m 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
JULY 3 
weight After all my experience, I have come to 
the conclusion, that it is easier for horses on the 
tread, than on the sweep-power, in ordinary dry 
weather; and when it is muddy the difference is 
greatly in favor of the tread machine. 
As to horses crowding, I have had a little experi¬ 
ence. When sawing wood in the forest on a windy 
day, my horses became timid, and for a few days 
crowded some while putting on and taking off the 
machine. My remedy was placing them upon 
opposite sides, using especial care^ that the last 
horse led in should not hit against the other until 
fully upon the machine. By care and gentle treat¬ 
ment I have been able to readily overcome the 
difficulty. 
I have one thing to say respecting scare-crows, 
and that is, sow corn on the field. Birds will not 
pull corn while enough lies upon the ground for 
them to eat. I go out each morning, and scatter 
corn in the most exposed situations. I have not 
yet seen a dozen hills destroyed by birds, while 
hundreds are destroyed by insects. Let the birds 
live to destroy the worms, is my motto. 
I wish to inquire if there is any machine for 
digging ditches for laying tile or stone, that will 
pay for capital invested and labor, better than to 
use spade and shovel? Pratt’s ditch-digger is 
noticed in the Rural, VoL 7, No. 23. Since that 
issue I have seen nothing on the subject 
Barre Center, Orleans Co., N. Y., 1858. H. S. 
VIRGINIA.-SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, CLIMATE, &c, 
Messrs. Eds.: —Having often been interrogated 
in regard to Virginia lands, I will, with your per¬ 
mission, inform my friends through the columns of 
the Rural. 
We have a variety of soil, such as red clay, red 
slate, dark sandy loam, a whitish sandy loam mix¬ 
ed with clay, pebbly land — full of small round 
stone—and what Virginia people call hominy land 
—a coarse sand and gravel. These soils differ but 
little in productiveness, the latter is said not to 
retain manure as well as the others. A great por¬ 
tion of these lands was exhausted years ago by 
tobacco culture, abandoned by the occupant, and 
let grow up to pines—a spontaneous growth— 
some of which will now cut forty cords of wood 
per acre. But these “ forests ” are daily diminish¬ 
ing, and wheat, corn, and clover fields are taking 
their place. Barn yard manure does wonders on 
this soil, and seems lasting in effect All of these 
lands are susceptible of improvement A fair 
crop of corn, oats, or grass may be raised without 
fertilizers—the soil seems to be well adapted for 
grass of all kinds. 
We have an abundance of fruit, such as apples, 
peaches, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, grapes, 
Ac. I think grapes might be successfully cultivat¬ 
ed, although there is but little done with them as 
yet There is an abundance of wild grapes and 
some very large ones. 
There is plenty of the original timber—oak, 
chesnut, poplar, hickory, yellow pine, Ac. This is 
the best watered country in the world, and proba¬ 
bly the healthiest. There are no swamps or 
marshes. There is scarcely a farm but what has a 
number of streams of living water running thro’ 
it—the water mostly soft The land is rolling, 
but net so as to be unpleasant to cultivate. There 
are several good water-powers in this county, one 
at Ocoquan worthy of notice, which is but little used 
in comparison with what it might be. Nature has 
done everything to mould this country for the gar¬ 
den of the world, and all it lacks to make it flour¬ 
ish is inhabitants—tillers of the soil. We have 
good markets, cheap lands, and a delightful cli¬ 
mate. Land can be bought at from seven to one 
hundred dollars per acre within twenty miles of 
Washington city. Those farmers who like to have 
plenty of time, for seed-time and harvest, will find 
this section of country just the spot. Let them 
come and see for themselves; they will always find 
the latch string on the outside, and plently of 
friends to put them on the right track. 
Fairfax Station, Va., 1858. Cor.vklius Lent. 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Messrs. Eds.:— For some time I have intended 
to send a few thoughts to the Rural, and, as it is a 
rainy day, I’ll try to carry my intentions into effect. 
