374 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
NOV. 
i-», htw much it takes of honey to make a certain 
quantity of cemb. This question I aiusware is to 
all thoroughly honest bee-keepeis one of the ut¬ 
most importance. 
In a previous communication to the Bubal I 
stated that according to one author, “ Hie Country 
Curate ,” twenty pounds of honey are us d in elab¬ 
orating one pound of was. Although posse-sms: 
as I then thought, a “tolerably good memory,” I 
must say I did err. But accordiug to the old 
maxim, “to err is humau” aud I will make the 
correction. Instead of the above amount, I find 
in looking at his work, that in one of his experi 
meats twenty-five pounds of honey were used in con¬ 
structing half a pound of wax! This is unques¬ 
tionably much more than is actaa'.ly used. All 
must agree that some is used. We will now con¬ 
sult a few of ihe best apiarians in this country. 
Mr. PniNKA8 Jknk8 Mahan, of Pniladelphia, a 
most successful bee keeper, in a pamphlet which 
he has just pub idled on the “Bee and its Manage 
menn,” rays:—“ Bee-keepers are not generally aware 
that it is a great saving to preserve all the worker 
brood comb and use them over again. It is a well 
ascertained tact that it tabes twenty pounds of honey 
to make one pound of wax. This will not appear 
so strange if we bear in mind that wax is an ani¬ 
mal oil or fa f , and that a pound of honey wbeu 
digested by the bees, will no more produce a pound 
of wax, than a pound of bay or corn eaten by an 
ox would produce a pound of fat. By all means, 
therefore, secure evtry square inch of comb 
possible.” 
M-. Langstkoth, one of the best bee-keepers 
this country affords, in speaking about feeding 
bees for profit as many advocate, says—“ That not 
more than half of what is fed can be secured in the 
comb, since it requites about & pound to manufuc 
ture comb enough to hold a pound of honey .'"— 
AgiiD, he says, in relation to feeding weak s ocks: 
“ If the bees have not a good allowance of comb it 
will not, as a general rule, pay to feed them. This 
will be obvious to auy one who reflects, that nearly 
twenty pounds of honey are often required to elabor¬ 
ate one pound of wax.” 
We will now consult the best practical bee-keep¬ 
er in the United States, and he is M. Quinby, of St. 
Johnsville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., to whom we 
must all, as bee keepers, acknowledge bis superi¬ 
ority; and I take this opportunity to congratulate 
the Bubal in thus being so successful in obtaining 
the writings of his able pen, as they are elsewhere 
as welt as in this vicinity, read with the deepest in¬ 
terest In his work, “ Mysteries of Bee-Keeping 
Explained in speakiog of the length of time 
brood comb can or m <y be used, he says—“The same 
ce Is can be used for breeding six or eight years, 
perhaps longer, and no one can tell the difference 
by the size of the bees. I have two stocks in their 
teDth year without renewal of comb. It is best to 
use old combs as long as ihey will answer—their 
time can be more profitably employed than in con¬ 
structing brood combs every year.” 
I might say more on this subject, but it seems to 
me enough has been said to convince all who are 
willing to be convinced, and in conclusion I would 
say, that if any person, on reading this article, i? 
dissatisfied or thicks the amount of honey stated 
as used in construction of the comb, is incorrect, il 
he will prove it so by satisfactory experiments, 
and will give the resalts of such experiments 
through the columns of the Rural, I will agree to 
read them with evident satisfaction. 
Mahlon M. Baldridge. 
Middleport, Niagara Co., N. Y., 1858. 
DRAINING.—RESPONSE TO H. T. E. 
