VOLUME m. NO. a. }• 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.— THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1852. 
j WHOLE NO. 147. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
▲ WKKKLY HOMK NEWSPAPER, 
Designed for both Country and Town Residents. 
CONDUCTED BY I). D. T. MOORE, 
ASSISTED BY 
J. H. B1XBY, L. WETI1KRELL, AND It. C. WHITE, 
WiJi a n urn: tous corps of able Contributors and 
Correspondents. 
Tun Rural Nhw-Yorkbr is designed to bo unique and 
beautiful in appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
and Variety of Contenls. Its conductors earnestly labor 
to make it a Reliable Guide on the important Practical Sub¬ 
jects connected with (lie business of those whose interests 
it advocates. It embraces more Agricultural, Horticul¬ 
tural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and News Matter — 
interspersed with many appropriate and handsome engrav¬ 
ings— than any other paper published in this Country. 
tTST" For Ti. rms, &e., see Inst page. 
Igritnltuml Jeprtmrat 
I'ltOfiliESS AND MlPlIOVOIliyr. 
PREPARE FOR WINTER-FALL WORK. 
Yes, friends, Prepare for IVinler. Tho’ 
not yet upon us, tho “ ides of November,” 
and the chill blasts of Winter, are rapidly 
approaehing—and it behooves those who 
would fairly meet and conquer tho enemy, 
to make timely preparation. “In time of 
peace prepare for war;”—amid present sun¬ 
shine, heed tho future storm and he notun- 
mindful of its emergencies. This is tho 
part of wisdom and prudence, applied to all 
affairs, hut more especially to the farmer’s 
occupation. Hence wo may he pardoned 
for jogging the memories of our readers, 
touching items of seasonable importance. 
Upon tho beauties of the present season 
—tho fine, bracing air, and altogether de¬ 
lightful month of October—wo need not 
descant. The great majority of our readers 
are, at present, far better situated to realize 
and enjoy all this, than t he writer. Hut du¬ 
ring this most onjoyable season, they have 
many and important duties to perform— 
matters which require early and prompt at¬ 
tention. On every hand the farmer finds 
necessary work of preparation, in order to 
render all comfortable through the winter. 
The fall crops are to be secured before ex¬ 
posure leads to waste. If not already har¬ 
vested, apples, potatoes and garden vegeta¬ 
bles require early attention. Unless husking 
is soon finished the boys will havo an un¬ 
pleasant job—numb fingers, and perhaps 
cold toes and noses. 
Potatoes should bo dug as soon as they 
are ripe; and, though unaffected with tho 
rot, it is best to dry and secure carefully.— 
The crop is generally good this season, and 
very largo in this section, yet we think a 
good article will command a most remuner¬ 
ating price—especially in the spring. 
Now is tho time to savo seeds. The judi¬ 
cious farmer and gardener will savo tho best 
and earliest of every kind, for his own use 
—and perhaps some which ho can spare to 
tho negligent and careless at an extra price. 
>Soo to it that inattention now does not. place 
you among tho buyers next spring. 
It is good economy to thresh out grain as 
early as convenient, and secure it against 
the depredations of vermin. You will then 
havo it safe, and can market if necessary, 
at once, or wait for better prices. Every 
farmer should have a closo granary and a 
well constructed corn crib; othorwiso ho is 
subject to heavy tax in favor of rats and mice. 
Fall plowing has its advantages, bo it re 
mombered, and should not ho neglected.— 
As wo have said before,—At this season tho 
team is strong, and the weather generally 
more favorable for breaking up grass land 
than in the spring,—and, beside, the latter 
is a very busy season with all farmers. By 
turning over land late no vegetation will 
start, tho frost will kill grass roots, and 
leave tho soil in a fine condition for sowing- 
crops. It will also disturb tho arrangement 
of worms and insects, and many of them 
will be destroyed. 
Look to the drainage of your wheat fields 
after tho heavy rains. You cannot afford 
to neglect this crop, at any time, especially 
when a good yield is necessary to make 
amends for a low price. Lei this item re¬ 
ceive proper attention. 
