answer to the second is immediately important, 
and I will endeavor to make it pertinent and brief. 
1st. We must disabuse our minds of the im¬ 
pression, if it exists, that our boys are to give us 
a certain amount of service, in consideration of 
the fact that, as parents, we have reared and sup¬ 
ported them until able to care for themselves—au 
impression false in theory and injurious in prac¬ 
tice. We rear and educate them because we love 
them, and not from the identical motives which 
induces us to rear a horse. 
2d. We must consider that our boys are reason¬ 
ing beings, and, like “boys of larger growth,” 
are influenced by motives. They must have in¬ 
centives to action, like ourselves, based on consid¬ 
erations of personal advantages. They are not 
machines which can be wound up at stated inter¬ 
vals, and then left to the performance of tbeir 
stated tasks, but thinking, miniature meu, that 
need the stimulus of direct and controlling motives. 
8d. To accomplish this end, we must give our 
boys a direct interest in the result of their labor, 
by allowing them, according to circumstances, a 
small or large proportion of all the products of 
the farm, to be devoted to their own special uses 
and pleasures,—to be their own. Prudence and 
judgment must determine, on the part of the pa¬ 
rent, whether this proportion is to be a half or a 
hundredth, or something intermediate; and, ac¬ 
cording to the disposition of the boy, how these 
proceeds are to be spent or invested; but, some¬ 
how, the boy must have a direct interest in the 
result of all his labor. Thus situated, his motives 
to industry,—to studying the principles of agri¬ 
culture,—to making himself generally useful and 
intelligent in his profession,—will be the same as 
ours, and equally efficient in their operation. 
4th. Our boys must have ready access to the 
best agricultural reading. Beautiful and enter¬ 
taining periodicals on farming must be constantly 
before them, and their attention frequently called 
to whatever may appear worthy of their thought 
and reflection. 
5th. Our homes must be beautified, and our boys 
must assist in making them beautiful. Encourage 
them to plant trees, cultivate flowers, gravel the 
walks, paint the out-houses—anything, indeed, to 
create interest and a love of rural life. 
6th. We must allow ourselves never to feel, and 
so express a sentiment of dissatisfaction in refer¬ 
ence to our profession. God knows, and so does 
every intelligent man, that agriculture is the only 
truly noble profession in existence; the rest, at 
best, are but mere incidentals—excrescences that 
we tolerate because of necessity. These truths 
we must act, and our boys be made to feel. 
7th. We must teach them by precept and exam¬ 
ple that intelligence and gentlemanly accomplish¬ 
ments are the cultivator’s birthright; that the 
accomplished agriculturist is the high priest of 
Mature, and needs to be initiated into all her mys¬ 
teries ; that these are his duty and interest. They 
must be educated,—head, heart and hands. 
Corunna, Mich., 1S59. G. M. Reynolds. 
LETTER FROM KANSAS. 
Messrs. Eds. Being here by compulsion, (the 
rains having swollen the creeks to such au extent 
that we cannot ford them,) last evening I found a 
copy of the Rural New-Yorker in the shanty 
where I am stopping, and perused it with great 
pleasure, although I saw, but did not read it, be¬ 
fore I left my home in Attica, N. Y. Here I am, 
however, and to improve the time, will send you 
some notings of the country, soil, etc. 
The one great difficulty in traveling in this 
country, especially during the rainy times, is the 
numerous small rivers and creeks, as we have no 
bridges, and when those sudden rises happen, we 
must hold up till the waters subside. The land¬ 
scape views here are magnificent beyond descrip¬ 
tion. Any person in Western New York who has 
been on the highest spot in the village of Geneseo, 
and looked north-west over the Genesee Valley, 
can have some idea of a thousand (even now in the 
state of Nature) just sucli prospects iu Kansas. 
No other persoii can ever approximate to an ap¬ 
preciation of the natural beauty of this Territory. 
