0 
thicknesses, which render it impervious to frost.— 
It is with pleasure I look back upon the severe 
exertions of three years, for the house has been 
built without pecuniary distress, or trespassing in 
the least upon my regular business. I feel grate¬ 
ful to Providence for the blessings of health, and 
that He gave me the wisdom to profit by the 
kindly suggestions and experience of those older 
than myself. The chief value of a paper, to my 
mind, is that we get through its columns the 
aggregate experience of men in every condition 
of life. It is this wish to contribute my mite, 
rather than any ambition to display my building 
capacity, which prompts this article. If any who 
contemplate building shall in the least be benefited 
by my experience, I shall feel that I am fully com¬ 
pensated. To young men just commencing life : 
I would say, build for yourselves. Take time, 
Rome was not built in a day—neither should a 
house be. h. k. r. 
Cambridge Valley, N. V., 1859. 
POTATOES: SHALLOW OR DEEP PLANTING I 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— Some 'Jus have 
fallen into a habit of planting potatoes very near 
the top of the ground. The recent freezing weather 
coming, when perhaps the bulk of the potato crop 
was yet ungathered, and taking hold with dam 
aging effect of such exposed specimens as it could 
reach, presents, in itself, a very plain and convin 
cing argument against the policy of providing a 
root so sensitive to frost with only a light cover¬ 
ing of earth. It is true that frosts of the severity 
of those we have experienced this October are 
quite the exception at this season of the year, yet 
there is always danger that either from bad weather 
or the press of other business, or both, the potato 
harvest will remain unfinished till hard frosts have 
actually come; and so, a portion, at least, of the 
crop be secured in an injured condition. Many 
persons believe that if left in the ground and un 
touched by frost, potatoes continue growing till 
late in the fall, long after the tops are dead; and 
with such, of course, considerations of profit will 
unite with other reasons to put off the gather 
ing of this root till the latest practicable season 
or until the occurrence of a sharp freeze gives 
warning that the case admits of no further delays 
When a loss, plainly traceable to any particular 
mode of culture occurs, it is natural for the losers, 
contemplating the calamity, to think of other ob¬ 
jections to which that method or system is open 
besides the one arising out of the cause of their 
present ill luck, and also to consider the advan 
tages belonging to a different plan of cultivation 
Without knowing what superiority the advocates 
of shallow planting claim for that practice, let us 
state what appear to us some of the objections 
that may reasonably be made to it, and that go to 
recommend an opposite management. 
Potatoes growing but little way under ground, 
though they have the benefit of a greater number 
of showers, during an ordinary summer, than 
deeper-planted ones, are yet sure to suffer much 
more severely from continued dry weather, such 
as we always expect at intervals through the 
growing season. The question is, whether the 
moisture at the depth below the surface at which 
potatoes used to be planted is not sufficient to 
make them so independent of rains as to overbal¬ 
ance the advantage of more frequent wettings 
from moderate showers, with the attendant draw¬ 
back of exposure to intenser heat. 
An effect of shallow planting is plainly visible 
■in the inferior quality of potatoes. When the 
seed has but a thin covering of earth, it is very 
common for the growing tubers to push above 
ground; and, on cooking these specimens, the ex¬ 
posed part shows a greenish look accompanied by 
a bitter taste, both greenness and bitterness sup¬ 
posed to be caused by sun-burn. The inclination 
to bitterness of flavor is seen also in the better 
covered roots; they lack the sweetness of taste be¬ 
longing to those growing deep in the ground. 
Judging from not very extensive observation, I 
should say that shallow planting is not favorable 
to a large yield of potatoes. Certainly, there is a 
great difference in the habits of the growth of po¬ 
tatoes planted near the surface, from those buried 
deeper. t The latter will be found lying close to¬ 
gether in a heap, like eggs in a nest; the former 
are scattered about, many of them further from 
the center of the hill than one unacquainted with 
their power of roving would think of looking for 
them. Whether this rambling habit of growth 
causes a portion of the roots to be overlooked in 
gathering, or whether the practice of growing po¬ 
tatoes with very little dirt over them is unfavor¬ 
able to their attaining their greatest size, both 
which suppositions I suspect are true, I am ready 
to believe that more and better potatoes are ob¬ 
tained from the same varieties by deep than by 
shallow planting. a. 
South Livonia, N. Y., 1859. 
