VOLUME V. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.- SATURDAY, JULY n, 1854 . 
1 WHOLE NO. 237. 
sHme's gnal gjtto-garfor: 
A QUARTO WEEKLY 
Agricultural, Literary, and Family Newspaper, 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
ASSISTED BY 
JOSEPH HARRIS, in the Practical Departments: 
EDWARD WEBSTER, in the Literary and News Dep’ts. 
Corresponding Editors: 
J. H. Bixby, —H. C. White,— T. E. Wetmore. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unique and 
beautiful in appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
and Variety of Contents. Its conductors earnestly labor 
to make it a Reliable Guide on the important Practical 
Subjects connected with the business of those whose in¬ 
terests it advocates. It embraces more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientilic, Mechanical, Literary and News Matter, 
interspersod with many appropriate and handsome engrav¬ 
ings, than auy other paper published in this Country,— 
rendering it a complete Agricultural, Literary and 
Family Newspaper. 
tT¥" For Terms, &c., sek last pack. 
lieMSffiier. 
Progress and Improvement. 
CULTIVATION OF WHEAT.—NO. I. 
No phrase is more common than “a good 
wheat soilyet were we to ask half a dozen 
farmers as to what they considered “ a good 
wheat soil,” we should probably obtain six dif¬ 
ferent answers. \\ r e understand by it, in a 
wide sense, a rather stiff clay loam, abounding 
in calcareous matter. But many soils which 
are neither clayey nor calcareous produce good 
wheat, tlu u^h they cannot be considered as 
good natural wheat soils ; thus, the county of 
Norfolk, in England, is naturally a sterile blow¬ 
ing wuvh yet, p‘ the pres- nt Mute, ’ j judicious 
tillage and manuring, it produces as much 
wheat per acre as any other county in Eng¬ 
land. The value of clay in a wheat soil is 
usually attributed to a mechanical rather than 
to a chemical action, rendering the soil com¬ 
pact and retentive of moisture. The cause of 
the value of lime in a good natural wheat soil 
is, after all that has been written on the sub¬ 
ject, still enveloped in much uncertainty ; but 
one thing appears clear, all natural wheat soils 
contain a considerable quantity of lime, say as 
much as one per cent. When we consider that 
wheat contains a much less quantity of lime 
than almost every other crop grown, it will 
hardly do to say that the value of the limc s iu 
the soil is simply in supplying the wheat plant 
with the small quantity of lime which it re¬ 
quires, and that certain soils which do not pro¬ 
duce wheat fail to do^so from lack of lime, for 
these very soils frequently produce large crops 
of clover and Indian corn, both of which re¬ 
quire, according to analysis, much more lime 
than wheat. Bocssingault, ten years ago, 
called attention to this matter, as follows: 
" It appears highly probable that calcareous 
matter is chiefly beneficial from the particular 
action it exercises on the fixed ammoniacal salts 
of the manure, transforming these successively, 
slowly, and as they may be wanted, into carbo¬ 
nate of ammonia. In the most favorable condi¬ 
tion, the earth is only moist, not soaked with 
water, but permeable to the air. New research¬ 
es will perhaps illustrate the utility of ammoni¬ 
acal vapors thus developed in a confined atmo¬ 
sphere, where the roots are in operation. At 
least, it would be difficult to assign any other 
office to chalk in the marling or liming of land 
intended for corn, when we know how little 
lime corn absorbs. If, indeed, gypsum pro¬ 
motes the vegetation of trefoil, lucerne, sainfoin, 
<tc., by furnishing the needful calcareous ele¬ 
ment, it could not fail to exercise an equally fa¬ 
vorable agency upon wheat and oats, did they 
require it. The experiments adduced prove it 
not to be so, and their results are in some meas¬ 
ure corroborated by analysis. Thus, if we com¬ 
pare the different quantities of lime withdrawn 
from the soil by trefoil and corn, we find them 
as follows: 
The clover crop taken from one acre of ground nearly 70 
tt)H. of lime. 
