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RURAL LIFE 
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ROCHESTER, N. Y.FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1859, 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
root of the horn hot, and a heaving is perceptible 
at the flanks, (light as it may be,) with a distaste 
for food, the usual mode is to bleed. The author¬ 
ity before quoted remarks:—To bleeding should 
succeed a dose of Epsom salts, with half an ounce 
of ginger in it. The latter ingredient will pre¬ 
vent griping, promote perspiration, and excite 
the rumen to action. Hot, stimulating drinks must 
bo avoided. To the foregoing add warmth, warm 
mashes, warm drinks, warm gruel, and a well 
ventilated warm cow-stable. The following drinks 
will be found useful: 
For Cough and F'ever .—Emetic tartar, one 
drachm ; powdered digitalis, half a drachm; nitre, 
three drachms. Mix and give in a quart of tolera¬ 
bly thiok gruel. 
For Purging .—Epsom salts, one pound; pow¬ 
dered caraway seeds half an ounce. Dissolve in 
a quart of warm gruel. 
THE POTATO. 
POTATOES MIXING IN>TIIK UILL. 
Messrs. Editors:— I have long thought that potatoes 
might mix in the hill, but the way in which you account 
for tho increase of certain varieties over others, when 
the seed happens even to be slightly mixed, has shaken 
my faith somewhat. Then, if jj^s true, as you state 
that the tuber, or potato, is not seed, not even a root, or a 
part of a root, but simply an enlargement of an under¬ 
ground branch, I cannot see how these branches can 
mix, as yob observe, more than the branches above 
ground. On this subject I am very anxious for more 
light — D. A. W., Calhoun. Co., Mich., 1S59. 
Ant one who will pull up a potato plant while 
growing, and examine that portion which lives and 
grows in the soil, will find s tha,t the main stalk 
passes down from six to ten inches below the sur¬ 
face, growing smaller as it descends. From this 
stalk an abundance of main roots branch out, con¬ 
nected with which will be many small, fibrous 
roots, but on none of these will a potato, large or 
small, be found. From this main branch will also 
grow out small, smooth, fleshy branches, thicker 
than the roots, and from these will also spring out 
other branches of the same character, and on the 
points of these the potatoes are formed. At first 
the point is noticed as a little thickened, and it 
gradually enlarges until the notato is fully grown. 
The eye s of the potatoes ore merely the buds of 
these enlarged branches. 
On this subject Prof. Gil v makes the following 
remarks:—“The potato plant has three principal 
forms of branches:—1. Those that bear ordinary 
leaves, expanded in the air, to digest wbat they 
gather from it and what the roots gather from the 
soil, and convert it into. jAishment. 2. After a 
while-a second set of the summit of the 
plant herd's flower's, wh ,T MSnFsoed outol 
a portion of the nourishmentwhich theleaveshave 
prepared. 3. But a larger part of this nourish¬ 
ment, while in a liquid state, is carried down the 
stem, into a third sort of branches under ground, 
and accumulated in the form of starch at their 
extremities, which become tubers, or depositories 
of prepared solid food; just as in the turnip, car¬ 
rot, dahlia, Ac., it is deposited in the root. The 
use of the store of food is obvious enough. In the 
autumn the whole plant dies, except the seeds (if 
it formed them) and the tubers; and the latter are 
left disconnected in the ground. Just as that 
small portion of nourishing matter which is de¬ 
posited in the seed feeds the embryo when it ger¬ 
minates, so the much larger portion deposited in 
the tuber nourishes its buds, or eyes, when they 
likewise grow, the next spring, into new plants. 
And the great supply enables them to shoot with a 
greater vigor at the beginning, and to produce a 
greater amount of vegetation than the seedling 
plant could do in the same space of time; which 
vegetation in turn may prepare and store up, in the 
course of a few weeks or months, the largest 
quantity of solid nourishing material, in a form 
most available for food.” 
