vrERAty [nz. 
$3£ELSjoS 
5SCP.ICULXUSE 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-F0R THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1860. 
Douglas, Greeley, or some member of tho pres¬ 
ent House of Representatives !) Tlie fact is, the 
Colonel is not so old, dignified or venerable in ap¬ 
pearance us many strangers imagine, (wo don't say 
lie is ugly looking, mind you,) and is not confident 
of hiB ability to cither compete with or take the 
place of a band of stalwart aborigiuoa— espe¬ 
cially with the idea of giving satisfaction to such 
a large audience as our friend thinks the big bills 
would conveue. [A word, confidentially, about 
those big bills, Major. If you had the Indians, 
wouldn’t they bo named first and in larger letters 
than the orator—us has been tho ease hereabouts, 
even when distinguished honorable* were the 
speakers?] lie will think of it, however. 
—Meantime, we suggest to our Toemuddy and 
Punkin Hill friends, that instead of fust and fancy 
features, they encourage the more practical, useful 
and serviceable evolutions. For instance, ignore 
fast trotting—Or at least the trial of trotting horses 
together — and offer a handsome premium for the 
horse, or span of horses, which walks around the 
truck, or a certain distance, in tho least time, 
ordinary load. Say, the span of 
committee, I kinder want to get everybody in.— 
But after all, I don’t quite like the idea of too 
much of the bug; besides, I think the people 
ought to support these Societies for their own 
good. 
Now, Col., T wish you'd just help me a little 
with your advice, and say you’ll come. But if you 
don’t, why I shall have t,o fall back onto first prin¬ 
ciples, and go in for the Ingins. If you can't 
come yourself, may-be you know of somebody 
who’ll sorter make your place half good, so that 
we shan’t have to get only the Squaws. 
1 meant to tell you about the family, but I must 
tend to my official duties first, you know. You 
can say to my old friend Por.i.Y Kreait, now Mrs. 
Chukndashkr, that when we get our Society all 
up right, I’ll either write to her or go and see her. 
Yours to Command, 
John Plowiiandle. 
P. B. We’ve engaged all tho big barn-doors at 
the Four Corners, to post bills ou, aud if you’ll 
come we’ll put your name in the biggist. kind of 
letters, so that every body will know you're to lie 
here. J. P. 
Remarks.— Aforetime we have been favored 
MAJ. PLOWHANDLE ON “RUNNING” FAIRS. 
heavy potato fit to eat. Tested their weight by ] 
brine. The best soil is a clay, cool and moist, 
but not wet Fresh manure had a tendency 
to rot potatoes. 
The Agricultural College Farm. 
Uere, Mr. Dickinson, while entertaining a 
great respect for the Trustees of the A gricultural 
College, criticised some of their sayings and do¬ 
ings. They had a clod-crusher — an implement 
that should have no place on a farm, and he re¬ 
commended the Trustees to bury it- The ground 
should be plowed so that there would be no need 
of a clod-crusher, shaved up thin, and then it 
would be light and mellow, and afoot higher than 
where clods wore turned over. Even the roller 
was a dangerous implement on heavy land. Tho 
death of forest trees on the farm was attributed 
by the Trustees to the removal of the underbrush, 
which they Btatcd had shaded the land and pre¬ 
served the moisture. 
T. C. Peters. — What caused the death of so 
many of the trees? 
Mr. Dickinson. —They had lived out their time, 
exhausted the soil of the elements necessary to 
their growth, and, in the order of nature, must 
give way to another variety of timber. 
Arc flic Crops iu New York Decreasing f 
!’. M. Wetmore wished to inquire of the 
gentleman on the floor, and any others who could 
satisfactorily answer tho question, whether the 
eropB in the State of New York were decreasing. 
It had been so stated, publicly and confidently, 
aud be had seen no facts to contradict the state¬ 
ment. Such statements were injurious, driving 
purchasers of land from this to the Western and 
other States, and lessening the value of lauds here. 
A. B. Dickinson. — There is no truth in tho 
statement. Farmers now raise more than their 
fathers did, live better, dress better, travel more, 
live in better bouses, educate their children bet¬ 
ter, and are, in every way, more prosperous. 
P. M. Wetmore.— Mr, Pell says our crops are 
decreasing, ami quotes the State Census as au¬ 
thority. How are we to meet these figures? The 
Agricultural Society should take pains to gather 
facts and figures on this point. 
Mr. Dickinson. — Mr. Peel has said a great 
many strange things, lie delivered an address 
before the American Institute, in which he stated 
he could put something in the water given ani¬ 
mals to drink which would cause them to fatten 
in six weeks. He also recommended digging 
drains eight feet deep. 