And the country is good as well as beautiful. I 
claim that the stone in Kansas adds millions to her 
value over any prairie country I have ever seen. 
So far as I have been, there is an abundance for 
fencing and building purposes, thus supplying the 
scarcity of timber. The stone are mostly lime and 
sand-stone, and arc found in all localities, but do 
not often injure the land for farming purposes.— 
Enough of timber and stone cau be found on or near 
every claim for fencing and building purposes, and 
before the present timber is gone, trees of quick 
growth may be planted to supply all future de¬ 
mands. This is one important feature of the 
country. Another is, it is generally rolling. While 
many of the prairie lands in Western Ohio, Indiaaa, 
Illinois, and other Western States, are flat for 
great distances, those of Kansas are almost in¬ 
variably rolling, in some instances so much so as 
to be called mounds or bluffs. The consequence 
is that—the soil beiDg rich and loose—the rains, no 
matter how heavy or long continued, after moisten¬ 
ing the earth, pass off, and do not stagnate and 
kill vegetation. So the farmer is sure of his crop 
whether it rain or shine. This is a feature peculiar 
to Kansas which cannot be too highly valued. 
Where I sit is one of those beautiful rolling 
prairie bottoms, surrounded part)} by skirts of 
timber along the creeks, and partly by mounds or 
gently swelling bluffs. Between these groves and 
mounds is spread, out as splendid a lawn, for a mile 
or two, as the eye ever rested upon, tenanted all over 
with various kinds of unsurpassingly beautiful 
prairie flowers, “born to blush unseen.” Among 
the most numerous is the Prairie Pink, resembling, 
more than any other, our garden Sweet William, 
but of a much brighter and showy color. Last night, 
at sunset, was seen this charming spot in all its 
gorgeousness. The parting rays of the sun lent a 
mellow luster to the scene, w r hich gave a heaven¬ 
like peace to our weary spirits, and we soon sank 
into repose. This seems to me to be “ the land of 
the sun,” 
“ Where the virgins are fair as the roses they twine, 
And all but the spirit of man seems divine.” 
Respectfully yours, A. S. Stevens. 
Valley Precint, Linn Co., Kansas, 1859. 
SOMETHING FOR HORSE OWNERS. 
Eds. Rural: —Scarce a man who owns a bor3e 
or uses one, but has been asked the question — 
Why are so many horses lame? Echo answers, 
why? Lameness is so common that we can rarely 
see a horse that is not either lame, or stiff'and sore. 
As we pass along the street it is seldom we see a 
horse moving freely, or standing with his limbs 
and feet in a natural position, but generally find 
some with one fore-foot set out as far as it can be 
reached, — others with both thrown forward,— 
some with contracted hoofs favoring their feet,— 
some standing tip-toe, with their knees bent for¬ 
ward,— others sprawling like a bear on their pas¬ 
terns,— some with sunken breasts or shrunken 
shoulders,— many with cracked hoofs, ridged sur¬ 
faces,— and more with contracted heels. In it is 
rare to see a perfect foot on a horse after he is five 
years old. 
Have you ever examined the foot of your horse? 
Its parts are somewhat complicated, yet their de¬ 
sign is simple and obvious. The foot is not as it 
appears to the careless eye, a mere solid lump of 
insensible bone fastened to the leg by a joint, it is 
made up of a series of thin layers or leaves of 
horn, about five hundred in number, nicely fitted 
to each other and forming a lining to the foot it¬ 
self. Then, there are as many more layers belong¬ 
ing to what is called the coffin bone and fitted into 
this. These are clastic. Take a quire of paper 
and insert the leaves one by one into those of an¬ 
other quire and you will get some idea of the ar¬ 
rangement of these several layers. Now the weight 
of the horse rests on as many elastic springs as 
there are layers in his four feet, and all this is con¬ 
trived not only for the easy conveyance of the 
horse’s own body, but of human bodies and what¬ 
ever burdens may be laid upon him. In the first 
place the colt is taken in hand to break. The own¬ 
er, perhaps, not a judge of colts, thinks he will 
make rather a fancy horse, and he tells the black¬ 
smith that he wants the colt shod forward,—wants 
it done in the most scientific style in order to make 
his foot look nice, cut the heel down so as to have 
a wide heeled shoe, cut away the frog, dress out 
the bottom of the foot and “do it up brown”—as 
colts should be shod scientifically the first time_ 
sock the nails home, clinch fast, and dont be afraid 
of the rasp. The job finished, the colt looks as if 
he could travel, and if there is any trot in him it 
must come out. 