Thinking, from the similarity between the upper 
and lower branches, that we could cause tubers to 
grow on the stems above ground, by forcing the 
buds into tubers, we made an experiment which 
proved quite successful, and which we will endeavor 
to make plain with the aid of the accompanying 
engraving. About the first of June, selecting a 
branch of the Early June variety, about eight or 
ten inches or length, we cut it more than half 
through, about an inch from the surface of the soil, 
somewhat similar to a cut for layering. The 
branch was then laid down and slightly covered 
with earth for five or six inches of its length, the 
cut part being left above ground, as also the upper 
part of the branch. The result was as we antici¬ 
pated, potatoes were formed from the buds, the 
lower ones being perfect, while the two above, 
as shown in the engraving, were only partially 
changed, the young branch and leaves growing 
out of the upper end of the potato. The branch 
at this point was only covered with the slightest 
sprinkling of earth. 
JENNY LIND POTATO. 
Messrs. Eds.:— A correspondent inquires of the Jenny 
Lind Potato. I planted one acre last season, and har¬ 
vested over four hundred bushels of good, healthy, 
sound potatoes. I planted eight different kinds on two 
acres and a half of ground, and harvested eight hun¬ 
dred and forty bushels, and had no rotten ones from 
either kind. The Jenny Linds, you see, yielded me far 
the best crop, but the best of it was they brought the 
best price in market. They weigh several pounds 
more to the bushel than any other kind that I raised. 
They are a good eating potato, and you hear no grum¬ 
bling from the cook about small ones. All that I know 
about their being subject to the rot is, that those of my 
neighbors who planted them failed of a crop from this 
cause, but they were no worse than other kinds, and I 
think not quite as bad.— Andrew Calhoun, Courtland, 
N. Y., 1859. 
From the description given in the Rural of the 
9th ult., by a Massachusetts correspondent, we 
have not been led to think very highly of the 
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With an-Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
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ZM" All communications, and business letters, should be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N. V. 
For Terms and ether particulars, sec last page. 
INQUIRIES AND NOTES, 
OataroKh. in Cattle. 
Ei>b. Rural : -By your kindness I wish to inquire if 
yon, or any of your numerous readers, cap give any 
tuforo^cUon as to the cause, -yore mv! th: ^ ;me cf a 
complaint among cows and calves, the symptoms of 
whioh are as follows:—They cough lightly at present, 
but it maybe more sovere after a little time-aswas 
the case laet season—and when this increases they are 
very much distressed inbreathing—a quick short breath 
— very little appetite, and lessening the quantity of 
milk of the -cows. Any information upon the- above 
subject will be very highly esteemed by—A Rural 
Rearer, Ward, Alley. Co., N. Y., 1859. 
Cattle are subject to several diseases — Catarrh, 
Bronchitis, Inflammation o f the Lungs, etc.—any of 
which, in different stages, weuld exhibit the symp¬ 
toms furnished us by our correspondent. Iu an¬ 
swering queries of this nature we are often in<loubt, 
from the fact that many of the indications of dis¬ 
order—those upon which the veterinarian relies 
for the distinguishing characteristics—are deemed 
of so little importance that they are not trans¬ 
mitted. Hence we, like many others, are in the 
pursuit of knowledge under difficulties, and if 
an opinion is expressed at all, we are compelled to 
find a basis for such expression in some extraneous 
matter, as the season, age and condition of the 
animals, sex, etc. This is our present position, 
and we pronounce the difficulty Catarrh, for the 
reason that it is most prevalent at certain periods 
of the year,— Spring and Autumn, — or during 
wet, cool weather, and because young cattle, and 
cows after calving, are very liable to its attacks. 
Cause.' —It is often very difficult to say whence 
Catarrh arises. Very slight changes in tempera¬ 
ture, or in the care of animals, will produce it. 
If cattle be crowded in the cow-house, and the air 
be heated to any considerable extent beyond the 
external temperature, you may be confident of 
finding it. Where the food is not sufficient to 
keep up the growth and animal warmth—furnish¬ 
ing full and proper nourishment—it is seldom a 
herd can be fecund exempt. In the majority of 
cases it is the result of mismanagement. The 
great fault, however, is in the fact that the mis¬ 
chievous character of the disease is under-esti¬ 
mated. A cough is a trifling matter, in the con¬ 
sideration of many farmer. This is a grievous 
error. 