Eds. Rural —Prom the pen of your frequent 
correspondent, H, T. B., I have read many good 
articles, but in his last, in Rural of Cth inst, I fear 
he is getting a little “old fogyish” in respect to 
draining. It is true, I think, that the hard-pan 
hills of Cattaraugus will not at present pay for un- 
derdrainiDg, although I think they would pay well 
for surface draining; that is, drains from seven 
inches to one foot deep, not parallel up the hills, 
but slautiDg across them, with as easy a descent as 
possible. I have seen many thousand acres of wet 
hills drained in this way, the aquatic grass, 
rushes and all, soon dying out, and fiae nutritious 
grasses, and even white clover, taking their place, 
making the hills keep one half more stock of 
either sheep or cattle, and keeping them in much 
better condition, with much less mortality, es¬ 
pecially amongst the sheep. A still better plan 
to drain those wet hills, I think, would be to plow 
and scrape the ditches three feet and over ia 
widih, spreading the earth on the grass, and in 
this way the ditches would not get trodden shut by 
cattle. Some may think there would be a waste of 
land by these large ditches, but I have no doubt 
the earth spread on the land would make it pro¬ 
duce much mare than if small ditches were con¬ 
structed. 
H T. B. is afraid it would bankrupt the nation 
to drain the country. This I consider old fogyism 
in full. No man can drain any faster than he has 
means to pay. True, the tile-makeis hereabouts 
are in a situation now that they can give credit, 
but you won’t catch Pat digging ditches on such 
terms He must have his pay every week or two, 
or he will shoulder his spade and be off. Every 
prudent man, when he has got ten or twenty acres 
drained, if he has not means to do more, will wait 
until the excess of crops on what he bat drained 
will pay for draining as much more. Tbis is the 
way I drained, and I would advise eveiy man, 
situated as I was, to do the same, and such a course 
would neither bankrupt them nor the nation. 
H. T. B. thinks if the United States were drained 
the produce would glut the markets of the world. 
He may keep himself easy on that point. Popu¬ 
lation, in all probability, will increase much faster 
than drained fields. It takes grown men and 
money to draia, and both of these commodities 
are often much needed in this country. The boy 
that is born to-day will have to live twenty years 
before he is much of a ditcher. Let me tell H. T. 
B. that there is far more danger of the country 
becoming bankrupt from Dot draining and other¬ 
wise improving the soil. Whenever a crisis comes 
it is the produce from the soil that has to relieve 
the money pressure, and if the same skinning 
process goes on for the next fifty years that has 
been so much in vogue the past, there will be 
little or no produce to go forward, and perhaps 
famine in place of plenty. 
That draining doeB aud will always pay there is 
no doubt. As evidence of it, Inever saw a farmer 
commence draining and look back. I knew two men 
who purchased farms and had very little property 
to paydown. One was in tbi ’tnmediate neigh¬ 
borhood, the other some fourteen miles distant. 
They both commenced draining, and their over 
wise neighhors “knew they would be ruined,” but 
to my certain knowledge they are both free from 
dtbt, or nearly so, and I know they never would 
have paid for their farms if they had not drained 
them. Nothing is more uninviting or more un¬ 
productive than a cold, wet, clay soil, with its 
aquatic grasses end weeds, (and it is as unproduc¬ 
tive as it looks) and when plowed it is on'y 
changed from a wet, sodden mass into sun d ied 
brick—even harder. The crop is poor, stunted 
straw and equally stunted ears, but drain that land 
once and this operation changes its character. 
At once it becomes friable, admits both sun and 
air, and is immediately productive for either grain 
or grass. I firmly believe that clay lands will pay 
abundantly to drain, at even only twenty feet 
apart. Draining has been commenced on many 
farms in this section within the last few years, and 
they go at it intelligently, as the farmers have seen 
its effects on farms already drained. No, no, Mr. 
H. T, B, you will never see draining get out of 
fashion as long as you live, even should you live 
for fifty years to come. John Johnston. 
Near Geneva, N. Y., 1858. 
SPANISH MERINO SHEEP. 
Eds. Rural:—H aviDg been much interested by 
several articles in the Rural from breeders of 
Spanish Merinos, in relation to manner of keeping, 
weight of fleece, Ac, I purpose (with your appro¬ 
val) to give my method, with results. 