In the first place I wish to inquire, if any of your 
readers have had any experience in seeding to Timo¬ 
thy with buckwheat, or on buckwheat stubble?— 
I have a piece of ground which I wish to sow to 
buckwheat, and seed down. It is a tolerably dry, 
gravelly ridge. I have also a piece of muck and 
sand, which (if it gets dry enough,) I wish to serve 
in the same way, and any light on the subject, will 
be gladly received. 
What treatment do Chufas or Earth Almonds re¬ 
quire? I have received a package from the Patent 
Office, with directions no farther than plantisg.— 
They are now breaking ground, and will of course 
want tending to, soon. 
I tried to raise a few pea-nuts last year; and suc¬ 
ceeded in getting disappointed, the result being 
similar to that related by “ J. S. P.,” in the Rural 
of May 1st I hoped his inquiry would have 
drawn out something more definite, with regard to 
the cultivation of this nut. But perhaps I can add 
a little to the instructions given by “ W. C. K.” A 
gentleman from Mississippi, told me that the man¬ 
ner of cultivation there, was to cover the vines 
with earth, (except the ends,) after they had spread 
somewhat, as the nuts would then form on the 
joints of the vines, and we would thus increase 
the crop. 
I noticed some time since, an inquiry in the Ru¬ 
ral, for the best variety of Spring wheat I would 
say that, as far as my observation extends, a kind 
known as the “ Rio Grande,” answers to that qual-. 
ification. I raised a small quantity last season. I 
sowed two bushels on lj acres, April 4th, 1857, and 
on the 29th I sowed li bushels on 1* acres. The 
midge destroyed a great part of the first sowing, so 
that I got but i £ bushels yield. The midge also 
damaged the last somewhat but left me 12 bushels. 
A friend, from whom I procured the seed, says he 
has raised at the rate of nearly 23 bushels per acre, 
(40 bushels on If acres.) The straw is stout the 
berry large, and rather dark. That which I raised 
weighed 60 lbs. to the measured bushel, and yield¬ 
ed (after being tolled by an honest miller,) 42.J B)s. 
of flour, nearly, or quite equal in quality and white¬ 
ness to that made from Blue Stem wheat 
Madison, Ohio, 1858. J. b. Potter. 
GATHERING CLOVER SEED. 
Eds. Rural: —As there is much being said in 
the New-Yorker now-a-days, about the gathering 
of clover seed, and as none that have written have 
as yet come up to my views, I will try and give 
them, on this subject as condensely as I can. 
I use a picker of my own construction, and one 
that any farmer can make that can use a saw and 
drive a nail. It is made in the following manner: 
Take a piece of scantling, 2 by 4, 7 feet long; make 
a 2 inch tenant on each end 6 inches long; put on 
a pair of wheels made of oak plank one foot in di¬ 
ameter; out side of the wheels put an arm 3$ or 4 
feet long, with a cross-piece at the other end to 
keep the arms spread when drawing; take hard 
wood inch board (hard maple, well-seasoned, is the 
best,) cut it 22 inches long, nail it firmly on the 
upper-side of the scantling or axle, extending from 
shoulder to Bhoulder, lacking one inch on each 
end, for end-board; lay off the fingers or teeth, 16 
inches long and LJ inches from center to center, 
then run a saw between the teeth beveling—that is, 
run the saw in the same cut on top and 4 an inch 
at the bottom—now with a chisel round off the 
ends of the teeth so as to give the required shape 
to enter the clover. Now nail a board on the un¬ 
der-side of the axle, the whole length, 2 or 2.J feet 
wide for bottom of hopper or receiver; put on a 
back-board 18 or 20 inches wide, with end-boards 
to correspond, (the back-board should slant back 6 
inches,) now put on the handles and you have a 
picker that you can gather from 4 to 6 acres per 
day, with one horse. Take your wagon into the 
field with side boards, and any man that can lay a 
rail upon the fence can tell where best to stand his 
wagon and how to scoop the clover heads into it, 
&c. The picker is very useful where clover is thin 
as it takes but the heads. It will need a sharp 
shovel or hoe to scrape off the heads of clover as 
they gather on the teeth. Where clover is very 
stout or ripens uneven, you can gather it best with 
the scythe or mower. Clover when gathered with 
the picker, is ready for the huller without thresh¬ 
ing* A Buckeye. 
