RURAL LIF £ 
jT 
only the small portion of his farm which lies near 
the surface, reaping larger crops and with more 
profit than his neighbor who inverts his farm a 
good way down towards the center. The hard 
subsoil, miring in winter and baking in- summer, 
is not, after all, just the right food for plants. He 
finds, too late, that he has turned his farm, upside- 
down, , and lucky is he wji£ does not find himself 
turned off before he can get it “ right-side-up" 
once more.” 
Now, Mr. Editor, is there any hope for me ? Gan 
you say anything to give me the least encourage¬ 
ment? Is there any soil that will bear deep plow¬ 
ing? and if so, what kind of soil is it? I hardly 
dare plow any more till I hear from you. Do write 
“ * ” and have him tell us vhat soil, if any, to plow 
deep. I shall be in a perfect agony of suspense 
till I know. And, by the way, I wish while you 
are about it, you would uw e upon your correspon¬ 
dents generally, the necessity, in relating their 
“ experience’ and experiments, of giving as pre¬ 
cisely as possible, the nature and characteristics of 
the soil operated upon and written about. By so do¬ 
ing readers would be much better able to judge 
whether such treatment would answer in their own 
case. To act on this hint, I will begin by saying 
that I am working fine plain land ; soil, a sandy 
gravelly loam ; what few stones there are, are 
mostly “ cobble stones.” The subsoil is pretty 
spoken of by many farmers, and are at least worthy 
of trial. The latter we planted last year and were 
well pleased with it. It is fine in appearance, bore 
us a good crop and ripened early. A correspon¬ 
dent writes us: “ I have tried mostof the new kinds 
of corn, and must say that I find nothing better 
thstn the Dutton, Eight-Rowed Yellow and Red 
Streak, and if these varieties are grown so as to 
mix freely, I like it all the better.” 
"What shall be done about Growing Food for 
Stock ? Did we wish to keep or fatten a large 
number of cattle on a small farm, and make the 
most of their manure, we would cut their green 
feed to a great extent at least, and also endeavor 
to grow some plant for dry feed in the winter 
that would produce more than either Timothy 
or Clover. A gentlemen stated during a dis¬ 
cussion at the last New York State Fair, that he 
had grown Western corn for fodder, and produced 
at the rate of twenty tuns to the acre when cured. 
Taking one-half of this amountas an average yield, 
what an amount of winter feed for stock could be 
grown on five acres. If to this was added an acre 
or two of carrots or parsnips, or perhaps an acre of 
each, how much more stock could be kept on a 
small farm than in the usual way of growing a tun 
or a tun and-a-hulf of Timothy or Clover, and thirty 
or forty bushels of corn. Two hundred bushels of 
carrots are equal in nutrition to 1)A tuns of hay, so 
that GOO bushels of carrots, which is not a large 
crop, is equal to 44J tuns. Hungarian Grass is 
said to produce six or more tuns to the acre of the 
most nutritive food on new prairie soil, but we 
have no idea that such crops could be grown here. 
In deciding what is to be done the present spring, 
it will be well to consider the best means of grow¬ 
ing a large amount of feed for stock, for we are 
satisfied that, under present circumstances, stock- 
growing dad fattening is one'of the most profitable 
employments in which the farmer can engage. 
We look for improvement in American farming 
mainly in this direction. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
TERMS, IN ADVANCE: 
Two Dollars a Year — $1 for six months. To Clubs and 
Agents as follows: — Three Copies one year, for $5; Six, and 
one free to club agent, for $10: Ten, and one free, for $15; 
Sixteen, and one free, for $22; Twenty, and one free, for 
$2t>; Thirty-two, and two free, for $ !0, (or Thirty for $37,50,) 
and any greater number at same rate —only $1,25 per copy 
— with an extra copy for every Ten Subscribers over Thirty. 