The question is again asked, What is the cause 
of this lameness ? I trust reasons maybe given 
for this. I hope this may put some on their guard, 
and may set others thinking. This is my first at¬ 
tempt, and nothing short of twenty-five years ob¬ 
servance ofthis growing evil would have induced me 
to appear in print, and I confidently hope and trust 
the remedy will be given, very much to the benefit 
of the horse and his owner. ,r. u. 
Ilorselieads, Chemung Co., N. Y., 1S59. 
ABOUT HORSES. 
Messrs. Editors Iu the Rural of April Oth 
I noticed a portrait and description of the Black 
Hawk horse “Philip Allen,” which was all very 
well, but when I observed that you congratulated 
the farmers of Livingston and adjoining, counties 
upon tliiij nhnnea to propagate ivom the best, I 
thought it was high time for some man to write 
something that would set farmers to thinking that 
it possibly might be as well to propagate from a 
very different class of horses. Gifford and Black 
Hawk Morgan horses have been all the cry here 
for the last twelve or thirteen years, and the horses 
of Onondaga county, at least, have been fast Tun¬ 
ing down all this time. I think the colts raised in 
this vicinity at the present time do not average 
over nine hundred pounds in working condition. 
The Morgan colts will not average that. What are 
such colts worth to farmers? Are they the kind 
to turn the stiff soil of old Onondaga or Livings¬ 
ton, or draw the products of said soil to market? 
And as for speed, it is all iu the papers, or sires, 
the colts certainly have no business on the road 
with the colts that we used to raise fifteen years 
ago. Great judgment should be used iu crossing, 
but I think for most of our mares the stalliou 
should be 16>£ hands high, well proportioned, and 
weigh 14 to 16 hundred pounds. If it takes him 4 
minutes to go a mile over our common roads his 
stock will be worth keeping at least, and as for 
selling, nine out of ten will sell at three or four 
years old at fifty per cent more. Look about the 
country; what are our best farm teams? Go into 
our cities —what are the best coach horses, or best 
selling horses there? But enough for the first. 
South Onondaga, N. Y., 1859. J. W. Parsons. 
Remarks. —Wc cheerfully give place to the above, 
and shall not now particularly dissent from its 
conclusions. We may remark, however, that many 
of the farmers of Livingston, Monroe, Ac., find it 
more profitable to breed small than large horses, 
as the former are in greater demand and bring 
higher prices than the latter. Extra size, weight 
and strength are necessary for some purposes, yet 
at a time when “ style and speed ” are the fashion, 
horses which abound in nerve and muscle (and 
only weigh from 900 to 1,100 lbs.,) are the most 
profitable to breeders who supply the demand for 
road and carriage horses—und profit is an impor¬ 
tant item with most people. As to the final query 
of Mr. P., “Go into our cities—what are the best 
coach horses, or best selling horses there ?” we 
can answer (so far as this city is concerned,) that 
light, Morgan-built horses are preferred for most 
purposes, and bring the be3t prices. 
BLACK SPANISH FOWLS. 
