158 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
MAY 15 
leaves, especially those encased in their peculiar 
coating of Bilicious or glassy varnish, completely 
repelled it. The injury in the former case, being 
the destruction of the functions of the leaf, in the 
latter only corrosive spots where the liquor, by re¬ 
pulsion, had formed itself into drops on various 
parts of the leaf. lie found that the injury pro¬ 
duced by these was only local, unaffecting the gen¬ 
eral condition of the plant, whilst that resulting 
from the destruction of the functions of the potato 
leaf was almost immediately fatal, the whole plant 
becoming disorganized, and its vitality extinct in 
a short time. 
Boussingault, the eminent French Agricultural 
Chemist, states that the potato rot has existed 
for many years in Central America, — where 
the potato is said to be indigenous,— but it is 
confined to low and damp situations, and hollows 
where rain water collects after summer shoicers 
and this is a strong proof that the acid which 
burns aud blights the potato plant is contained in 
rain water, at particular seasons, and under peculiar 
circumstances. 
MOST EFFECTUAL MEANS OF PREVENTING TIIE ROT. 
In Scotland, when the potato rot was in “full 
blast,” and destroying almost the entire crop of 
that country, Mr. David Martin, of Muirhead, 
Fife, preserved his crop perfectly free from all dis¬ 
ease, by forming his drills in such a manner that 
they threw off the rain, and did not permit it to 
enter the soil near the stems of his potatoes. In a 
letter to the Dundee Courier, he states that he had 
not a diseased potato for the last three years, by 
adopting the following plan: — “I make my drills 
three feet apart, and as soon as the stalks are 
formed I bend them all to one side, and raise up 
the earth well to them on the other, making a deep 
furrow so that the rain is carried away from the 
roots. The potatoes grow out of the sides of the 
drills, and in this position receive no injury from 
the rain that falls during thunder storms.” 
When the nature of the disease is fully under¬ 
stood, and the time and manner of its approach 
pointed out, precautions may be taken to guard 
against its attack, and prevent its ravages. Among 
the most effectual means of doing so, will bo found 
the following: —Select hardy varieties which are 
calculated to withstand the effects of the blight — 
which is the forerunner of the rot,— plant them 
early, taking care not to allow them to sprout before 
they are planted except in cases of forcing such as 
will be described in another place. In order that 
the plants may not be retarded in their growth by 
any means, the soil should be well and deeply 
tilled, and when manure is necessary to increase its 
fertility, well-rotted dung will be found much supe¬ 
rior to long, badly prepared manure, as the former 
will at once yield nutriment to the young plants, 
and give them a vigorousstart The ground should 
be kept perfectly free from weedp, and the plants 
moulded in proper time, in order to strengthen 
them and promote their growth, for the best mode 
of preventing rot, is to have the crop ripe or nearly 
so, before the blight makes its appearance. 
Five years ago, in an essay on the “ Cultivation of 
the Potato, ” published in the Transactions of the 
Mich. State Ag. Society, I described a method of 
forcing, which the London market gardeners had 
adopted in order to procure an early supply of 
potatoes for the metropolitan market, and men¬ 
tioned the fact that potatoes which were raised ac¬ 
cording to this plan, and allowed to remain in the 
ground until perfectly ripe, were never attacked by 
the rot, as the tops were withered, and the tubers 
ripe, before the disease made its appearance. The 
following is a description of this method of for¬ 
cing:—The seed potatoes or sets, are placed on 
shelves in houses or sheds, which are heated so as 
to cause them to sprout. When the sprouts have 
grown to the length of two or three inches, they 
are taken down carefully and placed in drills 
which have been highly manured and every way 
well prepared to receive them. This is done very 
early in spring before the unforced seed has commenced 
to grow. The tops of the sprouts reach very near 
the surface, and where they are lightly covered with 
clay they immediately commence growing, and soon 
appear above the surface, and outstrip those which 
are planted in any of the common methods. I laid 
these facts before the farmers of Michigan in 
1853, in order to convince them of the importance 
of planting their potatoes early, and managing them 
so as to ensure early ripening. It is a remarkable 
fact that at the last Fair of the American Institute, 
held in the Crystal Palace, New York, the attention 
of members of that Society was directed to an arti¬ 
cle on the Potato Rot, in the last volume of the 
Transactions of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England, in which the plan of sprouting which I 
had described four years ago was fully set forth, and 
recommended as an excellent means of preventing the 
rot. So it turns out that I have not only been on 
the right track for a long time, but far ahead of all 
other investigators of the cause and cure of this 
malady. 
