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ROCHESTER, N. Y. - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1854 
VOLUME V. NO. 44.j 
ling grape he has growing, and of which he 
says: “ The grape seeds I enclose, are from a 
seedling which I raised from seed received from 
North Carolina. It is very hardy, thrifty, and 
a great bearer; in size, color and qualLy about 
like the Isabella, but is at least four weeks 
earlier. Though not fully ripe at the present 
date, (Aug. 11,) it is full colored, while the 
Isabella is as green as grass.” 
Mr. Gabber thus speaks of the IIoo Sung, 
a plant that ought to be more generally- 
known: “ This is a plant of the lettuce family, 
and originally from China. Some six or seven 
years since it was highly lauded by Mr. Ken- 
nicott, of HI., and H. Wendell, of Albany, 
N. Y., as a substitute for asparagus. I re¬ 
ceived seed from the former gentleman, and 
have had it in cultivation since, but never 
knew its full value till this season. By cutting 
the stems when growing and previous to flow¬ 
ering, and cooking like asparagus, it is fully as 
delicious as that ‘world-wide’ celebrated vege¬ 
table; while on the ground that would give 
you a dozen dishes of asparagus in a season, 
and after having labored and waited for two or 
three years, you may take a hundred of the 
IIoo Sung in three or four weeks.” 
Mr. H. B. Maglathlin, of Kingston, Mass., 
speaking of fertilizers, in a recent letter, adds: 
“ I laid down some land last fall to grass, try¬ 
ing different kinds of fertilizers. Arxong them 
all, bones, dissolved in oil of vitriol and applied 
at the rate of twenty bushels to the acre, with 
a sprinkling of unleached ashes, produced the 
most marked effect. The growth was so great, 
the grass had to be mowed very early, and 
then it covered the ground almost too thick to 
cure. Forpotatoes, on my sandy fields, I 
find a large spoonful to each hill of a mixture 
of three parts of plaster of Paris to one of 
guano very effective. I also fi>«L AJhen well 
pulverized with frost, swamp muck, mixed with 
hen manure at the rate of 100 bushels of the 
former to five of the latter, or two of guano, 
very good for potatoes in sandy land, when 
applied at the rate of a shovel full to each 
no time to lime it before sowing, what shall I 
do? lie concluded to risk the seed, and if the 
wheat would not grow, to sow the field to tur¬ 
nips the next spring. The three fields were 
sown. The wheat came up on all three, grew, 
and did well. But the field which would not 
effervesce, and which, therefore, did not contain 
lime, and consequently would not grow wheat, 
produced the best crop of wheat of the three, 
averaging, if we recollect right, upwards of 
fifty bushels per acre. The fact is, this test 
for lime is a most uncertain one, and it is sur¬ 
prising that any one, at the present day, would 
publish it for the guidance of the “ stupid ” 
farmer. 
“Now,you will see that unless the soil con¬ 
tains all the substances found in the ashes of 
plants, the plants cannot grow perfectly .”— 
And again : “ If a soil was wholly destitute of 
one of these substances, it could not yield good 
crops.” If the soil did not contain all the ash 
constituents of plants, no plant could grow at 
all, “perfectly” or imperfectly. And if one of 
these substances were missing, neither a “good 
crop ” nor a bad one would be obtained. So, 
at least, believes one “bungling” farmer. 
known as spirits of salt.” We need hardly in¬ 
form our readers that common salt is formed 
of chlorine and sodium, and, when pure, contains 
not a particle of muriatic acid or soda. Consid¬ 
ering it as muriatic acid and soda, we are not 
surprised to find him recommending common 
salt to be mixed with lime for the purpose of 
converting it into carbonate of soda and chlor¬ 
ide of lime. Errors, sire seldom found single. 
Ammonia is spoken of as “ a very important 
article in the composition of manures,” and 
further :—“ Quick lime should never be mixed 
with guano or other manures containing am¬ 
monia; because the lime sets the ammonia 
free, and allows it to escape into the atmos¬ 
phere.” This is all very true. But speaking 
of wood ashes, which “contain potash, a com¬ 
bination of oxygen with potassium," he says : 
“mixed with rape-dust, guano, and other ma¬ 
nures, they make a very useful compost.” He 
forgets to add that potash will drive off the 
ammonia just as rapidly as the lime, if one is 
injurious the other is certainly no less so. In 
another place it is recommended to accelerate 
the decomposition of cow dung “by the addi¬ 
tion of wood ashes or quick lime, well turned 
with the heap, whereby the process of decom¬ 
position is greatly hastened, and the manure 
much improved .” Is it not amusing to find in 
the recommendations of such a work, and which 
are published with it, school-teachers, profes¬ 
sors, and editors, prating about “stupid, bung- 
liug agriculture,” and “ the pursuit of agricul¬ 
ture so ignorantly and bunglingly followed by 
the great mass of our farmers?” 