Fairfield, Huron Co., 0., 1858- 
HOW TO EXTERMINATE THE MIDGE. 
Messrs. Eds.:— It is my belief that the fly (known 
as the midge) that deposits its eggs in wheat heads, 
and which may now be seen in multitudes in the 
wheat fields, can be destroyed by giving them the 
benefit of a torch light. We tried the experiment 
last evening, June 21st, by going through the 
wheat with a torch made of rosin, tar, and spirits 
of turpentine, and carried it at a slight elevation 
above the wheat heads, at the same time stirring 
the grain carefully with a pole. The flies, attract¬ 
ed by the light, rushed into the flames and were 
destroyed. The light may be carried in one hand 
and the pole in the other, where there is but one 
operator, but where there are two or more, as in 
our trial, one should go ahead and stir the wheat 
in advance of the torch. We continued the ope¬ 
ration until nine o’clock, and were satisfied that it 
might have been carried on during the greater 
part of the night. Having made but one experi¬ 
ment, we are not prepared to give an elaborate re¬ 
port, for, in order to have it inserted in the Rural 
of this week, it is necessary to write this morniDg. 
Small tables of tin or sheet iron might be fastened 
to the end of a stick of sufficient height, and in¬ 
serted in the wheat, while the operator can pass 
round and stir the grain, Ac. We noticed that the 
flies were most numerous on the lowest ground.— 
We think that something can be doDe in this way 
to destroy these pests of the wheat field. We have 
not yet tried stationary lights, which might be ad¬ 
vantageous, but we intend to continue the experi¬ 
ment of singing the little rascals in some way or 
other. Perhaps some of your readers may dis¬ 
cover something further in relation to this subject, 
which may be of service to the wheat-growing 
community of Western New York. We advise 
those interested to try the experiment at once. It 
should be repeated every evening during the work¬ 
ing season of the fly, and, if persevered in, we may 
expect to see their numbers “ grow small by de¬ 
grees and beautifully less.” N. B. Ament. 
Mount Morris, N. Y., June, 1858. 
HIVING BEES 
There has been much said about bees in the 
Rural, but one point has not been investigated, 
and that is the mode of hiving. Some of my 
neighbors have their bees go off to the woods when 
they swarm, and know not the cause, but on exam¬ 
ining the hives they put them into, there is some 
failure. Many times they have got an old hive and 
not half cleaned it, or else they have daubed it with 
salt and molasses—and who could blame them for 
not staying in such a place? Others have a 
clean hive and put the bees into it and leave them 
out in the hot sun, and in a short time they come 
out to find cool air, and then go to the woods._ 
Now, I will tell how I manage. If I have an old 
hive I take it apart and plane it across the grain of 
the wood, so as not to have it too smooth, and when 
ready I rub the hive with lemon balm or bee balm, 
and put the bees in and set them in the shade, or 
put some boughs over the hive, and at night put it 
on the stand with a board over the top, and I have 
not lost a swarm in ten years. Bees are very fond 
of said balm. I have many times made them light 
on a bush by the use of it As soon as they begin 
to come out of the parent hive, I get a handful of 
balm and pound a little and put it on a limb or a 
bush, and oftentimes they will come down and light 
upon it I once took a couple of limbs and some 
pounded balm, and tied on a pole, and held it up 
amongst them, and they all came upon it Bees 
will not stay in a hive that has a hole or opening 
in the top; if there are caps in the top they must 
be turned the other side up for a week or so. 
Amery Willson. 
Marcellus, Onon. Co., N. Y., 1858. 