Remarks. — Some varieties of potatoes it is al¬ 
most impossible to keep below the surface, if they 
are planted ever so deep, while others will not 
show themselves above ground if they are merely 
covered with earth. Some varieties, too, ramble 
over a large territory, making digging slow and 
tedious, while in others the tubers lay close to¬ 
gether, “like eggs in a nest.” This depends more 
upon the habit of the potato than upon the manner 
of planting. All extensive potato growers know 
this, and a rambling habit is always considered an 
objection to any variety. 
table, weighing three and a half pounds, also, 
eleven potatoes weighing one pound, too small for 
other purposes than to feed the pigs. The haulm, 
or vines, was large, bushy and full five feet long, 
weighing four pounds; in its vigorous state with 
leaves expanded, the weight could not have been 
less than half as much more, say six pounds. 
Here were ten pounds of vegetable product from 
twenty-eight grains—a pound avoirdupois con¬ 
tains seven thousand grains—exactly two thou¬ 
sand five hundred for one. A Dover potato still 
smaller than the above, planted at the same time 
and cultivated in precisely the same manner, pro¬ 
duced six potatoes all sufficiently large for the 
table, weighing two pounds. 
Perhaps we here have a couple of hints that may 
be useful in domestic economy; first, that the 
Dover is, relatively, as I think it will be found by 
experience, actually, the best potato. Second, 
that potatoes, if we would have the full value of 
our money when we buy them, should be sold by 
weight, not measure. There is another inference 
which I think can be drawn from this experiment 
and that is, that the nourishment, whatever is, 
that forms and perfects the plants, is drawn—net 
from the soil, but the atmosphere. 
You have sometimes combated the notion 
which persons entertain, that potatoes may mix 
in the hill—a doctrine taught by Cobbett in his 
Book on Gardening. Cobbett was undoubtedly an 
industrious man, but a very unreliable person to 
follow, either in morals, politics, or physics;—as 
far as principle went, he was very shallow in all 
of them. Some time since I saw in some paper, a 
statement that the Northern Peach Plow was pro¬ 
duced by binding tightly together the halves of 
two separate and very different varieties of 
potatoes. In this I had no faith. Last Spring I 
bound together Dover and Davis’ Seedlings, 
Mercers and Prince Alberts—and in both cases 
the two first grew distinct as if planted separate¬ 
ly, rods apart. In the case of the Mercers and 
Prince Alberts, I was, however, very much dis¬ 
appointed. The former were numerous, but all 
were very badly diseased; of the latter there was 
but a single tuber, which, though sound, was 
shriveled to one-third or one-fourth the size of 
the parent, and was covered with small scales, not 
unlike a fish; the epidermis, (if a potato has 
such an organ ) was cracked, and the corners 
rolled up in a manner quite novel to me. It 
would seem that the two varieties are not com¬ 
patible with each other—that, somehow, the influ¬ 
ence of the Mercer upon the Prince Albert was 
deleterious, and prevented its proper development. 
Whenever I have cultivated these two varieties 
properly, I have never failed of a satisfactory 
crop, though I consider the Prince Albert not a 
desirable potato for the table. Perhaps an 
inquiry may be suggested by the above fact— 
whether the reason for deterioration of crops, 
both as regards quality and quantity, may not be 
found in the fact that the soil is impure ? 
Norwich, Conn., 1859. 0. W. 
APPLYING MANURE TO GRASS LANDS. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— I was much inter¬ 
ested by the evening discussions at the State Fair, 
as reported in the Rural, and for one, wish they 
might be continued through your pages. I am a 
farmer, and I hope not too old to learn, and know 
of no more reliable source of information than the 
opinions of practical farmers, based on their 
experience. 
I would like to know how to apply manure so as 
to get the most lasting benefit on grass lands. 
Will some of my brother farmers please give us 
their opinion through the Rural? My method 
has been to manure sward in the spring with fresh 
stable manure, and plow under to the depth of six 
or seven inches and plant or sow. At the next 
plowing, plow eight or ten inches deep, thus leav 
ing the rotted sod and manure a little below the 
surface. Sow grain of some kind and stock down 
with a mixture of clover and timothy, about half 
a bushel to the acre. Soil is sandy loam, with 
very retentive subsoil. By this method I get good 
grass for four or five years, after which I repeat. 
This certainly increases the fertility of the soil 
but perhaps not as rapidly as a better way. The 
better way is what I am looking for.—0.1). Hill, 
Jefferson Go., N. 7., 1859. 