“Tho merciful man is merciful to his 
boast ”—and so is the wiso and shrewd far¬ 
mer. Take caro of your stock. Begin 
early. A little extra care and attention now 
will be for tho interest of all who have do¬ 
mestic animals to winter. Stables and sheds 
should be in order early. Remember that 
warm shelter for stock is, to a considerable 
extent, equivalent to food,—and hence im¬ 
portant on tho score of economy. If expo¬ 
sed to tho storms and severe weather they 
will require much more forage to carry them 
through the winter properly. And as hay 
and coarse fodder are very scarce in many 
sections, every aid and substitute demand 
attention. Much can bo done by cutting 
straw, feeding roots, &e.. yet wo fear many 
will be obliged to sell domestic animals at 
a sacrifice for want of forage. 
Push tho pigs into porkdom, or rather 
give thorn plenty of line in that direc¬ 
tion (*ivo them eonilortahlo quarters, 
and enough to eat. Tho advantages of 
cooked over raw food should not he over¬ 
looked by those who regard profit—and who 
does not ? 
The Orchard and Garden are important 
branches in this section, and may not wisely 
ho neglected. We need not enumerate the 
various items,— you know what may and 
should bo done. Transplanting is now in 
order. Apple, poar, peach, plum, and 
cherry seeds may ho sown in dry, light and 
mellow ground. Look to theshape of your 
trees. Tender roses, shrubs, &c., require 
protection, if not already attended to.— 
Dahlias, &c., should he taken up and placed 
where they will bo free from frost. 
Last, hut far from least, look to the corn- 
tort of your household. Make homo happy 
by neatness, wholeness and order, indoors 
and out. It your house, out-buildings, 
fences, &c.. need repairs now is the time to 
givo them attention. Ignore leaky roofs, 
broken windows, etc., by applying the prop¬ 
er remedy ; see that your cellars are well 
filled, hanked and secured—stoves put up 
sately—and that you havo a good supply of 
fire-wood under cover. The farmer that 
does all things well, and in season, will at- 
tond to thoso and a hundred other matters 
preparatory to winter. 
NOTES FOR THE TIMES. 
Experiments —Tho only safo way of de¬ 
ciding most of tho important questions of 
agriculture. To give them all their valuo, 
they should bo repeated, and their results 
made known, until tho question to which 
thoy relate is settled. The labor is trifling, 
and the interest they excite renders them 
pleasing. At tho suggestion of a writer in 
a former number of tho “ Rural,” I planted 
several hills of potatoes last spring, quite 
oarly, and soon after placed enough for an 
equal munbor af hills in a manure heap to 
germinate. In about two weeks those were 
planted near tho others. Both came up 
about tho same time, and both wore ready 
for tho table at tho same time. 
Saving Seeds. — Few employments are 
more interesting than that of saving goods. 
What seems at first a troublo or a task, be¬ 
comes a dolight; and I almost regret when 
tho seed-saving season is past. 
Some seods are more easily cleaned than 
others. Among the more difficult are those 
of the tomato and the cucumber. These I 
leave till entirely ripe—then put tho pulpy 
mass containing the seeds into a cup, or 
tumbler, and let it stand several days, (or 
not, I have tiino.) Then take an iron 
wire, or one of tho braces of an old um¬ 
brella—bind tho parts of tho cleft end out¬ 
ward and turn up tho points—turn this rap¬ 
idly around in the seedy mass for a few mo¬ 
ments, and the seods will be entirely sepa¬ 
rated from thoir bed, and may be readily 
cleansed. n. 
Down East, Oct., 1833. 
Milk varios so much in richness, that 
while a pound of butter has been made from 
seven quarts of tho richest milk, it takes 
nineteen or twenty quarts of tho poorest to 
make a pound of butter. 
WHITE AND COLORED FOWLS. 
I notice in the October number of the 
Northern Farmer, the editor, in his account 
of the recent State Fair at Utica, in re¬ 
marking on the subject of poultry, says,— 
That sales were made of the white Shanghai, 
at $10—(and indirectly I learn, that $20 
and $25 wore offered and refused.)—and 
that tho colored varieties were s >ld at $3 to 
$5 the pair. 