Grasshopper Plague in Ohio. —Mr. Schenck, 
of Franklin, Warren Co., Ohio, writes to the Ohio 
Farmer, that the grasshoppers are making their 
appearance there in great numbers. He says— 
“Last jear, we had millions of them; this year we 
have hundreds of millions.” For five years, he 
says, they have been increasing on his farm, and 
he fears that, unless some means are discovered for 
i their destruction, they will totally ruin his own 
and his neighbor’s clover fields. 
THE VETERINARIAN-RECIPES. 
Liniment for Sprains, bruises, cuts, spavins, 
windgalls, or any injury when the absorbing ves¬ 
sels need stimulating:—1 oz. oil origanum; 1 oz. 
British oil; 1 oz. camphor gum; 1 oz. Castile soap; 
1 oz. aqua ammonia; 1 oz. laudanum; 1 gill spirits 
turpentine; 1 gill sweet oil; 1 pint alcohol. 
To Cure a Sprained Stifle, or what is called a 
stifle out of joint:—Dissolve 2 K»s. of salt petre in 
as little hot water as will liquify it, and bathe the 
stifle with the liquid, as hot as it can be applied— 
heat in gently until the liquor is all used, which 
will take several hours. Rub the parts well, con¬ 
stantly, and frequently press the joint back to its 
place, so that the horse will stand on the foot 
Care must be taken about overheating the flesh, as 
some who are careless have done, by continuing 
the bathing too long. After this, use, for a few 
days, the above liniment, and the horse, in most 
cases, will be fit for business in from three days to 
a week’s time. The foregoing method reduces the 
inflammation, and contracts the muscles, so as to 
keep the joint in its place, which it took weeks to 
do under the old treatment 
Taylor’s Liniment. —Tanner’s oil 1 pint; spirits 
turpentine 1 pint; origanum 1 oz.; oil of Bpike 1 
oz.; oil of vitriol 1 oz. 
Process of Taming Wild Horses. —1st This 
consists in using a medicine which makes the 
horse remarkably affectionate. It creates a fond¬ 
ness which is preserved by kind treatment The 
medicines are used in the nostrils. The powder 
which is used first, gives the horse somewhat of a 
languid feeling, insomuch that he will submit with 
perfect calmness to the kind treatment of his 
master. 
2d. To teach a horse to lie down in fifteen or 
twenty minutes. After giving the aforesaid medi¬ 
cines, fasten a strap around the ankle of his left 
foreleg, then raise the foot, and fasten the strap 
around the leg above the knee, (so as to prevent 
his bringing his foot to the ground,) after which 
fasten a strap around the ankle of the right fore¬ 
leg, bringing it over the shoulder. Urge the horse 
to step, and at the same time draw the strap tight, 
which will bring the horse to his knees. Pat him 
gently, and in a few minutes he will lie down and 
submit himself to your control. Repeat the ope¬ 
ration if necessary, and in a short time he will 
learn to perform the same at your bidding, with 
pleasure. The same process to be used for balky 
or kicking horses, taking care to handle their 
feet; harness them, and attach to light loads, Ac. 
The first medicine used is a powder composed of 
horsewart and bean castor, equal parts. Dose, 
10 grains to each nostril. After which give three 
or four drops of the oil of rhodium and cummiD, 
equal parts, mixed. Apply with a feather. 
Some of the traveling jockeys do not use any 
medicine, but rely upon fastening the leg up, and 
then whipping the horse about until he will sub¬ 
mit This taming recipe is, in substance, what is 
sold about the country for $5. 
One word more and I have done:—To avoid being 
gulled by traveling jockeys, subscribe for the 
Rural, and read it Parsons Rhoades. 
Hannibal, Osw. Co., N. Y., 1858. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. 