THE LATE DAVID THOMAS. 
SMUT IN WHEAT-EXPERIMENT. 
POTATO EXPERIMENTS. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— When gathering 
potatoes—Prince Alberts and Dovers—in the 
autumn of 1858 there was among the former a 
small one of such perfect shape that I was induced 
to preserve it for no other reason. It would puz¬ 
zle a skillful artist to turn out a more symmetrical 
form. Early in the spring of the current year, 
April, it was weighed and planted. The weight 
was twenty-eight grains. The manure applied 
was a small quantity of guano and crushed bones, 
a bucket of suds from the weekly washing, being 
thrown over the vines three times during the 
season. The haulm did not show signs of decay 
till the first of October, when they were taken up. 
The result was twelve potatoes, suitable for the 
21 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:—I am a farmer, and 
reside in a neighborhood where large quantities 
of spring wheat are raised, which is frequently so 
affected with smut as to deteriorate its value; con¬ 
sequently the question frequently arises, what is 
the cause, and the preventive of smut wheat ? In 
order to answer that question, I tried the follow¬ 
ing experiment, which is only one of many that I 
am or have been engaged in : 
I prepared the plots of ground exactly alike, 
and sowed them the same time. No. 1 was sowed 
with smut wheat, entirely. No. 2, with wheat 
that had been bruised ; (having read that that was 
the cause of smut wheat.) It included all condi 
tions of bruised wheat, from a ground kernel to a 
perfect one. No. 8 was sowed with wheat that had 
been rolled in smut until the kernels were all 
black with it. The kind of wheat used was 
Canada Club. The result was, that the smut 
wheat (No. 1,) did not grow. No. 2 produced few 
stalks; but no smut. No. 8 produced one-half 
smut wheat. 
Farmers should experiment. A. M. White 
South Onondaga, N. Y., Nov. 1859. 
David TnoMAS died at Union Springs, Cayuga 
Co., Nov. 5th, at the ripe age of 84 years, a mem¬ 
ber of the Society of Orthodox Friends. He came 
from Pennsylvania to the early settlement of Scipio, 
Cayuga Co., N. Y., and being a civil engineer, he 
was employed more as a surveyor than in the la¬ 
bors of his farm ; yet such was his passion for 
Horticulture, Pomology and Floriculture—beiDgan 
accomplished botanist—that his domain at Great- 
field, two miles east of Aurora, was soon celebrated 
for its fine fruits and beautiful flowers. He was 
one of the first contributors to the Agricultural 
Press of the State, and the young Genesee Farmer 
was often graced and enlivened by articles, on the 
the proper culture of fruits and flowers, from his 
practical pen. 
Db Witt Clinton, who, in pursuing his canal 
policy, was always sure to find out the best men 
in every county, to aid him in his great work, soon 
made the acquaintance of David Thomas, when he 
immediately appointed him Chief Engineer of the 
Western Division of the Erie, and the Cayuga and 
Seneca Canals. The writer of this notice after¬ 
wards heard Gov. Clinton say that Thomas only 
lacked impudence to pass for a much greater man 
than a certain Professor he then named. But with 
his habitual modesty, and polite deference to the 
opinions of others, no man was more firm and de¬ 
cided when he knew he was right; and to this 
trait in his character the great city of Buffalo is 
somewhat indebted for its present commercial po¬ 
sition. When Thomas was surveying the Canal 
and harbor location at Black Rock, and Buffalo 
creek, Gen. Peter B. Porter beset him with all 
his great tact and influence to make the harbor at 
Black Rock instead of at Buffalo creek. But, not 
being able to convince Thomas, he commenced a 
newspaper war against him, criticising his en¬ 
gineering severely. Thomas, in his final reply to 
these attacks, say3 :—“ I now submit the question 
to the elements, and if Buffalo harbor becomes a 
failure, I shall then, but not till then, confess my 
error.” But he lived to see the fruition of his la¬ 
bors. Buffalo Creek is now a great Lake Harbor, 
crowded with steam and sail vessels of the largest 
class, while Black Rock habor is little more than 
an adjunct to canal navigation. 