In order to escape the rot, it will be necessary to 
avoid all low, damp situations, and places that are 
too much sheltered by trees or buildings, as mois¬ 
ture remains so long on the leaves in such places 
that the plants are much more liable to be damaged 
than those which are grown in open, airy situa¬ 
tions. Light, sandy soils are more suited to the 
growth of healthy potatoes, than heavy, tenacious 
land, as the latter retains too much unwholesome 
moisture around the roots of the plants, and is 
also more liable to be visited by fogs, which are 
pregnant with destruction to the potato. 
The vitality of the potato has been very much 
injured by careless husbandry, and errors in the 
cultivation, which have made it more susceptible 
of disease, than it has been in former times. The 
following are some of the causes of its failure: 
1st. Having the sets too long cut before they are 
planted, and neglect in turning them, and sha¬ 
ding from light, &c. 
2d. Permitting the sets to remain too long un¬ 
covered in the drills in which they are planted. 
3d. Planting tender varieties, which are not 
strong enough to withstand blight, and on this 
account are easily destroyed. 
4th. Planting the same kind of seed too fre¬ 
quently; a frequent change being necessary. 
5th. Using dry or badly prepared manure—well- 
rotted dung, moistened with liquid manure, being 
the best and most reliable recipe for producing an 
abundant crop. 
Gth. Having the drills too long made before the 
sets are planted; in this case, the soil becomes so 
dry that it is unfavorable to vegetation. Potatoep, 
or any other kind of crop, should be planted while 
the land is fresh after being plowed, as by this 
means the seed will vegetate immediately, and the 
soil being loose and friable, the young roots can 
spread on every side in quest of nourishment. 
We have mentioned in another place, the impor¬ 
tance of having the sets planted before the strength 
and vitality is damaged by sprouting in the root- 
houses, pits or cellars where they have been stored, 
unless in cases of forcing, where the sprouts are 
not broken off but placed carefully in the ground— 
the greatest caution should be observed in prevent¬ 
ing the growth of the seed, until they have been 
planted. 
Some varieties of the potato withstand blight 
much better than others; these should be selected 
and planted early, in order to insure their ripening 
in proper time. All white potatoes are delicate, 
and are on this account liable to be destroyed by 
the rot The Lumper, the favorite variety of the 
Irish peasantry, was a large white potato, generally 
soft, and watery, but prized by the poor for its size 
and productiveness. It is scarcely necessary to 
say that it has been entirely destroyed by the rot, 
and has left not a trace behind, while the American 
Apple, the Russian Red and many other varieties 
of colored potatoes have weathered the storm, and 
continue to produce abundant crops. 
As undesigned coincidence is a very strong evi¬ 
dence of truth, I will direct the attention of the 
reader to the results of very interesting experi¬ 
ments which were made in the Royal Nursery Dear 
Potsdam in Prussia, for the purpose of testing the 
susceptibility of various kinds of the potato to dis¬ 
ease. See Patent Office Report, 1855. M. Lknni, 
the Director General of the Royal Nurseries, hav¬ 
ing observed that some varieties of the potato 
resisted the disease better than others, experiment¬ 
ed on several sorts, but only on those which were 
of superior quality and healthfulness. In the vi¬ 
cinity of Potsdam and other places, it had been 
remarked that potatoes which had a colored skin, 
resisted the rot better than those which were yel¬ 
low or white, and the result of the experiments j 
fully supported this opinion; butthe Prussian agri¬ 
culturists did not understand the reason of this 
difference. Every American farmer knows that 
white vegetables, seeds or animals, are less hardy, 
and more susceptible of disease, than those which 
are red, blue, black, or any other color; that white 
wheat is less hardy than red wheat; white oats 
than black oats; white turnips than yellow; white 
peas than grey, <fcc. On this account farmers 
should be particular in selecting seed of kinds 
which have been proved and found to be able to 
withstand the attacks of the potato blight. 
Deep tillage and thorough drainage are indis¬ 
pensably necessary to the successful cultivation of 
the potato. The contingency of summer floods 
should be provided for, and water should not be 
permitted to lodge in the drills, as many fine crops ol 
potatoes have been totally destroyed by rain water. 
