laws of vegetable physiology, which no rule of soil 
analysis can explain. A physical fact presents it¬ 
self here, which demands our earnest attention to 
the condition of the natural and mechanical ele¬ 
ments which surround us. All investigation be¬ 
yond the reasonable circle of man’s comprehension 
will be attended with wild speculations and con¬ 
flicting results. Han is placed here in some sort 
of a circle, and knowledge is stretched out all 
around him. Within the compass of this circle 
only, representing the extent of his comprehen¬ 
sion, is his knowledge complete and his experi¬ 
ments accurate. Within that circle alone can he 
reconcile all the different phenomena that present 
themselves to his vision; beyond that circle he 
will find everything in a new condition, and sub¬ 
ject to different laws. But, forsooth, some bold ad¬ 
venturer strikes out into unknown space, where he 
discovers a glimpse of some new theory, as it pre¬ 
sents itself to his amazed comprehension, and un¬ 
folds it to the circle as the discovery of some new 
fact. Another discoverer pushes out in a trans¬ 
verse direction, and beholds the same elements in 
another condition; and upon comparing results 
with the first, finds there is a want of harmony.— 
Astronomical science clearly demonstrates that all 
the elements that enter into vegetable life have ex¬ 
isted in a gaseous state, have passed from a gas¬ 
eous to the liquid, and from the liquid to the solid 
state. Now, it is evident that soil analysis cannot 
harmonize this confusion in the aeriform or gas¬ 
eous state, out of which nine-tenths of our vegetable 
materials are derived. Has there been one new 
idea established by soil analysis ? There arc two 
forces pervading the universe, whose harmonious 
co-operation in all the practical manifestations of 
the principles involved, make this world a cosoms, 
and not a chaos. In the material world, these 
forces are called contraction and expansion; in the 
vegetable kingdom, composition and decomposi¬ 
tion. Every element in the universe has been 
brought down from a state of chaos to a state of 
cosmetic refinement by the working of these laws 
upon the elements, whether in a gaseous, liquid or 
solid state. The production of a field of wheat or 
corn, is but the evident result of the working of 
these laws. 
The fundamental laws of the universal elements 
may be called practical and philosophical. The 
formation and maturity of solid particles in vege¬ 
table composition, is the legitimate result of this 
practical law. Monstrosities in the natural and 
Agricultural JRisccllang 
String has come at last, and the long Winter of the 
farmer’s discontent is made glorious Summer by bright 
sunshine and a balmy atmosphere. “ Speed tho plow !’> 
Early Cucumbers.— On the 2d inst., Mr. C. F. Cros- 
man, Seed Grower and Nurseryman, of this city, pre¬ 
sented us with a full grown cucumber. That will do, 
considering the season—though of course grown ia a 
hot-bed. 
Midge-Proof Wheat.—Wo are indebted to Elisha 
Harmon, Esq., of Wheatland, N. Y., for a specimen of 
growing wheat called Dayton or Weevil (Midge) Proof 
The specimen is 23 inches long — tall wheat for this sea¬ 
son of the year. Mr. II. has 70 acres growing, and will, 
of course, be able to report the result after harvest. 
The Eitral Story, commenced on last page of this 
number, teaches a lesson worth reading and heeding by 
thousands of Ruralists. Though given in an early vol¬ 
ume, we re-publish it in tho belief that it will be new to 
most of our readers, and worthy of re-perusal by others. 
As a reason for deferring several excellent original 
sketches to make room for it, we quote what an Ohio 
friend of the Rvrai, and its objects says in a recent 
letter:—“I have one special request to make. Will 
you re-publish the story of'The Twin Cottages?’ It 
was published in your volume for 1S62. I don’t know 
but you may think this asking too much, but I con¬ 
sider it one of the best stories (if not the best) ever pub¬ 
lished in the Rural, and believe its re-publication will 
greatly subserve the object for which you labor.” Read 
“The Twin Cottages.” 