Jenny Lind. It is said to be a seedling of the 
Merino, not a very creditable parentage, and to 
resemble the Bohan, certainly a very bad mark. 
Then it has another very bad trait—“the vines 
will be fresh and green until hard frosts in the 
fall. This is enough in our opinion to condemn 
it as a table potato. A potato with its top green 
is immature and watery, and we reject all long- 
growing, late sorts. They are only good when 
planted very early, and when the autumns are 
warm and dry. 
PRINCE ALBERT POTATO. 
Messrs. Eds.:— I noticed in the Rural of June 11th 
an editorial in which a desire is expressed to know 
whence came the name of the Prince Albert potato. In 
the winter ot 1857-58 Messrs. Marshall A; Pomeroy, 
produce merchants in Mobile, found 
of potatoes a lot which had 
Mr. Kirby concludes his second article in refer¬ 
ence to that sham Convention as follows:—“ I feel 
that I was forced into this, my first and last one, 
and in future shall make no reply to any attacks 
which may be made on my articles, excepting 
when I am convinced that I have advocated some¬ 
thing that is wrong, and then I will make use of 
the same columns, in making my acknowledge¬ 
ments and correcting my mistake, that first pub- 
. fished the error to the world.” I cannot of course 
tell what impelling power “forced” Mr. K. to the 
attack. I am sure I had said nothing to him until 
I was censured, personally and publicly. Long- 
tested, and reliable principles in bee-culture were 
attacked, and ruinous recommendations were ad¬ 
vocated instead. Did Mr. K. suppose that I would 
sit tamely by and tacitly acknowledge that he was 
right? It is rather too late for him to shift to the 
shoulders of any one else the origin of this contro¬ 
versy. It seems he is not going to reply to any 
further remarks unless “convinced” that he is in 
error. I can assure him it is unnecessary even 
then, for he has made so many palpable blunders, 
that no one would he any better satisfied after he 
had acknowledged his mistake. Everyone would 
have to test the matter for himself. This is one of 
the advantages growing out of such discussion — 
people get interested, and investigate for them¬ 
selves — it is the only way to get rid of the nu¬ 
merous presumptuous conceits in bee-culture.— 
How much better he has made things by writing 
his second article — quite clear — transparent as 
mud at lest! Let us review a little. I wish to be 
fair iu this matter, as he says I accused him of 
what he did not say, in order to prove something 
to suit my purpose. 
Mr. K. says, in his first article, “ that they (the 
bees,) deposit their honey in the top of the hive, 
and that after cold weather sets in they collect in 
the upper part of the hive, where they have previ¬ 
ously provided and placed their food.” In his last, 
he continues :—“ In this I claim that I am right, 
that the expression I then made use of was correct, 
and that Mr. Q. is wrong. We both admit that 
capped honey is in the top of the hive, but Mr. Q., 
by his manner of quoting, makes me say that they 
cluster upon capped honey — which I did not say, 
nor imply, as I am perfectly aware that with the 
bee, food does not mean honey alone.” Now, 
reader, what do you make of this ? Can it be re¬ 
conciled ? He says “ they deposit their honey at the 
top of their hive,”—after cold weather sets iu 
they collect in the upper part of the hive,”—“ we 
both admit that capped honey is in the top of the 
hive,”—“but Mr. Q., by his manner of quoting, 
makes me say that they cluster upon the capped 
honey,” Ac. If any other conclusion can be drawn 
from it I cannot see it. “ Capped honey is in the 
top of the hive,” yet the bees do not cluster on it, 
although they collect there at the beginning of 
cold weather. I would really like to know what 
they did cluster upon ? It may be that “ the top ” 
and “ upper part,” does not mean the same place 
with him, any more than that honey and food of 
among an invoice 
no name. When publish¬ 
ing their annual catalogue they christened the nameless 
lot “ Prince Albert,” and they were shipped to various 
parts of the country for seed. I have not been able to 
learn where this firm originally procured the potatoes, 
uor what was their real name. This information is as 
I learned it from the lips of a planter who ordered some 
of the potatoes, and also from a Mobile merchant. I 
have shown the Rural to several planters and others, 
and it has received the highest commendation. It is 
esteemed of great value by them, giving so fair an idea 
of farm life at the North, as it does.—G. D. B. Miller, 
Marion, Ala., 1859. 