Thomas, while Canal Engineer, built a new 
house on his farm with an observatory on top 
overlooking the broadest expanse of the Cayuga; 
here on shelves were numerous Geological speci¬ 
mens he had himself collected. His ornamental 
and fruit trees were now increased, his flower gar¬ 
den extended, and its beautiful specimens greatly 
augmented. But as age and infirmity crept on, he 
became more and more dependent on costly mer¬ 
cenary help, and rather than see his beautiful 
flowers run wild, and his fruit trees a prey to in¬ 
sects, he sold the beautiful domain and retired to 
a comfortable cottage near the sparkling lake 
waters at Union Springs. Here, as his physical 
infirmities increased, his mind and memory par¬ 
tially gave way; yet Providence dealt kindly with 
him, for he might ofteu on a genial sum¬ 
mer’s day among the fiotvTis of his now narrow 
border, or the evergreens in his door-yard, enjoy¬ 
ing their fragrance and beauty; a comfort kindly 
vouchsafed to compensate us for the privations 
and infirmities of age. s. w. 
Rural Spirit of tfje flrcsg. 
inquiries <mfr ilnsmers. 
Large Yield, of Carrots. 
A correspondent of the New England Farmer, 
writing from South Danvers, says:—“Mr. B. H., 
one of the most successful cultivators in this town, 
informed me that he had gathered six tuns of as 
handsome carrots as he ever saw from 87 square 
rods of land. This would be about one tun to six 
square rods, or 27 tuns to an acre. The price of 
carrots at this time is $8 per tun, consequently 
the produce of an acre would amount to 8 times 
27, or $216 per acre. Considering that carrots are 
not an exhausting crop, I look upon this as good 
doings. Few crops yield so well this season—cold 
as it has been.” 
Best Treatise on Diseases op Domestic Animals. 
—"Will you please inform me through your valuable 
paper, what is the best work on the management, dis¬ 
eases, and treatment of domestic animals, where it can 
be obtained, and price ?—A Subscriber, Coventry, 77. 
Y. 1859. 
We are not aware of any single work that 
would cover the field spread out by “ Subscriber.” 
Writers have generally made a specialty of some 
one department—each, if we may so speak, having 
his peculiar hobby. The “ Modern Horse Doctor,” 
by Dr. Dadd; “ Youatt on the Horse,” by Wm. 
Youatt, and “ Hints to Horse-Keepers,” by Henry 
William Herbert, are all worthy of a prominent 
position in the farmer’s library. The price of the 
first named is $1,00; of the others $1,25. “ Youatt 
on Cattle” ($1,25,) and “ The American Cattle 
Doctor ,” ($1,00,) by Dr. Dadd, treat more par¬ 
ticularly of horned stock. The “ American 
Shepherd,” ($1,00,) by L. A. Morrell, and “ The 
Shepherd's Own Booh,” ($1,25,) by Youatt, 
Skinner, and Randall, treat of the history, 
management, and diseases of Sheep. “Sub 
scriber,” can procure aDy of these volumes by 
application to C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co., New 
York, or at the office of the Rural New-Yorker, 
Fillibustering Among the Bees.— "Will any of the 
readers or correspondents of the Rural New-Yorker 
be kind enough to inform me and the public how to 
prevent bees robbing their neighbors’ colonies, and 
what effect (if any,) will it have upon the victors? 
Some persons allege that even the conquerors will not 
prosper in their ill-gotten gains, often quarreling among 
themselves over the spoils. One query further. While 
speaking of bees, is it a rare or common occurrence for 
bees to swarm as late as the 25th of September? This 
swarm did no work, or attempted so to do, as far as I 
could discover, remaining in the hive where they were 
put, until they all perished in about one week, the 
queen being the last survivor.—H. B. n., North Bush, 
N. V, 1S59. 
Bees are most disposed to rob early in the 
spring, before the flowers are open, and the weak 
swarms are the sufferers, though where the bee¬ 
keeper attempts to feed his bees by placing sweets 
outside of the hive at any season, it invites thenotice 
of the bees of neighboring colonies, and an attack 
on the hive is apt to follow. The effect of this is 
not only disastrous to those that are robbed, but de¬ 
moralizing to the robbers, as after having once had 
a taste of stolen sweets, they do not cheerfully 
return to the habits of honest industry. The only 
preventives against robbing is to keep the colonies 
strong, able to defend themselves, and not to 
tempt the robbers by exposing the honey or sweets 
of any kind around the hive. Very late swarms 
are never profitable, seldom worth wintering over. 
In some cases two or more late swarms may be 
united, and make a good colony. From your 
description we should judge that the colony left 
the old hive disheartened, from the ravages of the 
bee-moth, or some other cause. i 
Importance of Shelter for Stocli. 
