2 
; 
I 
what of that? wo know tho native character 
of our country schoolmasters well enough 
to assure the public in their behalf, that the 
most of them will make themselves familiar 
with it, as soon as occasion requires them to 
do so. They are men of genius and tact, 
and if from their humble labors, they are 
barely known by name beyond the limits of 
their respective districts, they do more than 
all others in moulding human character into 
what it is, and in developing human intel¬ 
lect and preparing the rifling generation for 
deeds of renown. No doubt there are this 
very winter five thousand of these teachers 
in the State of New York, who would forth¬ 
with become self-taught, and in a good meas¬ 
ure competent to teach the elements of the 
science, if required to do so by the school 
committees. 
AVe speak thus confidently, because we 
were once a district schoolmaster; and bad 
we been desired to teach any branch with 
which we have not been familiar, we would 
have privately studied every evening till 
midnight, till wo should have become com¬ 
petent for it. Or, if wo had found ourselves 
unable to have acquired the mastery over it, 
we would have resigned our situation, and 
have gone whoro we should no more have 
been heard of by tho persons knowing our 
incompetence. So it would be with most 
of our native American schoolmasters of the 
present day. Many of our own co-adjutors 
in that humble labor of teaching the young 
idea bow to shoot, are now a among the 
principal men of this great nation. Wo see 
them in the pulpit, at the bar, upon the 
bench, in the marts of trade, and above all, 
in our national councils at AN ashington, and 
in national embassies to foreign countries. 
And, whoever lives thirty or forty years 
lienee, will sec many of our present country 
schoolmasters occupying corresponding po¬ 
sitions in this great Republic. Far would 
it be from teachers having within themselves 
the ingredients for coming distinctions, to 
shrink from the duties we here propose in 
consequelico of not having previously had 
the needful study for it. Tho deficiency 
might speedily be supplied by self culture. 
It has also been said, that agriculture 
cannot be made an interesting study; that 
the scholars cannot be induced to devoto 
themselves to it. This is a great mistake. 
If it is not interesting, what can be so? 
Nature, constantly spread out before the 
farmer, is the great laboratory of the chem¬ 
ist, whose studies and experiments arc the 
most winning and capitivatign. To say the 
study of nature is not interesting is to ad¬ 
mit a mental stupidity on a level with the 
brute, and to utter a gross slander upon the 
Divine wisdom. Is it not interesting to learn, 
why one piece of land is as fruitful as the 
garden of Eden, and another contiguous to 
it is as sterile as an Arabian desert? Is it 
not interesting to learn why one farmer 
raises thirty bushels of wheat upon an acre 
of land, and another close by raisos only ton? 
Is it not interesting to learn why one man 
gets annually twenty or thirty dollars of 
profit from each one of his cows, and another 
one in the same neighborhood does not ob¬ 
tain milk enough to pay for their feed? Is 
it not interesting to learn, why one farmer 
becomes rich and another working perhaps 
harder remains forever poor? 
If our recollection is right, tho lion. B. P., 
Johnson,, tho distinguished Secretary of the 
New York State Agricultural Society was 
once a Superintendent of public schools in 
the interior of his Stato; and that, for an 
experiment, he obtained books and intro¬ 
duced tho study of agriculture into one or 
more of the schools within his jurisdiction. 
The result was complete success. The teach¬ 
er with his aid was amply competent to tho 
study. Tho scholars wore competent for 
tho study and wore delighted with it. And, 
above all, at the public examination, the 
branch of agriculture was prominent above 
all others in eliciting tho admiration of all 
present. AVo boliovo wo have stated tho 
ease in language not unlike that of the hon¬ 
orable gentleman whon he‘detailed it to us. 
AYo regret wo have not space to make it as 
elaborate as he did. AVhat a benefaction to 
the public it would bo, if al our superin¬ 
tendents had the talents and the zeal in the 
cause he evinced ! If so, your correspondent 
Luther, and ourself, would anon witness a 
consummation—an occasion for a Rural Ju¬ 
bilee. now alas, from appearances, too far 
off in tho distant future. • J. L. Blake. 
