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VOLUME V. NO. 47. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.- SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 , 1854 . 
f WHOLE NO. 255 . 
ftMn’J grol ghto-gerijr: 
A QUARTO ‘WEEKLY 
Agricultural, Literary, and Family Newspaper. 
CONDUCTED EY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an aiii.e corps ok Assistants and Contributors. 
Thr Rural Nkt/"-5c okicer is designed to be unique and 
beautiful in appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
and \ arioty 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. 
TERMS, IN ADVANCE : 
Subscription —.172 a year—$1 for 6 months, in advance. 
For reduction to Agents, and those who form Clubs, see 
notice on last page. 
Advertisements, —If brief and appropriate, will be 
inserted at 15 cents a liue, each insertion. %~*T No Patent 
Medicine, or deceptive adv’ts, published on any terms. 
Jknl Mfto-porkr, 
I Progress and Improvement. 
SEASONABLE NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS. 
Listen to the unmusical and unmistakable 
voice of Old Boreas, as he modestly yet dis- 
> tinctly introduces his piping notes in the shrill 
) blast and initial snow-storm of the season!_ 
> Though somewhat later, and less boisterous 
J than usual at this period of the year, he will 
i soon become as grim and forbidding as of 
yore—creating a change in the temperature, 
and certain elements, interesting to others be¬ 
side the Clerk of the Weather. And not¬ 
withstanding his sojourn abroad has been 
unusually prolonged, this season—thereby 
vouchsafing us a remarkably warm and pleas¬ 
ant fall for out-door operations and recreations 
—we may now anticipate the customary series 
) of high breezes and hard freezes, with the 
s general accompaniments noted in the pro- 
? gramme of Winter. 
; Header, are you prepared for the advent 
£ and annual reign of the unwelcome, though of 
course not unexpected, monarch? If nay, 
) you have no “ spare moments,”—and it- be- 
[ hooves you to immediately put nil and sundry 
i your goods and chattels, wares, tenements and 
! hereditaments in proper order to withstand 
i the ordeal ot moisture and frigidity so rapidly 
! approaching. In the language of Prompter 
—who has addressed the readers of the Rural 
well and wisely, on various topics, in former 
volumes—“Is the wood-shed filled and the 
cellars banked, and all the perishables proper¬ 
ly housed or secured?—the animals protected 
against colds and storms, and the fattening 
swine kept clean, warm, dry and well fed?_ 
Racks and feeding bins ready t'or foddering, to i 
avoid the tramping of cattle and destruction ! 
of one-halt the feed? Are all the summer 
used tools under cover, and everything picked 
up and put in place, preparatory to winter 1 
snows and sleets and rains?” 
Our sage and experienced friend also sug- ' 
gests that it would be well to see that the fall 1 
plowing is finished, and the wheat fields drained. 5 
llogs should be killed early, unless you can i 
feed cheaply, and thus increase their weight 
economically. Yard cattle as soon as may be, ' 
and keep them within the enclosure tillspring, £ 
if you consider manure worth saving. Litter c 
yards, and particularly sheds, if you would * 
convert the straw into manure, and induce the !1 
animals to become agents in the important 0 
work. c 
Having completed all necessary farm ope- *- 
rations, look to the condition and conveniences L 
oi dwellings and out-buildings. See to the !l 
roofs and windows and cellars. A shingle or ai 
piece of board is worth more in a crack or « 
.crevice than in the stove, lu the matter of b 
repairs and improvements do not forget that o 
“a stitch in time saves nine”—that a little 0 
trouble and expense now may prevent much P 
vexation and loss in future. Attention to tl 
these items—and the securing of a liberal 01 
supply of fuel for household use, beyond the b 
contingencies of the weather—will not only 
enhance your individual interest, but promote 
the comfort and happiness and contentment of w 
your family. m 
In preparing for Winter do not forget the 
wants and requirements of the poor and needy, 
the unfortunate and afflicted,—and let your 
charity and benevolence extend beyond 
Thanksgiving Day. Remember that all kinds 
• of provisions are so high that many indigent 
i people must suffer—at least unless fully em- 
’ Ployed, or otherwise encouraged and assisted. 
Give such, and especially those who are worthy 
and industrious, an opportunity to labor if 
possible. 'There are many odd jobs, andneed- 
j ed if not contemplated improvements, upon 
! which you can advantageously give them em¬ 
ployment—and in doing this you will demon¬ 
strate both your wisdom and humanity. 