How Much Milk for a Pound of Butter.— I 
have noticed many facts in your valuable journal 
as to dairy products, but have never seen any re¬ 
liable estimate of the quantity of milk ordinarily 
required, through the season, for the production 
of a pound of butter. In the State Transactions 
for 1856, it is stated, by Mr. Holbert, at fourteen 
quarts, by which I understand 35 B>s. of milk—esti¬ 
mating a quart to weigh 2.5 pounds. Can it be that 
so much is needed ? I had supposed that ten quarts, 
or 25 pounds, was sufficient. Such has been the 
impression of those with whom I have been con¬ 
versant, and I have inquired of many dairy mana¬ 
gers, within twenty years last past So great a 
difference as there is between 25 and 35, shows a 
want of careful observation. Situated as you are, 
in the best butter producing region of the land, it 
will not be difficult to ascertain the opinions there 
entertained; and to give such facts as will correct 
the opinions heretofore published by Secretary 
Johnson, that fourteen quarts is to be taken as the 
rule, if proved to be erroneous.—H., Essex, Mass. 
Pea-nuts, Again. —As several have made in¬ 
quiries about raising pea nuts, and no one seems to 
have had any experience in this vicinity, perhaps 
it may be interesting to some, to give mine for one 
season. In 1855 I commenced by planting some 
quite early in the season; others a little later, and 
others, again, still later. I think the last was 
planted about the 10th of May, but am not certain. 
The last planted came up first, and grew finely, 
leaving the early planted ones far behind; and 
when frost came and killed the tops, I dug them, 
and found very nice, plump pea-nuts, but they were 
not ripe, and withered as they became dry. I do 
not recollect how early frost came that season, but 
others may. I planted them in a sandy soil, and 
kept them thoroughly clear of weeds. —William 
M. Haines, Rochester, N. Y., June, 1858. 
Strangles.—Soaking Corn before Feeding.— 
I have cured colts under strangles by giving them 
a quarter of an ounce of calomel in feed, and an¬ 
other quarter ounce on the following day. 
By steeping my corn in water, slightly salted, for 
eight or ten days before feeding I save one third; 
I consider it better than grinding or boiling. 
Seed should be changed every year, both cereals 
and roots, renewing from a different soil.—A n Old 
Farmer, Madison, Ind, 1858. 
How to Cure a Spattering Teat. — Inasmuch 
as I am a practical farmer and an inquirer, I will 
answer G. B. S., of Seneca Falls, N. Y., by sayiDg 
that a spattering teat can generally be remedied by 
picking from the aperture at the end of the teat, 
certain bits of scales that collect there; if that does 
not suffice, insert a smooth straw in the end of the 
teat—a piece of lead is preferable.—C. A. Hawley, 
Maine, Cook Co., III., 1858. 
Insects. —The number of distinct species of in¬ 
sects already known and described cannot be esti¬ 
mated at less than two hundred thousand — there 
being nearly twenty thousand beetles alone, now 
known, and every day is adding to the catalogue. 
INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS. 
Inquiries —Can any of yoursubscribers inform me 
through the Rural, whether Puffs on the gambrel 
joints of a horse can be cured, and how and if they 
ever become so injurious as to make him lame?— 
Also if an old scar can be blistered so as to make 
the hair grow out. Any information on the above 
subject would be thankfully received.—A Subscri¬ 
ber, Lockporl, N. Y., 1858. 
Sweet Potatoes.— Will some one please inform 
me, through the Rural, whether Sweet Potatoes 
will grow good in this section—where and how 
they can be obtained —what is the best soil for 
them, Ac.?— John McDowell, Niles, Cay. Co., N. Y. 
Remarks. —On a sandy, warm soil, sweet pota¬ 
toes may be grown. The plants must be raised in 
a hot bed, and set out about the middle of June. 
“Watering Places”— Inquiry. — In your paper 
June 19,1 notice an article on “ Watering Places for 
Cattle,” by H. J. F., of Palmyra. He states the 
cost of the nuxterials used by him to be twenty-five 
cents per rod. I am desirous of conducting water 
some fifty rods to my buildings, and having seen 
in your paper several articles on the subject, I 
would like to ascertain beyond doubt, the best and 
cheapest method. Will H. J. F. give through the 
Rural an estimate of the entire expense of the 
water-course when completed?—W. C. F., Canan¬ 
daigua, N. Y., June, 1858. 