Eds. Rural:— Fowls are such pests to gardeners, 
if not kept in their proper place, that I have al¬ 
ways been a great enemy to them. One year ago 
last spring, my children got a present of a few of 
the Black Spanish breed, and it was only with 
great entreaty that I consented to let them keep 
them, and seeing in the Rural the profits of fowl¬ 
keeping, I thought I would keep an account of 
mine. I sold a few pairs last fall for two and three 
dollars per pair, and kept twelve. They com¬ 
menced laying when live months old and have con¬ 
tinued laying steadily since, omitting a day iu 
every six or eight. I kept them warm during the 
winter, letting them out on mild days. Their food 
was principally corn, weat screenings, with corn 
meal and potatoes occasmally, and fresh meat two 
or three times a week. 1 commenced keeping ac¬ 
count on the first of janiary, and from that to the 
first of July I got l,135eggs from eleven hens — 
two of them are half-breds — the latter brought 
out a flock of chickens esh, and one I parted with 
on the tenth of May. Th pure bloods seldom want 
to sit and are easily put iff', I have one hen, three 
years old, that never wared to sit yet. I have kept 
a regular account of eaclday’s eggs, and the price 
of those not sold, at the Rte that eggs were bring¬ 
ing at the time. I couldliave sold more in April 
and May than they prodeed, and even now I can 
scarcely get any to use. ] mean to keep account for 
six months longer, and wll give a true statement 
of it. 
fovls Dr. 
12 fowls valued at $1 each ..$ia 00 
Food for six months.. 10 10 
Total—$22 10 
fow-s Cr. 
40 dozen eggs sold at 50c.$23 00 
Value of eggs used. 10 87 
1 fowl sold. 1 00 
2 chickens, half-breed, killed. 60 
11 fowls on hand.L. 11 00 
30 chickens, present value 50i. 15 00 
Total—$60 97 
Profit for six months...$88 87 
1,185 eggs, or 94>£ doz at lSc.,:he average price. 17 00 
80 chickens, average price 80o. 9 00 
Total—$26 00 
Food for six months... 10 10 
Profit supposing them commoi fowls.$15 90 
Troy, N. Y., 1859. J. C. 
IMPROVEMENT IN VELL-BUCKETS. 
Eds. Rural :—For some time I have contem¬ 
plated writing concerning what I call an improve¬ 
ment on the well - bucket represented in your 
valuable paper. It is this:-Instead of taking the 
old bucket, make one out of a board—make it 
square, and of the following dimensions :—Twelve 
inches long, eight inches at the top, and eleven at 
the bottom. This gives a good chance for a large 
valve. Put on a heavy hoop at the bottom so as to 
sink it readily. Instead of a rag-wheel put on a 
break in the shape of a lever — cut a notch in the 
said lever to fit on the cylinder, or shaft, that the 
rope winds on, and you have the bucket at perfect 
control. The lever will be fastened to one corner 
of the curb, and at the other end fasten a strap or 
chain with a loop so as to slide back and forth to 
tighten the lever and hold the bucket at any point 
you please. This is the best fix for lifting water out 
of the well that I have ever tried. 
Before closing this I must make inquiry of you 
Empire citizens, if you can beat or come up to the 
size of a Parsnip that I dug the other day. I had 
to get my post-auger to get it out, and did not get 
all of it at last, as the bottom was crooked and the 
auger cut it to pieces, but what I got measured 4% 
feet in length, and \o% inches around the top. 
Wataga, III., July, 1859. 8. Goldsmith, 
SOWING WINTER RYE WITH BUCKWHEAT. 
Messrs. Eds.: — In a late issue of the Rural, 
I. W. B. inquires what hasjj^&u the experience of 
sowing Winter llye wn'^Knckwheat? 1 wiu 
briefly state mine. Last ^ purchased a tract 
of new land from which the wood had recently 
been cut; took possession on the 20 th of May; grub¬ 
bed, cleared and plowed nineteen acres, and spread 
thereon 500 bushels of lime, and sowed fifteen 
bushels of buckwheat, fifteen of rye, and two and 
a half of clover seed,—harrowed all in together,— 
finished about the eighteenth day of July. The 
buckwheat and rye both grew finely—an early 
frost shortened the buckwheat, though we have 
154 bushels of prime grain, 40 bushels of which I 
sold at §1,25 for seed—balance made into flour. 