Now tho sober-minded, cautious portion 
of tho community, have from the beginning 
greatly apprehended that this whole subject 
of Chinese fowls is an imposition,—a hum¬ 
bug— and that thoy possess no intrinsic 
merit to justify such prices as are demand¬ 
ed and obtained for them. On the other 
hand, candid, intelligent men, in reply, have 
urged and illustrated tho fact that there is, 
in reality, extra intrinsic value in the Chi¬ 
nese fowl. That it is decidedly larger as a 
breed than tho native fowls of this country 
— a more prolific layer — equally haidy, 
domestic, quiet and of good habits—of more 
beautiful form, and finer plumage, — of 
courso a most decided improvement upon 
our native stock. 
If humbug then exists, where is it to bo 
found ? It is not to be found, as I conceive, 
on tho part of the cultivator and vender— 
hut on tho part of tho purchaser himself.— 
That a sensible man should give from ten 
to twenty-five dollars for a pair of white 
birds, because they were white, when he 
could obtain a pair of beautiful colored 
birds of tho same breed, at $3, because they 
were colored, would subject*him to the 
charge of any thing rather than of wisdom 
and discretion. 
A man. to be sure, has a perfect right to 
consult his own taste and fancy; and, as a 
matter of fancy, to pay such price for a 
white fowl in preference to a colored, us he 
may incline. Placed on this ground, we 
find no fault with him for paying $25 for a 
white in preference to a colored bird. We 
will only consider him, any thing olse than 
a wise man, and a philosopher. But to con¬ 
sider this circumstance of color, as aground 
of difference in tho intrinsic value of the 
birds, partakes largely of the character of 
humbug,—of imposition perpetrated by the 
purchaser upon himself. There cannot be 
shown a difference of tho worth of a foath- 
or, merely on account of color, in tho in¬ 
trinsic value of tho white, compared with 
tho buff, the black and the yellow birds of 
tho same family. Tho accident of color is 
contingent, tho same as with our native 
fowls. It does not in tho remotest degree 
alter or affect the habits, the size, the pro¬ 
ductiveness or the form of the bird. A 
white Dorking or white Shanghai, is not 
worth the value of a straw more on this ac¬ 
count, in any one particular that constitutes 
valuo, than the colored, where both varieties 
havo been subject, in all respects, to like 
circumstances. It is desirable that this sub¬ 
ject should ho placed in its true aspect, be¬ 
fore the community—and should bo under¬ 
stood by every farmer who wishes to 
improvo his native stock. 
A cock of either of theso varieties, such 
as tho party might prefer, admitted into his 
flock, would greatly enhance the valuo of 
tho ordinary fowls of tho farmer. The ef¬ 
fect would bo, to enlarge the sizo, improvo 
tho form, to strengthen and confirm quiet, 
good habits, and induce more uniformity 
and beauty of color,—and would at least 
continue, if it did not greatly enhance pro¬ 
ductiveness in tho increase. These are desi¬ 
rable and important items and would all be 
compassod in the usoof a bird of tho foreign 
breeds. With entire confidence I antici¬ 
pate tho time, and that not remote, when 
tho handsomo colored varieties will com¬ 
mand a price double to that of the white; 
both on account of superior beauty of plum¬ 
age, and of tho delicacy and tenderness of 
a white compared with the hardiness of a 
colored bird;—and for tho reason, that on 
this subject, men will, by and by, begin to 
exorcise common sense. Vindex. 
Get your stock in good heart for winter. 
POTATO CULTURE.-AN EXPERIMENT. 
Mr. Moore :— I have made an experiment | 
with Potatoes this season, and derived j 
knowledge which, if possessed five years ago, j 
would have benefited meat least $50 a year. 
