TWO DOLLARS 
YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. FIVE CEN'i 
VOL, IX, NO. m 
ROCHESTER, N. Y,-SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 27, 1858, 
I WHOLE NO. m. 
I 
FEEDIBG OCT COES STALKS. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A2i ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AH ABL3 COSTS OF ASSISTANT EDITORS. 
Tub Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique and 
beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his personal atten¬ 
tion to the supervision of its various departments, and earnestly labors 
to render the Rural an eminently Reliable Guide on the important 
Practical, Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with the 
business of those whose interests it zealously advocates. It embraces 
more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and 
News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful Engravings, 
than any other journal,—rendering it the most complete Agricultu¬ 
ral, Literary and Family Journal in America. 
An commnnieations, and business letters, should be addressed 
to D. D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N. Y. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
A LEADER V/ANTED! 
“ A Leader Wanted, ” says our foreman, within 
ail hour of the time for putting this number of 
the Rural to press — and the next morning after 
Thanksgiving, when one don’t feel in the spirit ef 
writing, at that. But a leader must be produced, 
immediately, whether we have or nay the spirit or 
subject for an article—and it shall be forthcoming. 
“ A Leader Wanted!” Aye, not for this week’s 
Rural only, but for many institutions and positions 
in life —among the rich and poor, high and low, 
and the workers for the good, the useful and the 
elevating in all classes of society. 
Commencing, for the sake of courtesy only, at. 
the head—among the so-called great or elevated 
men of the land—and speaking in behalf of the 
Rural Population, we will first say that a leader is 
always wanted at the head of the Nation who will 
regard the wants and wishes and best interests 
of the great mass of the People of the Country.— 
A leader who will not only properly estimate and 
appreciate the importance of, but that will, so far 
as he consistently may, protect and encourage 
those engaged in the great Industrial Occupations 
of Life—Agriculture, Commerce and Manufac¬ 
tures. No mere party or sectional man can fill 
such a position, for it requires a far-seeing mind, 
of sound, discriminating judgment and statesman¬ 
like views, which comprehends the present wants, 
and position, and future prospects and destiny of 
the whole People and Country—East and West, 
North and South. In his Annual Message to Con¬ 
gress he should indicate, suggest and advise what 
is most needed for the advancement of the great 
interests already mentioned—and if a few thou¬ 
sand, aye, or a few hundred thousand dollars are 
necessary, why not appropriate it for such laudable 
objects, instead of squandering it on useless 
national defences or political or party favorites? 
“A Leader is Wanted” also in every State—a 
man, or Governor, if yon please, who shall regard 
the industrial interests of the whole Commonwealth, 
and especially those from which the People and 
the State principally derive their prosperity and 
wealth. If Agriculture is this interest, it should 
he fostered and cared for first, instead of second, 
third, or last, as is too often the case. No mere 
politician or one-idea man is fit to guide the desti¬ 
nies of a State—even tho’ as small as Delaware or 
Rhode Island—but the leader wanted should posses 
the ability to comprehend wrongs and abuses, and 
the nerve to redress them if in his power—and 
thus be a Governor of and for the People, rather 
than for a class of political or party spoils-seeker?. 
Leaders are wanted also in every County, Town, 
City and Village of the land—men who will prove 
themselves true conservative-progressionists, (an 
odd but comprehensive term,) and labor for the 
welfare of their constituents and districts, regard¬ 
less of the temporary loss of personal popularity. 
The great trouble with our Municipal, County and 
Town officers generally, is that they are aspiring 
to higher positions, and dare not inaugurate any 
measure, however just or needful, which will dis¬ 
please “ the party ” or influential members there¬ 
of, The first question is not whether this or that 
measure is right, but whether it is politic, or will 
injure the official advocate personally. No such 
leaders are wanted by the great mass of the people 
everywhere. 
Leaders are likewise wanted in every School Dis¬ 
trict in the land. The beat men should always be 
selected for School Trustees, the next best for Super¬ 
visors, the next for Assemblymen, and almost any 
body will do for Congress! If the youth are 
started aright, there will soon be honest and capa¬ 
ble men enough for leaders in all positions. 
Every Agricultural Society and Club — State, 
County, Town, or District—wants an intelligent, 
industrious and efficient leader, who will labor for 
the cause and community, regardless of personal 
comfort or popularity. And every Educational, 
Benevolent and Religions Institution wants the 
same — men of mind, independence and far-reach¬ 
ing views. Indeed, we might keep on for hours, 
did time permit, in enumerating where leaders are 
wanted in the various avocations and positions of 
life—hut, fruitful and suggestive as is our text, we 
must close, thus relieving the reader, and furnish¬ 
ing the printer a hurriedly penned, often inter¬ 
rupted, but we trust not altogether non-suggestive 
or uninstrnctive Leader. 