Club papers sent to different Post-offices, if desired. As we 
pre-pay American postage on papers sentto the British Prov¬ 
inces, our Canadian agent3 and friends must add 12>$ cents 
per copy to the club rates of the Rural. The lowest price 
of copies sent to Europe, &c„ is $2,50 —including postage. 
Tub Postage on the Rural is ocly 314 cents per quarter 
to any part of this State, and 6 'A cts. to any other State, if paid 
quarterly in advance at the post-office where received. 
CuT’AU communications, and business letters, should be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N. Y. 
SUMMER, OR WOOD DUCK. 
WHITE AYLESBURY DUCK. 
Among all the beautiful water-fowl that it has 
been our pleasure to behold, either wild or domes¬ 
ticated, we know of none the equal of the Summer or 
Wood Duck, iu beauty of plumage. The bill is red, 
the head deep, glossy metallic green, edged with 
violet, with a most striking and beautiful pendant 
crest gracefully curving over its back, of a most 
charming admixture of violet and green, with a line 
of the purest white running from the upper mandi¬ 
ble over the eye. The back and tail are blue and 
green, throat white, breast delicate dove color, 
spotted with white. It has often been a matter of 
surprise to us that this bird has not been more 
generally domesticated, as it can be very readily. 
Mr. Vassar has them at his place near Poughkeep¬ 
sie, and we understand has hatched several broods. 
Its popular name of wood duck is derived from 
the fact that it makes its nest in hollow trees ; and 
of summer duck, from remaining with us during 
the summer. It is only seen in the North during 
the summer months, migrating Southwardly with 
the cold weather. It is familiarly known in every 
part of the United States from Florida to Lake 
Ontario, and is found about the creeks, bays and 
rivers. It rarely visits the sea shore or the salt 
marshes, its favorite haunts being the solitary, 
deep and muddy creeks, ponds and mill-dams of 
the interior, making its nest frequently in some old 
hollow tree that overhangs the water. The wood 
cluck is equally well known in Mexico and many of 
the West India Islands. 
Here they begin to lay early in May, and the nest 
is usually found secreted in the hollow of a tree. 
Of white ducks, the Aylesbury is the best, and is 
very pretty, with its snowy-white plumage, yellow¬ 
ish legs and feet, and flesh-colored bill. It is also 
large—one of the largest of the duck family—and 
excellent for the table. The name is derived from 
the town of Aylesbury in England, in which neigh¬ 
borhood they are kept in largo quantities for the 
supply of the London market. Bement says: — 
The weight of the adult Aylesbury duck should at 
least average, if properly fed, from ten to twelve 
pounds the pair (duck and drake.) Instances, 
however, have occurred where the drakes have 
come up to eight pounds and upwards, and would 
iu all probability, if fattened, reach ten pounds 
each. They are very prolific layers. From two of 
these ducks 300 eggs have been obtained in the 
course of twelve months; in addition to which, one 
of them sat twice, the other only once, the three 
nests gi' 
SWIM 
WHAT IS TO BE DONE I 
AEOUT DEEP AND SHALLOW FLOWING. 
iving thirty young ones. The eggs vary in 
color, some being white, while others arc of pale 
blue. As a farther recommendation for them, in 
an economical point of view, it is argued that their 
consumption of food is less than that of the com¬ 
mon duck ; and another advantage may be found 
in their comparative silence from the continuous 
“•quack, quack, quack,” of the latter bird. They 
also attain greater weight in less time; and, from 
their superior appearance when plucked, are a far 
more marketable article. 
Eds. Rural : —I’m in trouble—in fact almost 
driven to dispair. Only think of it; here I have 
been the last ten years—yes, for my whole life 
time, iu fact, under the impression that deep plow¬ 
ing was one of the essential requisites of good 
farming. Acting upon this impression I have been 
for the last ten years gradually deepening my soil, 
by plowing a little deeper each time, til-11 have got 
down nine, ten and even twelve inches deep, and 
still going down. I have got this impression by 
reading such agricultural papers and books as I 
could get hold of—by listening to the teachings of 
our best farmers, and I often think of the saying 
of “ Poor Richard” to 
“ Plow deep while sluggards sleep, 
And you’ll have corn to sell and keep.” 