Every farmer who has cultivated potatoes during 
the prevalence of the rot, knows that it generally 
appears after thunder storms and sometimes after 
fogs. An article in the January number of the 
British Quarterly Magazine fully explains the reason 
of the latter phenomenon—the following extract will 
be sufficient to show that an immense quantity of 
electricity is contained in a fog:—“Mr. Crosse’s 
apparatus enabled him to read the secrets of a 
November mist, aud those who have frequently 
pushed their way through these cold, raw, dreamy 
phenomenon, must be surprised to learn how often 
they have been sheeted in fire, and how calmly 
they have passed through a furnace more dreadful 
than Nerucuadnezzar’s. So vivid was the rush of 
fire along the conductors, that the eye could not bear 
to survey it for any length of time,—to have touched 
one of the balls whilst the liquid lightning was gush¬ 
ing forth, would have been instant death. Who could 
imagine that a simple mist contained such potent 
lightning; but it plainly shows that the atmosphere 
is composed of elements, which might be easily trans¬ 
formed into compounds, capable of poisoning, mad¬ 
dening or suffocating every creature that breathes.” 
I must now conclude this article, and submit it to 
the public. 
Detroit, Mich., April 23,1858. 
DRIVING BEES. 
Messrs. Eds: —In the Rural of April 3d, I 
noticed an inquiry for the safest and best method 
of driving a swarm of bees from one hive to 
another. Having had considerable experience in 
driving, and having met with complete success, I 
will, without hesitancy, give, for the benefit of all 
concerned, as well as for your correspondent in 
Sodus, the true modus operandu 
The time is of the most impoitance. The best 
time for driving is about twenty-one days after the 
issuing of the prime swarm; all the eggs she leaves 
in the worker cells will be matured in about that! 
period—consequently the best time for driving 
with the least waste. It can be done in about an 
hour. A little before night invert the hive to be 
driven, and place the empty one over so that they 
will exactly fit If they are not equal in diameter, 
the empty hive may be larger, but on no account 
smaller than the full one — otherwise, ten to one, 
the bees will refuse to enter. A few combs will 
tempt them up readily. Stop all the holes and 
with a light hammer or stick strike the bottom hive 
and that only, a few times lightly, then let it re¬ 
main five minutes. For what reason? seme may 
ask. It is this. It gives the bees a chance to fill 
their sacks with honey, which is necessary, should 
bad weather occur, in order to keep them from 
starvation, and is also indispensable, as it is the prin¬ 
cipal if not the only ingredient used for the construc¬ 
tion of comb. 
When the bees have filled their sacks, proceed to 
drive them into the upper hive by striking the 
lower one rapidly from five to ten minutes. A loud 
humming will be the first indication of their leav¬ 
ing— it is no sign of anger. When this ceases 
take the upper hive to its stand. If there are many 
bees left in the old hive, place another over it and 
beat the lower one again, when another portion 
will ascend; jar these in front of the first and they 
will immediately enter. Continue that process 
until all are out. 
The above instructions, if strictly followed, will 
insure success to the most ignorant bee-keeper. 
Middleport, N. Y., 1858. Mj.hi.on Bai.dridgb. 
“A BARLEY CROP.”-NO. IL 
Eds. Rural:— In an early number of last year 
(Jan. 10th, No. 2,) you gave a statement of our 
barley crop in 185G; I now send you another of 
the cost and product of that of the year ensu. 
ing. It may be well to recall the main facts:— 
That the yield in ’5G was 20 bushels per acre—the 
cost of culture, Ac., 62J cents per bushel — the 
price obtained $1 25,—that the season was charac¬ 
terized by drouth and heat, though the spring was 
late, cold and rainy. 
The lot sown in 1857 was corn stubble, manured 
well for previous crop, and mostly of a loamy soil, 
though some portions were clayey. Contents of 
the lot G£ acres. Plowed the last of November, 
sown on the 30th of April, and harvested early in 
August. Expenses as follows: 
6 % days plowing,.....$13 60 
2% “ clearing drains,_._ 1 87 
2 “ harrowing before sowing,___ 4 00 
1 “ sowing,. 100 
1% “ harrowing in,__ 3 00 
16% bushels seed @$125,.. 20 94 
5 days mowing barley,_ 5 00 
8 “ raising, turning and drawing in,. 8 00 
Threshing at 3% cents per bushel,. 7 00 
Interest on land @ $00 per acre,- 22 75 
$86 56 
j Cb. 