I turn to pasture about 60 sheep in the spring, 
when the grass will afford sufficient feed to prevent 
a decline in condition. Previous to turning outthey 
are dagged, having the wool closely sheared from 
the udder and the inside of the legs np to the vent, 
thus avoiding manure aud wet in the wool, and 
facilitating access to maternal nourishment. This 
wool, when properly cleaned, is laid by till shear¬ 
ing, when it is done up with the fleeces. The lambs 
are dropped about the middle of May, as I find if 
dropped earlier the ewes do not shear so heavy, and 
neither lambs or ewes do so well. I have observed 
that sheep produced from lambs dropped by year¬ 
ling ewes, sheared light because ihe wool was very 
thinly set; those from two yearold ewes were better, 
but still too thin, and not till three years old do 
ewes produce lambs that will shear well, and this 
observation has led to corresponding practice in 
breeding. The sheep are cleanly washed the first 
week of June, and sheared about the twentieth. 
This year I sheared fifry-eight, averaging six 
pounds, less one-third of an ounce each. When 
each sheep is sheared, it is marked with a number 
which is entered in the flock-book; also the weight 
of the fleece, which is compared with former 
fleecep, and if found to be losing it is marked ti 
sold. The lambs are docked and castrated »t 
shearing tim^ aud allowed to run with the ev 
till the middle of September, when they are sepa 
rated and put in good fresh pasture. 
In selecting ewes to breed, the flock-book is 
consulted and none taken that shear less than fi \t 
and one half pounds, unless they possess som< 
quality that specially commends them. These art 
placed in a field by themselves, and the buck 
allowed to run with them three weeks. The pasi 
season I bred 30 ewes and raised 27 lambs. When 
the feed is such that sheep will lose if alloweu io 
run, they are brought into the yard for the win'd, 
the lambs being kept separate. The yardisweii 
protected, and the sheep have access to open shedi 
that can be closed in severe weather. They an 
fed straw in abundance, what hay they will ea 
twice a day, and one peck of meal daily for the 
whole flock, or an equivalent in roots, with v, ter 
to drink when they like. During Ihe winter, use 
ally in February, wethers coming three, and ewes 
marked in the flock-book as deteriorating or un 
profitable, are sold. Last winter I sold thirte 
cents per pound, which netted me $4 89 ea - 1 . 
[ have sometimes separated and fed the sheep U- 
sell and sold at more per head, but do not think it 
more profitab'e, all things considered. 
The foregoing is a brief synopsis of the man¬ 
agement of my flock for several yearp, which has 
been attended with gatifying results, and con 
approximation to the object sought, viz.:—long, 
fine, close, and even wool, with symmetrical form, 
of fair size, and I hope with the instruction ol the 
Rural, and the teachings of experience, to mak 
future advancement 
p. g.—My stock buck has received no bettc- 
keeping than the flock. He was two years old last 
May. His first fleece weighed 8£ pounds washed 
wool; second fleece, 10 pounds, but was lessened 
in weight by beiDg licked by the cattle he pastured 
with. His present weight is 169 pounds 
Le Roy, Gen. Co., N. Y., 1858. W. L. Bishop. 
A WESTERN FARM-ITS SURROUNDINGS. 
Few western men would be interested in a de¬ 
scription of eastern land, as it would be but por¬ 
traying that which is before their eyes whenever 
they think of their birth-place. But few eastern 
men have seen the We.it, so far west even, as in 
Illinoip, and consequently I conceive that a de¬ 
scription of my firm, cannot be uninteresting to 
them. While at the East I used frequently to 
imagine the West, its prairies and its groves; hut 
I iavariably failed iu making them roomy enough. 
The groves were too frequent. The farms too 
small, and farm houses and orchards and other ac¬ 
companiments of the farm were interspersed with 
too much regularity. A view of the praiiie—the 
settled prairie—destroyed my ideal vision. Hence 
you need not imagine that my farm is surrounded 
by the tilled land, but listen while I describe. 