Last, but far from least in importance, pro¬ 
vide liberally for the Intellectual Improvement 
and Entertainment of yourself and familv._ 
Make suitable provision for the education and 
advancement of your sons and daughters._ 
Not only see that they attend school,"but per¬ 
sonally examine into the character and qualifi¬ 
cations of their teachers. Provide, also, pro¬ 
per text and other books, and see that a libe- 
tal use is made of that invaluable provision, 
the School Library. Schools, like books and 
newspapers, are too often supported because 
they are supposed to be cheap, without refer¬ 
ence to merit—whereas the price of tuition. 
&c., compared with the instruction and benefit 
to be derived, is of trifling importance. Speak 
ing of books and papers, let those which you 
provide for general reading—the instruction 
and entertainment of the family circle_be of 
a useful and progressive character, and unex-' 
ceptionable in moral tone. And after supply¬ 
ing yourself with the best journals, introduce 
them to the favorable notice and support of 
others. If the Rural is of the number_ 
which, indeed, we will take for granted,_ 
please do us, and your friends, the favor of 
making the fact patent to community. 
LIMB AND ITS CHEMICAL CHANGES. 
A reader of the Rural desires us to give 
^ an article on the chemical changes which take 
if . place in burning and slaking lime, &c. Lime 
. is not, as was once supposed, an dement, but 
consists of the metal calcium united with tile 
y £ !1S oxygen, and is properly an oxide of cal- 
^ cium, just as potash, soda and magnesia are 
j oxides of potassium, sodium and magnesium. 
. It is never found pure in nature, except occa- 
{ sionally in the craters of volcanoes, but is 
usually united with carbonic acid gas for 
. which it has a strong attraction. In this state 
. it is neutral, and insoluble in pure water._ 
When limestone or any other form of carbon- 
ate of lime is exposed to a sufficiently high 
. temperature with access of air or moisture, 
the carbonic acid gas is driven off, and the 
| lime which remains is called quick or caustic, 
I from its strong alkaline reaction. When such 
) lime is plunged into water for a short time, or 
water is poured upon it, heat is evolved, the 
lime swells, cracks, gives off much watery va¬ 
por, and finally falls to a powder. This pow¬ 
der, or slaked lime, is a hydrate of lime, water 
being chemically combined with it. In this 
state it is still caustic, though somewhat midl- 
er than when fresh from the kiln. 
The rise of temperature is so great when 
large heaps of good lime are suddenly slaked, 
as to inflame gunpowder and scorch wood; it 
certainly exceeds, accordingly to Pelletier, 
500°, and when the operation is performed in 
a dark place light is also evolved. All sorts 
of imaginary causes have been assigned to ac¬ 
count for these phenomena. They are refera¬ 
ble, however, to a very simple and universal 
law. All substances during their change from 
a gaseous to a liquid, or from a liquid to a 
solid state, evolve heat, and vice versa , The 
intense cold produced by liquifying ice or snow 
by admixture with salt is a familiar instance , 
of the latter; and the heat evolved in solidi¬ 
fying carbonic acid under intense cold and 
pressure is sometimes dangerous evidence of 
the former—the expansion of air consequent j 
on the sudden liberation of heat from the car- ( 
borne acid in the moment of congelation, not ( 
unfrequently shattering the vessel to atoms. ^ 
Lime in slaking will absorb one-fourth its c 
weight of water; but the slaked lime is not \ 
more moist than before. The water unques- v 
e tionably, therefore, is chemically combined 
i, with the lime and becomes solidified; and it is 
r simply owing to this solidification and chemi- 
d cal combination of the water that heat is 
s evolved. 
f Caustic lime has a strong affinity for water 
'* and carbonic acid. When kept in a dry place 
I- it gradually slackens; cracking, splitting and 
y crumbling to powder with the evolution of 
f heat—which, however, is not so perceptible 
- on account of the length of time during which 
1 the process is extended—just as though tthad 
- been slaked by pouring on water. In this case 
- the lime has obtained the 25 per cent of water 
it needs to slake it from the atmosphere.— 
- There is this difference, however, between air 
t slaked lime and that which is water slaked.— 
- The former is slaked precisely as the latter by 
1 the absorption of water, but it also absorbs 
carbonic acid from the air, and instead of being 
simply a hydrate of lime as when water slaked, 
it is a definite compound of hydrate and car¬ 
bonate of lime, 42.G per cent of the former, 
and 57.4 of the latter. Air slaked lime, 
' therefore, is far from being so caustic as water 
slaked—upwards of one-half of it being re¬ 
converted into the same chemical state it was 
in before burning. 