| ‘ The flesh of dead horses, diseased cows, 
| hogs and dogs, when decomposed, makes a very 
! valuable mauure. 
less use of this principle of association than j 
the farming, and none to which it can be of so j 
much practical benefit. The knowledge of 
the best methods of cultivation, and all agri¬ 
cultural information, is derived mainly from 
experience, and new facts are constantly com¬ 
ing before the eyes of every intelligent and 
observing farmer, 't hese facts are of just as 
great value to his neighbor as himself, and 
the neighbor on the other hand, may have 
learned something of equal interest. The in¬ 
terchange of the results of observation and 
experiment is what gives agricultural papers 
their value, and these societies, though in a 
narrower range, all tend to the same end. The 
results of the experience of the individual 
farmers of a neighborhood may be made gen¬ 
eral property to the advantage of the w'hole, 
as the experience of the best farmers of the 
country is made the general property of its 
readers, and a furtherance to the public inte¬ 
rest, by publication in an agricultural journal. 
So also are farmers socially united, as they find 
mutual profit from such interchange of infor¬ 
mation and courtesy. 
We think it will always be found profitable 
to have the subjects of discussion known be¬ 
forehand, as the members will come better 
j prepared to give brief statements of their 
i knowledge of the matter, though the remarks 
i at the time will very likely call out facts not 
particularly thought of previously, but none 
the less valuable on that account. And there 
are few if any neighborhoods where there are 
not several persons well qualified to prepare 
! essays on subjects of interest, presenting in a 
| condensed form the results of experimental 
j and scientific research thereupon. And the 
! existence of a Farmers’ Club will incite to the 
! trial of vpw experiments on doubtful questions 
in farming economy, and more careful observa¬ 
tion of the varied operations and phenomena 
of Nature. 
A more extended public interest may be 
given by occasional lectures by competent 
persons from abroad, by gatherings more ex¬ 
clusively social in which the ladies take a 
gUon's JJml gito-gorlur: 
A QUABTO 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. Bixbt, —H. C. White,— T. E. Wetmork. 
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, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and News Matter, 
interspersed with many appropriate and handsome engrav¬ 
ings, than any other paper published in this Country,— 
rendering it a complete Agricultural, Literary and 
Family Newspaper. 
Jjrp’ For Terms, &c., see last page. J £.\ 
Progress and Improvement. 
FARMERS’ CUBS, 
NOTES FROM MY CORRESPONDENCE-NO. YI 
The leisure season of the farmer, if he may 
be said to have such a time, will soon be here, 
and we again recur to the subject of neigh¬ 
borhood agricultural associations, or Farmers’ 
Clubs, because the topic is seasonable, and 
that we believe it one of importance to every 
rural community. Another year, with its re¬ 
sults and its varied experiences, is now before 
the cultivators of farm and garden, and many 
a fact of practieal value has been learned 
during that period. . Different individuals, how¬ 
ever, secin to turn over different leaves in the 
great volume of Nature, each reading a epe- 
cial lesson of her operations; hence, from the 
comparison of these experiences, much valua¬ 
ble knowledge may be added to the general as 
well as individual stock of information. This 
is the great object of the Farmers’ Club, the 
formation of which we have, from time to 
time, attempted to advocate, we fear, however, 
with but small success. 
Now, or at least as soon as the fall elections 
are past, is the time to organize these social 
meetings,—well-described in the designation 
above given, as Fanners’ Clubs. Let the peo¬ 
ple of any rural neighborhood—(including, 
perhaps, the territory of two or three school 
districts.)—interested iu the cultivation of the 
soil, meet, either at the school house, or the 
residence of one of their number, appoint a 
few officers and agree upon a few simple rules 
for the regulation of their weekly or semi¬ 
monthly sessions, choosing also a subject which 
shall be discussed at their next meeting, or 
upon which some of their members shall be 
requested to prepare and read essays, and you 
have a Farmers’ Club started. No difficulty 
will be found in the selection of themes, both 
interesting and profitable, iu the cultivation 
of different crops, the best breeds and man¬ 
agement of stock, &c., &c., for there are num¬ 
berless questions brought daily before every 
farmer in which he is interested pecuniarily, 
and should be mentally, and which may be 
made profitable subjects of discussion. Here 
will be brought into use the experience of the 
past, and each may impart to the whole what¬ 
ever he has learned, not generally known, or 
which may tend to confirm or confute the gen¬ 
erally received opinions. 