Time of Cutting Timber. —The soason of 
the voar in which timber should ho cut, 
when durability is dosirod, is shown by the 
facts stated below. I was told when a boy 
that February was tho time to cut timber to 
have it last, but I have bar posts cut in Juno, 
and set in 1826, which aro yet doing good 
service. In the winter tho pores aro open 
and full of ice, whilo in Juno tho sap goes 
up to form the leaf and new growth, leav¬ 
ing tho body comparatively hard and dry, 
and honce much moro durablo. 
Hay, Macomb Co., Mich. YV*. Hall. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
THE CLYDESDALE HORSE, “OLD CLYDE.” 
“ Old Clyde,” the property of Mi's. Jane j 
Ward, of Markham, Canada AVest.—receiv¬ 
ed the first premium in the class of Foreign 
draft-horses at the Fair of the State Ag. So¬ 
ciety in 1848 and a certificate as the best in 
tho same class in the show of 1851. He is a 
largo, heavy, and substantially made animal, 
with many of the characteristics of the Cana¬ 
dian horse, especially in the legs. He is of 
the Clydesdale breed, so celebrated in Scot¬ 
land as draft-horses, and of great strength 
and muscular power. 
PREMIUM SHORT-HORN COAV “AZALIA.” 
Tiie above engraving is a portrait of the ’ deep shoulders, square rump, and short, 
Short-horned Durham Cow “Azalia,” the ; clean legs,—are well delineated in the like- 
property of L. G. Morris, of Fordham, I ness here presented. 
Westchester Co., N. Y.—which took the pre- AVe intended to present, in connection with 
mium at the late State Fail in this <Aty, ao \ tho ••i.nve portraits n|; several representative 
“ the best cow over three years old.” She is specimens of the Devon, Ayreshiro and 
a splendid specimen of the sliort-Wn breed, Hereford breeds—prize animals at our last 
and attracted much notice on that occasion, j Stato Fair—but as the engravings were not 
The leading peculiarities of this breed—the received in time for this number they will 
short horns, light chops, long, Straight back, I be given hereafter. 
IN-AND-IN BREEDING vs. CROSSING. 
Messrs. Editors :—I believe this subject 
has never been discussed in your Rural, and 
as it is one of tho most important of those 
in which your thousands of readers aro in¬ 
terested. 1 will barely present the subject, 
in hope some of your numerous correspond¬ 
ents, who have had much experience and 
thoroughly investigated tho different theo¬ 
ries, will give the result of. their observa¬ 
tion. I am well aware that this is no new 
question to many of your readers, yet I Lil¬ 
ly believe a large portion of tho farmers of 
this country have never paid the subject that 
attention which its importance demands, or 
even their own interest requires. 
This is truly an age of improvement, and 
well crowned aro many of the efforts made 
to reach some new principle, or rake up 
some valuable gem from the misty ocean of 
the past. But to say that every effort would 
be crowned with equal success, no matter 
how directed, would be untrue; as many 
who have been sadly disappointed in all the 
various departments ot agriculture will 
readily admit. While many have been suc¬ 
cessful in breeding, a still greater number 
have failed to produce anything equal to 
tho sought after, and then some" principle in 
physiology, or some popular theory, has 
been charged with the failure. 
I am among the number who believe in-and- 
in breeding to bo destitute of many objec¬ 
tions with which it is charged at tho pres¬ 
ent day. In making this assertion, I do not 
wish to bo understood as .advocating tho 
practice exclusively, but as being much 
oftener done than at present without harm. 
It seems to me that crossing, as it is popu¬ 
larly termed, at presont is overdone—that 
the principle is carried to extremes—or, to 
use a vulgar expression, “ the thing is run 
into the ground.” 