Sweeney in Cattle. —Seeing various inquiries, 
concerning almost everything, by the subscribers 
of your paper, I wish to trouble you by way of in¬ 
formation. I have a steer which I fed all last win¬ 
ter for the meat market, this spring—about the 
middle af March, he became lame in one shoulder 
and in about 8 or 10 days from that time he be¬ 
came lame in both, and despite of all that I can do 
he remains so — there is also some depression of 
the shoulders. I wish to know if there is any such 
thing as Sweeney in cattle, and the remedy for it? 
Any information on this subject from you or cor¬ 
responding friends will be thankfully received by 
—A Subscriber, New Athens, Ohio, 1853. 
TnE Onion Grub. —There is a small white mag¬ 
got that destroys our onions in this vicinity. It 
attacks them a few weeks after they come up, and 
continues to prey upon them until time to harvest 
them. When the onions are small they are en¬ 
tirely consumed by the maggot, but when they are 
nearly grown, from ten to seventy-five maggots 
may be found in one bulb. Will you, or some of 
your correspondents, give us a remedy for this 
pest?—T. P., Jefferson Co., 1858. 
Remarks.— We have not had much trouble, and, 
therefore, not much experience with this grub.— 
Some of our readers will, we hope, tell our corres¬ 
pondent how to protect his onions. Charcoal dust, 
spread over the surface, and lightly raked in, we 
have been told, is a remedy. Watering the beds 
with lime-water as soon as the young onions ap¬ 
pear is said, in some of the books, to be effectual 
Influence of the Moon, &c.— Does the influence 
of the moon affect vegetation? Can a good crop 
of peas be raised amongst potatoes?—if so, what 
varieties, as most sorts require sticking, and when 
to plant them? One of the most promising fields 
of wheat I have seen this season, was sown broad¬ 
cast, in standing corn, last fall, and hogs turned in 
to eat the corn, and root in the seed wheat, which 
they did well. Where could I procure two or three 
pairs of white or English rabbits, and the probable 
cost?—A. L. A., Bath Co., ICy., June, 1858. 
Remarks. —Some farmers think the moon has a 
good deal to do with vegetation, and all other ope¬ 
rations of the farm. That the moon exerts an in¬ 
fluence on our earth, is a fact pretty clearly proved 
and generally admitted. It may exert some influ¬ 
ence on vegetation, but it is so little that it has 
never been demonstrated, we think. Were we to 
plant peas among potatoes, we would expect the 
potato crop to suffer very materially. Rabbits are 
advertised in the last number of the Rural. 
Loss of a Cow at Calving. —I have just lost a 
cow worth $50, (if there is any such,) with what I 
consider “ Milk Fever." She had run with my other 
cows until the 22d ult, when I discovered she was 
making bag too fast She was milked out in the 
morning, and two of the teats gave bloody milk, 
but her bag was soft, and to all appearances 
healthy after milking. At night I milked her 
again, supposing the blood in the milk was an indi¬ 
cation of a high state of inflammation, then the bag 
did not appear to be caked in the least She was 
then turned into a very short pasture, and on the 
morning of the 23 d was, to all appearances, as well 
as ever. At 5 or 6 P. M. she had a fine calf by her 
side, had cleaned well, and all seemed right with 
her, save that she seemed prostrate, as I deemed 
from heat, although she had been all the time in 
the woods. She drank a pail of water, and we 
rubbed a little salt and water along her back, and 
supposed the cool of the evening would give her 
strength, and enable her to get on her feet, and be 
about. She had been up and moved 2 to 4 rods 
from where she calved. We left her until morn¬ 
ing, when we found her about dying, and she soon 
died. 