It is two miles from Amboy City via the carriage 
road, and considerably less by ihe railroad, which 
cuts across lots. To the east, is half a mile square 
of unoccupied prairie held by the Illinois Central 
Railroad. To the north and north-east are tilled 
farms for mile after mile, with only now and then 
a small strip of unoccupied prairie. The city lies 
within sight, to the south-easr, aud the apace inter¬ 
vening is fenced and under cultivation. Yet, in 
following the road one mile south towards town, 
you pass one “ eighty ” on the left, and two on the 
right yet unoccupied, within the first mile. The 
last mile presents the appearance of an eastern 
street, being thickly settled. 
The two “eighties” spoken of on the right con¬ 
nect with one unoccupied section after another 
westward for full twenty miles, and afford me an 
excellent range for stock, in extent all that I could 
wish, numbering thousands after thousands of 
acres. The unoccupied prairie is like so much 
clo’h in the hands of the tailor—it is all ready for 
cutting up and making into farms of such dimen¬ 
sions as may suit the purchaser. 
From my farm to the nearest grove it is three 
miles, but I have been there only once for the pur¬ 
pose of procuring timber for my farm use. When 
fenced in, two years tince, tbis quarter section had 
neither tree nor shrub growing upon it; now it has 
long rows of willow and cotton wood and locust. 
You Bee the Illinois Central Railroad divides it 
into nearly equal-farts, giving me two fields. 
Farms here geneiatly retain their full dimensions, 
quite often being fenced in with others, so that 
one field contains several hundred or a thousand 
acres without cross fences. This is not so incon¬ 
venient as it would at first seem, as the whole in 
closed area is usually plowed or mown. The open 
prairie is our pasture. 
My farm is now in readiness for thirty acreB of 
wheat and the same amount of corn. The wheat 
is sown on the breaking so far as it goes, amount¬ 
ing to twenty~?ight acres; the corn is the third 
crop since breaking, the two former having been 
wheat. In the one hundred acres under cultiva¬ 
tion I have twenty of low ground meadow, or 
“slue,” as it is called here. This is folly as valuable 
as any part, and yields an ample return in excellent 
wild hay. A little labor with the drag in early 
spring, 8nd Bowing to red top and timothy will 
soon change it to the most desirable of grasses. 
I have broke&,coDsiderable prairie during the 
summer, and it being my first experience I 
counseled with other farmers as to its treatment 
Some advised putting it in corn, some its being 
allowed to remain idle, and some ihought it would 
do to sow with buckwheat The last advice I 
followed, and obtained a yield of fully fifteen 
bushels per acre from all sown as early as the 10th 
of July. 
My opportunity for growing cattle here is 
almost unrestricted—a privilege which I intend 
improving to the full limit of my capital. Such 
abundant pasturage is well calculated to excite 
surprise in the eastern farmer. 
The extent of this prairie is considerable. To 
the north west and west it reaches Rock River 
without anything but cultivated trees—fully fifteen 
miles. To the north it reaches ten, and to the east 
and south from three to four miles, while to the 
north-east 8Dd south west I have do knowledge of 
where timber would be first intersected by a direct 
line. W. H. Gardner. 
Amboy, Ill., 1858. 
“MOON THEORIES,” AGAIN. 