Breeding domestic animals in the United 
States has become an important branch of 
agriculture. AVe have imported from for¬ 
eign countries until we now possess almost 
every variety, arid our Fairs bring out some 
specimens, in each elass, second to but few 
in tho world. Yet who that has traveled to 
any extent has not observed the heterogene¬ 
ous mass of mongrels in almost every neigh¬ 
borhood. There aro several causes that 
have been active in producing this, but wo 
believe the chief cause may bo traced to 
crossing to an unnecessary extent. As far 
as my observation extends, nine-tenths of the 
farmers will not suffer their animals to pro¬ 
create where there is even the most distant 
affinities !—but a cross must be sought, no 
matter what, or from what source descend¬ 
ed. AVe believe there are many that do 
this who can give no good reason why they 
do it, or state distinctly what they expect to 
produce. 
There are many who firmly believe that 
to breed in-and-in, or from close relation¬ 
ship, would invariably produce deterioration, 
and if continued for any considerable length 
of time would prove ruinous in tho extreme. 
This may have been true in many instances 
in the United States, but instead of result¬ 
ing from in-and-in breeding, has been caused 
by breeding from imperfect and sickly ani¬ 
mals, and want of proper food and care.— 
In order to produce a perfect and healthy 
offspring, we must have a perfect and heal¬ 
thy parentage. Disease is as easily and as 
surely transmitted where the parents are not 
allied as where they are. The principle is 
the same. Then why may not tho good qual¬ 
ities bo as surely transmitted ? Tho same 
law governs in the animal kingdom as well 
as the vegetable. 
The light of nature ought to be our guide 
on this subject, and the principle that “ like 
produces like,” and with the more certainty 
the longer it has remained the same. AATio 
has over heard of the degeneracy of the 
wild animals, over whoso procreation man 
has never had control ? Has the lion degen¬ 
erated sinco tho days of the prophet Dan¬ 
iel -—or have the birds, or fishes, or insect 
tribes suffered from this cause ? They have 
herded together, and often multiplied from 
the closest relationship, for thousands of 
years, and yet we hear of no deterioration in 
constitution, size or form. 
There are many instances of successful 
in-and-in breeding in the history of the past, 
but the limits of a* newspaper article will 
not admit of their being mentioned here, so 
I will dofor the subject for a-fut ure number 
—provided the present communication shall 
bo acceptable. n. J- k. 
Avon, N. \ r ., Dec., 1851. 
It is as important to take good care of ani¬ 
mals as it is to procure those which are good. 
LETTER FROM AND ABOUT MICHIGAN. 
BY HON. JOXA. SHEARER. 
D. D. T. Moore, Esq.— Dear Sir : AVith 
lively remembrance you are held in mind by 
your old friends in Michigan, who are very 
happy to hear of your prosperity and exalt¬ 
ed and continued labor, in the Agricultural 
field. May your days be lengthened out to a 
goodly number in the great and good cause, 
which you commenced so early in life, as a 
pioneer in Our youthful State. Although 
young in years, yet the direction of your 
mind, placed you among the first to roll on 
the ball of Agricultural Improvement in 
Michigan. This glorious cause is onward, and 
it must be highly gratifiing to you, and re¬ 
main latent in memory, that your youthful 
hours, were arduously devoted to its advance¬ 
ment in our new State. 
Friend Moore, permit me to say that Michi¬ 
gan is rapidly advancing in all the great essen¬ 
tial materials of wealth,and happiness. AVhen 
you resided here there were many conflict¬ 
ing interests, operating against the prosperity 
of our State. Our monetary affairs were 
deranged, the balance of trade against us, 
and our credit abroad injured; foreign emi¬ 
gration passed us, and all the means brought 
in were expended in preparing comfortable 
homes—so that but little was left unexpend¬ 
ed by the great mass of our people. But 
their energies were not exhausted, and their 
homes were paid for. Our emigrants were 
mostly from AVestern New York, and New 
England—and a better class of men never 
settled a new State. They had energy of 
character, and science or experience to carry 
them through the struggle of adverse for¬ 
tune; and now they acknowledge, with Job, 
that it was good to bo afflicted. It taught 
them economy and prudence, industry and 
frugality. 