The rye made an excellent crop, well grown and 
heavily filled. We had two hundred and thirty 
shocks, which I think will average one bushel 
each,—the grain is light colored and plump, — we 
have threshed a part of it. The clover was a 
failure—the new ground, filled with sticks and 
roots, was too loose for it to stand dry weather, ex¬ 
cept along the edge of wagon roads, or such places 
as were more compact. Soil rather sandy.— Wil¬ 
liam Perry, Cinnaminson, *ith Mo., Ylth, 1859. 
-- 
A FEW WORDS ABOUT BEES-INQUIRY. 
Eds. Rural: —Last winter I kept over twenty- 
three swarms, and they all appeared in good con¬ 
dition till after the last snow. A few days after 
the snow storm I examined them, and to my aston¬ 
ishment I found that three swarms had left for 
parts unknown, their hives being full of good, 
white comb. I have now got twenty swarms, and 
to-day, June 18th, not a hive has swarmed. There 
are quite a number that keep bees about here, and 
I have not heard of a single instance of swarming. 
Last year my first swarm came the 18tli of May, 
and they were all done swarming by this time, or 
nearly so. I took from fifteen hives last year four 
hundred and ten pounds of honey. Now, what 
I am the most anxious to learn, is how to try out 
beeswax. We generally place the comb in a cof¬ 
fee sack, put in a large kettle, and sink it by put¬ 
ting on weights, the wax rising on the top; but 
it is always of a very dark color, and not fit for 
market. Will some one please give me the desired 
mode?— R. Brail, DansviUe, N. Y., 1859. 
TURKEY RAISING. 
Eds. Rural : — In your issue of the 25tfi ult., “A 
Reader” asks the experience of some person in 
raising Turkeys. As I have had some experience 
in that line I will give it for what it is worth. As 
soon as the turkey chickens are hatched I coop 
them and commence feeding, giving them wheat 
bread, soaked, and boiled potatoes, together with 
curd made of lobbered milk, not confining them to 
either. Keep them cooped for about a week or ten 
days, then let them out when pleasant, cooping 
them at night and rainy weather. At this age it 
will do to feed them corn meal, but at first, we 
consider it bad food for them. They will soon 
learn to help themselves to insects. In this way 
we seldom lose more than one to fifteen or twenty, 
as about that proportion are weak and puny. I 
consider old turkeys preferable to raise from, as 
their young are stronger and need less nursing to 
raise them.—II. Brown, North Plains, Mich., 1859. 
Rural Spirit of tl)t |3re£0. 
Feed the Xju.il cl and it -will X^eed you. 
The Homestead well observes, “the true econ¬ 
omy with land is to treat it as you would a laborer, 
from whom you wanted the most work. Let it bo 
well fed, and there is much less danger of over 
feeding, than there is in case of man or animals.— 
No more should be cultivated than can be stuffed 
with a full supply of plant food. The suu and at¬ 
mosphere are all ready to give you eighty bushels 
of corn to the acre, and it will not cost you a penny 
more to draw upon them for the necessary amount 
of heat, light, carbon, and moisture to make this 
quantity of grain, than to make twenty bushels. 
Here is an inexhaustible store-house of riches, and 
a well fed soil is the key to unlock its treasures.— 
Give to the soil generously and persistently, and it 
will give unto you ‘ good measure, pressed down 
and running over.’ ” 
Value of Vetclies. 