The Country Gentleman calls attention to an 
error of not uufrequent occurrence among farmers ( 
in the early stages of fattening, which should be 
avoided by all who care for the reputation of judi¬ 
cious farmers or the profits of economical ones. It 
is the practice of allowing creatures to depend 
mainly on pasturing after the last of September or 
the first of October, and to sleep out in the fields 
after that time of the year. Both of these prac¬ 
tices, except in years uncommonly warm in au¬ 
tumn, tend to rob cattle of fat and to lower their 
condition. The nutritive qualities of grass are 
materially lessened after frosts, and when an ani 
mal suffers from cold, as must usually be the case 
in sleeping in the open field in October, Nature 
has provided a partial relief by consuming por¬ 
tions of the fat, which the animal may have already 
stored, in the creation of additional supplies of 
heat. In a word, it seems forgotten by some, that, 
without something additional to grass after frosts, 
and without shelter in chilly nights, cattle will 
lose in condition and quantity of fat; and that this 
is the opposite of economy, as it is much easier to 
keep on fat than to put it on. True economy and 
judicious management require early stabling dur¬ 
ing nights, and something in addition to grass 
after frost. 
To Make G-ood Butter. 
Aunt Rhoda, in the New England Farmer, 
says:—“Skim the milk as soon as it sours, and 
before it thickens, if possible; stir the cream faith¬ 
fully, especially when new is added. Set the jar 
in a cool place; if the cellar is not cold and sweet, 
set it in the spring or hang it in the well — any 
way to keep it cool. After the last cream is added 
before churning, then 4 go a visiting ’ if you please, 
as cream should nut be churned the day it is taken 
off. At night fall, fill the churn with cold water, 
and start the churning at early dawn, and my 
word for it, you will soon find a solid mass of 
golden-colored butter, free from white specks, and 
when properly salted and packed, fit for anybody’s 
table. After the buttermilk starts pour in cold 
water, a little at a time, turning the crank slowly 
and carefully back and forth; this prevents the 
butter from closing too rapidly, does not break 
the grains, and gives every particle of the cream 
a chance to form into butter. 
Cutting Feed. 
The New Jersey Farmer illustrates the econo¬ 
my of cutting feed for cattle in a few words :—If 
a farmer has no fodder to be disposed of, except 
fine, “merchantable hay,” there will belittle need 
of cutting it. But most persons have corn-stalks, 
hay and straw a little damaged, which, if fed out 
unprepared, would be much wasted. Now a care¬ 
ful farmer would run this through a straw-cutter, 
then mix with a little meal and moisten, and it 
will be a vastly more palatable dish, little or none 
will be wasted, and what is eaten will be well 
digested. Our good ho«oowive3 hash up odds and 
ends of meat, to save them, and to make them 
more acceptable to their families,—why should 
not the same principle of economy rule in the 
farmer’s barn ? 
Our Market Reports. —A friend who is familiar 
with the subject, and a close observer of the reports in 
several agricultural and other prominent journals, 
speaks in very complimentary terms of the accuracy 
and quantity of Market Reports given in the Rural, 
averring that they are far superior to those of its imme¬ 
diate contemporaries. He thinks we ought to tell our 
readers of this superiority—especially as other agri¬ 
cultural journals (including monthlies whose reports 
are, necessarily, almost useless,) make considerable 
ado in Prospectuses, dec., about their market intelli¬ 
gence, yet give little of value,—but we have no dispo¬ 
sition to boast in the premises. It is sufficient for us to 
know that many of our readers appreciate this impor¬ 
tant feature of the Rural, as frequent letters attest, 
and have no doubt that all discriminating persons will 
come to a proper conclusion, without any laudatory 
remarks on our part, either in the paper, bills or 
prospectuses. 
Tiie “Professor” of Terra-Culture. — We have 
lately received several letters from Western Pa., speak¬ 
ing in no very complimentary terms of the operations 
of this charlatan, and telling us how he “ pitched into” 
the Rural New-Yorker and its Editor. We beg our 
friends to give themselves no uneasiness on our account. 
The “ Professor,” as we have proved, is the father of 
liars, and all we ask of him is that he will not speak 
well of us ! As to publishing the articles against him 
and his theory, we consider it unnecessary after what 
we have given in this and former volumes. And, be¬ 
side, we observe that the Pittsburg papers and their 
correspondents, (especially Gen. Negley,) are after the 
“Professor” with a sharp stick—have indeed driven 
him from the State, for we learn that he has just ap¬ 
peared in Connecticut. We commend him to the kind 
and critical attention of our friends of The Homestead. 
