which there is such a diversity of opinion, and on 
which community arc so liable to err and be mis¬ 
led— as what kind of stallion is the best to 
breed the mares in this vicinity to. And this 
sub,ect can be introduced and properly discussed, 
and a proper criterion established, in no better 
way, than through the pages of the Rural and 
other agricultural journals. 
I am not an owner or breeder of horses at pres¬ 
ent, hence have no axe to grind, and am not 
induced by part.alityorfavoritisni in making these 
suggestions; but for twenty-five years I have paid 
much attention to breeding, raising, breaking, 
training and marketing horses, and am pretty well 
posted on the horses of this country and their uses 
generally—and I hope to see this subject discussed 
on its merits fairly and impartially. I am confident 
that the question as here presented will be more 
beneficial than whether it i3 more profitable to 
breed large horses than small ones, as intimated in 
the remarks of yourself and your correspondent. 
It would doubtless be bad policy to run entirely 
into either or both extremes; and I would suggest 
that very large horses, for heavy drays and very 
heavy work, can best be obtained by crossing with 
full blood English Draft or Cly desdaleStallions, and 
as but few of this class of horses are required for 
the work and markets of this country, they would 
be an excejition to the subject submitted for dis¬ 
cussion—because this class of large horses, and fast 
trotters suitable for the road, and the small, light 
horse or pony, cannot all be successfully produced 
from the same stock. Small horses are increasing, 
as your correspondent remarks, and a portion of j 
the mares of that class will doubtless be kept for , 
breeding. From these the demand for small horses i 
will be fully supplied without breeding from small 1 
stallions of any class or breed. 
And now, what kind of stallion shall all the I 
mares that are now- bred from, and such mares as f 
Will probably be bred from in this vicinity for the ® 
next ten or fifteen years, be bred to to produce the a 
classes of horses mentioned in my question ? This t 
article is much longer than I intended, but I hope o 
you will not be prevented from publishing it on n 
that account. Rural Reader. s 
Monroe County, N. Y., 1859. a 
which I found this year spontaneously growing in 
the fields around me. 
This Table has an elevation of about 2,000 feet 
above tide-water, is above the region of agues and 
bilious disorders, and unsurpassed in point of 
health by any other section. The air is pure and 
invigorating. The thermometer was at 87° the 
hottest day that we have had this season. A 
neighbor, who has kept the daily record for the 
last twelve years, had never seen it above 85° 
before. The winters are mild—from the middle 
of December to the middle of February—and I 
am told that I may possibly collect ice from two 
to three inches thick, for my ice-house, by pre¬ 
paring an artificial pond, which water shall be 
kept still. Much has been said in some of the 
papers about this land in other parts of the State, 
which, if applied to these Table-Lands, would be 
derogatory to their character. What I have herein 
said, is not to apply to any other place. 
We want mechanics of all kinds, and farmers, 
to come on and settle with us. By industry and 
economy they may be confident of success. Lands 
are now to be bought from $1,25 to $10 per acre, 
CLEANSING WOOL FOE HOME USE. 
Training Oxen. 
At a recent meeting of the Concord (Mass.) 
Farmers Club, Charles A. Hubbard read an Essay 
upon Working Oxen, from which the following 
extract, giving his mode of “ Training, ” is taken : 
A word on training oxen. I have found that by 
far the best time to train steers is when they are 
calves, say the first winter. Oxen that are trained 
when quite young, are much more pliable and 
obedient, and this adds much to their value. Steers 
that run until they are three or four years old, are 
daDgerous animals to encounter. They are always 
running away with the cart or sled whenever there 
is a chance for them, and often serious injury is the 
result. I would not recommend working steers 
hard, while young, as it prevents their growth: 
ing wool for home use.” I will give him our way , 
and can say that, in the article of cleansed, wool 
and fine rools, we yield the palm to none. But for 
the means employed. Take the fleeces, one at a 
time, unroll, and carefully remove all large, loose 
dirt; make a suds (not too strong, however, as 
such would have a tendency to make the wool 
harsh,) of soft soap and rain water, hot as con¬ 
venient for the hands. Fill a tub half full, or 
more, then put in the wool , press and squeeze, being 
careful to tangle as little as possible. Repeat the 
process through a second suds, and do not rinse 
noi wring, but squeeze out as before, and spread 
on boards a little inclined, so that the water can 
pass off rapidly. When dry employ as many girls 
as convenient to “ pick ” it—for as much depends 
on the proper picking of wool as cleansing — in 
The Weather of the past two weeks has „ 
! Proved favorable for the growing crops, thouL f 
has been a superabundance of rain. The frequent® 
heavy rains have delayed the closing of harvest 1 i * 
somewhat, yet we hear of little damage from this I 
Spring crops are progressing finely. Potatoes in th-°* 
region promise a remarkable yield, and more are n) ♦ 
ed than ever before. With a favorable fall t he pro™ , 
is that Indian com will prove a good crop-thon sh fw 
planted on green sward is late for the season. 