You would most certainly bo surprised 
to see the rapid progress of our irn- 
provemets sinco you lived among us.— 
But yesterday, as it were, our beautiful Pe¬ 
ninsula was free and open to the bounding 
deer, and the narrow path of the lord of tho 
forest made the only highway, yet how soon 
j has all been 'changed! The traveler may 
now journey weeks and months amid cul¬ 
tivated fields, and find an industrious, hos¬ 
pitable people, with all tho enjoyments of 
life, including tho most liberal primary 
school system in the Union. Our Lakes 
and noble rivers, givet usgreat advantages; 
Railroads and plauK iualo, aro coming in 
from every direction—the former bringing us 
within thirty or forty hours of New York, 
or Boston, and forty-eight from Philadelphia, 
or Baltimore; and, on the Canada side, in close 
connection with the St, Lawrence; or if we 
please, down the great valley of the Mississip¬ 
pi the transit can be easily made. 
But let us call in our wandering thoughts; 
Michigan, on the whole, is by far the 
best adapted State to wheat and all other 
crops of the same latitude. Its climate is 
salubrious—faitned by the breeze of its 
Lakes in 'summer, and evenly tempered 
in winter, by the equilibrium of their 
fluid. Our lands, generally gradually un¬ 
dulating, are productive, easily tiljcd, and 
free from noxious weeds and grasses. The 
crops, this season, have come in abundantly, 
and are of an excellent quality. It would 
astonish some of our eastern friends to see the 
loads of wheat for sale in the fall of the year, 
at the numerous villages in our State—es¬ 
pecially on tho line of our Railroads. This 
wheat is purchased by eastern men, and made 
into Genesee flour. Last season something 
like half a million of bushels of wheat was 
purchased at Jackson, your old home, and 
the gentleman who bought it said to me that 
it was a better quality of wheat than any 
that they had purchased at the east; it 
invariably held out over 00 lbs. to the bushel. 
My former residence was on the line of 
Ontario and AVayne, county, N. Y.—a good 
country for wheat, but I must say that Mich¬ 
igan excels it for wheat, or corn, generally 
and the climate is not quito as cold here as 
there. It. is surprising to me that the prices 
of lands should be so different in New York 
and Michigan. A gentleman stated to me 
not long sinco that he sold a farm in the 
vicinity of Batavia, at seventy dollars per 
acre—and that he could purchase better 
farms here, under good improvement and 
with equally as good buildings, for twenty- 
five or thirty dollars per acre. By this, friend 
Moore, I do not wish to create a fever for 
Michigan, as it is no interest to mo to ex¬ 
aggerate on this subject; but I am confident 
that, as our state is coming so near the Eas¬ 
tern markets hv a healthful competition in 
transit, the lands in New York are too high, 
or ours too low. 
There is now a vast quantity of land 
which can be bought at from five to 
ten dolars per acre, with considerable im¬ 
provement, and much more at Govern¬ 
ment price—so that in Michigan there still 
is room. I am told that sixteen families who 
moved to Wisconsin a few years since from 
AVashtenaw Co., Mich., have recently return¬ 
ed to their former residence, and stato that 
they prefer Michigan to AYisconsin as it is 
altogether better for crops. This may seem 
hard to our AYisconsin friends, but such 
is undoubtedly the fact, and it is high time 
that the honest emigrant should know it.— 
AVisconsin and Illinois prairies look pleasant 
to the eye of the traveler, but for success¬ 
ful operations in agricultural pursuits, the 
farmer must have all the materials at hand 
—such as a variety of soils, water, wood, and 
stone. AVithout these essential materials, 
his progress is impeded and when any of 
them are wanting, crops cannot generally 
be produced as well. The above named 
materials are generally in the natural stato 
indicative of a full supply of tho chemical 
nitrous substances, necessary for the full do- 
velopsment of all kinds of vegetation. 
AVith tho highest esteem, 
Truly your friend, 
Plymouth, Mich., Dec., 1851. J. SHEARER. 