A letter just received from an intelligent correspondent 
says:—“ Verily, Comstock has more lives than a cat! 
He is certainly entitled to the merit (?) of being able 
to live and thrive longer on humbug than ev.en Barnum 
himself. Even the astute N. Y. Evening Post pub¬ 
lishes a puff from one of his dupes.” Vive la Humbug ! 
United States Ag. Society.— The N. Y. Tribune of 
the 12th, says:—“ The Secretary of this Society is in 
the city for the pnrpose of meeting members of the 
Executive Committee to settle the contested awards at 
the late Chicago Fair. The annual business meeting 
will be held, as usual, at Washington, in January, and 
we earnestly hope that the report of the Treasurer will 
show how the $130,000 received from the public since 
1852, has been disposed of. We wish to see how far 
the Society has been bled by local officials in the several 
cities, and who of the regular officers have, while pre¬ 
tending philanthropy, managed to be well paid for their 
services. If we do not greatly mistake the auguries, a 
thorough reform will result from the next annual 
meeting.” 
Another Agricultural Professorship Endowed.— 
A Southern paper states that Hon. Oliver J. Morgan, 
of Carroll parish, La., has presented to Bishop Polk, 
of Louisiana, the sum of forty thousand dollars, as the 
foundation of a professorship of Agricultural Chemis¬ 
try in the “ University of the South.” This donation 
makes up the entire amount of 5,000,000, required by 
the charter to establish the proposed University. 
To Advertisers— Briefly.— A recent letter talks to 
us in this wise“ Please find enclosed $5 to pay for 
the advertisement enclosed. I wish for two insertions, 
and more if it pays for it. If not enough to pay for 
two, write me the balance due, and I will send it. It 
[the $5] would pay for three [insertions] in the C. G., 
but you charge higher.”-Yes, Sir, we do “charge 
higher,” and for the very cogent reason that the circu¬ 
lation of the Rural New-Yorker is full five times 
that of the C. G. [Still, the C. G. has a good circula¬ 
tion, and charges fair rates for advertising, though 
much “higher” than the Rural in proportion to 
circulation.] And wo hereby request all who consider 
our charges extravagant to send their orders to other 
papers—for we ask no patronage, as such—wish no 
one to advertise in or take the Rural without a reason¬ 
able prospect of obtaining value received for tho 
investment. Above all, we beg to be spared the addi¬ 
tion of insult to injury—as, for example, when a party 
sends us half the amount of our rates, (we do not now 
refer to above case,) and asks a publication on such 
terms because “ other papers ” charge no more ! Such 
favors are usually returned without the least “ pre¬ 
monitory reluctance ”—for we have no special desiro 
to deal with people who would, judging from their 
actions, expect to ride one hundred miles per railroad 
on paying the fare for ten miles. 
During the past week the publisher of a popular 
magazine wrote us inquiring what it would cost to 
insert a certain advertisement in the Rural one time, 
and what for two—remarking that he thought he had 
paid us too much heretofore, “compared with other 
papers.” [This same publisher charges from $50 to 
$100 per page for advertising, while others charge from 
$10 to $20 ! ] Our answer was that one insertion would 
cost 25 cents a line, be the same more or less, and two 
just double that, provided it was inserted before Jan. 
1st, 1860, after which date we should probably materi¬ 
ally increase our rates, as they were far too low “ com¬ 
pared with other papers.” "We hope the response was 
satisfactory. Within the same time (past week) we 
refused an offer to advertise, at our own price, to the 
amount of $1,200 — the advertisement being unobjec¬ 
tionable, (not a patent medicine or humbug,)—because 
we do not wish to give any one announcement, weekly, 
for so long a period as desired (six months,) and for the 
additional reason that our space is so limited that we 
are often obliged to defer new advertisements, (as wo 
are, by the way, this week.) 
— Though the heading of this article indicates 
brevity, we are constrained to add another fact. Some 
years ago we published in the Rural (for Mr. E. M. 
Bradley of Ontario county,) a brief advertisement of 
choice stock, charging therefor $4. Mr. B. afterwards in¬ 
formed us that he realized a profit of full one thousand 
dollars from said advertisement—and, moreover, that 
the person whose note we quote above purchased some 
of the animals and subsequently obtained first premium 
on same at the N. Y. State Fair! And here we rest. 
