TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
VOL. IX. NO. 17. \ 
“.PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
ROGHESTM, N. Y.-SATURDAY, APRIL U, 1858, 
[SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
jWHOLE NO. 138. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEVV-l'ORKEll, 
■AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
Agricultural, I.itcrary and Family Newspaper. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AH ABLE CORPS OF ASSISTANT EDITORS. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique and 
beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his pcisonal atten¬ 
tion to the supervision of its various departments, and earnestly labors 
to render toe Rural an eminently Reliablo Guide on toe important 
Practical, Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with the 
business of those whose interests it zealously advocates. It embraces 
more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, I.itcrary and 
News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful Engravings, 
than any (tiler journal,— rendering it tile mast complete Agricultu¬ 
ral Literary and Family Journal in America 
ITiT- All communications, and business letters, should be addrmwd 
to D. D. T. MOORE. Rochester, N. Y. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page 
U’-'-t)' 
BEANS AS A FIELD CROP. 
Although beans are now selling muck lower 
than at any other time for many years, we judge 
from the inquiries now before us, that farmers in¬ 
tend to engage pretty largely in bean culture the 
present year. Without answering these inquiries 
in detail, we will give all the information sought 
for, in as brief a space as possible. The best soil 
for the bean is a light loam, and we have seen good 
crops raised on land so light as to appear unsuit¬ 
able for almost any other crop. On heavy, rich 
land a strong growth of vine is produced, but the 
yield of fruit is not correspondingly large, and the 
crop ripens late, often causing difficulty and loss 
in harvesting. A heavy dressing of strong manure 
generally produces the same result. Nothing can 
be better for beans than a clover sod, on a sandy 
soil, nicely turned over and dragged until the whole 
surface is as fine and smooth as an onion bed. 
After the selection of the soil, the next consider¬ 
ation i3 the best kind of seed to plant Here two 
or three things deserve especial attention. Pro¬ 
ductiveness in this, as in all other crops, is an im¬ 
portant matter, but there are others of at least 
equal importance. Early maturity and uniformity 
in ripening, should be well considered. The bean 
plant is extremely tender, and is destroyed by the 
slightest frost, so that it cannot be planted early, 
nor be depended upon to make growth or ripen 
its seed after there is danger of frost in the autumn. 
It is almost impossible to properly harvest a crop 
that ripens unevenly, whether this results from the 
nature of the sort, or from mixture of seed. The 
green beans shrivel, become dark colored, and un¬ 
less great pains is taken in sorting, the salableness 
of the whole crop is injured. 
We give drawings of three of the most popular 
sorts. 1. The White Kidney. 2. The White Moun¬ 
tain. 8. The Medium White. The first is a very 
good bean, ripens early, and sells at a good price; 
but it is rather unproductive, and therefore un¬ 
profitable for the farmer. The White Mountain is 
an excellent bean, better to our taste than the 
Kidney, and is more productive. It is a great 
favorite with dealers and consumers here. The 
Medium is the great market bean—matures evenly, 
bears abundant crops, and though not selling as 
high as the other sorts, is, perhaps, the most profit¬ 
able for the farmer to raise. The two first will 
always bring, in our market, at least one shilling 
per bushel more than this variety. 
The best time for planting is the latter part of 
May, or quite early in June. If planted earlier 
than this, and the season is wet and cold, the seed 
is very apt to rot in the ground; and if a warm 
spell should give them a start, and be succeeded 
by frosts, after the beans had got above ground, 
the whole would be destroyed. They may be plant¬ 
ed in hills, about two feet apart, and five or six 
plants to a hill, though we prefer drills wide enough 
apart to admit the use of the cultivator, and suffi¬ 
ciently close in the drills to take about 1| bushels 
to the acre. Two inches is sufficient covering. 
Those who own drills can use them in planting 
beans to great advantage, but those who have not 
this facility, can construct a simple heavy marker, 
to be drawn by a horse. One man or boy can then 
drop the seed by hand, and another cover. The 
after culture is simple and easy, and is mostly done 
by the cultivator. 
The harvesting is quite an important matter. It 
is necessary to have the crop secured before there 
is danger of frost, and if the beans are fully formed 
it is sometimes wise to house them without waiting 
for further ripening. When the season, however, 
is favorable, they should be allowed to remain 
until the latest pods are turned to a yellow color. 