Messrs. Eds. :—I noticed an article in the Rural 
of October 23d,entitled “Moon Theories,”in which 
the author, D. B. Paine, of Do Kalb Centre, III., 
Bays, “I think it make, a tinier,dice at wh*n 
time heeds ure planted in the moon. Now, I have 
always planted and sowed my grain in the 
ground, and if D. B. P. has tried his iu the inoon 
1 think he has the advantage of auy other tones 
trial mortal, aud tan, of course, decide either pro 
or con us to sowing seed in the new, or the full 
moon. He gives his experience with peas, cucum¬ 
bers, and all things growing above the ground, and 
thinks they are much better if sown and planted 
in the old or last quarter of the moon; while, on 
the other hand, he thinks all things growing below 
the surface of the tarth should be planted in the 
full moon. Now, such theories I believe to be the 
height of folly; for what difference can it possibly 
make about the productiveness of grain whether it 
be sown when the sun shines on one half of the 
moon or on the whole of it, or whether it shines 
on any part of it or not? If Mr. Paine can give 
the philosophy of the moon’s influence on vegeta¬ 
tion, he can do more than any “Moon Theorizer” 
I have ever seen; then, and not tiil then, shall I be 
willing to accept the notions so many have offered 
of the moon’s influence on the weather aud vegeta¬ 
tion. There are some who are so Btrong believers 
in the moon’s influence that they would almost as 
soon cut oil' their right band as to plant oorn when 
the sign was down, for they Beew to believe that 
instead of it growing towards the surface, it would 
lurn aud grow the other way, coming out iu China 
or some other far off country, and thus they would 
not only lose their labor but also their seed. 
Not long since I was conversing with afarn 
who professes to know a thing or two, who told 
me that he was well satisfied, from personal expe¬ 
rience, that if pork were killed in the fall of tue 
moon it would increase in size when fried, and 
if it were killed in the new of the moon dec-eas-: 
or become less when cooked. Persons advancing 
such ideas never 6eein to look at their absurdity, 
and if asked to give the reasons why aud where¬ 
fore, or the philosophy of the thing, they will say, 
“ I can’t, but it’s so, for I’ve tried it.” I, too, have 
seen it tried, and could see about as much differ¬ 
ence as there is between six and half a dozen. I 
agree with Mr. Paine in one thing; that it does 
make a difference whether seeds are planted in 
December or May in order to reap a good harvest 
And if he, or any other man of the moon, will let 
the moon take care of itself, and sow his grain 
when the ground becomes warm in the spring, I 
think he will seldom fail to realize an abundant 
harvest, G. W. Lewis. 
Hartsville, N. Y., 1858. 
Preserving Tor Onions.— Can any of your 
readers advise me how to keep Top Onion sets 
through the winter, and have them come out 
sound and right in the spriDg. Two years ago the 
comiDg winter I put my sets just uuder the roof, 
where the cold and snow could drive in upon 
them, and they were all good in the spriDg. Last 
winter I put them in the same place, and in the 
spring every ODe was rotten. I could account for 
it only in one way. Perhaps in the first instance 
they continued frozen through the winter, and id 
the latter case they may have frozen and thawed 
continually. I have a nice lot now, and would 
like to know the best way to keep them.—R. E. 
Richards, Toltdo, Ohio, 1868. 
INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS. 
Bremen Geese.— I have carefully perused the 
Rural of Oct 16th, containing the report of the 
8tate Fair, and was deeply interested in the de¬ 
scription of the 8fock, Agricultural Implements, 
Ac., and was glad to see the names and- places of 
residence of those who owned them, mentioned 
with very few exceptions, and those were the very 
ones I wished to see, one of which is this:—What 
were the names and places of residence of those 
who owned the cages of Whre Bremen Geese? 
Please give me the desired information. 
Can any one inform me of the town and county 
where CoL Samuel Jaques, or Samuel Jaques, 
Jr,, resides?—in the vicinity of Boston? (See 
Rural of Oct 3d. >857.)— Oscar Adams, Livonia, 
Livingston Co., N. Y. 
Remarks. —The first Premium on Bremen Geese 
was awarded to E. A- Wendell, of Albaiiy, and 
the second to J. Reed, of Marcellos, N. Y. Mr. 
Jaques’ post office address is Boston, wo think, 
if we mistake not Eben Wight, of Boston, has a 
fine lot; it not, he will give you all necessary in¬ 
formation. 
Water-Pipe — Fish Ponds. — In the Rural I 
find a valuable communication from H, J F., of 
Palmyra, N. Y., relative to the mode and expense 
of conducing water under ground to any feasihle 
point. Toe expense of the water-pipe which he 
describes does not be sayp, exceed 26 cenis a rod. 
it is formed by laying tile in water-lime cemen'. 