'UilWMZW.-WKtWV 
Two weeks ago we gave an illustration and 
description of Kirby’s American Harvester, as a 
Mower. The above cut represents the same ma¬ 
chine as a Reaper , as it appears in operation in the 
field. Its advantages, and also its operation and 
construction, we give in the language of the manu¬ 
facturers, as follows: 
“One of the distinctive characteristics claimed for 
the Kirby Machine is, that it is a perfect Com¬ 
bined Machine. While there arc many good mow¬ 
ers which arc not good reapers, and many good 
reapers that are not good mowers, there are very 
few successful combined machines. Most farmers are 
not able to keep two machines, one for mowing and 
one for reaping, and yet every farmer ought to have 
a machine for each operation, and the single ma¬ 
chine that will successfully perform both is a desid¬ 
eratum. With such a machine the farmer purchases 
a perfect reaper for only $20; and if he has only 
one-fifth as much grain to cut as he has of grass, 
he can afford to buy a combined machine. Indeed, 
the price of the Kirby Combined Machine is as low 
as that of many single mowers. Aside from the 
saving of labor in reaping by machinery, there is 
the further advantage of being able to gather the 
crop at tliQr right time, whether laborers are scarce 
or plenty. The same machine can be also used to 
great advantage in gathering clover and grass 
seed. The following description of the American 
Harvester as a Reaper, will enable the reader to 
understand its construction and operation: 
“ All of the Kirby machines are combined ma¬ 
chines, and the Reaper is the same as the Mower, 
with the addition of the platform, reel and raker’s 
seat, and by merely bolting these to the Mower, 
(which is but a moment’s work,) you have a com¬ 
plete Reaper. The cutters, in reaping, can be set 
to cut at any height, thus adapting it to all kinds 
of grain, and to gathering clover and grass seed. 
The grain is delivered in well-formed gavels at the 
side of the machine, and entirely out of its way on 
the next swath. The raker’s position is peculiar, 
and enables him to do his work with ease, he being 
placed at the side of the machine, facing obliquely 
the uncut grain, and in the center of motion of the 
rake, so that by an easy quarter-turn motion, or 
circular sweep of the rake, he delivers the grain in 
gavels at the side of the machine. This position 
also enables him to control the grain as well with¬ 
out a reel as with one, and is the only position with 
which a machine can be successfully worked with¬ 
out the reel. In this position a boy can rake off all 
day with ease, and as soon as the horses get accus¬ 
tomed to the work the raker can dispense with a 
driver, and both rake and drive himself.” 
The manufacturers are also making a successful 
one-horse Harvester, called the “Little Buffalo 
Harvester, ” constructed upon the same principle 
as the American Harvester, which we shall take 
early occasion to illustrate. 
Tiik People's College.— 1 The following note from the 
President of this Institution, located at Havana, N. Y., 
explains itself: 
Mr. Moore :—I am receiving letters almost daily in¬ 
quiring when the People’s College will be opened te 
receiro students. Permit me, then, to notify your nu¬ 
merous readers that tho work on the College edifice la 
progressing with due dispatch. But it is a great work 
to complete a building of its largo dimensions, which 
must necessarily consume much time. It is not expect¬ 
ed to get matters in readiness to open the College before 
September, 1860. Yours, &c., Amos Browit. 
Market Fairs. —Tho Massachusetts Board of Agri¬ 
culture have been considering tho feasibility of Ameri¬ 
can farmers holding Market Fairs, and have voted 
“that the Board recognize the great importance of es¬ 
tablishing frequent Markets or Fairs for the sale of 
Agricultural products.” To aid in the development of 
the proposition, the Board have issued a circular, in 
connection with which is a prize essay upon “ Market 
Days,” by A. W. Dodge. Tho subject is to bo ex¬ 
amined in all its aspects by the Massachusetts agricul¬ 
turists. 
(£omtens£b (fEorrtupontonct 
“ working” on me, if it never did on the midge.— 
When I came to change my clothes I found that 
about the knees, where the pants were wet and 
drawn close to the skin, the lime had commenced 
eating the flesh, and I had all I could do to heal it 
up by the time the wheat was ripe. 
