CITY LIFE vs. COUNTRY LIFE. 
Mr. Editor:— I have long desired to contribute 
m Jmite towards sustaining the Young Ruralist 
coi umn of your valuable paper. I have been a 
resident of your city most of my life, until within 
two or three years past. In fact, I was born and 
reared in the city. Two years ago I exchanged 
the noise and bustle of your busy streets for the 
stillness and healthfulness of the country, and by 
this time perhaps I am able by experience to speak 
rightly in regard to the desirableness of life in the 
Rural districts over that of a life in the town.— 
True, you have advantages and privileges which 
we are in a great measure deprived of. Your 
school, church, and social privileges are greater. 
Your opportunities for knowing the current new 3 
Antarctic' 
J.tVtlLS DCL. 
Iiik Climate forms one of the most interest- 
ing subjects belonging to Physical Geography,—a 
study, by the way, which has been almost totally 
neglected in our common schools. This term, as 
generally understood, denotes the temperature of 
the air in the various portions of the globe; but 
taken in its more general sense, it signifies all 
atmospheric states and conditions which directly 
affect animal or vegetable life. In connection 
with the Chart of Temperature and Climate, given 
above, we condense from the “ Outlines of Physical 
Geography" the following list of causes for these 
variations, the full comprehension of which will 
prove of great utility to the reader: 
Climate is determined by a variety of causes, the 
chief of which are1. The latitude of a country; 
that is, its geographical position with reference to 
the equator. 2. Elevation of the land above the 
sea-level. 3. The proximity to, or remoteness of 
a country from, the sea. 4. The slope of a country, 
or the aspect it presents to the sun’s course. 5. 
The position and direction of mountain chains. 
G. The nature of the soil. 7. The degree of culti¬ 
vation and improvement at which the country has 
arrived. 8. The prevalent winds. 9. The annual 
rain that falls in a countrv. 
The latitude of a country , and the consequent 
direction in which the solar rays fall upon its sur¬ 
face, are the principal causes of the temperature 
At the equator, and within 
8,123 arrive at a given point if they come perpen¬ 
dicularly; 7,024, if the angle of direction is 50°; 
2,821, if it is 7°; and only 5, if the direction is 
horizontal. 
The temperature of countries is largely affected 
by the extent of their elevation above the level of 
the sea. As we ascend in the atmosphere the cold 
increases,—an effect due to the rarefaction of the 
air, and to the circumstance of being farther from 
the heat reflected from the surface of the earth. 
We may travel several hundred miles from the 
equator towards the poles, along the level surface 
of the earth, before we become sensible of a dimin¬ 
ished temperature; but the moment we begin to 
iDcrease our elevation, a rapid change of tempera¬ 
ture is experienced, until we arrive at a point 
the sun’s course , has an important influence on its 
climate. The angle at which the sun’s rays strike 
the ground, and consequently the power of those 
rays in heating it, varies with the exposure of the 
soil relatively to that luminary. The irregular 
surface of the earth,— sunk into deep valleys in 
some parts, and raised into table-lands and moun- 
j tains in others, with slopes at all possible angles 
with the general level,—--presents every variety, so 
far as the greater or less obliquity of the sun’s 
rays is concerned. 
The position and direction of mountain chains .— 
Mountains affect climate in more ways than one. 
They condense the vapors of the atmosphere, and 
thus give rise to those violent rains which are so 
often experienced in the neighborhood of lofty 
ranges. At Bergen, in Norway, there falls annually 
88% inches of water, which is more than at any 
other city in Europe; this is because the clouds 
from the Atlantic are driven forward by the south¬ 
west winds into the fiords, where they are arrested 
by tfao momituinn, and uooumulutcd; aud tho wator 
(as it were) mechanically squeezed out of them. 
Mountains also afford shelter from the winds, 
while the absence of them often exposes regions to 
the chilling blasts of the north or the burning 
winds of the south. 
Another cause which affects climate is the nature 
of the soil. One soil acquires heat, keeps its 
circumstances which affect the radiation of their 
heat with an infinite variation. 