There are no tile manufactured in this section.— 
Will you, or H. J. F., inform me where azd how 
near to me (1 live 100 miles north of Troy, N. Y,) 
they can be obtained?—and what would be the 
probable cost of transporting by railroad to this 
place, enough for 50 rods of pipe? (1) 
I am desirous of constructing on my grounds a 
trout poDd. Two questions arise—1st, How can I 
best render the bottom aDd sides of my pond proof 
against leakage? The soil is a rich loam, and I 
am fearful that it is too porous to retaia water — 
How can the bottom aud sides of the pond be ren¬ 
dered impervious to water? Cement, I suppose, 
would freeze in winter and crack off Would clay 
answer the purpose, say a coating 12 inches thick? 
Or would a flagging of fiat stones, laid in cement, 
be preferable? (2.) 
Tfie 3d question is—which is the best and cheap¬ 
est mode of conducting the water into my ponu? 
I can obtain pure water by digging some 10 or 15 
feet. This would be done in the back grounds and 
on much higher points than where the pond is to 
be located. Perhaps some of your correspondents 
are conversant with the construction of fish ponds. 
ADy information from you or them, through the 
Rural, touching this question will lay me under 
obligation to reciprocate the favor, by imparting 
information on any subject named within the cum- 
oass of my knowledge.—S. B. Rockwell, Sirring 
Side, Vl , 1858. 
Remarks.—(1 ) The pipe can be obtained in Al¬ 
bany, at $12 a thousand, and about 13 tile will lsy 
a rod. (2.) Clay forms the best bottom for a pond. 
It must be put on carefully and pounded down 
hard when it becomes almost impervious to water. 
The only difficulty is with the edges, where the 
clay becomes wet and dry as the water falls and 
lisas. This causes it to crack. A very good pre¬ 
ventive of this evil is to give the edges between 
high aDd low watermark, a thick coating of gravel, 
which keeps ihe clay moist, or at least prevents 
;,uch frequent and sadden changes. If any of our 
readers c*n give their experience in this matter 
we hope th</y will do so. 
The Wheat Midge.—Wheat Growing in Mich- 
an—W e hear from all parts of the country ol 
lie almost total destruction of the wheat crop by 
be Weevil, so called bv some of your correspon¬ 
dents, and by others, Midge. Are they the same? 
.ud but a different name ai plied to the samein- 
i ct J so understand it—it not, how do they dif¬ 
fer in their destructive operation? It would seem 
they are to become a “peimanent institution” wiih 
is, and I am glad so much attention is given to 
ihe subject by the Rural 
T he loss of the wheat crop affects more seriously 
he farmers of the West, than the Erst, in view ot 
■he fact ihatthis liaB been relied spun as about tbe 
ouly cash product of tbe farm. The Grand River 
VaDey was becoming noted for her bountiful white 
heat, equal to the far famed Genesee Vall<-y in 
I her palmiest day—and for the last few years sought 
- utter with equal avidity. But alas, the evil is uyon 
1 us—we have not over one-third of our usual yield. 
: We cannot yet, however, fully give up our hopes 
i for the future. Bo far as we have been able to get 
! information from your columns, you recomm-nd 
as the only remedies, early souring and early varie¬ 
ties I suppose even witn these precautions much 
will depend upon the peculiarities of the season — 
What time would you recommend as a medium 
time for sowing—aud have you any varieties of seed 
'hat have b en used more successfully than others? 