, 200 bushels barley @ 50 cents,..$100 00 
i Profit of the crop,....$13 44 
Here was a better product (30 bushels per acre,) 
grown at less cost (43J cents per bushel) and could 
it be sold for seven shillings (88 cents) per bushel, 
it would pay still better than last year's crop at last 
year's prices. We used to think barley paid well 
at GO to 75 cents per bushel, and it did. But I will 
leave every farmer to draw his own inferences and 
conclusions on the subject, only remarking that all 
the barley we have disposed of, raised last year, we 
have fed to cattle and sheep, and shall use still more 
in the same way. 
The last summer was a very wet one with us, in¬ 
juring all our crops more or less, and increasing 
the expense of securing them largely. I have es¬ 
timated the straw' as equal to other expenses of 
threshing and stacking, and have stated the items 
sufficiently large, that, were the product merely to 
cover them, there would be no loss to the farmer. 
Royal ton, N. Y., 1858. B. 
TEXAS-CLIMATE, AGRICULTURE, &c. 
Eds. Rural: —As to the health of Texas, I can 
speak quite favorably of a pretty good portion of 
the State, especially of the counties of Collin, Dal¬ 
las, Ellis, Hill and Navarro. There are many un¬ 
healthy localities, especially those contiguous to 
our larger streams, the Trinity, for instance. Seek 
a high, dry, rolling surface, and you will generally 
find it healthy. Most of the country west of the 
Trinity is prairie, w'orth, unimproved, $2 to $3 per 
acre. The water in the aforesaid counties is what 
we call the white rock water; quite clear, and 
somewhat impregnated with lime, and the best 
remedy I have ever yet found for dyspepsia. The 
rock is easily quarried from the banks of our small 
streams, can be sawed out to any desirable size for 
building chimneys, and sometimes for houses. It 
i^i susceptible of a very »oooth polish, and upon 
exposure to the air and sun becomes harder. 
We raise as good wheat here as in Western New 
York and with much less labor. As for the state 
of society, I think it will compare quite favorably 
with any State, no older than this. If any should 
conclude to come to Texas, with the intention of 
engaging in an honorable calling, and minding their 
own business, they can leave dirks and bowie knives 
behind. They will have no use for them here. Its 
all a mistake that a man must go armed, traveling 
in Texas; unless you are a sportsman and a “ gen¬ 
tleman by profession,” and expect to gain a living 
by the sweat of other brows, then I presume it 
would be advisable to come armed and equipped, 
or, which would be still better, not come at all. Our 
doors are. open, and our wide-extended fertile 
prairies, stand ready to greet a cordial welcome to 
the “bone and sinew of society.” And to the in¬ 
dustrious, the intelligent, or the hardy adventurer, 
with iron will to breast the hardships and priva¬ 
tions of a frontier life, Texas presents an inviting 
field; but, for the tender-footed, the frost bitten, or 
mama's pet, this is decidedly the wrong latitude.— 
The horned frogs and stinging scorpions would 
soon make a finish of them. 
Milford, Ellis Co., Texas, 1858. Edwix Finch. 
“SIGHTS” FOR DITCHERS' LEVELS. 
Eds. Rural:— R. H. desires directions for making 
and using the « sights” on the Ditchers’ LeveL The 
detached “sight” was shown in the engraving of 
the instrument, but not being described, perhaps, 
was not noticed. 
To make them, take a piece of tough wood three 
to four inches in diameter; bore a hole through the 
centre, 1] or 1£ inches; across it stretch two fine 
wires or threads, so as to cross each other in the 
centre of the hole. The adjustment is to make the 
line, passing through the intersections of the cross 
wires of the two sights, exactly at right angles to 
the perpendicular indicated by the plumb line. 
To do this, it is necessary to assume a line, which 
shall be the perpendicular, and mark it on the up¬ 
right part of the level. Making the plumb line 
cover this, look through the sights, and mark where 
a line passing through the intersections of the 
cross wires would strike some fixed object. TheD, 
changing the instrument end for end, (the standard 
must be firmly fixed,) look as before. If the matks 
coincide the instrument is in adjustment If they 
do not, the sights must be raised or depressed until 
they do. 