I now suppose, from my own observation and 
that of others with whom I have talked, that high 
feed in any case just before calving, is injurious, 
and that if I had put my cow in short feed for the 
last two or three weeks, I would have saved her 
life. I have heard of several instances of the kind 
where cows have come in on grass. I think young 
farmers like my self don’t sufficiently understand it. 
Will your correspondents say a word on the sub¬ 
ject? I would like to know if this agrees with the 
experience of others.—M. F., Mecklenburg, N. Y., 
June, 1858. 
Teething in Horses. —The American Veterinary 
Journal for June, says:— “ There is no doubt that 
many young colts suffer as much pain in cutting 
their teeth as is the case with children; and the 
pain does not always arise, as some persons sup¬ 
pose, from irritation of the mucus membrane of 
the mouth, occasioned by the point of the tooth, 
but frequenly from the pressure on, and irritation 
of, the dental nerve. The remedy, (instead of tor¬ 
menting the suffering creature with a red hot iron 
for the purpose of ‘burning out the lampas,’ as 
some persons profess to do,) is a common thumb 
lancet Make an incision through the gum or mu¬ 
cous membrane of the mouth, in the region of the 
tusks or incisors, wherever the difficulty may be, 
and relief is almost immediate. This is a sure 
remedy to relieve local distension of the mucous 
membrane of the mouth, if it exist, and at the same 
time prevents the fang of the tooth from irritating 
the dental nerve.” 
Tuesday, June 29. 
The Weather continues unusually favorable to 
the rapid growth of vegetation, and the maturity 
of cereal and other crops. The past ten days con¬ 
stitute the most extraordinary “heated term” we 
have experienced for many years—the Thermome¬ 
ter indicating from 85 to 90 in the shade, every day, 
during the period. Of course, though man and 
beast have suffered from the oppressive heat, the 
vegetable kingdom has made great progress, the 
hot sun and warm atmosphere being just what was 
needed for corn, potatoes and ether crops which 
had been checked by previous cold and moisture. 
The weather has also been exceedingly warm in 
other and distant sections of the country. We 
daily receive very favorable accounts of the s'ate 
and prospect of the crops, especially from the West. 
Gen. Wilson, Secretary of the Iowa Ag. College 
and Farm, writing us from Des Moines, June 23d, 
says:—“Our crops in this State never presented a 
better appearance, not excepting corn. There was 
probably not less than one-half of our anticipated 
planting this year put in between the 18th and 21st 
inst., and the weather has been exceedingly favora¬ 
ble ever since. With a good season our corn crop 
will at least equal that of last year. We hope the 
prospects in your State are equal to ours.” 
A letter just received from Oakland Co., Mich., 
(dated 26th inst,) says:—“The weather is intensely 
hot here, and the husbandman is cheered with the 
present prospects of his crops, which never looked 
better, except corn; and from present indications 
we will have an average corn crop, if Jack Frost 
delays his advent until the middle of September.” 
State Fairs for 1858. — Below we give the 
times and places of holding State Fairs the ensu- 
Autumn, so far as announced: 
Alabama, at Montgomery, Oct. 18th to 22d. 
California, at Marysville, Aug. 23d to 28th. 
Connecticut, at Hartford, Oct. 12th to 15th. 
Illinois, at Centralia, Sept. 14th to 18th. 
Indiana, at Indianapolis, Oct. 4th to 9th. 
Iowa, at Oscaloosa, Sept. 28th to Oct. 1st. 
Kentucky, at Louisville, Sept. 28th to Oct. 2d. 
New Hampshire, at Hover, Oct. 6th to 8th. 
New Jersey, at Trenton, Sept. 14th to 17th. 
New York, at Syracuse, Oct. 5th to 8th. 
Ohio, at Sandusky, Sept. 14th to 17th. 
Rhode Island, at Providence, Sept. 14th to 18th. 
Tennessee, Oct. 
Vermont, at Burlington, Sept. 14th to 17th. 