Wheat “ “ “ 10 
Oats “ “ « 0.4*. 
With this comparison before us, it seems evi¬ 
dent that if the marling and liming of corn 
lands had no other object than the introduction 
of the minute portion of lime which is encoun¬ 
tered in tile crops, it would be difficult to justi¬ 
fy the enormous expenditure of calcareous car¬ 
bonate which is proved by daily experience to 
bo advantageous.” 
We are not prepared to assert that the 
chief value of lime in a wheat soil is in con¬ 
verting the fixed ammoniacal salts into carbon¬ 
ate of ammonia, or that it is owing to its ac¬ 
celerating the decomposition of organic matter 
in the soil; but as it is now established beyond 
all controversy that the great requirement of 
the wheat plant is ammonia, we feel assured 
that the large quantity of lime which always ex¬ 
ists in a good natural wheat soil, is, in some way 
or other, connected with the supply of ammo¬ 
nia in a suitable condition for assimilation by 
the plant. 
Why clay (alumina) is so necessary in a nat¬ 
urally good wheat soil is not clearly perceived. 
As we have said, however, it renders the soil 
retentive of moisture, and by its compact na¬ 
ture, prevents the formation, or at least the ex¬ 
tension, of fibrous surface roots, causing the 
plant to send down a long tap-root, enabling it 
the better to withstand the effects of freezing 
and thawing in winter, and the heat and 
drought of summer ; in fact, placing it in a soil 
or “pasture,” but little influenced by the vari¬ 
ations of temperature at the surface. 
Professor Way, from some results obtained 
during his experiments for the Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Society of England, “ on the absorbent 
power of soils,” has thrown out the idea that 
the silica, so abundant in the straw of wheat 
and other cereals, is taken up by the plant from 
a solution of the double salt silicate of alumi¬ 
na and ammonia, and that the ammonia evap¬ 
orates just as water is known to do, as soon as 
the silica is deposited ; he bases this theory 
principally on the fact that in Mr. Lawks’ 
wheat experiments, about five times as much 
ammonia p: needed to produce wheat os the 
plaut conttuDs when shown, if this ingenious 
hypothesis should prove correct, future exper¬ 
iments may show that one of the reasons why 
a rather clayey aluminous loam is better for 
wheat than a sandy soil, is owing to its con¬ 
taining the double silicate ofalumina and ammo¬ 
nia, or that of lime, soda, or potash, or other 
compounds capable of forming it under prop¬ 
er tillage and manuring. 
Professor Way is still pursuing these inves¬ 
tigations with renewed ardor. He is very 
sanguine that the double salt silicate of alumi¬ 
na and ammonia can be manufactured cheaply, 
and that it will prove of great value as an ar¬ 
tificial fertilizer for wheat. We have but small 
expectations in this direction, from the fact 
that the compound, however pure, would be too 
bulky and too poor in ammonia to be econom¬ 
ically transported to any distance as an artifi¬ 
cial manure. But it may be manufactured on 
the farm, by mixing farm-yard manure with 
loam, or, what would be still better, by filter¬ 
ing the wash of the barn-yard through loam 
placed in’a convenient spot for the purpose, 
and which could be carted on to the laud, and 
a fresh quantity put in its place, as soon as the 
water filtering through contained any trace of 
ammonia. The clay must not be burnt, as it 
destroys its absorbent power. We cannot too 
earnestly recommend this practice to all who 
desire to augment the quantity and quality of 
the manure heap, and, as a consequence, the 
productiveness of their farms. 