Now, I would say to Mr. Kiukkndall, and all 
others interested, that in that one experiment I 
learned three things—first, that lime is not good 
for human flesh; secondly, it won’t injuro the 
wheat; and lastly, it dii not hurt the jnidge, as I 
could never see any difference, all being badly 
injured. 
I made an experimeu/i last year that was more 
pleasant to all concerned. From a stool of wheat 
I selected one head, upon which I blew tobacco 
smoke, morning and evening, while it was in blow, 
and afterwards (at harvest,) found the head that 
had the smoke, about half destroyed by the insect, 
while the rest of the heads on the stool nearly 
escaped—showing that the midge had a little fond¬ 
ness for the weed as well as myself! 
So far as my experience goes, all that we can do 
to escape the vai'mints is to sow the earliest varie¬ 
ties of winter wheat, and the latest of spring wheat. 
If Mr. Kirkexdall has found a kind of winter 
wheat that is six or eight days earlier than the 
Mediterranean, I think that would dodge them 
entirely. t. c. o. 
Lodi Centre, Seneca Co., N. Y., April, 1859. 
To Kill Sheer Ticks.— In answer to a recent inquiry 
in the Rural about killing ticks on sheep, Mr. J. J. 
Moore, of Point Abino, C. W., writes:—“ My plan is 
te take a pipe, fill with plug tobacco, lay a cloth over 
the bowl of the pipe, part the wool over the sides and 
around the neck of the sheep, and blow the smoko in 
next to the skin. It will kill the ticks.” 
Alangel Wurtzels. 
In looking over my hooks I find that my last crop 
of mangels yielded at the rate of eleven hundred 
bushels per acre, at a cost of six cents per bushel. 
My ground is a deep loam, and was well manured 
with stable ma nurCi Th< wurtzels require no more 
care than a ci 0 f CI) J as they are a strong¬ 
growing plan' \Vbilq, s n g they soon get the 
start of weeds, ^ ^ quire as much weed¬ 
ing ae carrots> The fly never troubles 
them, but the(y, k. tand much irost in tue 
fall. I usually p/ant t : 1 ellow Globe variety, but 
either is good, and ket them until spring. As it 
is now time for farmers to arrange their crops, I 
would advise them to plant from a half acre to an 
acre of mangels for their stook. They are very 
nutritious, and I am satisfied the cheapest root that 
can be raised. I have raised a good many carrots 
and some bagas, but prefer mangels to them. 
Try them, brother farmers, and reports the result. 
—W. G., Troy, H. Y, 1859. 
TJn.'bu.m.t Briolx I-Icmses. 
In tho Rural of March 12th a correspondent 
asked information relative to unburnt brick houses. 
Having perhaps had as much experience as any 
mason in this State, I will give it briefly. Eleven 
years ago this summer, I helped build the second 
house of that material, I think, that was built in 
this State. It was all the go then. It lasted about 
five years, in which time there were some fifteen 
houses built in this vicinity. The stucco then com¬ 
menced clearing off with part of the brick adher¬ 
ing to it. There does not seem to be cement enough 
to the brick to hold it on. Several purpose to re- 
stucco this season, in the hopes of making the 
walls stand by driving in nails and letting them 
stick out about three-eighths of an inch. The great 
difficulty with them was the idea that the brick 
could be made of most any kind of material, and 
in most cases it was dug out of the earth just as 
nature mixed it. I think if they could be made of 
pure clay, and coarse sand and gravel enough mix¬ 
ed with them to keep them from cracking, they 
would stand, 
Steeps for Seeds. 