A. Woolford, of Canada West, bears the fol¬ 
lowing testimony to the value of vetches, one of the 
most profitable forage crops in use in England :— 
“ Two years ago I imported a small quantity for 
trial, and I have pleasure in stating that the ex¬ 
periment has been far beyond my most sanguine 
expectations. I have tried it on all kinds of land, 
and it has done well on each, but I consider high 
land the best. Have sown it on a piece of rocky 
land, where there were not over four inches of soil, 
and the crop was abundant. I have mowed it 
three times in one season (upon common clay land) 
for my horses. I have also cut it once for feed, and 
left the second growth for seed, which returned 
twenty bushels per acre. I should also inform you 
that my cattle have been fed upon vetch straw this 
winter, and I consider it much superior as fodder, 
to any other kind of straw.” 
Coni. Cnltnx-e. 
The New-England Fanner gives the following 
as the mode in which more than one hundred 
bushels of Indian corn was raised to the acre, in 
the State of Maine — the northernmost of all the 
States of the Union. “Mr. Willard, of Wilton, 
Franklin Co., Me., says, that in 1858 he grew fifty- 
five bushels, eight quarts, on half an acre, of mer¬ 
chantable shelled corn, fit for use. It was done 
after this manner: a piece of gravelly loam was 
selected, and finely plowed ten inches deep, and 
manured with six cords of stable manure, in best 
condition for use, one-half of which was spread 
and covered by the plow; the other half was placed 
in the hill. An abundant supply of well-seasoned 
seed was dropped, and the surplus plants were 
thinned out so as to leave about one plant to each 
square foot of land. It was carefully cultivated, and 
kept entirely clear of grass and weeds.” 
Xtoot Crops.—ITocltler. 
In a recent issue of the Maine Fanner, the 
editor remarks:—“ We are glad to see a return to 
the culture of roots, ruta bagas, mangel wurtzels 
and carrots, among us. Not that they have ever 
been wholly abandoned, but the culture of them, 
for the last ten years, has fallen off very much, 
veopie taiK auum me cuuijiaj uvivu ui mese 
things. We all know that there is' great difference 
in the nutritive power of the articles which we 
use, not only for our owu food, but for the food of 
our domestic animals; and we also know, that we, 
as well as our animals, are so constituted as to 
require this same variety for the continuance of 
health and activity. Keep yourself on one single 
article of concentrated food, and you may perhaps 
grow fat, but you will also become sick, or languid 
and spiritless. Sailors know this. When they get 
into situations where they are obliged to live on 
one kind of food, they find their health decline 
and their strength and vital powers to flag, and 
they finally have to ‘give up the ship.’ It is, 
therefore, a duty to cultivate a variety of articles 
to be used as fodder for our stock, during our long 
winters. Good hay is the staple crop for this pur¬ 
pose. It is to cattle what bread is to their owner, 
the staff of their lives. But roots of different kinds 
make an agreeable and profitable variety. In olden 
times, when the potato rot was unknown, the po¬ 
tato, beiDg the easiest raised and preserved, was 
much used for cattle food. The potato rot put a 
veto on this root as stock food.” 
A.gvicu.ltu.ral ^Matters in liansas. 
The Kansas Chief, noting the advantages pre¬ 
sented to the Kansas sheep-breeder, remarks:— 
“It may not be generally known that Kansas is 
one of the best countries known for sheep-raising, 
but such it is, as we have been informed by per¬ 
sons acquainted with the subject. As a grazing 
country, Kansas is unexcelled. Sheep thrive here 
with little care, and can find plenty to feed on, 
summer and winter; and therefore their cost 
would be comparatively light. With proper at¬ 
tention to sheep-raising, we believe fortunes might 
speedily be amassed. The wool could be sent to a 
profitable market, at low rates of freight; or, if 
the business were entered into upon a scale of 
great extent, it would no doubt induce the estab¬ 
lishment of manufactories of woolen fabrics at 
home.” According to the following statement, 
which we find in the Lawrence Republican of the 
7th inst., some portions of the Territory have 
taken au important position in the export of grain. 