I commenced on a piece of land that had been 
farmed on the skinning system, by plowing four or 
five inches deep, and, as I said before, I have been 
plowing deeper and deeper, and as my crops have 
been gradually improving from year to year, I fan¬ 
cied it was owing, in a measure, at least, to deeper 
plowing. Judge of my surprise then, Mr. Editor, 
on reading the following in your issue for March 
2Gth, from “ *” of Trumansburg, N. Y.:—“ On a 
large proportion of land in our State, deep plow¬ 
ing for corn is not advantageous. Experience, and 
the well known fact that the roots of corn are al¬ 
ways found near the surface, demonstrate it.” 
Y r ou may believe those two little sentences set 
me to thinking—that is, after I got a little over my 
amazement, so I could think. I thought if those 
sentences were true, that after all the labor be¬ 
stowed, the horse flesh wasted in plowing deep, 
that like enough I had been injuring my land in¬ 
stead of benefiting it. I began to think whether 
it was a “ fact that the roots of corn are always 
found near the surface.” I thought of plowing up 
corn stubble the other day for oats, and while so 
doing I stopped my team to rest, and sat down on 
the plow beam to rest myself. While seated there 
I amused myself by pulling up corn stubbles and 
examining the roots, noticing how very numerous 
and long they were and how they spread out iu 
every direction, and how they descended down 
even to the bottom of the furrow. That was before 
I had read the article referred to, and my conclu¬ 
sion then was, that there was evidence in favor of 
deep plowing, for those roots ran down at least ten 
inches. Was my conclusion wrong? That is the 
question that puzzles me. 
I looked anxiously for the next Rural, hoping to 
find something in it to help me out of my great 
quandary. But, alas! iu the next Rural I find 
the following, which, instead of helping me out of 
my difficulty, serves to cast still greater gloom 
over the “ spirit of my dreams.” 
“ W. J. F.,” in speaking on this subject, says :— 
“ In practice, we often see the farmer, who inverts 
THE “ADVISORY BOARD” DEFENDED. 
Mr. Moore:— I have noticed by reading the 
Rural and other kindred journals of late, that 
you and your contemporaries have become excited 
and very uncivil towards your old friends, the 
“ intelligent agriculturists.” You have heretofore 
praised and flattered us until we began to believe 
we were the very “ bone and sinew ” of our coun¬ 
try—in fact that we stood at the head of the pile, 
and that all other classes were beneath us, and 
dependent upon us even for their bread and butter. 
You now attempt to hurl us from our supposed 
elevated position, and place us at the bottom with 
“ scientific agriculturists and terra-culturists,” 
and the only apparent reason for this great change 
in you is just because “ one or more ” of us “from 
the different sections of the Union ” were invited 
to join a branch of the “ kitchen cabinet ” at Wash¬ 
ington, and “fare sumptuously” as long as 
“ twenty-five dollars ” would last. For no other 
reason than having been thus honored, you now, 
notwithstanding your former praises, try to make 
out after all that we are nothing but a set of scien¬ 
tific numskulls. 
As my object in writing this letter is to present 
the truth in such a light that you will be convinced 
of your error (and of course acknowledge the same,) 
I will make a fair and plain statement of the case 
for your consideration. 
It is well known that for many years there has 
been a department of Agriculture attached to the 
Patent-Office, supported by national funds, that 
this department has been under the control of the 
Commissioner of Patents, and also that a large 
amount of money has been spent yearly in collect¬ 
ing and disseminating seeds, plants, &c., and in 
publishing an annual report. It is equally well 
known that, after all this great expenditure of 
money and brain power, the agriculturists have 
not been benefited in the least thereby. 