The method of using is to bring the instrument 
to a level; then look through the “sights” at a 
movable target on a graduated rod, and the height 
indicated on the rod less the elevation of the in¬ 
strument above the ground, is the difference of 
level between the two places. This is the principle 
of operation, for the most convenient method. I 
must refer again to the text books, as full instruc¬ 
tions cannot be condensed within the limits of a 
newspaper article. R. E. Me Nath. 
Chili, N. Y., 1858. 
As the “time to labor,” for domestic animals, is 
at hand, the careful farmer will watch their wants 
and relieve their necessities as may be required. 
INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS, 
Hungarian Grass Seed. — Enclosed is some 
Hungarian grass seed, which is the seed the Michi¬ 
gan man wanted to know something about. I think 
it is the same as what you published some account 
of before, written by an Iowa correspondent—J. 
C. H. S., Crawfordsville, Ind., 1858. 
Remarks. —The seed is the same as that received 
from Iowa, we should judge from appearance, but 
not as fully developed nor as well matured. 
Pea-Nuts —How shall we Grow Them. —A gen¬ 
tleman in a late number of the Rural informs us 
that pea nuts may he cultivated and reach the 
highest state of perfection in Adams Co., Ohio.— 
I entertain an idea that they may also thrive in 
Western New York. Will the same gentleman in¬ 
form us through the Rural of the season in which 
to plant them? Whether they must be taken from 
the shuck for planting, and his opinion as regards 
the growth in this (N. Y.) State?—A., Kendall, N. Y. 
Bleeding Cattle in the Sfring. —Much has 
been said for the last year or two, about “ Bleeding 
Kansas,” and, as she seems to be gaining strength 
now-a-days, I have been considering the propriety 
of bleeding poor cattle in the spring of the year. 
Having on hand some antediluvian cattle-frames, 
which I intend to finish off for beef (if possible) 
aud considering their low condition, and the “beef 
market,” I wish to use the most available and least 
expensive means, that human ingenuity can invent, 
to cover up their unsightly bones with flesh .— 
Whether they will or not do better by being bled, 
when turned out to grass, I “know nothing;” and 
presuming that you or some of your correspon¬ 
dents “know something,” any information upon 
the subject might be of use to me, and some others 
hereabouts who have some on hand “of the same 
sort”—C. C. Blodgett, Stowell's Comers, N. Y. 
Remarks. —It will be time enough to bleed just 
when you are ready to convert your stock into beef. 
Bleeding cattle for no other reasons than the fact of 
the arrival of pleasant weather, and the growth of 
food pleasant to their palates, is a nonsensical idea 
and ought to have been buried, with other crude 
notionp, long ago. 
The Heaves. —Having been a subscriber for 
your valuable paper for the last five years, I now 
venture to write you a few lines for the first time, 
it being so very fashionable to trouble you with all 
kinds of questions, of every name and nature, by 
way of inquiry; that is,in regard to the best method 
to De adopted in the treatment of heaver/ horses. — 
What food would be most beneficial for them while 
laboring under this peculiar disease? Here I may 
add, by way of experiment, something in relation 
to the lime remedy that was so highly recommend¬ 
ed by one of the Rural subscribers, last season. — 
I gave it a thorough trial, hoping a speedy cure of 
my horses would be the result; but, to my great 
disappointment, they grew worse instead of better, 
every day I continued feeding them with it. When 
I say lime experiment, I mean the one recommend¬ 
ing mixing lime and salt together, and sprinkling 
it on the mow, while mowing the hay. In my 
opinion the hay thus treated with lime was materi¬ 
ally injured for the use of horses. Any informa¬ 
tion throwing light on this subject would greatly 
oblige—A Friend to the Rural. 
Remarks. —We have had five or six years experi¬ 
ence with a heavey horse, and during that time we 
learned that a great many things recommended 
would not cure this disease, and a great many 
would not even relieve. Feeding wet feed is the 
best thing we can recommend. Moisten both hay 
and oats before feeding, and give shorts freely. A 
little ginger, two or three tablespoonfuls given with 
a feed of shorts will give speedy, but temporary re¬ 
lief, and is useful when the disease appears worse 
than common, or when any extraordinary exertion 
is required of the horse. 
HOW TO HEAD BLACKBIRDS, CROWS. &c. 
Messrs. Eds: —In the Rural just come to hand 
a correspondent says that tar applied to seed corn 
will prevent the crows from pulling the plant. It 
is so, but he recommends too much tar. I have had 
much experience, and will venture to recommend 
a less quantity. Put a bushel of corn in a basket; 
pour a pailful of hot water on it—let it drain off, | 
then take your tar paddle out of the tar and wipe 
off all you can conveniently and stir the hot corn. 