— Did time permit we would take the liberty of 
more than suggesting that at least one Leader is 
wanted in each Town and School District in the 
Union, (not already supplied,) to introduce the 
Rural New-Yorker, which some discriminating 
people emphatically pronounce the leader in its 
sphere of Journalism. 
AN INSECT INJURIOUS TO BARLEY. 
Most of our readers who have grown barley in 
Western and Central New York for the last few 
years, need not to be told that a maggot, resembling 
in color and general appearance the Wheat Midge, 
is found in great abundance in the straw, much to 
the injury of the crop and the prospects of the 
grower. The straw is pierced, and between each 
joint may be often found half-a-dozen or more 
maggots, each making for itself a circular cavity 
about the same diameter as the body, and several 
inches in length. The straw becomes dark-color¬ 
ed, brittle, as though scorched, and breaks into 
small pieces in threshing. This midge is also 
troublesome in the Eastern States, perhaps as much 
so as here. The following letter accompanied a 
collection of these perforated and broken straws, 
filled with maggots: 
Ed9. Rural:—A t the request of Dr. M. Orton, 
one of the subscribers to your paper, I send you 
some specimens of an inecot which is encased in 
the barley straw and nicely varnished over, in its 
natural state. You will find upon breaking open 
the straw, a small maggot If you can inform me 
through the columns of the Rural the name of 
this insect, or if it has been noticed by any of the 
agriculturists, who contribute for your paper, I 
shall be much obliged. The appearance of the 
barley before harvest promised from 35 to 40 
bushels per acre, but did not yield but about 25 
bushels to the acre. The soil was a loam and well 
drained.—S. S. Sage, Pelcin, N. K, 1858. 
A portion of the straw and insects we sent to 
Mr. Stauffer, who, with his usual promptness, sent 
us the reply which will be found below. Some of 
them we have reserved, so that next season we 
may see the insect in its perfect state. 
Eds. Rural: —Yours of the 3d, with specimens 
of the insect injurious to the barley crop, in the 
Western and Middle parts of New York 3tate, came 
to hand. I .opened one of the haulms of barley- 
straw, and found two maggots embedded, measur¬ 
ing about one-tenth of an inch, of a straw color; un¬ 
der the microscope it appeai’3 like figs. 1, 2. I may 
be under the necessity of waiting till May or June, 
before the perfect insect will appear, which I 
doubt not, will be very similar to the wheat midge 
described in the Rural, No. 27, Yol. IX, for July 
3d, 1858. I am satisfied, however, that they are not 
identically the same species; I have examined the 
orange-colored wheat maggot, found in the groove 
of the grain. My figure differs somewhat, from 
the illustration given in your article above referred 
to, the difference may arise from a change of its 
state, as it approches nearer to a perfect chrysalia 
Fig. 3, is a copy from the specimen I examined, 
centrally, of an orange yellow, head and anus, with 
the two tings adjoining each dark colored, or 
nearly black. 
Figures 1 and 2, Laivse of Cesidomyia Hordei? 1, Straw- 
colored Barley Worm, or Maggot, one-tenth inch long, in 
the haulms. 2, Same Maggot, less advanced into the pu¬ 
pa state. 
Figures 3 and 4, Cecidomjia Tritici. 3, OraDgo-colored 
Wheat Worm or Maggot, one-twelfth inch long, found in 
the groove of the grain. 4, Wheat Fly. 
Fig. 5, the Haulm, after the larvie or semi-pupae have 
escaped. 
Fig 6, the Haulm blistered and contorted by the larvae 
lodged beneath the cuticle, or thickened contra! substance 
of the haulm of barley. 
Dr. Harris attempted to raise the fiy from the 
barley-worm or maggot, bat succeeded in discov¬ 
ering the para die, only, a four winged Ichneumon- 
ous fiy, similar, but a little larger, than the one 
described by Say, as the mortal enemy of the Hes¬ 
sian fly, the Euritorna destructor. The Hessian fly 
being the Cecidomyia destructor, Mr. Harris called 
his , Euritorna Hordei, Ilordeum being thelatin name 
for barley;—so if it proves to be a cecidomyia, dif¬ 
fering from the wheat midge, ( Cecidomyia tritici) 
I propose to call it Cecidomyia Hordei. The genus 
Euritorna ( VVertwood) beloDgs to the family Chul- 
cididee, parasitic like the Ichneumonidce. 