Any suggestions of this kind yon have to make 
wilt be thankfully received by the AgriculturLts 
of this valley. Toere is no doubt oi-e advantage 
will result to tbe farmers of Northern M cbigan 
’ from ihis apparent evil visitation, and that is, their 
attention will thereby be directed to a greater di- 
: versify of production. Wool growing and stock- 
aisiDg has been heretofore neglected in this val¬ 
ley, and yet there is not probaoly a country on the 
face of this beautitul green earth so well adapted 
j to both. Praries, oak openings, nchtimbered land, 
I fertile burr oak plains, tbe whole face of the coun¬ 
ty beautifully undulating, with numerous streams 
of water and clear, cold, spring brooks — invite 
oar farmers to stock their lands with flocks of fine 
| sbeep and herds of improved cattle, snd thus in- 
crease instead of diminish, by cultivation, tbe 
uatural fertility of their soils, and by a system 
atic rotation of crops enhance the value of their 
farms, and have a greater variety of products for 
sale aonual'y. If we thus torn our attention in 
this direction and profit early by this apparent 
calamity, it may in ihe end prove a blessing —D. M. 
Fox, Lyons, Ionia Co, Mich., 1858. 
Remarks.— 1 The above has been mislaid, or it 
would have appeared earlier. The insect that is 
doing so much mischief to our wheat crop is called 
both the Wheat Weevil and the Wheat Midge. It 
is not, however, a Weevil, as this is a diff reDt in¬ 
sect, and destroys the wheat when stored in the 
granary, and not iu the field. Early planting and 
early varieties, with good draining and culture, so 
as to secure early ripening, are the only preventives 
known, and even these only succeed partially un¬ 
der tbe most favorable circumstances. Could we 
obtain a good white wheat a few days earlier than 
any we have, we might then hope to succeed. We 
wid refer to this matter again, aDd if any of our 
readers can give any experience of an encouraging 
nature we hope they will do so. 
Manuring Meadows. — My method of beeping 
up meadows is to draw out and spread, as evenly 
as it is possible, well-rotted manure, previous to 
the fall rams ten or twelve loads per acre. The 
next spring drag it over thoroughly with a sharp 
tooth harrow, and at haying I find I am well paid, 
with, as merchants say, quite a magin besides.— 
Perhaps W. B. P.’s manner of raking with a hand 
rake in the spring instead of a harrow, would be 
better.—W. P. S., Seneca Castle, N. Y., 1858. 
A Call from the Senior. — Last week we bad 
tbe pleasure of receiving a visit from Luther 
Tucker, Esq, of Albany, who is, we believe, the 
oldest Agricultural Editor and Publisher now 
living in this country—or, rather, has been en¬ 
gaged in that capacity for a longer period than 
any other person. Mr. Tucker commenced the 
Genesee Farmer Dearly thirty jears ago, and pub¬ 
lished it successfully uutil his removal to Albany, 
in 1840. He is, therefore, one of the pioneers of 
Agricultural Journalism in Ameiica, and the 
pioDeer in this seciion of the Union, and certainly 
entitled to great credit, 8nd lasting iernembrn.ee, 
for hiseailyaDd continuous lalors in behalf of 
the cause of improvement, Though it has at 
times been evasively denied, and he has been re¬ 
fused a hearing on the subject in its pages, Mr. 
Tucker is entitled to tbe honor of originating and 
successfully establishing the journal last named—a 
journal which, in its palmy days, and un*il the 
advent of week'y agricultural papers, was smovg 
the first of its class in circulation, influence and 
usefulness. “ Honor to whom honor,” Ac. 
Oa Mr. Tucker’s removal to Albany he became 
the proprietor and senior editor of The Cultivator 
—Ian able and widely circulated monthly—which 
position he still oecup es. In order to keep pace 
wiih the progressive spirit of ihe age, however, 
Mr. T. a few years since commenced the publica¬ 
tion of a weekly paper mainly devoted to rural 
topics —The Country Gentleman. Though we may 
not always agree with ih« conductors of these j our- 
nals—and have had a little sparring wi h them now 
and then—we consider them among the ablest and 
most valuable in the land, and sincerely wish the 
Feoivr Editor (whom we have long known, and un¬ 
der whom we served aforeiime.) continued pros¬ 
perity and an extended and happy evening of a 
thus far most industrious, exemplary and useful 
life. Though advanced in years, Mr. T. is yet erect 
and vigorous, and gives nearly the same daily per¬ 
sonal at'en ion to business that he did thirty years 
since. May be long he spared, for such men a:e 
needed by the Cause and tbe Country. 