Mix a small quantity of plaster—enough to dry the 
com—and that is sufficient Too much tar has of¬ 
ten spoiled the seed to my knowledge, and the 
least possible amount is sufficient Crows do not 
like it—A. Marcellus, Pittsford, N. Y., 1858. 
Noticing in a late number an inquiry as to the 
best manner of heading the blackbirds, and seeing 
only one remedy prescribed, I thought I would 
send you another that I have used for years with 
good success. My method of preparing seed corn 
to prevent the depredations of blackbirds, crows, 
chip-squirrels, or wire-worms, is to tar it as fol¬ 
lows:—To two thirds pail boiling water add tar the 
amount of a hen’s egg; stir ’till dissolved, then 
pour in the corn, stirring continually for one or 
two minutes—turn off the water, dry with ashes, 
and plant immediately.—A. Reeves, N. Y., 1858. 
The only certain remedy that I have found to 
prevent blackbirds, squirrels and fowls pulling or 
digging up corn, is to mix the corn with gas tar. 
Roll it in plaster to prevent it sticking to the 
hands. I have seen hens pass over fields planted 
in this way and not offer to pull up a hill.—T. F, 
East Bloomfield, N. Y., 1858. 
POTATO EXPERIMENTS. 
Eds. Rural: — Your correspondent C. Smith, 
gives his experience in planting potatoes, by cut¬ 
ting off the seed end of the potato, and says he did 
not receive one tuber. I cannot tell why he should 
not have raised potatoes, as I planted last year the 
seed end, and when I cut them I made two and 
three pieces so as to get as near one eye for a hill 
as possible. The result was good. I would also 
state that my experiments with one eye in the hill 
were good. I planted some in my garden and in 
the field, and when I was breaking up prairie I 
dropped the seed in the furrow over them — the 
result was good—from three to six good sized 
eating potatoes from au eye. I am so well satisfied 
with my plan that I intend to plant three acres this 
season. Potatoes for seed should be cut at least 
one week before planting, and, according to the old 
whim, should be planted after change of the moon 
of the first quarter till full moon. 
By the way, Mr. Editor, please tell me how or in 
what way I shall manage to keep eating potatoes 
from sproutng and growing through the summer 
season. [Try the process recommended in Rural 
of May 8, under head of “ Good Potatoes all Sum¬ 
mer.”— Ed.] I>. B. Paine. 
De Kalb Centre, Ill., May, 1858. 
The Wheat Crop.— Our exchanges, and private 
advices, from the wheat growing sections of the 
country, speak very encouragingly in regard to the 
fine appearanee and prospects of the growing wheat 
crop. It is generally more forward and promising 
than usual at this season, — and new wheat, grown 
in the South and West, will probably be in market 
several weeks earlier than last year. A Springfield 
(Ill.) paper has already received a bundle of new 
wheat, grown in Southern Illinois. “ It was three 
feet high, headed out, the heads perfect and in 
blossom. A field of such wheat, with favorable 
weather, would be ripe enough to harvest early in 
June.” A good crop of wheat, and remunerating 
prices, will tend to relieve the whole country from 
embarrassment, and aid all classes in recovering 
from the effects of last season’s depression. 
What about Wool? —As shearing time ap¬ 
proaches, farmers naturally begin to inquire as to 
the prices and prospects of wooL We shall en¬ 
deavor to give, from time to time, the most relia¬ 
ble information obtainable on these points. Mean¬ 
time, wool growers must not expect large prices, 
or an early advance. We think the market will 
open at a low figure, but that there may be some 
improvement as the season advances. Much will 
depend, however, upon the improvement of the 
times, and the recovery of dealers and manufactu¬ 
rers from the effects of last year's disasters. Buy¬ 
ers and speculators will take advantage of “the 
crisis,” though passed, to lessen prices, and it be¬ 
hooves producers to be well informed. The fact 
that wool is abundant in the country will also he 
urged as an argument in favor of low prices. But, 
whatever the market price, those farmers who take 
the most pains with their wool will be likely to dis¬ 
pose of it to the best advantage. Well washed, com¬ 
pactly rolled, and neatly tied fleeces will be appre¬ 
ciated by fair, discriminating dealers, and paid for 
accordingly. Those having superior grades of 
wool, especially, should take pains to put it in the 
best condition for market 
Fall Seeding to Timothy Grass.— The crop of 
Timothy seed grown by Mr. E. S. Hayward, of 
Brighton, near this city, and awarded first premium 
by N. Y. State Ag. Society, was seeded in the fall— 
the spring seeding (on spring wheat) having prov¬ 
ed a failure. The ground was harrowed and eight 
quarts of seed sown; in the spring it looked poorly, 
but grew and spread so that at harvest time it was 
the best Timothy Mr. II. ever saw. One acre was 
saved for seed, and the product was nine and one- 
sixth bushels. 