This subject, says the Working Farmer, has 
for a long time engaged the attention of many ex¬ 
perimenters, and with various results. Strong 
solutions of any of the well-known materials used 
are apt to injure the germs of seeds, while weaker 
solutions, being held by the spongy coatings, fre¬ 
quently not only secure earlier germinations, but 
by a timely supply of necessary pabulum, 
vigorous nlants whmh o -*■ •— re¬ 
conditions in their early stages of growth, yield 
larger returns. Among the materials used we 
would enumerate the following: Saltpetre, Sul¬ 
phate of Ammonia, Carbonate of Soda, Soluble 
Phosphate of Lime, etc. 
Sxiccessful Tu.rlxey-Ii,aising. 
We have an example in the way of turkey- 
raising, by a woman, that is worthy of attention 
by some farmer’s wives, who may perhaps go and 
do likewise. Lydia Eldridge, of Andover, Mass., 
writes her experience in raising turkeys, under 
date of Dec. 25, 1858 :—“ Last spring, my husband 
BcnSaliVfheToftoxV^nY., 
thirty years, an3 for the first twenty lost more or"less 
calves in the fall of almost every year—those that wero 
the best and in the best condition. For the past ten or 
twelve years, however, I have been in the habit of 
giving soot, salt and ashes, in troughs, once or twice a 
week, and since I adopted the practice haro not lost 
an animal from the black quarter.” 
A Cure foe the Horn Ail (so called) is given as fol¬ 
lows, by Mr. Ira Comstock, of Salisbury:—“ Take of 
good vinegar and spirits of turpentine one gill each; of 
salt and pepper (red or black,) half a gill each. Simmer 
these together and apply them as warm as your hand 
will bear, between the horns, winding a cloth around 
the horns, near the head, in order to retain as much of 
the compound as may be. One application is sufficient 
in ordinary cases, but where the case is obstinate a repe¬ 
tition may be necessary. I have used this remedy 
nearly twenty years, and never knew it to fail.” 
CARE OF YOUNG LAMBS. 
at one litter, and I raised them all. Yesterday we 
dressed the last of them. The united weight of 
the whole when dressed was 212)^ lbs; 198 lbs. 
were sold for a shilling a pound, New England 
currency, amounting in the aggregate to $33. The 
whole number at that price would have amounted 
to $35,41. Now, I think that is doing quite well, 
and if any body among your army of readers can 
do better than that, I think they deserve a pre¬ 
mium; but until that is done, I think I can claim 
the palm.” 
I-’otato Culture. 
A correspondent of the Southern, Homestead, 
gives the result of some experiments in the growth 
and culture of the potato, as follows:—“ We have 
had some very pleasant and satisfactory experience 
in raising potatoes, from planting simply the eyes, 
just rimming them off with the point of a narrow 
knife. We selected the largest and best potatoes 
from the cellar, took out the eyes, and used the rest 
of the potato for the table, about as profitably as if 
the eye had not been taken out. They wero then 
planted three in a hill, about one foot apart, and 
cultivated often enough to keep the weeds down, 
and to keep the ground stirred and mellow. The 
result was, we gathered a fine yield of large pota¬ 
toes from every hill, with no small ones—a very 
important consideration in harvesting or picking 
them up. Besides, we had no diseased or unsound 
ones; although in the adjoining ground, where we 
planted whole potatoes, there were many unsound 
ones at the harvest. Hence, we believe, where 
there are large quantities of old seed to rot in the 
hill, it is likely to effect the young tubers unfavora¬ 
bly ; and also where there is too much seed in a 
bill, it produces too many tubers, so that the young 
potatoes grow badly crowded, and, consequently, 
many of them must be small, and others become 
diseased. Here is a matter for thought and exper¬ 
iment.” 
Eds. Rural: —Is it necessary to lose more than 
two or three per cent, of young lambs ? What little 
experience I have had goes to show that it is not. 