There is little doubt that very few years will wit¬ 
ness Kansas furnishing its full quota of the cereals 
for the sustenance of Eastern consumers. The 
Republican says:—“ One of the largest dealers in 
grain in this city estimates that the surplus corn 
in this couuty, shipped from Lawrence this sea¬ 
son, will be nearly 200,000 bushels. The total 
crop raised in Douglas county last year was from 
five to six hundred thousand bushels. That is 
doing well for a county that has been under actual 
cultivation but about two years. Now that our 
lands are pre-empted and a much larger surface 
planted, another year will clear our farmers from 
debt, and start them on a career of permanent 
prosperity and wealth.” Speaking of present in¬ 
dications as regards growing crops, the same 
journal remarks:—“Corn in this county looks 
splendid. The weather lias been highly favorable 
for its growth. Wheat is now beiDg harvested, 
and the indications of rust have not materially 
damaged it. A tine crop will be gathered. The 
prospects for grain in the Territory are generally 
first rate.” 
CAgriralturnl JHisrdlang. 
Premium of $100 foe Best Ten Acbf.s of Wheat!_ 
In order to encourage the production of Wheat, and 
obtain for dissemination reliable information as to the 
most successful modes of culture in sections where the 
midge prevails—as in Western and Central New York 
—we boreby offer a Premium of One Hundred Dollars 
for the Best Ten Acres of Winter Wheat (quantity and 
quality considered) grown in this State during the ensu¬ 
ing year, on one contiguous piece of land, being a part 
of the farm owned and cultivated by the competitor. 
A sample of the grain, and statement of mode of culti¬ 
vation, &e., (similar to that required by the N- Y. State 
Agricultural Society on Farm Crops,) must be furnished 
to D. D. T- Moore, Rochester, on or before the 1st day 
of October, 1860, by whom, in conjunction with Gen. 
Rawson Harmon of Monroe Co., Hon. T. C. Peters of 
Genesee, John Johnston, Esq , of Seneca, and Hon. 
George Geddes of Onondaga, (or other competent and 
disinterested persons,) the premium will be awarded. 
Conditions and Statement —The land upon which 
the crop is grown must be in one contiguous piece, 
measured with chain and compass, and the surveyor 
make affidavit to his survey. The applicant and one 
other person who assisted in harvesting and measuring 
the crop, must make affidavit of the quantity of grain 
raised, and that the crop grown was iu the usual course 
of cultivation, and must also state the whole quantity 
of land in the piece of which that intended for premium 
is a part. The entire crop upon the piece entered for 
premium to be harvested and measured. 
The Statement must embrace also—1. Statement of the 
previous crop, if any, and how manured. 2. The kind 
and condition of the soil, whether underdrained or not, 
and the location of the farm. 3. The quantity of ma¬ 
nure on the crop, the manner of its application, the 
quantity and kind of Beed, and where (in what County 
and State) it was obtained. 4. The time and manner of 
sowing, harvesting and cleaning the crop; and the 
actual yield by weight and measure, Uio statute bushel 
in grain crops to be used ; the market value of the crop, 
and the place where marketed, if sold. 5. A detailed 
account of the expense of cultivation. [Competitors 
are requested to notify us of their intention to compote 
previous to the first of April next, so that members of 
the Committee may, if convenient, see the wheat while 
growing. And if those who enter the arena of compe¬ 
tition will furnish us their mode of cultivation as early 
as July or 1st of August, 1SG0, it will enable us to dis¬ 
seminate valuable information in time to benefit those 
who may sow wheat in the autumn of that year.] 
Wheat Harvest.— The first four days of last week 
were very favorable for harvesting, and considerable 
wheat was secured previous to the storm of Thursday 
night—since which we have had such heavy rains as to 
check operations, and now (Tuesday noon) the sky is 
overcast, with a prospect of more rain. If the wet 
weather continues, and prevails at the West, we fear 
the wheat harvest will not only be retarded, but more 
or less damage caused. In a large portion of Michigan, 
and other sections where the wheat is very fine, the 
crop is not yet secured, and much depends upon the 
state of the weather. So far as this region is concerned 
the wheat crop is as good as we have anticipated and 
reported—though not matured for cutting as early as 
wo expected, especially white wheat. 