After the lime has absorbed sufficient water 
and is completely fallen to pieces, carbonic 
acid is absorbed much less rapidly, especially 
n damp situations. In fact, though there is a 
constant tendency in lime to return to the state 
I of carbonate iu which it existed previous to 
j burning, yet, by mere exposure to the air it 
does not attain this state iu’ any assignable 
time. In some walls 600 years old, the lime 
has beeu found to have absorbed only one- 
fourth of the carbonic acid necessary' to con¬ 
vert the whole into carbonate; iu others, built 
by the Romans 1800 years ago, the propor¬ 
tion absorbed has not exceeded three-fourths 
of the quantity contained in natural limestone. 
M hen slaked in the ordinary way, by the 
application of water, lime fulls to pieces with- 
the absorption of but little if any carbonic 
acid. But when slaked and exposed to the 
air the absorption of carbonic acid is at first 
very rapid, but it gradually becomes more 
slow, and probably the same definite com¬ 
pound of hydrate and carbonate of lime is 
formed as in the case of air slaked lime. 
The original limestone, or any other form of 1 
carbonate of lime, then, is perfectly mild. By 
driving off the carbonic acid by heat, we get j 
lime which is very caustic. By slaking this t 
with water, we get a less caustic substance— r 
hydrate of lime. By allowing it to air slake, t 
we get a still less caustic compound, a definite t 
compound of hydrate and carbonate of lime, t 
And by exposiug it to the air for a suffi- t 
cient length of time, we ultimately get the s 
whole reconverted again into its original mild e 
form of carbonate of lime. 
rio 
AIT ENGLISH CART HORSE. 
WITH TERMS DENOTING THE EXTERNAL PARTS OF A HORSE. 
1 Muzzle. 
2 Race. 
3 Forehead. 
4 Poll. 
5 Crest. 
6 J iwl. 
7 Gullet. 
8 Windpipe. 
9 Point of Shoulder. 
10 breast or Bosom. 
11 Arm. 
12 Elbo-w. 
13 Girth. 
14 Flank. 
15 Sheath. 
16 Stifles. 
17 Withers. 
18 Back. 
19 Loins. 
20 Hip. 
21 Croup. 
22 Dock. 
23 Quarter. 
24 Thigh or Gaskin. 
25 Hamstring. 
26 Point of Hock. 
27 Ham or Hock. 
28 Cannon. 
29 Fetlock. 
30 Large Pastern. 
31 Small Pastern. 
32 Coronet. 
33 Hoof. 
34 Knee. 
35 Cannon. 
36 Fetlock. 
37 Heel. 
38 Large Pastern. 
39 Small Pastern. 
40 Hoof. 
The accompanying engraving portrays an 
Lngiish Cart-horse, to which was awarded the 
highest prize of the Royal Agricultural Socie¬ 
ty. I forses of this breed are of large size, 
distinguished for strength and endurance, and 
well adapted to slow, heavy draught They 
have for many years constituted some of the 
best heavy horses in this country. The stall- 
} 10ns imported have produced excellent team 
| and carriage horses Irorn our well-spread, good 
sized mares. 
Our principal object in presenting the cutis 
! to £ ive the te^ms used in describing the exter- 
j naI P arts of horse. These will be iuterest- 
I m S t0 m£ my of our readers, and particularly to 
those not familiar with the subject. 
CLEARING AND IMPROVING MARSHES. 
Book Farming.— Speaking upon this sub¬ 
ject, the Hon. Kenneth Raynor, in his address 
before the N. C. State Ag.'l Society, says:_ 
“At the time this prejudice was first excited, I 
am inclined to think there was some reason for 
it” It attempted (we do not quote his exact 
words) to bring foreign practices into countries 
with a different soil and climate, as well as dif¬ 
ferent wants. But science, united with prac¬ 
tice, soon exposed the fallacy of such book 
farming as this. Because turnips and beans 
and hops are among the most profitable crops 
in England, is no reason why they should be 
so here. Because blue-grass is so valuable a 
crop iu the limestone regions of Kentucky, is 
no reason why we should exhaust our energies 
in trying to establish its general culture in 
North Carolina. Such errors as these, such 
book farming as this, it is the purpose of 
scientific agriculture to poiut out. 
“ Something New.”— The .Xetc England 
Farmer says that at the Farmer’s Club in 
Boston, there was exhibited lately au artificial 
cow, constructed for the purpose of weaning 
the calf!—a sham brindle, with sham teats, 
yielding milk and water! But what’s to be 
done in the matter of weaning the cow herself, 
who mourns the loss of her darling as if she 
was gifted with reason? 