In the first place, select ewes with good consti¬ 
tutions, and keep them well. In raising young 
lambs, particular attention shonld be given to the 
little things. Frequently the milk of ewes, especi¬ 
ally young ewes, is thick at first. The lamb is too 
weak to draw it, and after making a few fruitless 
attempts, gives up discouraged. He must now 
have help or be lost. Milk the ewe, and milk it 
: uto the lamtfs mouth. Her milk will soon be 
-er, and the nourishment the lamb receives 
‘bod will soon stimulate him to help him- 
‘ the lamb’s teeth are cutting easily; 
he ewe plenty of roots if not at 
" v its dam, confine them for 
'■ight. Save the twins; 
no lambs; but in 
' with the skin 
'intil your 
. 1 lamb 
Remarkable Fecundation in a Cow.—Mr. M. B. 
Forbes sent the London, (Eng.,) Veterinarian the 
following particulars relating to the birth of five calves 
atone time:—“A cow of the short-horned breed, six 
years old, the property of Mr. Richard Knight, farmer, 
Santon, about a mile from Ryegale, was safely delivered 
on Monday morning, the 21st of February, three weeks 
before her time, of five calves—four bulls and one cow. 
Three of the calves died a few hours after birth, but tho 
fourth survived until Tuesday, and the fifth until the 
following day, Wednesday.” Mr. Forbes saw tho cow 
on the 28d, and found her going on well. It was her 
third calving. 
THE BACK FURROW. 
Eds. Rural :—I was lately walking over the farm 
of an intelligent friend in this county, when, as a 
matter of course, draining was the topic of conver¬ 
sation. He said he did not underdrain much, but 
got along for the most part with the open drain and 
back furrow. He showed me a number of fields 
which he had made perfectly dry by means of the 
back furrow. He says when he plows a field he 
likes to plow the whole, it looks so much better. 
When he lays down a field, he leaves the wet posi¬ 
tions in ridges, whether it be for meadow' or pas¬ 
ture. He pointed out portions of fields which 
formerly were not plowed, now made perfectly dry 
by this process. It struck us at once that the plan 
was a good one. 
It appears, then, that the side-hill plow should 
not be used in those portions of a field where the 
ter has a tendency to settle. The side-hill plow 
'discriminately, operates injuriously, iuas- 
dams up the water and prevents its pas- 
: u, whereas the common plow, and 
d down these wet portions, cuts 
its escape. Water seeks a 
mer should assist rather 
The tailor cuts his 
~>d the joiner in 
-’rse of the 
of the 
splow 
Endurance of the IIorbe.— Some cruel experiments 
have lately been made at Paris to test the endurance of 
horses. It appears a horse will live on water alone fire 
and twenty days; seventeen days without eating or 
drinking; only five days if fed but unwatered ; ten days 
if fed and insufficiently watered. A horse kept without 
water for three days, drank 104 pounds in three minutes. 
It was found, too, that a horse taken immediately from 
“ feed ” and kept in the active exercise of the “ squadron 
school,” completely digested its “feed” in three hours; 
in the same time in the “conscript’s school” its food 
was two-thirds digested; and if kept perfectly quiet in 
the stable, its digestion was scarcely commenced in 
three hours. 
They should be laid up with lime 
mortar. Unburnt brick make a warm house in the 
winter and a cool one in the summer. They are 
non-conductors of cold or heat. If your corres¬ 
pondent has not had any experience, nor any of 
the mechanics in that vicinity, I would advise him 
to build with some other material.—N. II. Isbell, 
Union District, Wash. Co., Mich., 1859. 
About Bens and Eggs. 
Reading several inquiries and articles in the 
Rural about Hens and Eggs, and having had some 
experience in the business, I will give you a few 
lines on the subject. I keep hens for the conve¬ 
nience of them. I have 16 hens; have kept an ac¬ 
count of the eggs laid from March 6th to April 
17th—six weeks. The first week they laid 71; 
second, 76; third, 66; fourth, 74; fifth, 78; sixth, 
85. Cost of feed for the six weeks (one bushel of 
mixed corn, rye, peas and oats,) fifty cents; half 
bushel screenings, 13 cts.; half bushel corn, 40 cts. 