We would mention in this connection that 
in England it has been a common practice, for 
a century back at least, to draw on to old 
loamy headlands a large quantity of stable 
manure, and throw up the soil into a heap in 
the center, at the same time mixing with it the 
manure. Every old farmer will tell you of the 
wonderful effect such a compost produces on 
old meadows, etc. Does not this afford anoth¬ 
er instance of the fact which all conversant 
with the later developments of scientific inves¬ 
tigations must have observed, that practical 
farmers are farther advanced in the practices 
of true scientific agriculture than the best of 
chemists? About all that the chemist has 
yet done forj agriculture, is to explain the 
rationale of processes which experience has 
long taught the farmer to practice, and to sug¬ 
gest improvements, or carry them out still fur¬ 
ther. Practical farmers first discovered the 
value of bones, woolen rags, lime, marl, gu mo, 
&c., and the chemist has merely told us to w hai 
their fertilizing properties are owing. The au- 
vantages of growing turnips, clover, peas, I 
beans, tares, &c., alternately with the cereals, i 
were as well known before as since Mr. Lawks’ 
experiments explained the rationale of such a 
rotation. And the discovery that the double 
silicates retain ammonia, only serves to explain 
what was before acted upon in the practice of 
composting manure with loamy soil. A knowl¬ 
edge, however, of the principles on which an 
improved agriculture rests, is of immense im¬ 
portance, and those who are so ardently labor¬ 
ing for their development, deserve the thanks 
of all in any way connected with the agricul¬ 
tural interests of the world ; and it appears to 
us that America is more benefited by a 
knowledge of these principles, than the coun¬ 
tries of the Old World, where they have long 
been ignorantly applied, for we can act upon 
them in conformity with our modified circum¬ 
stances, and thus they will supoly our lack of 
long experience. In this series of articles, 
therefore, we shall endeavor to bring to view 
some of the principles underlying the cultiva¬ 
tion of wheat. 
THE PRACTICAL FARMER AND 1IR, HI APES. 
The Practical Fanner, an excellent agri¬ 
cultural paper, published at Boston by W. S. 
King & Co., and edited by W. 8. King, with 
Professor J. J. Mares and Levi Bartlett as 
associate agricultural editors, is much offended ‘ 
because in our. article in the Rural of June 
24, headed “Mr. Mates once more,” we said 
that “he (Marks) was also editor of the Work¬ 
ing Farmer, Practical Farmer , and Journal 
of Agriculture." Mr. King asserts that we 
j said Marks was 11 the editor” ('•*,(» italics are 
| his own), and that we “set him down,and Levi 
j Bartlett jo boo*, as nobodie.-.” i We certain¬ 
ly had nA intention of doing kl 'aim did not 
think it would be so understood. We did not 
say that Marks was the editor, but simply that 
he was editor. Is it because Mr. King is 
ashamed of his associate that he so severely 
censures us for mentioning his connection with 
the Practical Farmer ? If it will be any re¬ 
lief to Brother King’s wounded feelings, we 
will promise hereafter to speak of Mr. Levi 
Bartlett and Mr. Mates as associate editors, 
and of Mr. King as emphatically the editor of 
the Practical Farmer. 
Again, Mr. Kino states that we assert that 
the Practical Farmer has been “ used to puff 
the Improved Superphosphate, &c.” Now all 
that we said was that Mr. Mares’ connection, 
as editor, with several papers, and his avoca¬ 
tion as a lecturer and debater at farmers’ clubs, 
where his assertions, in the language of Soi.on 
Robinson, are copied “into a hundred thousand 
Tribunes and other papers,” gave him “rare 
chances to puff his improved manure, seeds, 
plants, plows, <fco.” We gave some specimens 
of this manner of driving a business from the 
last number ot the If orking Fanner, but we 
neither said nor intimated that the Practical 
Fanner was used for this purpose ; and are 
somewhat surprised that Mr. King should at¬ 
tribute to us statements which we never made, 
and then say that they were “singularly devoid 
of even the shadow of truth.” We will not 
now stop to argue whether Mr. Marks has or 
has not used his connection with the Practical 
Farmer to puff his wares, as it does not in the 
least affect the matter in dispute. It is, how¬ 
ever, notorious that since he has manufactured 
superphosphate, Mapes seldom writes an arti¬ 
cle, makes a speech, or delivers a lecture, with¬ 
out directly or indirectly commending his ma¬ 
nure. The Practical Fanner then says : 
“ We regret exceedingly that Mr. Harris should 
have thought it expedient to make us a party to 
this light [tight ?] ; for, appearances to the con¬ 
trary notwithstanding, we detest disputes. We 
are sorry that he has so far committed himself to 
the quarrel; because we believe that he has in 
him material to be useful as an agricultural wri¬ 
ter ; and.wliatever may be the effect of his assault 
on Mapes, he will himself be pretty effectually 
used up, at its conclusion. Most of all we re¬ 
gret, for his own sake, his unfortunate adventure 
in disguise, at Newark ; for people are apt to 
believe that [he] who will stoop to enact a 
falsi he- !, will not hesitate at the mere utter¬ 
ance of untruth.” 