Wooden Water-Tubing Ahead. — A few days 
since we were shown a piece of wooden tubing 
which was put down in the fall of 1816, aud has 
been in constant use to conduct water from a well 
since that period—forty-two years—and yet exhib¬ 
ited no evidences of decay, except on the surface, 
and was apparently as sound and valuable for all 
practical purposes as wbea first taken from the 
forest. The piece was of pine, about four inches 
square, with a bore of two inches in diameter. It 
came from the farm of Mr. Ellis Morse, of Eaton, 
Madison Co., N. Y., where twelve rods of the 
tubing was laid forty-two years ago, the lowest 
portion beiDg ten feet deep, from which point it 
gradually approached the surface until it emerged 
at the side of a hilL The pipe was recently taken 
up in consequence of the failure of the well. It 
was found equally well preserved throughout t'-e 
whole twelve rods. This is strong and reliable 
testimony in favor of wood for water-tubing; fnd 
if made properly, of good material, and well i 
deeply buried, there is little doubt it will pr^e 
superior to iron, lead or cement. Wood tnfeiDg is 
certainly far the cheapest, as it is now manufactur¬ 
ed at a very low price, compared with metal pipe. 
We give the above facts and in f erences for the 
benefit of farmers and others interested, and not 
to promote the interests of manufactures—albeit 
we take pleasure in referring those who wish to 
examine or purchase wood-tubing to the announce¬ 
ments of I. S. Hobbie & Co., in onr advertising 
department. 
High Farming vs. Insects.— Speaking of the 
insects infesting the wheat crop in this aud the 
old country, the Mark Lane Express thinks that 
the production of insects is greatly promoted by 
the defective system of agriculture in this country, 
remarking that “ when the average produce of 
wheat in England wa3 only two and a half quarters 
per acre, the ravages of insects were far more 
general and destructive tban they are now that the 
average has risen to four quarters and a half. 
High farming is as destructive to vermin as to 
weeds, and it is rarely that the devastation com¬ 
mitted on highly cultivated land is very serious.” 
Michigan Agricultobal College. —The next 
term of this institution commences on Wednesday, 
Dec. 1st. The examination of candidates for ad¬ 
mission takes place the day preceding. To be ad¬ 
mitted, a person must undergo a thorough exami¬ 
nation in arithmetic, grammar, reading, wi icing 
and spelling. There will probably be about forty 
vacancies to be filled. 
Sorghum Items —The Three Rvers (Mich.) 
Ileiald says:—“Dr. Samuel Adams, one of our 
citizens, made an experiment with the Sugar Cane 
Sorghum, which resulted in procuring a fair 
simple of brown sugar. This was the result of 
the first trial. He has another sample which is 
now in process of granulation, which, he says, is 
superior to the former in color and grain. The 
sugar of his first experiment is equal to our nine 
cent sugar, a sample of wli’ch can be seen at our 
office. He is determined to give the Sorghum a 
fair trial, and feels quite sanguine in producing a 
good and cheap article of sugar.” 
— An acre and three-fourths of land, near Cin¬ 
cinnati, yields 440 gallons of syrup, and the pro¬ 
prietor expects to realize over $100 per acre. 
— The Illinois Farmer, of the 1st iast., makes 
the following reference to the operations of the 
mill for the manufacture of Sugar Cane lately set 
up near Springfield:—“ It is now running day and 
n’ght, giving employment to two sets of hands. 
It will turn out from 250 to 300 gallons of syrup 
per day. No attempts have yet been made to 
make sugar. The cane does not show as high a 
per cent of saccharine as last year—when it 
reached ten per cent. The difference, no doubt, 
was caused by the peculiar character of the last 
season—the moisture beiDg excessive.” 
Horses vs. Oxen.— No one who observes ihe 
working of both animals together at general farm 
work, but must acknowledge the superiority, in 
point of quickness, of horse over ox power and 
“time is money,” here as elsewhere. 