—total, $1.03. My hens are a mixture of Golden 
sand Silver Pheasants and Polands. I believe in a 
fixture of feed, but I want it mostly corn. I feed 
my hens all the broken earthen and glass they will 
eat— breaking it about as small as a pea or a kcr- 
nal of corn. I never keep a hen over one year old 
for laying eggs. My hens seldom want to set be¬ 
fore they are two years old. I have one hen that 
I keep for raising chickens. I set her twice last 
year—I put 17 eggs under her each time. She 
hatched and raised 16 chickens each brood. Keep 
young hens of a good breed, feed and water them 
regularly twice a day in the winter season and once 
a day in the summer, and you will have plenty of 
eggs.— A Mechanic, Akron, H. Y, 1859. 
Mancii. 
Export of Eggs from Feance to England.— A curi¬ 
ous statistical return has lately been made of the supply 
of eggs to England from France, by which it appears that 
the annual value of this export to that country exceeds 
that of wine. Even before the oidium disease, the dif¬ 
ference in value in favor of eggs amounted to 157,072 
francs yearly. In 1815 there wero imported into Eng¬ 
land from France 1,800,915 kilogrammes of eggs; in 
1856,9,005,758 kilogrammes; and as each kilogramme 
is calculated to be equal to eighteen eggs, it follows that 
France furnishes England with 200,000,000 of eggs an¬ 
nually. 
Eds. Rural :—I notice«- 
Rural, from J. Kirkendall, 
slaked lime would have sown brou 
I will give my experience. 
Some three years since I got an idea, froi- 
source, that slaked lime, sown broadcast on wtm 
when it was in blow, would destroy the midge. 
Consequently when the wheat was in the right 
stage, as I supposed, I dressed myself up for the 
occasion, and started for an experiment. I went 
to work on the back side of the lot, (so that my 
neighbors would not see me, of course,) and com¬ 
menced operations. I found it no boy’s play to go 
in wheat as high as my head, and wet at that, and 
sow slaked lime broadcast; but as I was rigged 
for the business, I was bound to stick to it until I 
had sown enough to make a fair trial. About the 
time that I adjourned up came one of my neighbors 
from across the fields, and he had a good laugh at 
my plight, with my old clothes wet up to my neck, 
well coated over with lime. We sat and talked 
awhile, until I found the lime had commenced 
healthlu. 
at least, says 
cow will continue 
two or three years; tu 
make excellent beef. This. 
ican dairymen will not ston au 
regard to their cows. 
China Tea Wheat.— Inquiry .— I wish to inquire 
through the Rural, of its readers, if any of them ever 
knew the China Tea Wheat to be injured by the midge. 
I have not been in the habit of raising spring wheat till 
last year, when I sowed a piece of Tea Wheat. Tho 
seed not holding out, I finished the piece with Canada 
Club—all sown on the eighth of May. After heading 
out I watchA it very close, and never found any midge 
in tho Tea, but the Club was entirely destroyed by them. 
Both were struck with tho rust. I have inquired of a 
number of old farmers and not one of them ever knew 
the Tea Wheat to bo midge eaten. If we can’t find 
anybody that ever did know such to be tho case, we 
shall be safe in sowing it early.—J. J. B., Lockport , 
N. Y., April, 1859. 
Weather Items. —There was a severe frost at 
Norfolk, Va., on Monday week, and the Day Book 
estimates the loss sustained in vegetables at $50,- 
000 . 
The thermometer on the western side of the 
White Mountains, at sunsise on the 25th ult., indi¬ 
cated seven degrees below freezing. 
On Friday week there was a violent snow storm 
in Michigan. 
They are complaining already at New Orleans 
that the weather is uncomfortably hot. Hereabouts 
it is uncomfortably cold for the season. 
Mules Wanted. — A sulkcriber in Saratoga County, 
(8. Whalen, of So. Milton, wishes to know the best 
place to purchase mules. le wants a pair that “ will 
weigh at least 1,600 lbs., kirn, true, orderly and capable 
of doing heavy work — pri cipally for lumbering, to 
draw big, heavy loads. Otlies have inquired for mules. 
Who can supply the demand 