The degree of cultivation and improvement at 
which a country has arrived. — The clearing of 
forests, the draining of swamps and marshes, the 
cultivation of the soil, etc., are among the opera¬ 
tions of man by which the climate of a country is 
greatly modified and improved, 
me proiessions are so crammed lull, that young 
men will still continue to squeeze themselves into 
the same ranks, when there is hardly room for 
another one. Ho w fe w succeed in acquiring wealth 
in mercantile pursuits. How few lawyers and 
doctors rise to eminence in their professions, and 
even get a good living. The Science of Agricul¬ 
ture (for indeed it is a science, in the most enlarged 
sense of the word,) offers health, wealth, and hap¬ 
piness to its votaries. 
To all who stand at the desk or behind the coun¬ 
ter, suffering with headache and dyspepsia, let me 
say, leave the shop or the office and start for the 
country; apprentice yourself to some good farmer, 
learn your business thoronghly and practically, 
and then start on your own hook. This is the 
course I have taken, and I do not regret it. I am 
healthier and happier for the change. Instead of 
suffering with the horrors of dyspepsia, and look¬ 
ing on the dark side of life continually, I can now 
enjoy life and health, and feel, talk, and act in a 
more pleasant and cheerful manner than I onoe 
The clearing op 
a country from trees has the effect of raising the 
mean annual temperature, but at the same time 
greater extremes of heat and cold are introduced. 
Open grounds are always frozen deeper than wood¬ 
lands, but the latter retain the snow and ice of 
winter much later in the spring than the former. 
The prevalent winds of a country constitute 
another cause which affects its climate. In the 
United States the winds from the north are usually 
noted for their coolness, a property they derive in 
the frozen regions of Hudson and Baffin Bays, 
while these from the south, coming from the Gulf 
of Mexico, impart a mildness throughout the 
whole country. The comparatively mild climate 
of the British Isles is owing to the prevalence of j 
westerly winds, which are warmed by sweeping 
over the region of the Gulf Stream. 
ally giveD, is 1’ for 300 feet of height; 2° for 595 
feet; 3° for 872 feet; 4° for 1,124 feet; 5° for 1,347 
feet; and 6 for 1,539 feet. In the temperate 
zone generally, if one site is a y«rdsa 
higher than another adjoining, it will have a cli¬ 
mate 12° colder; and the higher the latitude the 
lower the snow-line becomes, till it meets the sur¬ 
face of the earth in the frigid zone. 
The nearness to, or remoteness of a country from, 
the sea, is an important element in determining its 
climate. The ocean preserves a much more uni¬ 
form temperature than the land, far lower than its 
extreme of heat, and higher than its extreme cold. 
The winds that sweep over it have this character 
to some extent impressed upon them, and commu¬ 
nicate it to the countries over which they raDge. 
Hence islands and maritime districts have milder 
climates than inland regions under the same par¬ 
allel of latitude,—the currents from the ocean 
tempering their summer heat, and moderating 
their winter cold. 
The slope of a country, or the aspect it presents to 
In Venezuela, 
the temperature, which is from 87° to 90° in March, 
rises to 104’ or 105,° whenever the wind blows from 
the parched surface of the Llanos or great plains. 
The annual quantity of rain that falls in a 
country considerably affects its climate by impart- 
i n g a greater or less degree of humidity or damp¬ 
ness to the atmosphere. In general, more rain 
falls in islands and on sea-coasts than in inland 
districts, among mountains than in level regions, 
and within the tropics than in the other zones; 
the great heat which prevails in the equatorial 
regions causes the amount of evaporation to be 
much greater than in higher latitudes, and hence 
the atmosphere becomes loaded with a greater 
to which it is subject, 
the tropics, the greatest heat is experienced, be¬ 
cause the sun is always vertical to some place 
within those limits, and the solar action is more 
intense in proportion as the rays are perpendicular 
to the earth. As we recede from the equator, they 
fall more obliquely; and because fewer of them 
are spread over a larger space, they are less pow¬ 
erful, and consequently less influential in promot¬ 
ing temperature. It has been calculated that, out 
of 10,000 rays falling upon the earth’s atmosphere, 
Livonia, N. Y., Sept. 20,1359. 