When I commenced farming in Western New 
York, I was governed by the advice of friends 
and neighbors, (practical farmers,) in most 
of my operations in tho great science of ag¬ 
riculture. In tho cultivation of potatoes I 
found a very groat diversity of opinion, but 
tho majority were in favor of very light 
seeding,— some planting only about four 
bushels to tho acre, by cutting very small 
and planting one piece in a hill, the hills 
about threo foot apart each way. Somo 
would say, “If you want to raiso large po¬ 
tatoes, you must plant large ones, and plant 
them whole, and if you plant small potatoes 
you will get small ones.” Others insisted 
that small potatoes were as good for seed as 
tho largest and best. 
I recollect reading in tho “Plow-Boy,” 
editod and published by Solomon Soutii- 
wick. Esq., (tho great champion of Anti- 
Masonry.)—a long controversy about large 
and small potatoes for seed, between (I 
should think.) a lawyer and a distiller ; the 
one showing on philosophical principles, 
that good size, fair shaped and perfectly ripe 
potatoes, were as essential to propagate 
from as the best, strongest, and most sym¬ 
metrical horse — in other words, that “ like 
begets like,” in tho vegetable as well as in 
the animal kingdom. Tho other asserted 
as a fact that he could mako as much whis¬ 
key from a bushol of small potatoes as he 
could from a bushel of large ones, and that 
therefore they would produce as well, or 
were as good for seed, as the largest. This 
is tho kind of “book farming” that practi¬ 
cal men object to, but “ book farming” of 
tho present day, has become a practical mat¬ 
ter. Tho hook, now, is chiefly written by 
men who dig their potatoes where they grow 
—not by men who would say, “ Bring your 
’taters here if you want me to dig ’em.” 
But I was about to givo you my experi¬ 
ments. The first was with the common 
Mercers. Planted threo strips through the 
centro of tho field, six rods of ground in 
each strip of four rows,—all lying side by 
side; the treatment and soil was the same 
through the whole as near as could be : 
No. 1—Two small potatoes in the hill; product 8J* bush. 
No. 2—Three do. do. do. do. do. 
No. 3—Four pieces,—cut from large and small; do. 10 do. 
The average about 250 bushels to tho 
acre, and no perceptible difference in the 
quality of the potatoes. 
The second was with the Merinos or West¬ 
ern Reds; same number rows, samo quality 
of land and along side of the last; quality 
of soil, and cultivation the same : 
No. 1—One whole potato (four to five ozs.) 
in the hill; product 12J bushels. No. 2— 
Two pieces in a hill, two to four eyes on 
each; product 10 bushels. 
Avorago 300 bushels to tho aero. 
Here is the result of tho experiment— 
which is perfectly satisfactory to me, that 
tho want of success is often attributable to 
a want of seed. I havo another experiment 
which may bo interesting,—separate plant¬ 
ings of tho crowns or seed ends, the middles 
and tho butts. These are the White Mor- 
cers, planted late and are still growing. 
West Macedou, N. Y.. Oct.., 1S52. I. W. B. 
Wool Growing in Southern New York.-— In 
remitting payment for a club of subscribers to 
The Wool Grower, a gentleman residing in Jas¬ 
per, Steuben county, writes:—“ The people here 
are beginning to pay some attention to the im¬ 
proved breeds of stock. The wool has been a 
little polk'd over our eyes, in buying some sheep, 
said lo be French Merino. Thoy are probably 
about half Saxony, anti their fleeces weigh from 
•1 to 5 lbs. Mr. It. J. Jonhs, of Cornwall, Yt., has 
sold in this vicinity about three hundred of the 
Spanish Merinos, which givo good satisfaction to 
the purchasers ; the wool is on the sheep, and not 
over the purchasers’ eyes. I have twenty-four 
: breeding ewes from the said Jonhs’ flock. Their 
fleeces this year averaged 5 lbs., and some weighed 
6’J lbs. After receiving your paper, I hope to 
send you more subscribers, as some work of the 
kind, properly conducted, is much needed in 
Steuben and Allegany.” 
THE OHIO STATE FAIB. 
Having inadvertently omitted to notice 
at proper length, this superior and altogeth¬ 
er creditable Exhibition, we transfer the fol¬ 
lowing brief articlo from the last number of 
tho Wool Grower and Stock Register : 
Ohio is entitled to the banner, this year, — for, 
from all accounts, her State Fair has been the most 
complete of any held during the season. We 
congratulate the farmers of Ohio upon the victory 
they have achieved, in (temporarily at least,) lo¬ 
cating the “star of empire” in their midst,—and 
trust they will never havo a less successful festival. 