California State Fair.— The California Farmer of 
Sept. 23d, (lately received,) says the Fair of the Pacific 
State was a noble triumph—“ a triumph of mind, of 
genius, and taste.” The Fair was held at Sacramento, 
continuing some ten days, (Sept. 13,23,) and, according 
to our authority, was successful in every respect—exhi¬ 
bition, attendance and receipts. It gave evidence that 
“ in every department of labor, California can boast 
the very best workmen—equal to any in the world. In 
agriculture there was the proof. The grain-fields had 
hundreds of noble examples from the brave tillers of 
the soils.” “The orchardist and gardener may well 
bo proud of this Fair, for tho world never saw prouder 
specimens of pomology.” “The vegetable kingdom 
could well claim this show as a triumph, for it never 
was equaled, "Where on the face of the earth did man 
ever see vegetables of every kind so enormously large 
as those on the tables in the lower hall of the Fair? 
"Where did any one ever see them before so thickly 
grown as to require a bridge over them so as to gather 
them ! ”—Ac,, &c. The sentences we segregate are 
hardly fair specimens of the style in which our respected 
contemporary—with the aid of poetry, admiration points, 
italics, &c.,—shows how far California is ahead of “aH 
the world and tho rest of mankind,” and then cooly 
adds, “In our next the details will commence.” Wo 
are prepared for the worst, Colonel; but pray tell us, 
in the details, how they constructed that bridge. We 
can’t get the “ hang of it”—and only ask for informa¬ 
tion, without any design of infringing the patent. 
Meantime, we sjneerely rejoice in the great success of 
the Ruralists of the Golden State, 
Encouraging Domestic Industry.— A Western paper 
says:—At the recent Mechanics’ Fair at Battle Creek, 
Mich., C. 8. Gray, a public-spirited citizen of that 
thriving town, offered a premium for the best specimen 
of spinning done by any young lady. Four young 
ladies appeared to contest for the prize. The awards 
were as follows:—To Miss Brown, of Emmet, the first 
premium of $5, for best quality ; Miss Newbre, a pair 
of fine Congress gaiters, as second premium; and 
each of the others a pair of kid slips. In presenting 
the premiums he made a brief and good-sensical speech, 
concluding as follows:—“ And now, ladies, in conclu¬ 
sion let me say that next spriDg, when the wool clip 
eomes off, claim enough to make at least three good 
suits of clothes ; and the one that will present a father 
and two brothers here, next fall, in a full suit of her 
own manufacture, if the institution does not give her a 
gold watch, worth at least twenty-five dollars, I will 
give her fifteen dollars in cash.” 
noRSE Census. —The following curious account is 
given in Appleton’s Cyclopedia, of the number of 
horses in the various parts of the world:—“ The gen¬ 
eral estimate has been eight to ten horses in Europe 
for every hundred inhabitants. Denmark has forty-five 
horses to every hundred inhabitants, which is more 
than any other European country. Great Britain and 
Ireland have 2,500,000 horses; France 8,000,000; Aus¬ 
trian Empire, exclusive of Italy, 2,600,000; Russia 
8,500,000. The United States have 5,000,000, which is 
more than any European country; tho horses of the 
whole world are estimated at 57,420,000.” 
Domestic Pigeons, which, according to the present 
use made of them, are about as profitable as rats, may 
be turned to valuable purposes. They increase very 
rapidly when their propagation is fostered. They are 
larger and sweeter than the wild pigeon, and by a 
proper care of their almost extinct race, they may be a 
very abundant, desirable and profitable game. Look 
to this subject, you that wish to increase the wealth of 
your poultry yards. So says an exchange. 
Fish Guano.—I n a lecture at Montreal, Prof. Hunt 
expressed the opinion that from 100,000 to 150,000 tuns of 
artificial manure might be manufactured annually from 
the waste of the Canadian fisheries; and this equal to 
Peruvian guano. The French were aware of the im¬ 
portance of this manure, and were now manufacturing 
it on a large scale in the Straits of Bell-Isle. 
Spicy and Instructive. —The letters written by 
Brother Bragdon, of the Prairie Farmer, during bis 
recent visit among old friends in Northern New York, 
maintain this rash assertion, we purpose to give, 
loner. snmn »ficrrAf>ations therefrom. 