QUESTIONS FOR DEBATE. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker 
-As there was some 
inquiry a few weeks ago in the Rural for ques¬ 
tions to be debated in Lyceums, and having a little 
time this rainy day, I thought I would send some 
to you, to be inserted in your paper for the benefit 
of the young: 
Resolved, That Noaii Webster was a greater bene¬ 
factor to his country than Daniel Webster. 
Which exerts the greatest influence, oral or written 
communications? 
Ought foreigners to hold civil offices in the United 
States? 
Does the hope of reward stimulate to greater exer¬ 
tion than the fear of punishment ? 
Are professional men more beneficial than mechani¬ 
cal ? 
Is man governed more by reason than habit ? 
Would it be a good policy for the United States to 
annex to themselves the Sandwich Islands? 
Is it for the interest of the young men of New Eng¬ 
land to settle in the Western States? 
Does pride exert more influence upon mankind than 
religion ? 
Is it right to require a man to be able to read before 
allowing him to vote ? 
Adams, N. Y., 1859. L. E. Fish. 
have endeavored to produce; and this work is now 
presented to the public with the assurance that there is 
no other work in the English language so complete on 
all subjects relating to this indispensable cereal.” 
E. Darroiv & Bro , of this city, are the sole agents 
for the work in Monroe county. 
Books Received. 
Advanced Course ob’ Composition and Rhetoric : 
A Series of Practical Lessons on the Origin, History 
and Peculiarities of the English Language, Punc'ua- 
tiou, Taste, the Pleasures of the Imagination, Fig¬ 
ures, Style and its Essential Properties, Criticism, 
and the various Departments of Prose and Poetical 
Composition; Illustrated with Copious Exercises. 
Adapted to Self-Instruction, and the Use of Schools 
and Colleges. By G. P. Quackenbos, A. M., Associ¬ 
ate Principal of “ The Collegiate School,” New York; 
author of “ First Lessons in Composition,” etc. 
ri6mo.-pp. 451] New York: D. Appleton & Co. 
Rochester— Adams & Dabney. 
Forty Years in thr Wilderness ob- Pills and 
Powders; or, The Cogitations and Confessions of 
an Aged Physician. [12mo.-pp. 884.] Boston: 
John P. Jewett & Co. Rochester—E. Darrow & 
Brother. 
First Lessons in Composition— In which the Princi¬ 
ples of the Art are Developed in Connection with 
the Principles of Grammar: Embracing full Direc¬ 
tions on tne Subject of Punctuation—with Copious 
Exercises. G. P. Quackenbos, A. M., Rector of the 
Henry-Street Grammar School, New York. [Ninety- 
eighth thousand. 16mo.-pp. 182.] New York: D. 
Appleton & Co. Rochester —Adams & Dabney. 
Border War: -A Tale of Disunion. By J. B. Jones, 
autuor of “ Wild Western Scenes.” [t6mo.—pp. 502 ] 
New York: Rudd & Carleton. Rochester— Dewey. 
Memoirs op Robert Houdin, Ambassador, Author 
and Conjurer. Written by Himself. Edited bv Dr. 
R. Shelton Mackenzie. [tGmo.-pp. 445] Phila¬ 
delphia: G. G. Evans, [From the Publisher.] 
The Wheat Plant: Its Origin, Culture, Growth, 
Development, Composition. Varieties, Diseases, etc., 
etc. Together with a few Remarks on Indian Corn 
its Culture, etc. By John II. Klippart, Correspond- 
ing Secretary of toe Ohio State Board of agriculture- 
Member of tho Academy of Natural Sciences, & c ’ 
&c. With One Hundred Illustrations. [12tno —pp’ 
706.] Cincinnati: Moore. Wiistach, Keys & Co! 
I860. Rochester—E. Darrow & Bro. 