Then pull them up, lay in small heaps to dry, and 
thresh a3 soon a3 dry enough. This is all well, 
and can be done very easily if the weather is warm 
and dry. If, however, cold showers should be the 
order of the day, the harvesting will be much more 
difficult. The practice of some is to collect them 
in large piles around stakes, with the roots in the 
centre. Here, if sufficiently ripened, and the 
1 weather is not too wet, they will cure without a 
i great loss; hut in unfavorable seasons, we have 
- seen them damaged very materially. Others carry 
’ them directly from the field to the barn, where they 
} occupy every available space for drying, and in a 
s short time become sufficiently dry for threshing. 
1 This is, perhaps, the safest and best way. If any of 
’ onr readers know of a better method of curing, 
they could not do better than communicate the 
fact through the Rural, as this is where many fail, 
1 and almost all suffer more or less loss. 
- ■ -—- 
INDIAN CORN —PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 
All sections of our country seem adapted to the 
growth of Indian corn, and it is, nearly eveiy where, 
one of our most surely remunerating crops.— 
Hence it is receiving increased attention in the 
older States, and on the Western prairies eve^ 
year takes possession of its millions of newly 
plowed acres; being now the great crop of the 
nation, both for home consumption and export. 
As an article of human food, both primarily and in 
the form of fattened beef and pork, it, fills a place 
which no other product can take as profitably to the 
American farmer, and there is always in both these 
forms a foreign demand for the surplus product. 
The failures of the corn crop from blights, dis¬ 
eases, and insect enemies, are nnfreqnent compared 
with other agricultural products. As a general 
rule, the yield per acre, is almost uniformly in pro¬ 
portion with the attention given to the preparation 
of the soil, the manuring, seasonable planting, and 
culture; and by proper care in these respects, the 
crop may be counted upon as large and certain. 
Nor does the character of the season, whether wet 
or dry, warm or cold, have all that influence which 
it does on some other grains. Let the season be 
but long enough, without cutting frosts, for the 
corn to mature, and we shall find many good crops 
in almost every section. 
Probably a well-drained loam furnishes the most 
congenial soil for corn—if at the same time it is 
rich and well-tilled, no better situation and pros¬ 
pect need be desired. But on sour, wet lands, corn 
will not flourish, nor will the manure it requires 
produce that beneficial effect which follows its 
application on more porons, or better drained, and 
hence warmer soils. If the land be deep, rich and 
dry, it matters little whether it be sand, clay, or 
muck, though a mixture of the three is most 
favorable to this as well as many other crops. 
A deep soil is requisite to a large growth of corn, 
because the roots always correspond with the re¬ 
maining part of the plant. One can not get a 
large hill of corn to grow on a shallow soil; how¬ 
ever rich that soil may be it needs depth as well as 
fertility. It needs depth, too, that it may retain 
moisture; that it may take it from the air, and 
attract it from beneath, that it may not be dried np 
by the heat or saturated at once by the rain— that 
in short, it may supply to a large, rapidly growing 
plant, the most favorable conditions for continued 
growth and full fructification. 
That the soil be rich is another requisite to large 
returns from this crop. And no plant bears better, 
or repays more richly an abundant supply of ma¬ 
nure than Indian corn. Its growth, favorably 
situated, is large, quick, and healthy; and it is a 
gross feeder, not often injuriously affected by the 
qnantity or quality of fertilizing material applied. 
Though like other crops, this has its favorite ali¬ 
ment, yet it possesses greater powers of assimilating 
the different manures to its use than most other 
grains. In this respect it is like the grass crop, 
and is even more favorable for high manuring, for 
the purpose of restoring fertility to worn-out lands. 
It should never be forgotten that, for its own sake, 
it requires a fertile soil — that it always rewards 
such — and that it is ever more profitable to the 
farmer to produce his hundreds of bushels of corn 
on at least half as many acres as hundreds, rather 
than give larger area to the crop. To do this only i 
good culture is required, and it is folly to plant 
without bestowing such on the whole crop. 
A dry, or in other words, a well-drained soil, is \ 
one of the first requisites to the successful growth j 
of corn. This has been more than intimated in < 
our previous remarks, but we will here urge some i 
further reasons therefor. A wet soil cannot be 1 
worked sufficiently early in the season to admit of t 
the preparation required before planting. It i 3 ( 
important that this crop be put in seasonably, that 1 
it may mature before the approach of frost in 5 
autumn. A week’s delay may seriously injure the £ 
crop—may, indeed, render it comparatively worth- e 
less. A wet soil is also a cold one —it will not j 
hasten forward vegetation as fast as a dry and warm ;<i 
one —nor will the growth be of that healthy char- I i 
acter necessary to a large product. A well-drained ' c 
soil, on the contrary, can be prepared early and 
well, and hastens the maturity of crops grown upon 
it, as well as gives the full measure in quantity 
and quality. 