„ The last Transactions of the N. H. Slate 
Ag 1 Society contains several interesting state¬ 
ments from the competitors for premiums of- 
' fered by the different County Societies for the 
C Improvement of Bog Meadows, and Marsh 
laud generally. This is a matter of wide-spread 
1 interest—there is much such waste land in 
most sections of the country. Hence we make 
no excuse for repeatedly alluding to the sub- 
3 ject—for bringing all the good examples of 
clearing and improving marshes prominently 
f before our readers. 
G. C. Brown, of Stratham, had a marsh or 
pond hole, covered with bushes in part, and 
filled with water in the spring season, which he j 
reclaimed so as to make it the most profitable ! 
three acres of his farm. He first dug a ditch 
through the centre, and lowered the outlet, and 
theu cut off the bushes near the ground, and 
by continued cutting and burning nearly de¬ 
stroyed their roots and the mosses which cov¬ 
ered the surface. He next tried the plow, and 
with a great deal of labor, on account of the 
logs and large roots which filled the soil, tore 
up the most of it, and seeded a part down to 
grass in June, 1846. This was mowed the 
September following, and gave a ton of hay to 
the acre. The next season he mowed it twice 
and got in all about three tons to the acre.— 
Last year he plowed and spaded the marsh 
over again, and has the whole seeded now to 
grass, and in excellent condition. 1 
The soil is a clear peat from + wo to ten feet ! 
deep, and iu Mr. B.’s opinion, posseses a natu- 1 
ral acid, needing some sort of manure to cor- 1 
rect it He has used leached ashes, applying ' 
them with excellent effect at the rate of about ] 
I one hundred and twenty-five bushels per acre. ' 
He has also used barn-yard manure, lime, and 
dry ashes, but prefers ashes on account of their f 
containing no foul seeds, aud being less bulky s 
than yard manure. c 
We are sorry the statement contains no ac- £ 
count of the expense of the improvement— 
One year’s crop was sold for $ 100 . The marsh 
is still soft and miry in the lowest parts, and it 
evidently needs a deeper drain so that it may c 
settle sufficiently firm to bear up teams at all a 
seasons of the year. He now has to keep off it 
cattle, and uses a wheelbarrow for carrying fi 
the ashes upon the miry spots. The meadow ir 
is a beautiful sight, and notwithstanding the ei 
expense put upon it, Mr. B. is well pleased w 
with his experiment That the committee p 
were equally so, is shown by their awarding 
him the first premium. 
Another statement was made by J. God- 
FREY ’ of Hampton Falls. His meadow con- 
e taioed one acre a »d five-eighths, and was a 
3 bo ° formed by springs on the hill-side above 
j ’7 w Hh°ufc any outlet save by evaporation._ 
j The muck was from two feet to six inches in 
, de P tb ’ and tke surface quite uneven, but with-- 
' out bushes - an( I covered with brakes and water 
f » rass ' He drained it by an open ditch, cut 
and drew off the hassocks, and then plowed it 
up into beds. After plowing, the water fur- 
rows were cleaned out and the mud spread 
evenly over the beds, and these were then cov- 
ered with gravel at the rate of forty loads per 
acre. It was then sown with herds-grass and 
red-top, and the seed harrowed in by hand 
with a brush harrow. It was not all done in 
a 3 ear, but this was the course pursued with 
the whole meadow. 
The yield in this case was about one ton and 
a halt per acre for the first crop in July, the 
second in September was nearly as good, but 
was pastured off by turning in calves. No ! 
manure was applied -aud the amelioration has ( 
evidently been effected by the application of ! 
gravel and the admixture of soils. Here, too, j 
no account is given of the exact cost of the 
improvement. ( 
Mr. Dodge, of Bennington, reclaimed a ) 
meadow of five acres in the same way— first s 
draining, then breaking up and covering with ) 
sand and gravel. This crop has been mostly £ 
foul meadow grass, grown for seed. He has 4 
saved from thirty to sixty bushels ofseed per year, ! 
besides a large amount of fodder. No manure j 
has ever been used, and the experiment, to use j 
his own words, “ has been very profitable.” \ 
Other statements are given, but none con- y 
tabling any hints not already presented. These ( 
show that notwithstanding the large cost of \ 
draining and clearing such bogs, all unite in ( 
pronouncing the enterprise a profitable one. ) 
Stabling Cows.—To prevent cows from ly¬ 
ing in their manure when in the stable, says a 
correspondent of the Albany Cultivator, have 
a gutter drop immediately behind the cows, 6 
inches deep and IS inches wide. If cows are 
fastened with yokes, they need about 4 ft. 9 
in. to stand upon. By having the stalls long 
enough you have a walk back of the drop, 
■which is convenient for walking on, setting 
pails, &c. 