Such is the title of a handsome volume which has 
been awaiting examination and notice for some weeks 
during the season of Agricultural Fairs. And, 
though we have been uuable to bestow upon it that 
attention and critical perusal its importance demands, 
we are constrained, from a somewhat cursory examina¬ 
tion, to commend it to the notice of all interested in 
wheat growing. It is apparently the most complete 
work on tho subject extant, containing a vast amount 
of information not obtainable in any other work. The 
following extract from the author’s Preface comprises 
his reasons for, and objects in, preparing the work : 
“Several years ago I became aware of the fact that 
wheat—the staple crop of Ohio—was annually dimin¬ 
ishing in its yield per acre; that in less than fifty ypars 
the average product was reduced from thirty to less 
than fifteen bushels per acre. I also learned that, in 
Great Britain, the yield had increased from sixteen 
bushels to thirty-six per acre during the same period. 
A knowledge of these facts induced mo to investigate 
the subject of wheat culture, as well as the collateral 
subjects, in order to ascertain the cause of the decrease 
on the one hand, and the increase ou the other, as well 
as to learn what remedy, if any, might readily be ap¬ 
plied to restore our soils to their former productiveness. 
The result of this investigation is embodied in the 
present volume. I am not aware that any apology is 
necessary for introducing this volume, imperfect as it 
necessarily is, to the agricultural public. To me it has 
been a matter of surprise that no American has pro¬ 
duced a treatise on the wheat plant; and moro than all 
that even professional agricultural writers have been 
content to leave the ‘scattered fragments of thought’ 
on so important a topic as the physiology, culture, 
varieties, deseases, etc., of the wheat plant dispersed 
through a multitude of journals or serial publications. 
That portion of the present volume published in the 
Ohio Agricultural Report for 1857, caused the entire 
edition of 20,000 copies to be absorbed in less than 
sixty days from the date of publication. Tho urgent 
solicitation of personal friends, in the correctness of 
whose judgment I have the utmost confidence, again 
indicated to me a want, which I had previously seri¬ 
ously felt, of a work which should embrace all that is 
known relative to the wheat plant. Such a work I 
ary of General Knowledge. Edited hv George Rip¬ 
ley and Charles A. Dana. Vol. VII. Edward— 
Fuer«s. [Roval octavo - [pp. 786 ] New York : D. 
Appleton & Co. Rochester— E. li. Hall, No. 5 Ath¬ 
enaeum Building. 
The seventh volume of this great American work 
has been issued, and equals its predecessors in both 
contents and appearance. A memorandum from the 
publishers mentions the authorship of some of the 
principal articles, as follows:-Edwards, (Jonathan) 
by George Bancroft—the paper read by him before the 
New York Historical Society ; Egypt, by Robert Carter; 
Electricity, Engraving, Fire Engine, Fossil Foot-Prints, 
by J. T. Hodge; EiephaDt, Entomology and Ethnol¬ 
ogy, by Dr. Ivueeland; Queen Elizabeth, History of 
England, Prince Eugene, by C. C. Hazewell; Episcopal 
Church, by Rev.Dr. Wilson; Epizoa,Entozoa, Epiphy- 
lis, by Dr White; Europe, by Mr. Raster; Alexander 
Everett, Edward Everett, by G.S Hilliard; Euripedts, 
by Prof. C. C. Felton; France, by P. Arpin. Among 
the biographies of living men are those of Rev. Dr. 
Ellis, R. W. Emerson, G. B. Emerson, Hon. Tnomas 
EwiDg, Rev. Dr. Fuber, T. S. Fay, Prof. C. C. Felton, 
W. P. Fessenden, Rev. Dr. Finney, nenry S. Foote, 
Peter Force, Rev. Dr. Frothinghain, Richard Froth- 
ingliam, Jr. Most of the law articles in this volume 
are contributed by Professor Theophilus Parsons, of 
Harvard University. 
The Cyplopaidia may be obtained of E. R. IIall, No. 
5 Athenaeum Building, who is Subscription Agent for 
Rochester and vicinity. 
A Bachelor’s Story. By Oliver Bunce. NewVnrt. 
Rudd & Carleton. 