In a word, the preparation of soil required for 
Indian corn, must give it depth, fertility, and, if 
inclined to wet, freedom from stagnant water; and 
these are best attained by draining, manuring, and 
deep plowing — the last two should thoroughly as 
possible intermix the fertilizing material with the 
soil. 
RACKS AND MANGERS. 
J. H. B. calls upon me for that “ good, permanent, 
capacious manger,” made so that cattle “can’t get 
their food out of it except by eating it out.” nere 
it is. Four feet from the back side of your shed 
place a stick of timber high enough for the bottom 
of your manger; at regular intervals frame in scant¬ 
ling, horizontally, which shall extend from the first 
mentioned stick to the sill of the shed, if it is the 
right height, and if not, a stick may be placed to 
receive the scantling. Upon these scantling put 
seasoned boards so as to make a tight floor, which 
is the bottom of your manger. Every five feet, 
more or less, frame in a 3 by 4 scantling, which 
shall extend from the first mentioned timber to a 
beam or other timber over-head; spike on to these 
scantling or studs two hard wood inch-and-a-quarter 
boards, each 15 inches wide, which makes the front 
of your manger. Make one side of these studs 
smooth and they will answer for “ stanchions ,” 
provide others to match after the usual mode; 
scollop out the front boarding between the stan¬ 
chions according to the height of your cattle; stick 
the heads of your cattle in and pin them fast, and 
my word for it they can’t get any fodder out except 
by “eating it out.” 
I don’t know but a mar, is in danger of the night¬ 
mare who puts bis uattio i.( stanchions; ho would 
have it possibly if he was forced to sleep with his 
own head between two sticks, and therefore I do 
not recommend this mode of confinement, though 
it is effectual, as regards saving fodder. 
A slight modification, however, will do. Con¬ 
struct the manger as above, except that the upright 
scantling will be fast at both ends, and twenty 
inches apart. Cut away the boards so as to enable 
the creature to get its head to the bottom and tie 
with a rope. 
FRESH WATER AQUARIUM. 
I give a front view of the manger. It will he the 
same in a stable or under a shed. There is no 
way that an animal can possibly fodder out of 
this manger if it is boarded up high enough, except 
by taking a mouthful, backing out and then drop¬ 
ping it Whatever the form of the manger, ani¬ 
mals should be fed only so much as they need, and 
refuse fodder should not be suffered to accumulate. 
An open shed, made warm and deep, in a protected 
situation, I think is sometimes preferable, on the 
score of economy, to a stable, especially for young 
cattle. The cattle, if peaceably disposed, may re¬ 
main untied. 
Since writing the foregoing, the Rural comes to 
hand with an appropriate article from P. H. I am 
glad racks and mangers are attracting the atten¬ 
tion of thinking men; beyond a doubt subjects 
comparatively unimportant are more thoroughly 
discussed. 
I think it preferable to have onr racks in all 
cases under cover—if under a shed the manure will 
be mostly deposited where it ought to be, and 
if the shed is six or seven feet high it will con¬ 
tain the manure of a whole year. A slight sprink¬ 
ling may benefit fodder — but will the clouds hold 
up when they have let down just enough? Hay 
when drenched is unpalateable. If you have racks 
in the open yard, you should also have them under 
cover for cold and stormy weather. 
The necessity of feeding just enough, and before 
feeding again, clearing out refuse matter so as not 
to let the mangers get full, cannot be too strongly 
insisted upon. For open yards and even for sheds, 
the racks referred to by P. H. will do very well, but 
my plan is very convenient for foddering, as the 
bay may be thrown from the loft of the shed, 
through an opening in the floor at the back side, 
directly into the manger. Sheds are generally 
built so low as to hold little fodder. Build a shed 
24 feet by 40, with a floor 7 feet from the ground, 
and the plates—(it should have a double roof, with 
eavetroughs)—8 feet above the floor and a good 
pitch to the roof; this will hold some fodder, and 
fit should be joined to the hay barn, at one end, and 
if possible to a straw barn or straw stack at the 
other. —iL t. b. 