No doubt the reason Mr. Harris got no speci¬ 
men of the fly, was in not placing the larvae upon 
moist soil, or in a flower-pot, so that those which 
were not oviposited on by the Ichneumon, mig- t 
have buried themselves, since only those wou'd 
develop that were preyed upon by th8 parasite, 
not the culpiit that does the mischief, but its mor¬ 
tal enemy, as above remarked; having, I am fully 
persuaded, the same habits, as the wheat midge. 
The Cecidomytdes, is a sub-family of the Tipulidce, 
having jointed an tenure moniWform, (like beads on 
a string,) twenty-fonr-jointed, (or thirteen at least,) 
with verticillea hairs; they have long legs, without 
spines. The wings have but few nerves, and are 
carried flat en the back or roof like when at rest. 
They are of a very small s-ize, inhabiting many dif¬ 
ferent plants, depositing their eggs according to 
the several species in yonDg sprigs, the leaves, 
flowers, &c., causing galls similar to the Cynipidcc, 
or distortion of the flower. There are numerous 
genera and species of this sub-family. The most 
injurious are those referred to. 
When the larvsc of the wheat midge are kept in 
a box or vial, they loose their orange color and 
perish, moisture being essential to their transform¬ 
ation. I would advise those who are curious to 
breed the fly, to place or stick the haulms into the 
moist soil of a flower-pot, or the like, and, when 
the insects drop out to cover them—a bottomless 
jar, with fine nunlin o\r cue end, sank into the 
soil, over and around them, will secure the fly when 
matured, and require no farther watching. 
Burning the stubble may destroy them, if done 
before the pup® drop out. By cutting the grain 
early, and carefully collecting the larvte in the 
chaff and dust separated from tha grain, a large 
proportion of the ensuiDg years’ brood may be de¬ 
stroyed. Wheat, by being kept in a close, dry 
place, over the year, when infected by the pupae, 
(since it is the maggot only, that injures the flower 
and grain, when hatched from the eggs, while 
feeding,) will aid in their total destruction, by not 
affording them a lodgment in the soil; yet num¬ 
bers may have found this lodgment, notwithstand¬ 
ing, during harvesting. Plowing deep is also re¬ 
commended with a view to turn the larvae deep 
under tha soil. Thus we can understand some of 
the difficulties in the way of ridding our fields 
from this pest. 
ADDENDA—THE POTATO INSECTS, AGAIN. 
Fig. 7, Passalus Cornutus. a, a, the horn of the head, 
hence nareed Cornutus. 
Fig. 8, Baridius Trinotatua. 
The acarus, Fig. 10, in the illustrations of my 
article in the Rural of Nov. Gt,b, yon name beneath 
“Passtdus Cornutus"— this might lead to criticism, 
as you should have said—“ parasitic on the Passalus 
Cornutus .” This latter is the name of a large 
species of Coleoptera, among the Lamellicomion 
beetles, with a horn on its nose, bent forward near¬ 
ly at a right angle. 
The Potato Weevil, fig. 5, c, was, I have since 
found, the 11 Baridius trinotutus ” of Say, the same 
insect which Miss Morris communicated to Mr. 
Harris, of which he published an account in the 
New England Farmer, some years ago. 
I send, you two drawings, you may make any use 
of them you please. Jacob Stauffer. 
Lancaster, Pa.,-Nov. 8, 1858. 
Experiments with Wheat. —To raise a stronger 
stem and a crop less liable to fall, J. B. Lawes, of 
Rothamstead, Eng., says, in a recent London Jour¬ 
nal, that he tried the experiment of sowing early 
—the last of August—and feeding with sheep 
during winter and spring, checking thereby the 
leaf and stem, and extending the roots, hoping 
thus to obtain a plant which would resist wind 
and rain. The effort met with little success. “At 
one time,” he says of another experiment, “ I was in 
hopes that we might by some chemical compounds 
increase tho strength of the straw; but I have been 
entirely unsuccessful, and do not anticipate there 
ia much to be done by other experiments.” In re¬ 
gard to thin seeding for this purpose, he says that 
by keeping the plants further apart, so as to admit 
more light, a stronger stem may be obtained, but 
at the expense of increased labor in weeding, and, 
generally, a decrease in the quantity of the grain. 
CONNECTICUT ON THE CATTLE QUESTION. 
During the Fair of the Connecticut State Ag. 