It may be thought best that each member 
pay a certain amount as an initiation fee, to 
be applied to the purchase of agricultural 
books and periodicals, for the use of the Club, 
and in this way, at a small expense to each, a 
large amount of reading could be secured to 
the whole. The many valuable papers now 
published would thus be brought before a 
wider circle of readers, and exert a still more 
powerful influence for agricultural and horti¬ 
cultural improvement. Many valuable books 
could thus be consulted by multitudes who 
would not be able otherwise to avail them¬ 
selves of the privilege. 
But the great object of these Clubs, as we 
have said before, is the cultivation of the social 
faculties by the union of those of like interests 
for their mutual advantage and improvement. 
There is no class or profession which makes 
Mr. 1. W. Briggs, of West Macedon, N. 
Y., who has experimented with both the Ja¬ 
pan and Oregon Peas, thus speaks of his suc¬ 
cess with them: 
“ I have a fine crop of the Japan Fea on a 
second trial, and find it to be very prolific—my 
plants averaging 300 pods each. I find they 
require a long season, or at least the whole of 
ours, in which to mature their seed. They 
should be planted in hills or drills and culti¬ 
vated like Indian corn. Two quarts of seed 
is enough for an acre, the ;.ieid of *hieh 1 
estimate at 60 bushels. The plant much re¬ 
sembles the Oregon Pea, which I have also 
been testing and trying to mature. But the 
best I could do was to bring it to the point of 
opening its flowers when our first killing frost 
struck it, on the night of the 29 th and 30th 
September. Thus has ended my experiment 
with the Oregon Pea. I think, however, all 
that can be said of the good qualities of the 
Oregon Pea may be equally applied to the 
Japan Pea. Like the former, it is a very 
branching plant and attains about the same 
height, while its fruit is three or four times 
larger, and it will mature in our climate.” 
Mr. B.’s experience with these Peas is cor¬ 
roborated by our own. We have also tested 
the Japan for two seasons, and find that it 
matures its seed more fully this season than it 
did last. We have no doubt but it will in a 
few years become so acclimated as to ripen 
without any difficulty. It has a more robust 
form and foliage than the Oregon, and if the 
latter is a great ameliorator of the soil, the 
Japan must be equally so, if not superior, for 
it also belongs to the leguminous family of 
plants, where are found our clovers and com¬ 
mon peas. Its vigor against drouth would 
seem to indicate that it might be just the 
thing to help renovate those light soils where 
clover is found to be so difficult to catch and 
grow. 
Vermont must be some for squashes, or Mr. 
John McKee, of Bristol, who wrote us Sept. 
Llth, must have a rare faculty of bringing out 
the fertility of his soil. He says: “I have 
squashes growing in my garden that I believe 
will beat anything in Old Vermont. From 
the planting of two seeds, I have six squashes 
that will weigh 1000 pounds. This may seem 
a ‘whopper’ to you, but it is neverthelesss 
true. The largest one measures seven feet 
and ten inches in circumference and the 
smallest six feet four inches. In shape the) 
are round, and smooth like glass. I think 
these are larger than the one from which my 
seeds were taken, and that weighed 202 lbs.” 
Not much wonder Mr. McKee can raise melons 
that weigh 30 lbs. He speaks of having tur¬ 
nips, from a sample of seed sent him by the 
writer, that measured at the date of his letter 
20 inches in circumference. These are the 
Sweet French Turnip, spoken of on page 101, 
No. 13, of the present volume. 
Mr. J. B. Garber, of Columbia, Pa., sent 
us, under date of Aug. 11, seeds from a seed¬ 
* * “They should be 
decomposed by the action of oil of vitriol.”— 
'Phis recommendation is simply ;.’ 5 ;rd. Oil of 
vitriol is about the best thing that enn be used 
to prevent decomposition. If oil of vitriol 
cannot be obtained, “lime may be advantage¬ 
ously added to the substances to undergo de¬ 
composition, whereby all the gases disengaged 
during the process are absorbed and retained 
for use.” Oh ! you “ stupid, bungling ” farm¬ 
ers, think of the wouders of chemistry; lime 
will drive off all the ammonia Lom “ guano 
and other manures,” but it will “improve ” cow 
dung’ and absorb and retain the ammonia of 
dead horses and diseased cows. 
“ If the amount of manure to be made is the 
object of the farmer’s efforts, then his stock 
should be kept iu a cooler and less sheltered 
locality, and where they can take abundant 
exercise.” Well, we farmers are a “ bungling, 
stupid ” set of fellows, after all. We have been 
building barns and warm sheds for cattle and 
sheep iu winter, “ ignorantly ” supposing that 
warmth was to some extent an equivalent of 
food, and also that an animal kept iu a mild 
temperature, without much exercise, would 
give more manure for the food consumed, than 
one kept in a cooler and less sheltered locality 
with abundant exercise. 