It would now appear from the plans adopted by 
the present Commissioner that he has become con¬ 
vinced that all the efforts heretofore made by his 
department to aid and instruct the tillers of the 
soil had been futile, has determined at once to 
change his advisors and assistants from “emi¬ 
nent” to “intelligent agriculturists,” and thus, if 
possible, effect a thorough reform. To this end 
to suggest means by which our crops may be in¬ 
creased, improved in quality, or made more profit¬ 
able to the producer.” Those invited were to be 
furnished, before the meeting, with “interroga¬ 
tories and blanks to enable them to record facts ” 
at home while their farm and field books were be¬ 
fore them. 
All these “intelligent agriculturists” that had 
trusty help to care for their stock during jiieir ab¬ 
sence assembled at Washington at the appointed 
time, and were introduced by the Commissioner to 
the President as “ a body of practical agricul¬ 
turists.” Furthermore the President, in his 
speech to them, said he was “happy to see so 
many practical agriculturists who understood that 
science fully who had heretofore “ staid at home 
and minded their own business.” He then intro¬ 
duced them to Miss Lane as the farmers to whom 
she was indebted for her bread and butter. 
Now, Sir, if your are not convinced from read¬ 
ing the above of your gross error in calling the 
“Advisory Board” a set of “ visionary theorists, 
terra-culturists, and self-dubbed professors,” just 
look at their distinguished titles. Why, Sir, of 
the forty-four that assembled, a dozen or so were 
Ilonorables, the rest were Drs., and Esqs., 
Colonels, and Majors, with one Ex-Governor, one 
1 Rev., one regular Professor of Agriculture, and 
j last, but not least, one Agricultural Editor; and 
so far as I can learn the very lowest title belong- 
! ing to any individual invited, is that of Captain in 
the Michigan Militia. Who would have thought 
that the whole frock and trowsers regiment con- w 
tained so many titled individuals? Verily, the L 
dignity of agricultural labor is looking up ! ffi 
But it is not enough that you and your contem- f 
poraries should apply such vile epithets as the [ 
above mentioned to these titled “ intelligent agri- (j 
culturists,” who, under your teachings, have be- 'f 
come “ skilled in the various branches of rural $ 
industry’’—you must go even further. While one £ 
intimates that the time of this “ Hon. Advisory Li 
GLADDING'S HAY ELEVATOR. 
The above engraving is intended to represent a 
nay Elevator, or Horse-Power Pitch Fork, patented 
last season by C. E. Gladding, of Troy, Pa. The 
inventor claims that “ this Elevator possesses many 
important advantages over all other forks, among 
which are the following;—The tines being allowed 
to drop to discharge its load, the tilting of the 
handle, as in other power forks, is avoided ; hence, 
hay can be unloaded with the utmost facility and 
ease into shed windows or beneath purlin beams, 
and many places where other horse forks cannot 
be used. The Elevator can in all cases be man¬ 
aged with greater ease than any other horse fork. 
It is also well adapted to stacking. With this 
fork a tun of hay can be unloaded in from five to 
seven minutes.” This Elevator received the first 
premium, after thorough trial and competition, at 
the last New York and Pennsylvania State Fairs. 
In company with several practical farmers and 
mechanics, we witnessed a trial of this Elevator a 
few days since, and were highly pleased with its 
operation, as were all present who expressed any 
opinion. It unloaded about a tun of hay, placing 
it in the loft of a livery stable, (the wagon standing 
in the street,) and pitching through a small door, 
doiDg its work in a very perfect and expeditious 
manner. From this test, in a difficult place, we 
are satisfied that the Elevator is a valuable labor- 
saving invention— the best machine for the pur¬ 
pose within our knowledge — and therefore com¬ 
mend it to the attention of all interested. It must 
prove a decided acquisition in the haying season, 
when both time and labor are money. For price, 
&c., see advertisement. 
TWO DOLLARS A. YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS 
AiNTD IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE INTO. FOUR CENTS. 
Y0L. X. NO. 10.1 
ROCHESTER, 
N. Y.-F0R TIIE 
WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1859. 
WHOLE NO. 484. 