Society, the members thereof held several meetings 
for the purpose of discussing matters of general 
interest connected with their vocation, and at one 
of these gatherings the query, “What is the best 
breed of horned cattle for this State?” was pro¬ 
pounded. The question of tho respective value of 
the various breeds has had brief notice in the 
Rural lately, and it may be well to look at the 
views of farmers in the “land of steady habits,” 
compare them with our own opinions upon the 
subject, observe wherein we agree or differ, and 
draw practical conclusions from the thoughts pre¬ 
sented. To thi3 end we give, in the following con¬ 
densed form, the ideas thrown out by our Connec¬ 
ticut brethren: 
Mr. Clark, of Hartford, remarked:—For myself, 
I must say that I am in doubt which breed of cat¬ 
tle ia most suitable. Where there is rich pastures i 
there is no doubt the Durhams are the best. The 
Alderneys, for men who keep but a single cow, are 
undoubtedly valuable. We have not had much ex¬ 
perience in Ayrshire stock in this State, bat I am 
satisfied it is a breed well suited to our State, for 
they are excellent milkers where they are most 
commonly raised and kept in Scotland. The cows 
there average 20 quarts a day. But takiDg every¬ 
thing into consideration, I am satisfied that the 
Devons aro the kind for universal use. 
Jacob U. Blakesi.ee, Watertown. — The first 
Devons were brought into the State in 1819. Since 
then the quality, both for milk and meat, has been 
much improved. It is true they will do well upon 
shorter feed than any other variety, but it is bad 
policy to overstock land. If properly bred, Devons i 
are good for milk, and superior workers. 
Mr. Lindsley, of Meriden.—I have seen some¬ 
thing of the beef of England, and never heard that 
Durhams made beef of *s good quality as Dovonp. 
The reason why Alderneys produce such good milk 
and hatter is because they are better fed. Pure¬ 
bred Devons here are so valuable that they are not 
used to make beef. I can make beef at less price 
upon eight legs than upon four. I don’t want cattle 
of a very large breed. I have never seen any milch 
cows equal the native stock of this State. I mean 
by native, the stock long bred hero without cross¬ 
ing with any imported stock. 
Henry Bill, of Norwich, preferred the Ayr- 
shires for any use. To say which is the best breed 
for the State we must know what we want cattle 
for. Upon the richest farms I think Durhams 
best, because beef can be made at the least cost 
The imported Devons are not as good for milk as 
the natives. Bat calves of a good native cow are 
not sure to he good. I think the Alderneys too 
delicate for general use. I prefer Devons to all 
others for oxen. The Ayrshire cows are the best for 
use to sell milk from in a city market. If you want 
to make beef yon must take breed suitable for the 
purpose. 
Mr. Catlin, of Hamilton, thought that the best 
cattle to be found in the State are in Litchfield 
county, and ail are mixed with late importations of 
the Devons, and the best oxen here are seven- 
eighths Devon. We are obliged to use oxen in 
this State on the hilly land, and the great deside¬ 
ratum is to get that sort of stock that will breed 
the best oxen. Now, what breed is beat for this 
purpose? No doubt it. is a cross of the Devon. 
Mr. Hart, of Litchfield Co., says his practice 
has been to feed calves upon oil meal and whey.— 
Have raised thirteen this year upon 700 lbs. of oil 
meal, and that was the only cost, and they did as 
well a3 other calves raised upon new milk. It coat 
S2 a hundred pounds. Fed the calves from the 
time they came, 1st of April, till about the 1st of 
June. It is a general opinion with us, that if we 
had taken the same pains to improve our native 
stock that have been used to improve imported 
breeds, we should have had a better breed than the 
imported one. Cross Devons, Durhams and Here- 
fords upon natives. My average this year is 425 
lba of cheese and 50 lbs. of butter per cow. The 
best cows are made up of a mixture of different 
breeds. In feeding oil meal, the calf must be 
highly fed at first, and fall fed after a week old. 
Mr. Blakeslee corroborated the statement of 
the last speaker about the value of oil meal, but 
preferred to feed the meal to the cow and give the 
calves skim milk. Preferred to raise calves in an 
economical manner rather than let them suck the 
cows, as they make better animals. 
Mr. Osborn, of Fairfield Co., remarked that at 
the State Fair one year ago, there were many cattle 
entered as natives, but there was no premium 
offered. I am satisfied that we could improve the 
natives, and make better stock for this State than 
any breed of imported cattle. 
Mr. Hart considered the last importation of 
Devons much the best for milk. In offering prizes, 
we required the Devon and Durham oxen to com¬ 
pete, and the Devona always won the prizes. I 
have worked both grade Devons and Durhams, 
and find the Devons outwork the Durhams very far. 