Joules’ Wheat.— Several farmers in this vicinit, 
have just harvested very fine crops of white whenf 
Mr. E. S. Hayward, of Brighton, has shown us an 
excellent sample of Soules’ wheat, from a field whi i 
produced over 80 bushels to the acre. Jas. Sherry 
Esq., of Irondequoit, had a field of nearly twenty acres 
of Soules’—grown on the bank of Lake Ontarlo-which 
entirely escaped the midge, and bid fair when we saw 
it (just before harvest,) to yield from 25 to 80 bushels to 
the acre. In one case where a farmer sowed two acres 
of Soules’ quite late, and merely to get a crop of straw 
the yield is the best he has had for many years-nearly 
40 bushels to the acre. This is encouraging, yet 
would not advise the sowing of Soules’ wheat this falL 
as a general rule—doubting its safety, except on the 
hpst. anil on/1 « e, -vy- _ . 
LEACHED ASHES FOR WALKS. 
-disappointment.-A correspon¬ 
dent of the Rochester Union says that the farmers of 
Lima, Livingston county, were sure, before harvest, of 
from 20 to 89 bushels of Wheat per acre. But when 
they came to thresh the wheat, to their surprise they 
found a yield of 30 to 40 bushels per acre! Per contra 
we observe statements from papers published in Vir¬ 
ginia, Tennessee, and other sections of the South and 
Southwest averring that, on threshing, the yield of 
wheat is in many instances only one-fourth to one-half 
what was anticipated 1 Taking the country through 
we think the latter and real kind of disappointment is 
far more general than the agreeable one experienced 
by our Livingston Co. farmers. It is now said that 
notwithstanding the assertions of the commercial panere 
Erick cannot be recommended. Gravel Friend Moore: —I have perused jour columns 
rill not pack, and is, therefore, good for ever since the Rural was published with a good 
Ashes pack the best of all substances dejd thought, and must say the New-Yorker is 
ir walks of which I have any knowledge; a welcome guest. It appears that “A Subscriber” 
in a few weeks’ use, if the weather is in Wheatland, Hillsdale Co., Mich., wants to know 
ome nearly as hard as adamant. It does how to cleanse wool. I wish there were more seek- 
like gravel, but retains its place and i^g Ike same information. Here is the recipe:— 
h remarkable tenacity. For carriage T wo pails of rain water; one of urine; one pint 
rive ways it has no eqnal. of salt —heat all to scalding heat. Put in the 
2 of construction is thisI first sink the wool > stir with a stick and let it remain for about 
ten or twelve inches below the surfaoe thirt y minutes. Take it out with a stick and lay 
■h ashes, treading it firm with the feet. on a board to drain. Have the board so arranged 
slightly in the centre, which gives the on tlie side of the tub or kettle that the liquor will 
vex form, and enables it to shed off the run buck in the same. After the first kettle full is 
ng upon it. I then, if my ashes were taken out add more water, urine, and salt, to keep 
they will never forget. This may appear of little 
consequence to some, but when it is remembered 
how frequently we want to back a load, when we 
are at work with our cattle, and how convenient it 
is to have our cattle back well, why should we not 
teach them for the time when we want them thus 
to lay out their strength ? Besides, it often saves 
blows and vexations, which is considerable when 
one is in a hurry. I never consider a pair of oxen 
well broke until they will back with ease any rea¬ 
sonable load, and I would give a very considerable 
sum more for a yoke of oxen thus tutored than for 
a yoke not thus trained. 
Facts about Cattle. 