Hu! King forgets to tell his readers that 
Mr. Map, s had drawn up a statement showing 
that we—losxni Harris —were an “unmiti¬ 
gated wludcfuk- manufacturer of falsehood,” 
and had taken the sacred oaths of some twen¬ 
ty men for the purpose of substantiating the 
terrible charge. In order-to clear ourselves, it 
was necessary to obtain conclusive evidence as 
to whether Mr. Mapes had altered his process 
of manufacture between the period of our first 
visit and the time of swearing his men. To 
accomplish this, we used all honorable means, 
without success. A gentleman we employed 
to visit the factory for this purpose, saw Mr. 
Marks, who had written “No Admittance” on 
his factory doors, and he would not allow him 
to enter. Other open means were alike futile. 
What were we to do? Sit down quietly be¬ 
fore the public as a branded liar, when we 
knew that we were guilty of no misrepresenta¬ 
tion? After mature deliberation and consulta¬ 
tion with friends, it was agreed that we must 
get into the factory, even though it wa 3 neces¬ 
sary to stoop to deception for the purpose.— 
We freely admit that, under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, such au act would have been mean, 
skulking and dishonorable; or hud we entered 
the factory in disguise, for the purpose of ex¬ 
posing the improper method of manufacture, 
we should have laid ourselves open to the 
charge Mr. King has brought against us. But 
we were acting simply in sellkiefeuce; and, 
whatever others may think, we are well satis¬ 
fied that we were perfectly justified in resorting 
to the only means which afforded the least 
hope of success. 
“ People are apt to think that they who -will 
sloop to enact a falsehood, will not hesitate at 
the mere utterance of untruth.” This is not 
always true. A general who takes a fortress 
by stratagem, deceives or “ enacts a falsehood,” 
but w.i do not place the La-: coufi.Lsiee in his 
description of the things lie finds there. And 
so it is in almost all cases in detecting crime. 
The constable or police officer “ enacts a false¬ 
hood ” in order to apprehend the guilty party, 
or to obtain evidence to convict him; yet such 
a man is allowed to enter the witness-box un¬ 
challenged. Had Mapes robbed us of a few 
thousand dollars, even W. S. King would not 
have condemned us for putting on a workman’s 
rig, in order to obtain evidence to convict the 
thief, and recover the money. IIow much 
more, therefore, are we justified in using the 
same means in order to convict the vilifier of 
our character, and thereby regain our good 
name? — j. h. 
TURKEY IN AMERICA. 
Turkey in Europe and the Eastern war oc¬ 
cupy a large share of public attention ; so, 
perhaps, it will be in vain for us to talk of 
Turkey in America, and the war which, in 
less than a year, will be certain to rage here.— 
We predict it will break out near the close of 
November—and continue with more or less vi¬ 
olence, according to the crop of cranberries, 
until after Christmas. That the campaign 
may be a brilliant one, and the result satisfac¬ 
tory, we would offer a few hints on this (about 
Thanksgiving) most interesting subject. 
Turkeys, as well as Buffaloes, are American 
aborigines, and even now occupy some territo¬ 
ry to which their title is not extinguished. A 
few more Nebraska bills, however, and their 
defiant gobble, gobble, gobble, will die forever, 
and with a faint quit, quit, they will pass from 
their native wildwood haunts, “to return no 
more.” 