This may account for the name, but the dealers, 
it seems to us, might have very easily ascertained 
the name of the potato they sold, had they ap¬ 
plied to the parties of whom they were procured. 
They were certainly to blame if they sent out an 
old variety with a new name, which, if not de¬ 
signed to deceive planters, was very likely to 
produce this result, causing confusion and loss. 
But, irom the following communication from an 
intelligent English gardener, it will be seen that 
there is a variety known in England as the Prince 
Albert : 
Messrs. Eds.:— In a recent number of the Rural, 
alluding to the Fluke and Prince Albert potatoes, you 
wrongly conjectured them to be one and the same 
variety. It is now some five years age that I resided 
in the South of England, and I well remember ihat my 
father brought homo some of the Prince Alberts from 
the neighborhood of Slough. On planting them along¬ 
side of the Flukes the difference in the variety was at 
once apparent, even to a casual observer. The Flukes 
being quite dark in the color of the foliage, and the 
Prince Alberts being of a much lighter green, a much 
stronger grower, and equally as productive. We at 
once concluded it to be quite as good a potato as the 
Fluke, and I think a better producer. If my memory 
serves me right, the tubers of the Prince Albert are not 
as flat as the Flukes, being more round and of a greater 
length.- John Charlton, Rochester, N. Y., 1859. 
We have now the variety we procured for Prince 
Albert and the Fluke growing side by side, and 
though wo could see no difference in the tubers, 
there seems to be quite a difference in the foliage, 
in color and general appearance, much as de¬ 
scribed by our correspondent. We shall watch 
them until digging time, and then shall be pre¬ 
pared to express a somewhat positive opinion in 
regard to their identity. 
The breeder should be aware of every 
beast that coughs, and proper attention for a few 
days will prove whether it is “ only a slight cold,” 
disappearing in a few days, or something that will 
need close scrutiny and the immediate adoption of 
a systematic course of treatment. Youatt says 
“ there is no disease of a chronic nature by which 
cattle are so seriously injured, or which is eventu- 
nlly so fatal to them, as catarrh ; yet very few of 
those whose interest is at stake, pay the slightest 
attention to it. The cow may cough on from week 
to week, and no one takes notice of it until the 
quantity of milk is seriously decreasing, or she is 
rapidly losing flesh, and then medical treatment 
18 generally unavailing. The disease has now 
reached the chest; the lungs are seriously affected; 
and the foundation is laid for confirmed consump¬ 
tion.” 
Treatment. —When the appetite has not failed, 
H moisture be observable on the muzzle, and the 
flanks are quiet, one or two nights’ housing, a 
few mashes, or a dose of physic may restore again 
to health. If, however, the muzzle he Jrv the 
Thick or Thin Sowing.—I n a letter to the Lon¬ 
don Agricultural Gazette, J. J. Mkciii remarks:_ 
“ I am about to “ flag” great part of a field of 
wheat drilled with A% pecks of seed per acre. It 
is too thick. Had I sown 2 bushels it would have 
gone down in the grass. The field was wheat in 
1857 and beans in 1858. So much for deep culti¬ 
vation, drainage and cleanliness. A thick crop is 
not always the result of a thick sowing. Much 
money is lost by sowing large quantities on highly 
1 armed lands. If I were to catechise a farmer I 
should say:—How many bushels oforop do you get 
for one bushel of seed ? A Russian nobleman told 
me to-day he got 2 to for one. I replied that 
my crops which he was looking at would most 
probably yield 40 for one.” 