With this number we close for the present our 
remarks on the Aquarium. The large engraving 
gives a view of a section of an Aquarium with 
plants, Ac., and that singular little fish, the Stickle¬ 
back. The engraving below exhibits on a small 
scale, one got np for amusement and instruction, 
and suitable for the parlor, with the construction 
of which we have had something to do. The posts 
are cast iron, with a groove on the inside, in which 
the edges of the glass meet, and the top of the 
frame heavy sheet iron. The bottom is a marble 
slab, obtained at the factory, and similar to the 
tops of ordinary stands. At each corner of the 
marble bottom a hole is drilled, into which the 
corner posts are fastened, by means of screws and 
nuts. The glass used was American, of double 
thickness, and this seems to answer a good purpose. 
In addition to the holes in the corners of the 
marble, a seam about a quarter of an inch deep 
should be cut, into which the glass may set. The 
frame being made, the glass may be fitted in and 
fastened in its place. The only thing now to be 
done, is to cement carefully all the seams, so that 
when filled no water may escape. Great care will 
have to be exercised here, or leakage may occur, 
and the work have to be doneagaiD. Many kinds 
of cement will doubtless answer the purpose, and 
many fail. Something must be used that will ad¬ 
here firmly both to the glass and marble, and that 
will not lose any of its virtue by being constantly 
under water. Resinous cements, we see it stated, 
will injure the fish, but whether this is so or not, 
■we cannot state. We have kept fish in a tank 
cemented by gas-fitter’s cement for several weeks, 
in'apparent health. 
After the case is ready, the work of furnishing 
may commence. Some old, picturesque-looking 
rock may be placed in the centre. Then the.bot- 
tom'should have a coating of sand, and on this 
about an inch or so of clean gravel. We see it is I 
stated by some writers on the subject, that all 
earthy matter is injurious to the fish. In our first 
attempt at this work, we placed some muck, col¬ 
lected from the edges of a pond, at the bottom, and 
on the top of this we placed sand and graveL We 
did not perceive that it affected the fish injuriously, 
nor did it discolor the water in the least The sand 
and gravel seemed to act as a filter. In this muck 
we inserted the roots of a fine Egyptian Lily, and 
it remained in blossom for many weeks. In the 
crevices of the rock, and covered with moss, we 
fastened bulbs of- the Hyacinth and Narcissus 
andjjhad a'fine display of flowers. As we com¬ 
menced our work in the middle of the winter, we 
had no opportunity to obtain wild aquatic plants, 
and had to confine ouic“lves to such as we could 
obtain at the green-houses. Nevertheless, the dis¬ 
play well repaid us for all our labor. 
As soon as the plants commenced growing, we 
placed^a few gold-fish in the tank, and afterwards 
others, as fast as we could obtain them. It is not 
best to depend entirely on the plants, at first, to 
keep the water in a proper condition for the health 
of the fish. A portion of it should be changed 
every day or two and the effect watched. In a 
short time this may be found unnecessary. A very 
good tank, we have no doubt, might be made with 
wooden posts, and a heavy oak bottom, so that 
any body can make the experiment, without being 
alarmed at the cost. 
a Jn k 
l! 
■ • 
■ 
ML ^ 
SMALL AQUARIUM, FOR PARLOR. 
Our engraver, George Frauenberger, has had 
more experience than any one in this section, in 
constructing Parlor Aquariums, aud we believe it 
is his intention to prepare a number for sale, to 
supply in part the public demand. 
MORE ABOUT CLOVER SEED. 
Messrs. Eds.: — I saw in a late Rural a call upon 
farmers for communications on “the raising, 
gathering, curing and cleaning of clover seed.” As 
I have just completed cleaning the products of a 
twenty-acre field, I send you a statement of my 
method of managing it, the results, Ac. 
The first crop was cut for hay in June. The 
land being poor, I got only about forty dollars 
worth. The second crop was cut late in the fall 
with a common cradling scythe, and raked by hand 
into bunches small enough to dry out readily after 
a rain. It was left in this condition several weeks, 
preparatory to threshing. During this period it 
was turned several times. When sufficiently rotted 
to leave the straw readily, it was drawn to the barn 
and threshed off with the flail, and the chaff and 
straw separated. Lastly, to separate the chaff from 
the seed, the common grain thresher and wind¬ 
mill were used. For this purpose the threshing 
machine must be closely boxed up, leaving a small 