Mr. Geodes — of Onondaga — In the past year 
hud traveled over the county where he lived, and 
entered almost every man’s house. The wheat 
crop last year averaged 35 bushels to the acre, 
and yet is the most unprofitable and the most un¬ 
certain crop raised. Corn is much more eertuin 
and more profitable. The Census returns are urn 
reliable, often carelessly taken, and the estimates 
guessed at by those who give the information.— 
Few farmers know how much they raise on an 
acre,— they do not even know the size of their 
fields,— all is guess-work. The census is made 
once in five years. The last census was taken in 
1855, and gave the report of the unfortunate sea¬ 
son of 1854. The next census will give us the 
very favorable year of 1859; but this, like 1854, 
was merely accidental. Mr. G. knew Onondaga 
when but little of its soil was under cultivation, 
with here and there a log house. Now the soil 
was nearly all under good cultivation, well fenced, 
with excelk-nt barns for grain aud stock, and 
good bouses for the farmer and his family. The 
farmers of Onondaga were independent, living in 
good houses, educating their families, and pos¬ 
sessed of all the necessaries and many of the luxu¬ 
ries of life. 
T. C. Peters had occasion to go over the 
State the past season. The universal answer to 
the question was, “ We are improving in our agri¬ 
culture. We are raising more food than ever be¬ 
fore.” These men that generalize on our statistics 
do not understand the changes in our agricul¬ 
ture. Corn has quadrupled iu the last 20 years. 
, On account of the facilities afforded by railroads, 
the West can send wheat to our leading markets 
cheaper than we can, while we find other crops 
more remunerative. 
Mr. Wetmore was a very small farmer, and had 
been a merchant all his life. It is the duty of 
farmers to aid their profession. Mr. Peli., had 
said, among other things, that the potato crop had 
largely decreased. These statements go uncon- 
■ tradicted. No class of merchants or mechanics 
would allow sucli statements, injurious to their 
, profession, to go forth uncontradicted, even for a 
P month. Mr. W. thought the census should be 
j taken every year. 
t —We have notes of remarks on other subjects, 
i but they are necessarily deferred. 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
Maj. Plowuandlk in office — He magnifies his office—A 
new Club — Invitation, 
Kart -tail Cottage, Jan. 24, 1860. 
Col. Moore:—I’ ve been thinking for a good 
while, about writing to yon, but some how or other 
I hain’t got at it. The fact is, 1 have been purty 
busy, some of the time, and blessed happy other 
some; and you see, when Pm real happy, it kinder 
runs over mo so gentle, like, that 1 don’t have any 
words. My heart goes out so lovingly to every 
body around me, that my mind don’t get plated, 
like, and I kavn’t any Luchin’ post to fasten t.o. 
However, I have just now got into aeorner, so that 
I must write. 
You see we've been forming a kind of Bocicty 
at the Corners, called the “Toemuddy and Punkin 
Uill Grub and Blow Society,” for improving 
matters and things generally, and I'm one of 
the officers. We made Smith President, because 
he’d been to the Legislature, and kuew bow 
to do the thing up brown; and, between you and 
I, he bad the dimes, and wo thought he’d pay for 
the honor. Well, they put me in oue of the 
directors, and Pm a committe on filling-up; that 
is, to get every tiling t,o make the people come. 
We had a stormy time the other day, at our last 
meeting. Some of the officers out back iu town 
arc green enough to think the Society ought to 
confine itself to such things as are really useful. 
But Smith told them that was all gammon, for no 
Society that pretended to any distinction, or that 
wanted to live, would think of sack a tiling now. | 
The premium list w.e.rf nRw discussion. Jones 
moved that a premium >f $10 be allowed to the 
three best Squaws that should ride around the 
ring, bare-backed. The out-towns went in dead 
on that. 
Spiles —“Mr. Chairman, how much do we give 
for best Short-horn bull?” (Stiles is in the 
Short-hom line.) 
Smith—“Tho highest premium is $2."’ 
Spiles —“I would just like to know whether 
this Society considers Squaws a better breed than 
Short-horns?” 
Smith —“Brother Spiles, the Squaws are all 
right, and so are the Short-horns, in their places; 
but we want something to get the people, or we 
ain’t going to got the dimes.” 
The dimes carried the Squaw premium. 
The next item was $25 to the live Indians that 
went round the rin 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Thk Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed 
in Value, Purity, U^efulni'W and Variety of Contents, and 
uuiuue aud beautiful iu Appearance. Its Conductor devotes 
fiiii personal attention to the supervision of its various de¬ 
partments, and earnestly labors to render tho Rural an 
eminently Reliable Guide ou all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with the 
bnsine?a of thoie whose interests it zealously advocates. 
As a Family Journal it is eminently Instructive and 
Entertaining— being so conducted that it can be safely 
taken to tbo Hearts nnd Homes of people of intelligence, 
taste and discrimination. It embraces more Agricultural, 
Horticultural, Scientific. Educational, I.iterary and News 
Matter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful En¬ 
gravings, than any other journal,— rendering it the moat 
complete Agricultural, Litkraky and Family Nicwa- 
PAPKR in America. 