The Bachelor’s Story is somewhat of the style of the 
Reveries of a Bachelor, by Ik. Marvel, which created 
so much enthusiasm a few years since. Though not 
quite its equal, the “Story” contains many thought- 
gems, some of which have found their way into our 
“ Spice-Column.” For sale by Dewey. 
One Hundred Songs op Ireland : Music and Words 
Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co. 
In this little work we have a strange compound of 
the grave and gay, the sentimental and the ridiculous. 
The kindly feelings so characteristic of Erin’s children 
gem the lines of many of these melodies, while others 
are brimming with the wit and humor of the jolly, 
rollicking Irishman. For sale by W. S. Maokik. 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
MISCELLANEOUS ENIGMA. 
I am composed of SS letters. 
My 24, 6. 4,11, 19, 23, 80 is an aerial monster. 
My IS, 12, 8, 27 are as sweet sometimes as my 35, 16, 20, 
My 1. 3, 23,13, 88, 86,17 I am very fond of. 
My 28, 26 is found in our house. 
My 2, 15, 27, 29, 11, 9 is my mother’s name. 
My 5, 14, 7 is the plural of 5, 9, 34. 
My 17, 6, 5, 29, 82, 25 Is my father’s name. 
My 87, 22, 21, 9 is a mount. 
My 10, 6, 30, 84, 33 is a girl’s name. 
This Enigma is respectfully dedicated to 9, 5, IS, 3S— 
So, 29, 16, 22, 88. by his affectionate sister, 5,12,3,25,16, 
14—10,4, 9, 35, 85. ’ ’ ’ 
My whole is a saymg and the name of a poet. 
Grote Hill, N. Y., 1S59. Mollis Flagg. 
t3T° Answer in two weeks. 
Follow the Right.— No matter who you are, 
what your lot, or where you live, you cannot afford 
to do that which is wrong. The only way to obtaiq 
happiness and pleasure for yourself is to do the 
right thing. You may not always hit the mark, 
but you should nevertheless always aim for it, and 
with every trial your skill increases. Whether you 
are to be praised or blamed for it by others; 
whether it will seemingly make you richer or 
poorer, or whether no other person than yourself 
knows of your action, still, always and in all cases, 
do the right thing. Your first lessons in this rule 
will sometimes seem hard ones, but they will grow 
easier and easier, till, finally, doing the right thing 
will become a habit, and to do wrong will seem an 
impossibility. 
For Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
RIDDLE. 
My face is smooth and wondrous bright 
Which mostly I keep out of sight ’ 
Within my house; how that is made 
Shall with much brevity be said. 
Composed of timber and of skin, 
Covered with blankets warm, within 
Here I lie snug, unless in anger 
I look out sharp, suspecting danger; 
For I’m a blade of mighty wrath, ’ 
Whene’er provoked I sally forth ; 
Yet quarrels I frequently decide, 
But ne’er am known to change my side 
Though e’er so much the parties vary, ’ 
In all disputes my point I carry. 
Thousands by me are daily fed,— 
As many laid among the dead. 
I travel into foreign parts, 
But not in coach conveyed, nor carts. 
Ladies, for you I ofeen war, 
Then, in return, iny name declare. 
Attica, Ohio, 1S59. E. B. Tanner. 
82®*” Answer in two weeks. 
The Dangers ob- Indolence.— Indolence is one 
of the vices from which those whom it once infects 
are seldom reformed. Every other species of lux¬ 
ury operates upon some appetite that is quickly 
satiated, and requires some concurrence of art or 
accident which every place will not supply; but 
the desire of ease acts equally at all hours, and the 
longer it is indulged is the more increased. To do 
nothing is in every man’s power; we can never 
want an opportunity of omitting duties. The 
lapse of indolence is soft and imperceptible, be¬ 
cause it is only a mere cession of activity; but 
the return to diligence is difficult, because it im¬ 
plies a change from rest to emotion, from privation 
to reality. 
ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS, &c., IN No. 509. 
Answer to Miscellaneous Enigma:-Friendship,love 
ana truth. 
Answer to Problem:—Five feet per second. 
Answer to Charade:—Miss Night-en-gale. 
Evil men speak what they wish rather than 
what they know. 