Speaking of “racks and mangers,” last winter, 
(Rural, March 13, 1858,) we remarked:—“Put 
corn stalks in a rack, and the animal will pull out 
one every time it gets a mouthful, and then drop 
it to pull out another,” and asked how to remedy 
the matter. One correspondent told us he had 
heard of a machine going by horse power, “ which 
picks and tears corn stalks into feathery frag¬ 
ments,” in which state they could be fed like hay, 
and, his plan of cattle-boxes was the best ever got 
up,—(we think it was an excellent one.) Another 
advises maDgers and stanchions, where, when 
pinned in by the head, cows couldn’t take stalks out, 
“ save by eating them out.” Another, still, told us 
we were entirely behind the age in not keeping 
our stock stabled—all leaving me just about as 
bad off aB before, as far as information was con¬ 
cerned, or anything readily and cheaply put in 
practice out-of-doors. 
Meanwhile, we have had time to experiment 
somewhat on the subject, and therefrom have 
gathered some “ notions ” of our own, which we 
will jot down for those interested in feeding out 
corn stalks, 
Now-a-days, many a farmer raises nearly enough 
corn-fodder, if properly cured and saved, and then 
fed out without waste, to winter all his cattlo. Of 
the curing and tho saving, we have recently (Rural 
Oct. 2, 1858,) had our say in your columns, and we 
then ako denounced the practice of feeding out 
along the lanes, wasting the refuse stalks as well 
as tho manure made by the animals, thus fed away 
from the right place—the ham-yard. 
Tho best time of feeding corn stalks, is when the 
weather • is freezing cold, and the ground dry and solid. 
Perfect economy can then he practiced by a little 
attention to manner. Stock then have good ap¬ 
petites— they are far less particular than in warm 
weather, as to what and where they eat In such j 
weather, we givo them all the corn stalks they will 
consume cleanly, and it is a treat to see them clear 
the yard. In such weather, too, we allow our old 
sheep to join the cows in eating their fodder— 
taking pains to scatter them in small bunches, and 
so freely that the cows have little provocation to 
injure the sheep. We never had one seriously 
hart by hooking—indeed, the old ram keeps our 
cattle rather afraid of everything wearing wool. 
At all times, the yard should be well littered, but 
this is especially important when thawing weather 
occurs. Still,the yard ia not a perfectlyeconomi- 'I 
cal place for foddering,* although it can be made ! 
a very comfortable one at such times, and answer 
tolerably well. What is lost as fodder is saved as 
manure, and helps to litter the yard. We feed less 
stalks then and more hay, and allow them to fill 
up at the straw stack. We usually have an abund¬ 
ance of stalks, so that it is our best policy to make j 
the most of them, and still not to stint our stock. 
There is not the least doubt in our mind that it I 
is the best policy for the farmer to provide stables 
with stalls and mangers, for feeding his stock in i 
wet and stormy weather, allowing them the run I 
of the yard—with sheds attached—a portion of the 
time. This we intend to do, the present winter— ] 
having been advised thereto by some of the best j I 
farmers in the country, and our own experience i 
bringing us strongly to the same conclusion. 
Some people have advised cutting corn stalks 
for feeding stock. We are strongly of the opinion, 
however, that there are quite a number of cutting 
machines—now rusting in out-of-the-way corners— 
which have been used for this purpose, but are 
now thrown aside. They don't pay. The chief 
advantage is that there are no long stalks to inter¬ 
fere with getting out the manure. Bat a very little 
more of the fodder is consumed, unless it is steamed 
and mixed with meal,—an operation few farmers j 
will go into for more than one season. As for the 
manure view of the question, it might pay with ; 
cheap power and perfect machinery, to cut hay, j 
straw, and stalks, that the bother of long manure 
might be entirely done away with—the contents of j 
the yard being fit at once for mixing with the soiL 
J. H. B. j 
FOR SALE! 
A “ drained hard-pan” farm of 150 acres, “up 
in Steuben,” ten miles from market, sixteen from 
the county seat, and still further from Pearl-Creek ! 
Said farm has been assessed at near $G0 per acre, 
and dear at that. Price and terms of payment 
made easy. The owner is tired of work, and pro- j 
poses to “fly the cat hole,” and give up the un¬ 
equal contest with the many natural obstacles to 
profitable farming. He will migrate to distant 
parts as soon as he can dispose of his effects, but 
will not stop upon “average Livingston county 
land,” but will proceed at once to the Tropics, to 
pick and eat of the spontaneous productions of the 
earth until he is satisfied, and then loll on his back, 
with his face to the snn, till he gets hungry again. 
Won’t H. T. B. go along? It is just the spot for 
all sueffi as have a keen eye to large returns from 
little labor, and will pay more than “ four per cent ” 