The Death of Hon. Archibald McIntyre, of 
Albany, was announced at a meeting of the Execu¬ 
tive Committee of the N. Y. State Ag. Society, held 
in Syracuse on the Gth inst., and appropriately 
noticed. In the preamble and resolutions adopted 
the Committee express their sorrow and record 
their very high estimate of the exalted and up¬ 
right character of the deceased, and the sense of 
obligation which they entertain for the valuable 
services rendered by Mr. McTntyrk to the State Ag. 
Society, as one of its earliest Presidents, and as a 
constant friend of the Society. 
Agricultural Colleges.— An exchange, after 
suggesting that the present would he a good time 
to press upon the attention of Congress the Agri¬ 
cultural School Bill, submits to its readers the 
following statistics:—In England, there are G3 Agri¬ 
cultural Schools; in Scotland, 2; in Ireland, 5; 
France, 75; Italy, 2; Belgium, 9; Prussia, 32; Aus¬ 
tria, 33; Wurtemburg, 7; Bavaria, 35; SaxoDy, 5; 
Brunswick, 2; Mecklenburg Schwerin, 1; Schles¬ 
wig Holstein, 4; Principality of Anhault, 2; Grand 
Duchy of Hesse, 2; Grand Duchy of Weimer, 1; 
Duchy of Nassau, 1; Electorate of Hesse, I; Grand 
Duchy of Baden, 1; Duchy of Saxe Menningen, 1; 
Russia, 68. Total, 352. 
New York State Agricultural College.—A 
meeting of the Trustees was held at Ovid on Tues¬ 
day, the 4th instant— 
Present — Gov. King, Chairman of the Board; 
Samuel Cheever, President; William Kelly, Henry 
Wager, Addison Gardiner, Josiah VV. Williams, Wil¬ 
liam Buell, Abraham A. Post, Maj. W. R. Patrick, 
Alexander Thompson, M. D., E. P. Prentice, Benja¬ 
min N. Huntington, James O. Sheldon, Arad Joy, 
B. P. Johnson. 
Reports from the President and Treasurer of 
receipts and expenditures, and statement of the 
funds at the disposal of the Board, were presented 
and read. The Building Committee submitted a 
report of their proceedings—stating that an ex¬ 
amination had been made upon the farm, and it 
was ascertained that good material for the manu¬ 
facture of brick were to be had upon the farm 
convenient to the buildings to be erected; and 
that proposals for their manufacture had been re¬ 
ceived. Propositions for furnishing stone from 
quarries at Waterloo and Springport had been re¬ 
ceived. The Building Committee had solicited 
estimates from builders for the construction of the 
centre building and south wing of the College, and 
presented to the Board four propositions and esti¬ 
mates from different parties for its consideration. 
After an examination of the several propositions, 
the Board decided that the same being beyond the 
means under the control of the Trustees, were 
inadmissible, and the Building Committee were in¬ 
structed not to accept either of the propositions. 
A resolution was adopted, that the Building Com¬ 
mittee procure one or more plans for the erection 
of buildings to accommodate at least 100 students, 
the cost of the same to be within the means of the 
Board. The Trustees examined the farm and made 
arrangements for the management of the same at a 
reduced expense; and adjourned to meet at the call 
of the Chairman at as early a day as practicable. 
The Building Committee expect to be able to pre¬ 
sent to the Trustees plans in accordance with the 
resolution adopted, early in June; and should the 
same be approved, intend to proceed immediately 
with the erection of the buildings. 
B. P. Johnson, Secretary. 
The Maryland State Agricultural College has 
been located in Prince George county, three miles 
northwest of Bladensburg, and about nine miles 
from Washington City, on the “Rossburg Farm,’ 
embracing 428 acres. *■ 
