
seems to testify to the slow comparative growth of 
whatever is most truly and permanently valuable. 
Trees producing timber comparatively short-lived 
and worthless mature in a few years, while the 
time-defying oak requires ages for its perfection. 
The earth, too, without particular care or skill on 
the part of cultivators had furnished food and 
clothing for man from the first morn of Creation, 
and the necessity for study and improvement in 
this direction was not feelingly apparent. At the 
early dawn of light, men, and particularly those 
who had made such discoveries as to place them on 
the pinnacle of fame, were apt to neglect the plain 
and practical in the investigation of the theoretical 
and sublime. The cultivation of the earth and the 
Sainfoin — (Iledysarum onobrychis.) 
The above engraving is taken from Grasses and 
Forage Plants, of Charles L. Flint, Sec’y Massa¬ 
chusetts Ag. Society. The fruit is shown by figure 
1 and the flower by figure 2. Mr. Flint says that 
experiments have been made to introduce it into 
Massachusetts without success. It has been found 
not of sufficient hardiness to successfully withstand 
the effects of a severe winter when young, hut 
after the second or third year it will bear up under 
a considerable degree of cold. There has not been 
such a multiplicity of experiments, however, as 
will warrant us in saying that sainfoin is of no use 
to the American farmer. The facts we have already 
given, in relation to the comparative failure of one 
body of English farmers, and the entire success of 
another class, especially when we consider how 
much our system is behind that of the Mother 
Country in its cleanliness, will go far in removing 
any belief as to the constitutional weakness of the 
plant. With like care and experience it might 
prove valuable, if for no other purpose, at least for 
soiling. For this latter use it is a favorite in 
France—in fact, is considered indispensable as 
feed for milch cows, increasing the flow of milk 
and materially improving its quality. 
come due. Nothing can be spared for improve¬ 
ments, at least only those that are absolutely neces¬ 
sary. It is only when an increased population and 
the consequent scarcity of the most fertile land, 
and the higher rates of produce induces the farmer 
to apply his skill to the cultivation of less fertile 
soils, and the improvement of those which, from 
bad management, are becoming exhausted, that the 
profession of farming assumes the true features of 
an art, eager to receive aid both from science and 
experience. 
A fact to which we have before alluded, must 
also he taken into account. Agricultural knowl¬ 
edge can have no mushroom growth. Experiments, 
to be reliable, and to establish principles, must be 
conducted with the greatest care and patience, and 
even then should be oft-repeated. Conclusions ar¬ 
rived at hastily are worse than useless. Nature 
gives but one lesson yearly, hence progress is slow. 
The doggedness with which many adhere to old 
customs retards the onward march of improvement. 
Some strictly regard the latter part of the old 
maxim, and “hold fast that which is good,” or 
which they believe to be good, but forget the first 
and equally important part, to “ try all things.”— 
It is for this reason that we so often see farmers 
continue in about the same course for years, with 
very little improvement, while many a mechanic or 
professional man who engages in farming in mid- 
SAINFOIN AS A FORAGE PLANT. 
Among the many herbs grown in Europe for fod¬ 
der is Sainfoin, of the order Leguminosce, with 
showy red flowers and spreading stems. Its cul¬ 
tivation was introduced into England from France 
in 1651, and it was then called French finger-grass. 
Its present appellation is Gallic, and doubtless re¬ 
fers to the color of its blossoms. In a wild state it 
was almost altogether confined to the dry chalky 
soils of England. One of the peculiarities of its cul¬ 
ture, says the Cyclopedia of Agriculture, is the fact of 
its growth being confined to districts. In one dis¬ 
trict (on chalk) a greater breadth of it will be 
seen growing than any other herbage plant, while 
in another, probably only a few miles distant, (on 
clay) it will be as unknown as though it were a 
fresh importation from America or Australia. 
When the system of turnip farming was inaugu¬ 
rated upon the limestone hills of Cotswold, and 
upon the sheep farms of the chalk formations of 
Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire, the prestige 
which Sainfoin had previously held began to fade, 
for, until that period, it was considered the main¬ 
stay of the stock-breeder. Nor has its fame be¬ 
come totally extinct as yet,— the authority before 
referred to, states “ even now it is ackowledged to 
WHO INVENTED THE MOWING MACHINE'? 
Eds. Rural :—Amid the number of names that 
now exist as applied to Mowing Machines, the 
question very naturally arises — Who is the Origi¬ 
nal Inventor? The world is indebted to some one 
as the original discoverer of the fundamental or 
main principles that attach to all the machines now 
made, no matter whose name they bear. The rights 
secured to individuals at the present time appear to 
have their origin or basis in some particular im¬ 
provement, which lias been secured to the inventor 
as indemnity for his discovery, but not as an in¬ 
ventor of the original machine itself. All the ma¬ 
chines now in use embrace, in the main, one and 
the same feature, or principle; and this principle 
is covered by a Patent granted to Enoch Ambler, 
of Root, Montgomery Co., N. Y., dated December 
23d, 1834, securing to him the sole right of au 
invention or machine for “ cutting hay and grain.” 
On examining the specifications accompanying the 
Patent, the guards protecting the scythe, the driv¬ 
ing wheel, crank motion, &c., are in full similitude 
with the machines now in use, though the scythe 
has been materially improved by substituting the 
form of saw tooth, for straight blade, while some 
other minor improvements have been added, thus 
bringing the machine into a higher state of perfec¬ 
tion. The authors of these improvements, stand 
only as secondary to the original inventor, Mr. 
Ambler, whose discovery embraces all of the im¬ 
portant first principles of this machine, and to 
' whom the world should award the honor or credit 
us. This fact was observed by an old author who 
said such persons “often form the most intelli¬ 
gent and accurate of husbandmen. Like converts 
in religion, they have more zeal and fewer preju¬ 
dices to surmount, than those who have been bro’t 
up in it from their infancy; their indefatigable 
attention makes more than amends for their igno¬ 
rance of minutiae; and having been at the pains 
to acquire a knowledge of the theory of their new 
pursuit, they establish their ideas on rational prin¬ 
ciples.” 
Some of the thoughts we give are from au Essay 
on Agriculture, by C. Wren Haskyns, in which 
is noted laws, &c., particularly affecting English 
Agriculture, such as war; and the excessive pas¬ 
sion for sports of the field, which caused the forma¬ 
tion of laws protecting animals and birds, which 
preyed upon the products of the farmer’s industry. 
The feudal system, too, which made the agricultu¬ 
ral worker an appendage to, rather than an im¬ 
prover of the soil, produced its full crop of evil. As 
we designed, however, to only furnish our readers 
a few subjects for profitable thought, we leave it 
for the present. 
ceeding ones ; while upon highly cultivated sous 
the first year’s crop is found to be the heaviest.” 
In these latter counties, on the light sands and 
sandy loams, with calcareous subsoils or admix¬ 
tures, sainfoin takes the place of clover in the ro¬ 
tation, and lies sometimes only one, and seldom 
more than two years, except on the very lightest 
and poorest lands. 
(Onobrychis saliva.) 
Common Sainfoin 
The common sainfoin, (Onobrychis saliva,) of 
which we give an engraving above, is the variety 
most prized in England and is thus described:— 
Woody perennial roots, many straggling stems 
two or three feet long, taper, smooth, and not much 
branched. The leaves consist of many pairs of 
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