The following items are from a recent issue of 
the New York Tribune: 
It is a fact that all domestic animals can be im¬ 
proved in size and value. One hundred and fifty 
years ago, the average weight of cattle at the 
Smithfield market was not over 870 pounds, and 
that of sheep 28 pounds. Now the average weight 
of tlje former is over 800 pounds, and of the latter officials disagree 
80 pounds. i 
- T <L_ aTer ? ge , Wei ? M ,° f / Cat . t,e ’ P r °P erI y t ermed Parmer^ZZ 
t i 00 IbS., pctohUehnH 
Winter Barley.— "We have received several heads 
of very superior winter barley grown by Mr. 8anford 
A. Smith, of Wheatland—as sample of a field of sixteen 
acres. It is four-rowed, large, and very prolific, Mr. 8. 
having found as many as 92 kernels in a single head. 
— Speaking of winter barley, we may add that the 
crop is becoming a favorite with many farmers in this 
region. The yield is generally good this season, and 
many rank the crop amoDg the most reliable and profit¬ 
able produced in localities favorable to its growth. An 
excellent farmer, and President of an Ag. Society, 
recently informed us that he could depend upon from 
40 to 50 bushels per acre, which he considered better 
than 25 to 30 bushels of wheat, to say nothing of the 
risk of the latter in districts where the midge prevails. 
On the contrary, a shrewd farmer at onr elbow, (an eos- 
president of an Ag. Society, and a Major also,) thinks 
barley is more tender than wheat, and requires as rich 
soil and equally good culture — though undoubtedly 
midge proof. In his opinion, also, barley does not rank 
among the Christian grains! Who shall decide when 1 
TABLE-LANDS OF EAST TENNESSEE: 
location, soil, climate, fertility, farming, &c. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker : —Will a farmer’s 
letter from the Table-Lands of the Cumberland 
Mountains be acceptable to your readers? I have 
seen your excellent paper through the kindness 
of a friend, and as I, together with my son, his 
family and others, removed here from Long 
Island in February last, only, I retain my attach¬ 
ment to the Empire State. 
These Table-Lands are approached from the 
East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and the 
Tennessee River, by the daily stage from Loudon, 
and you reach the Table, on the eastern brow or 
declivity, in a distance of nineteen miles from the 
river,—finding a wide-snroad -- 
erator is 
Chenango 
beeves, in the New York market, is about 
and sheep 50 lbs. 
The average live weight of the heaviest drove of 
beeves, 109 in number, ever brought to this mar¬ 
ket, was 2,067 pounds, weighed from dry feeding 
in Illinois, last spring. 
The mode of selling cattle in New York is at so 
much per pound for the estimated weight of meat 
contained in the four quarters. The estimation is 
made upon the live -weight of cattle as follows: 
A drover in buying a lot of grass-fed, common 
stock in Illinois, should never calculate to get an 
estimate of over one-half here of the live weight 
there. That is, if the drove average 12 cwt., they 
will make 6 cwt. of meat each. 
Medium beeves may be estimated at 54: or 55 lbs. 
per cwt. Good beeves at 56 or 57 lbs. Extra 
good, large and very fat, from 57 to 62 lbs. per cwt. 
In the Boston market, the weight is generally 
estimated upon “ five quarters, ” that is, the pro¬ 
duct estimated upon an average, 64 lbs. per cwt. 
In New York, not one bullock in ten thousand 
goes upon the scales to determine his price to the 
butcher. 
Wliite Specks in Butter. 
In the issue of the New England Farmer for 
July 16th, “An Old Farmer” replies to an article 
on this subject, as follows :—“ I never manufactur¬ 
ed or sold churns, but have used them more than 
forty years; I have had white specks in my butter 
uneven churning, or by 
FAILU] 
lY IN NORTHERN OHIO. 
It is a singular circumstance to me, that the 
failure of the hay crop in this section of the coun¬ 
try appears to be from the change of grasses. 
Our timothy meadows have not failed so much 
from being short and stunted, as from thinning 
out. As you walk the road many meadows appear 
to have a good growth, and so they have of scat¬ 
tering spears; but on a nearer approach, and 
looking from the top of the fence, you discover an 
unusual quantity of white clover. The whole 
country,meadows,pastures and door yards, appears 
to have nearly double the usual quantity of white 
clover. We look to the Rural to learn the extent 
of this usurpation of the place of the timothy by 
the white clover, as also the why and wherefore 
I think P., in the Rural of the 23d, could not 
have been aware of our facility for wine-making 
MISTRUST OF PROVIDENCE. 