Virginia, at Petersburgli, Oct. 
Wisconsin, at Madison, Oct. 4th to 7th. 
U. S. Ag. Society, at Richmond, Va., Oct. 25th to 30th. 
The Monroe Co. Ag. Society’s Horse Show, Ex¬ 
hibition of Horse-Taming, Ac., is to take place on 
the Fair Grounds, near this city, Monday next, July 
5th. In addition to the prominent features hereto¬ 
fore announced, the Society have engaged Prof. 
Steiner, a celebrated and very successful aeronaut, 
to make an ascension in his balloon “Comet,” 
from the Fair Grounds, at or near the close of the 
Exhibition. 
The Horse Show of the Wayne Co. Ag. Society 
is to be held at Lyons, on the 15th, 16th and 17th 
days of this month. See the Society’s announce¬ 
ment in our Special Notice column on advertising 
page, for Order of Arrangements, Ac. 
Ketchum’s One-Horse Mower. — Attention is 
directed to Mr. Howard's advertisement of this 
machine. A good and cheap One-Horse Mower 
has been much inquired for of late years, and we 
trust the one perfected and offered by Mr. H. will 
supply the demand for a long-sought desideratum. 
The Wheat Crop of Ohio. —From statistics re¬ 
cently compiled, we learn that the average yield of 
wheat for eight years, ending 1857, was fourteen 
bushels per acre. The lowest average was in 1854, 
eight bushels to the acre. The entire crop nearly 
12,000,000 bushels. The highest was in 1850, sev- 
enteeen bushels per acre—the crop for that year 
exceeding 41,000,000 bushels. The average pro¬ 
duction of corn for the same time was thirty-six 
bushels per acre. The crop of wheat for last year 
was estimated, we think, at 21,000,000 bushels. 
Sowing Oats. —The experiments reported to the 
Journal of Agriculture, of Scotland, as to the num¬ 
ber of bushels sown per Scotch acre, resulted as 
follows:—Three bushels per acre, yielded 11J quar¬ 
ters, (a quarter being 8 bushels,) while those sown 
with 5 bushels, a quarter less. In another experi¬ 
ment, the seed sown was 2J, 3, 4, and 5 bushels per 
acre, respectively; and the yield 80 bushels, 79J 
bushels, 794 bushels, and 73 1| bushels per acre.— 
In every instance where the ground was pressed or 
rolled before sowing, it yielded more abundantly. 
These results are against a too liberal use of seed. 
Butter and Cheese Product of Herkimer 
Co.—A correspondent of the Utica Herald gives 
the following figures as the shipments of butter and 
cheese at Little Falls, N. Y., during the months of 
March, April and May, 1858. Of cheese there was 
weighed and shipped in March, 133,150 lbs; April, 
117,200 lbs.; May, 336,037; and the amount of but¬ 
ter in March, 10,599 lbs.; April, 30,344 lbs.; May, 
26,145 lbs. This does not include all of the butter 
and cheese made in this county. There is about 
the same amount shipped from Herkimer, besides 
a large quantity shipped from Ilion and Fort 
Plain, which is made in the south part of the coun¬ 
ty, and there is also a large amount shipped by the 
canal at different places. 
The Hoe of the Early Riser. —A story in point 
some time since went the rounds of the agricultural 
press, of which the substance is as follows:—A small 
plot of ground was divided equally between the 
hired lad of a farmer and his son, the proceeds of 
its culture to be their own. They planted it with 
corn, and a bet was made by them as to which 
should mike the best crop. At harvest the son 
came out some quarts behind. He could not un¬ 
derstand the reason, as he had hoed his twice a 
week until laid by, while he had not seen the hired 
lad cultivate his plot at all, and yet he had gained 
the wager. It turned out the winner’s crop had 
been hoed quite as frequently, but before his rival 
was up in the morning. Providence, it seems, fol¬ 
lows the hoe of the early riser, with a special and in¬ 
creased reward. 