The Eup.al in the Pkhmium Lists. —We observe that 
many County and District Ag. Societies in this and 
other States offer yearly copies of the Bueal New- 
Yorker as premiums—several Societies offering from 
flffjT - hn- J —jr v«vU uux, jMCBUin fcCaSOIL. 
The Schuyler Co. (N. Y.) list, just received, includes 
some seventy copies, and offered nearly as many last 
year. As we have never made any effort to have the 
Rural recognized and patronized in this manner, the 
large number of copies being offered by Societies is 
specially gratifying. 
— To save answering frequent inquiries by letter, we 
would state in this connection that the Rural is fur¬ 
nished to Ag. Societies at the lowest club rate—$1 25 
per yearly copy. 
Addresses at Fairs. — A correspondent suggests 
that it would be well, in naming the times and places 
of holding Fairs, to also state who is to deliver the ad¬ 
dress. To prove its impracticability, however, it is only 
necessary to remark that our friend informs us, in tbo 
same letter, when and where his County Fair is to be 
held, but is unable to say who will give the address! 
And such is the fact in most cases—the time and place 
of holding the Fair being designated, in almost every 
instance, months beforo a speaker is engaged. We 
could not now name but two or three speakers at Fairs 
in this State—except our own engagements, which wo 
are of course too modest to chronicle! 
A Hint on Corn Culture.— An exchange (the Amer. 
Farmer, we believe,) saysBut little is to be said 
about the Corn crop, as it is to bo hoped the working 
is completed. If you must, however, work it in this 
month, keep the implement as far off from the com as 
your work will allow. Cultivate alternate rotes. That 
is, go over your field, leaving every other row untouch¬ 
ed, so that every hill of corn will have its roots on one 
side uncut. Then begin again, going through tbo rows 
not worked before; by this time those roots first cut 
will have recovered in a measure from the damage 
done them.” 
Barometers Wanted. —We have occasional iuquiric 
relative to Barometers—as to price, where obtainable, 
&c. A letter now before us, from a subscriber in Essex 
Co., wishes to know where he can get “a good, cheap 
and accurate barometer.” Wo have a very good instru¬ 
ment made by J. Kendall, of New Lebanon, N. Y., who 
is considered one of the best manufacturers in this 
country. No doubt Mr. K. will furnish particulars as 
to price, &c., on application, and we refer those inter¬ 
ested to him for such information. 
Good Potatoes.— We are indebted to Hon. A- B. 
Dickinson, of Ilomby, Steuben Co, for a barrel of 
Bermuda potatoes—a sample of his last crop of about 
twelve thousand bushels. They are much better than 
we expected - a fine, mealy table potato—good enough 
for the best folk (like editors!) and far better than nine- 
tenths of our city people can obtain at this season. 
Thanks to the Baron—and our regrets that grasshop¬ 
pers lessened his crop nearly one half. 
Ohio Wheat Crop. — The Secretary of the Ohio 
Board of Agriculture has visited the wheat growing 
counties of that State, and concludes that the loss from 
all causes will be about 3,500,000 bushels, while the 
whole crop will exceed thirty millions—threo more than 
iu any previous year. 
Crops in Michigan. — Our letters and exchanges 
speak in the most encouraging terms of the crop pros¬ 
pects in Michigan. The frost caused but little damage. 
Wheat is remarkably good, while com and potatoes arc 
very promising. 
Ontario Co. Ag. Society. —The Fair of this Society 
is to be held on the fine Grounds in Canandaigua, Sept. 
28th, 29th aud 80th. The Regulations, Premiums, &c., 
are of the usual progressive and liberal character of 
the Ontario Society. 
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