“ A horse can be kept in a perfectly good 
condition if he can obtain as food fifteen ffjs. of 
hay and four and a half lbs. of oats, daily.” This 
statement is thrown out just as we give it, 
without any qualifying considerations. Bous- 
singault, who probably made more experi¬ 
ments in feeding horses than any other man, 
found that his horses required per day 22 tbs. 
hay, 5 J straw, and 7p oats. The horses weighed 
about 1,000 lbs each. Of course smaller 
horses would require less food, but we are sat¬ 
isfied that on the average the estimate of Dr. 
Kent is much too low. 
“ If you want to ascertain whether a soil or 
substance contains lime, you may pour upon a 
small quantity of it, vinegar or dilute muriatic 
acid. If lime is present the mixture will froth 
up, or effervese.” 
This is a very simple “ test for lime,” and we 
believe was first recommended by Sir Humph¬ 
rey Davy. When it first appeared, our Eng- 
lisl: friend and correspondent, John Hilditch, 
Esq., had three large fields ready for wheat 
sowing. He took samples from the three fields, 
and on pouring on the muriatic acid he found 
that two of them effervesced, and the other did 
not He repeated the test, with the same re¬ 
sult Now, said he, Sir Humphrey says this 
soil contains no lime, and that it will not pro¬ 
duce wheat without liming. But as there is 
Messrs. Eds :—I have tried feeding carrots 
to milch cows, and will give you one of my 
experiments. I have, (April 15th,) seven cows 
in milk—one calved iu June, the rest in Sept, 
and Oct. I raised 80 bushels rutabagas and 
400 bushels carrots, and led them to my cows j 
commencing the first of December. I gave 
them about 2 J bushels per day, at noon, the 
rutabagas first, and when they were all fed out 
the same quantity of carrots. I found, when I 
had fed the latter a few days, that my cows 
were each giving from two to three pints of 
milk more per day, than when fed on rutabagas. 
1 was feeding my cows, meanwhile, with cut 
hay, aud 2 lbs. oil cake meal, and 2^ tbs. wheat 
screenings, ground. 
The thought struck me that I should like to 
know the value of carrots for making milk, so 
I selected tie cow that calved last, for the trial. 
1 weighed the hay, meal, and carrots, and fed per 
day 27 tbs. of hay, 4£ tbs. of the mixed meal, and 
22 tbs. of carrots, and she gave 35 tbs. of milk 
per day. I then left off the carrots, and gave 
the same amount of meal, and all the hay she 
would eat, which was 33 tbs. per day. After 
feeding so for a week, I found she gave 23 tbs. 
of milk per day. I then gave her the carrots 
as before, and in eight or ten days she came up 
again to 35 tbs. of milk per day. 
This shows that carrots are worth to me to 
feed to cows, 82 cents per 100 lbs. Hay is 
worth £20 per ton in the barn, and at 3 cts. per 
quart, or one cent per pound for milk; 6 tbs. 
less Lay, and 12 tbs. more milk gives 18 cents 
for 22 lbs. of carrots. My carrots are all gone 
now, or I would try one or two more cows. 
Next winter I hope to have another opportu¬ 
nity for experiment— Abner Haven, South 
Framingham . Mass. 
SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 
There is at the present time, among the 
rural population, a great desire for scientific 
information in regard to everything pertaining 
to the arts of agriculture aud horticulture. 
One evidence of this is found in the increased 
demand for popular scientific works. And as 
demand generally creates a supply of some 
kind, every few months brings us a new book 
on scientific agriculture. It is not long since 
that an excellent litile treatise," “Stockhart’s 
Chemical field Lectures,” was issued from our 
teeming press, followed by Nash’s “ Progres¬ 
sive Farmer,” and shortly afterwards by a new 
edition of “Johnston’s Elements of Agricultu¬ 
ral Chemistry and Geology,” and a few weeks 
since, by “ Waking’s Elements of Agriculture,” 
and the other day brought us a neat little 
work by Dr. Kent, of Philadelphia, called 
“ First lessons in Chemistry and Geology, as 
applied to Agriculture." Every new book 
should be an improvement on its predecessors, 
but we are sorry to say that the reverse ap¬ 
pears to be the case. 
Opening Dr. Kent’s book we read :—“ It is 
more advantageous for the pupil, and no more 
troublesome for the instructor, to teach the 
elements of science scientifically and correctly, 
than to convey his instructions in language un¬ 
scientific and often inappropriate.” With this 
we were pleased, and continued to read, expect¬ 
ing to find a very correctly written, scientific 
treatise. But we had not gone far before we 
read :—“ Common salt is a combination of 
soda and muriatic acid, the acid commonly 
Preserve carefully the droppings from your 
hen-roosts, and by the mixture of a little plan¬ 
ter of Paris as you put them away in a dry 
place, you will have a manure very little infe¬ 
rior to the best Peruvian guano, and at one- 
tenth the cost. 