INTERESTING ITEMS, 
CONDENSED FOR THE RURAL FROM FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL 
AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNALS. 
Articles from tiie United States at the 
World’s Fair. —The Gardeners' Chronicle 
complains that “the undoubted excellence 
of some of the articles exhibited in the Uni¬ 
ted States’ division of the Crystal Palace, 
seems to have led people to imagine that 
everything from tho other side of the At¬ 
lantic must deserve attention.” This shows 
that there must have been a wonderful turn 
of the tide of opinion from the time when 
the English papers stigmatised tho Ameri¬ 
can department as “the prairie ground.”— 
The fact is, to use the language of ono of 
the agents from this country at tho Fair, 
“the American Reaper reaped down tho 
prejudices of John Bull” till he was entirely 
brought over to our advocacy. 
Cots wold Sheep.—AVm. Cotiier, of Mid¬ 
dle Aston writes to tho Mark-Lane Ex¬ 
press, under date Dec. 4th ult., that he had 
two carcasses of Cotswold sheep hanging up 
on his premises, one of which weighed 70£ 
lbs. per quarter, and the other 84 lbs. per 
quarter with the head on. They were of 
his own breeding. He has another sheep, 
alive, which appears to be much heavier.— 
He says he is going to present the Council 
of the Royal Agricultural Society with a 
shank bone from each of theso sheep, “ as a 
memento of the weight which it is possiblo 
to produce on a given quantity of bone.” 
Smitiifield Club Cattle Show. —This 
on the 9th December. Lnglish p:t- 
pers of tho 8th Dec., state that it was like¬ 
ly to be one of the best ever held. A great 
enlargement had been made of the Bazaar, 
where the show is held. His Royal High¬ 
ness, Prince Albert, had made a consider¬ 
able number of entries—three orfouroxon, 
several pens of pigs, Southdown sheep, &c. 
Entries had also been made by the Duke of 
Richmond, and Earl Spencer, as well as by 
noted tenant farmers. The particulars of 
the show will be learned by next arrival. 
Birmingham Cattle and Poultry Show. 
—This opened on tho 9th Dec., and contin¬ 
ued for three days. The result has not yet 
reached us. The entries comprised moro 
than a thousand pens of poultry, contain¬ 
ing four or five thousand specimens. It 
greatly exceeded any former display by tho 
Birmingham association. A dinner was to 
come off, at which Lord Lyttloton was to 
preside. 
Royal Agricultural Society.— The next 
annual show, (for 1852,) is to ho held at 
Lewis, Sussex, in tho week commencing 
Monday, July 12th. 
Chicory. —’Phis plant is largely cultivated 
in England—the root being prepared and 
mixed with coffee. It is not used wholly on 
account of its cheapness, but it is actually 
preferred on account of the peculiar flavor 
it imparts to the liquid. Persons who have 
spent somo time in England, state that they 
became more fond of the mixture—at the 
rate of about one-third chicory to two- 
thirds coffee—than of the liquid from tho 
coffee alone. A great income is derived 
from its cultivation. It could be raised with 
the greatest ease in this country. Mr. John¬ 
son, Secretary of tho New York State Ag¬ 
ricultural Society, will shortly have pack¬ 
ages of the seed ‘for distribution. 
Domestic Economy. — Yeast. —The bit¬ 
terness of yeast, which is often a cause of 
complaint, may bo removed by straining it 
through bran, or by dipping a red-hot char¬ 
coal in it. But the most effectual and easi¬ 
ly available remedy is, to put the yeast in a 
largo pan and cover it with spring or well- 
water, changing it every throe or four hours. 
The bran seems to impair the strength, and 
coal sometimes stains it, but the water puri¬ 
fies it in color and taste.— Card. Citron. 
The mode of using water for keeping and 
purifying yeast, has been adopted by some 
of tho best American housekeepers, with 
entire success. 
The substantial prosperity of a country is 
always in tho ratio of its agricultural indus¬ 
try and wealth. 