Of the show we are unable to speak from personal 
observation, (illness detaining us, much against 
our will, at home,) but all reports agroo in pro¬ 
nouncing the exhibition superior. Wo condense 
the following from the Ohio Cultivator : 
The amount received for entries and admissions 
was $13,230 50. From G0,000 to 75,000, it is 
estimated, entered the grounds. The arrangement 
of grounds and buildings, police regulations, Ac., 
were admirable. 
Of Cattle tho entries numbered 375, and tho 
number of animals was over 400—embracing 
Durhams, Devons, Ayrshires, Herefords, and Na¬ 
tives, with all tho intermediate grades. Of 
Durhams there was a splendid show, including the 
choicest animals from tho noted herds of Messrs. 
Sullivant. Watts, Renick, IIarrold, Hadlky and 
others. Ot Devons and their grades there was a 
large show, mid the quality, as a whole, excellent 
The Ayrshires and Herefords exhibited, though 
not numerous, were greatly admired. Fat cattle 
made a good display. “ As a whole the show of 
cattle was certainly the best ever held in tho west; 
and for Durhams we do not think it has ever been 
excelled in the Union. The show of good Horses, 
we can safely say, was never equalled in the west. 
“ The number of entries for Sheep amount to 
about 200, many of thorn in lots of five. There 
was a very strong representation of all tho popular 
styles, especially Merinos, Saxonys and Long- 
wools, with the various crosses of Spanish and 
French; Leicesters, South-Downs, Oxfordshircs, 
Ac., with several of the Chinese broad-tails, which 
are a cusiosity at least Licking, Wayne, Stark, j 
Columbiana, Harrison, Ashland, Morrow and 
Lorain, all laid in high claims to the best stock, 
with a good competition from Cuyahoga, Medina, 
Huron, Champaign, and other places in Ohio, to- | 
gether with choice stock from Vermont, N. York, 
Pennsylvania and Indiana. The cause of sheep 
improvement is rising upon its own merits, and 
the public mind is fast settling the question as to 
which is the most profitable breed. A thorough 
trial by experience will lead farmers to select such 
as will pay tho best upon the capital invested.— 
Many of our wool-growers have so improved their 
flocks that we opine there is scarcely any further I 
need for going to Europe, in hopes of making them J 
better by new importations.” 
The display in each department is said to have 
been every way creditable to tiro State and Society. 
SAVING SEED DEANS. 
A writer in one of our agricultural pa- | 
pers lately recommended that tho largest 
pods, and thoso containing the greatest i 
number of beans, should bo selected for 
seed. Though this is doubtless a good 
practice, in general, yet it requires judg¬ 
ment in tho exercise of it. It may result 
in securing pods of greater length, contain¬ 
ing a greater number of seeds, but from 
some observations that I havo recently 
made I am inclined to believe that what is 
gained in number may bo lost in size. I 
havo for several years cultivated a favorite 
variety of beans, tho pod of which usually ; 
contains about fivo to soyou seeds, occasion- j 
ally eight. In the last case, however, tho j 
pod is generally more slender and tho bean > 
smaller. The exceptions are comparatively j 
few. Hence, unless the host and largest of ! 
thoso bo taken for reproduction, the bean ; 
will doubtless degenerate. There is no j 
doubt, that if the best of the yield of a veg- J 
etablo production bo always used for ropro- j 
ductiou, tho now product will generally bo I 
an improvement on tho old. 
In gathering my beans this season, I se¬ 
lected soveral largo fair pods, containing 
fivo to seven beans each—others taken at 
random, containing four, others six, and oth¬ 
ers seven, each—also some containing eight, 
and weighed the seeds, and the following 
was the result:—Of the first, (large pods,) j 
eighteen beans were equal in weight to nine- 
teen of the second, (fours, sixes and sevens,) J 
and to 23 of tho third, (eights.) h. ( 