Col. Moore: —It is somewhat singular that 
farmers, who rely upon the firmest and most stable 
means of subsistence, should be the most distrust¬ 
ful. The untimely June frost which visited us 
made more long faces amoDg farmers than anv 
other class of people. It is a fact that 
exhibit the spirit of Cain, 
many 
the first farmer of whom 
we have any knowledge. Through his jealousy 
and mistrust of Providence, he afflicted Eve by 
causing the death of her beloved Abel. What is 
the use of putting on such a solemn visage on 
account of the crops or the weather? Shall we 
make mouths at the Almighty, or call to account 
the great Jehovah ? Are we not exalted above all 
men, in being honored by a partnership with the 
Most High? The Great God of Nature is the 
silent, though active partner, of every farmer 
who tills a rod of earth. He furnishes the capital 
and we do the labor. He sends the sunshine and j 
shower. He is, after all we may do by the aid of 
Real Estate Advancing.— The prospect of agaia 
growing wheat successfully in Western New York is 
already affecting the price of farming lands. As an 
instance, we learn that the property known as the “ Bab¬ 
bage Farm,” consisting of two hundred acres, in Staf¬ 
ford, Genesee county, was sold a few days since at $100 
per acre—the purchaser being lion. Tracy Pardee, a 
shrewd business man, who would not be likely to invest 
without a good prospect of “ realizing” in the shape of 
profit. We trust the long-expected “ good time coming* 
for our farming interests is at last arriving. 
but it was not caused by 
ARE PEACH LEAVES POISONOUS? 
Messrs. Eds.:—Is it generally understood by 
farmers that peach leaves will kill cattle ? Some 
two weeks since I threw two peach trees that had 
been broken down by the wind, into a small pas¬ 
ture lot where I had two calves. Both eat of the 
leaves, but one I noticed partook much more freely 
than the other. The third day after the peach 
trees were thrown into the lot the calf that I no¬ 
ticed eating of the leaves most freely showed signs 
J. J. TnoMAs’ Farm.—A very erroneous statement 
having lately appeared in the Rural New-Yorker in 
relation to tne farm now occupied by our fellow citizen, 
relation to tne farm now occupied by our fellow citizen, 
J. J. Thomas, with a view to detract from his reputation 
as a successful cultivator as well as writer, we hereby 
certify that the statement alluded to is entirely false, and 
that his residenoe is one of the most beautiful in this 
part of the country, and his farm a very neat and pro¬ 
ductive one in a high state of cultivation; and that 
during the short time be has occupied it, it has under¬ 
gone great improvements, among which are some miles 
of tile draining. If. II. Farley. 
Edward Eldketge. 
Lacan Hoskins. 
47 m. H. Chase. 
Union Springs, August 5, 1859. 
Remarks.— In cheerfully giving place to the above, 
wg beg to distinctly inform its authors that their em- 
pb atic assertion that the extract relative to J. J. Thomas’ 
fai(-ni was published “ with a view to detract from his 
reputation as a successful cultivator as well a writer,” is 
nojt only “ very erroneous,” but “ entirely false.” On 
th <3 contrary, it was copied and commented upon by our 
Horticultural editor (who is a personal friend of Mr. 
T.no.MAS,) with th« kindest intentions—for the purpose of 
heading a paragraph which was going the rounds of 
th 'e press, rather that of injuring our esteemed friend. 
uccasionauy it would eject Irom its nose a green 
fluid, resembling the juice of peach leaves. On 
opening it after death, the leaves of the manifold 
were found coated with a downy substance resem¬ 
bling that on the under side of the peach leaf. I 
present these statements to you, to give my own 
experience, and also to elicit facts that may be in 
the possession of your readers. 
Gates, Monroe Co., N. Y., 1859. 
Wm, Ik Booth. 
Cheese-Making. 
Can some Rural correspondent 
tell us how to make cheese successfully from a few cows 
- say from two to four ? So far as I can judge, not one 
woman in twenty in this town knows how to make a 
cheese of any kind. 4V r o shall be greatly obliged for 
the process in full through the columns of the Rural.— 
H. B., Roanoke, Huntington Co., Ind„ 1859. 
Nest Eggs for 1860.—Layup the old eggs that 
do not hatch, on the plate or beam of some out¬ 
building in a cool, dry place until next spring, 
when they will become dryed up, no danger of 
bursting, and you will have the real hen’s egg for a 
nest egg.— C. O. Brundige, South Sodus, N. Y. 