In breeding this noble fowl, the mistake of 
keeping only young birds is often made. A 
turkey does not arrive at full growth and ma¬ 
turity until over two years old, and should not 
be bred from until it has attained its full 
strength and vigor. A writer, who “has tried 
the thing thoroughly,” says that breeding from 
immature birds reduces the size of the young 
and that such chicks are much more difficult to 
raise than those of old turkeys. “ Were we 
to choose our birds for the very best breeding,” 
lie adds, “ both cocks and hens should not be 
less than three years old, and the cock from a 
different stock from the hens. Turkeys bear 
breeding from close affinities less successfully 
than any other fowl—and we would never 
breed thus, if it could be helped.” He also ad¬ 
vises their sitting upon their first laying of eggs, 
instead of hatching them under a hen, and 
turning the turkey out for a second clutch of 
eggs. The young should be reared in their 
proper season to have the finest and best 
[female wild turkey.] 
The “Domestic Poultry Book” says, that 
“ turkeys sit from thirty to thirty-one days.— 
The youngest require no food until the second 
day, and then for a few days should be fed on 
boiled egg and soaked bread, or curd; or a 
few pounded crackers mixed with the egg, is 
very nourishing. When they are two weeks 
old, meal and grain should be given, and they 
should be well housed in stormy weather, as 
| nothing causes a young turkey to droop sooner 
than dampness.” Do not leave them at large 
until after haying, or they will wander off 
through the dewy grass, and thus become dis¬ 
eased—and a sick turkey chick is little better 
than a dead one. Curds are probably the best 
food that can be given them, though that 
alone is not sufficient. 
A cross of the tame with the wild turkey is 
occasionally very useful, giving additional 
stamina and vigor to the domestic race. The 
writer from whom we first quoted, says, “ It is 
wonderful to see the invigorating influences of 
the wild blood upon the tame in the first pro¬ 
geny. The style of the bird—in figure, plu¬ 
mage and action—is all changed. A degree 
of self-reliance is added to the young things, as 
they creep and dodge among the leaves, ‘ shirk¬ 
ing for themselves.’ One single cross is suffi¬ 
cient—more is apt to give them shy and ram¬ 
bling habits, as it takes several generations of 
domestication to make the wild turkey thor¬ 
oughly tame.” 
The improvement of the turkey is very pos¬ 
sible, and by care in breeding, their usual 
weight and quality can be much increased. At 
the English Shows, turkeys weighing forty 
pounds have been exhibited, which is full ten 
pounds above our largest specimens. Turkey 
in Europe surely need not be allowed to out-do 
Turkey in America.— b. 
Improvement in Portable Steam Engines. 
Steam engines are used on British farms to 
an extent not readily believed in this country. 
Instead of thrashing their grain, as we do, im¬ 
mediately after harvest, it is carefully stacked, 
and thrashed gradually during the winter 
months as fast as the straw is wanted by the 
stock. For this purpose, it has been fully de¬ 
monstrated that steam engines are much more 
economical than horse-power, and the demand 
for them is yearly increasing. With this de¬ 
mand, great improvements in their construc¬ 
tion are made, thus : — The prize engine 
of the Royal Agricultural Society, in 1849, 
consumed per hour 11.50 lbs. of coal per 
horse-power ; in 1850, 7.56 lbs. ; in 1851, 
6.79 lbs. ; in 1852, 4.66 lbs.; in 1853, 4.32 
lbs. These, we believe, are portable en¬ 
gines, but a like improvement has also taken 
place in the construction of fixed engines. 
I. K Seely, Cardiff, Onondaga Co., N. Y. 
writes us that the wheat in that county was 
much injured by the severe winter, and that in 
the town of Onondaga, and probably in the 
county, there cannot be half the wheat harvest¬ 
ed this year that there was last Wheat put in 
with the drill is the best. Mr. Seely’s letter 
accidentally has been mislaid till it is somewhat 
out of season, or we should publish the whole 
[ of it We hope to hear from him again. 
J 