117“ No Traveling Aoknth are employed by us, as we 
wish to give the whole field to local scents and those who 
form clubs. And beside, we wish it distinctly understood 
that ail persons traveling throngh the country, pressing 
to hold certificates from us, are impostors. 
For Terms and other particulars, see Last page. 
carrying an 
horses, before a lumber wagon, which shall carry 
a load of twenty persons a mile or more tho 
quickest, at a walking gait, shall have the first 
premium. Oiler tho “ honied horses ” good pre¬ 
miums, on similar conditions. There are other 
matters which we would like to mention, sugges¬ 
tively, but must close what we intended should be 
very brief remarks. 
PLAN FOR A PIGGERY. 
Perhaps no other domestic animal Is more 
allowed to run the streets, and suffers so much 
from cold and hunger, as tho hog. Why not 
have a warm, cosy place for them in winter, and 
a cool retreat in Bummer, thereby saving them 
from much misery, and their owners many dollars. 
To this end we will endeavor to give a cheap and 
yet convenient plan, which wc hope will answer 
the inquiry of M. in the Rural of January 14th. 
The building should be twenty leet square, and 
placed upon a good wall one foot high, laid up 
with mortar, ten feet posts, and six feet between 
lower ami upper floors. Tho roof can be made 
to slant either way, or four ways, aud come to a 
point at the center. In tho former case a chim¬ 
ney could be placed at the front end,—in tho 
latter case, it would be better in the center. The 
roof should project at least sixteen inches. If 
you have a “hipped” roof, a balustrade around 
the whole would add much to its appearance,— 
with the common roof, a plain cornice will answer. 
A pipo may pass up through the chamber floor, 
and thence into tho chimney, for a ventilator to 
let oil' steam from the cooking food, and the foul 
air emitted by the swine. 
N. Y. STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
ciates. it appears that our Toemuddy and Punkin 
Hill friends are resolved to “rush” tbiugs on the 
start—with a view, no doubt, of showing that a 
new organization can do quite as much iu the 
elephant or sensation line, as have, of late years, 
some societies of long-standing and good repu¬ 
tation. A desire to excel is generally laudable, 
yet we submit that there are matters in which Us 
exhibition is not praiseworthy. What, with their 
tracks, “trials of speed,” and other futt innova¬ 
tions, some Agricultural Societies have within a 
few years introduced features at their shows 
which not a few sensible people consider unwor¬ 
thy of imitation, or efforts to surpass. Truo, we 
have entertained aud expressed the opinion that, 
inasmuch as we have hut few National Holidays, 
(the “Glorious Fourth” being about the only one, 
in fact,) something should bo combined with our 
Annual Rural Exhibitions which would render 
them of a festive and holiday character. We 
have conceived that entertaining, attractive, and 
perhaps amusing features, might be added, with¬ 
out detracting from the main objects and charac¬ 
teristics, which should be practical, useful and 
instructive. But it is difficult to specify the 
desideratum—to designate what new features can 
be introduced without danger of abuse. For, if 
one society has a track lor the mere display of 
the “style” of horses, another will have “trials 
of speed” like unto a race course. If one Soci¬ 
ety introduces an Indian ball-play, some more 
the quickest on one leg, no 
staff or pole allowed, and they to be dressed in 
full costume and sing war songs all the way. 
Spites —“How much has been given for prem¬ 
iums to tho farmers?” 
Jones —“About $50.” 
Spiles, (very angry)—“I call this downright 
robbery, to give the people’s money away for 
such tom-foolery.” 
Smith —“ Mr. Spiles, you’re excited. We shan’t 
get the people’s money to give away unless we 
humbug them iu some way or other. I’ve no ob¬ 
jections to the domestic article.” 
Spiles —“ I move, Mr. President, that a premium 
of $10 be offered for the five greatest Jackasses 
exhibited, and that members of this board be 
allowed to compete for it!” 
I see’d there was going to be a storm, so says I, 
“ I don’t much like this Ingin business myself. I 
can't sec any particular advantage in improving 
the breed.” 
“ But that ain’t the thing,” Bays Smith. “What 
we want,” says he, “is to get up some great thing 
that'll bring in the people, and 1 tell you it's all 
tho fashion to got ’em in by humbug.” 
“Well,” says I, “ it may be so, but can't wc do 
it a little slicker than with the lngins?” Says I, 
“Suppose wennvitc some pretty noted man to give 
us au oration, when we have the show.” 
You see the idea took, right off. Jones went in 
for it; says he, “ It won't, cost more nor five dol¬ 
lars more than we’ve offered for the logins to get 
a man that will draw a ten-acro lot full, and the 
feller that wants to show the three-legged snakes, 
and the fat woman ami the big calf, will give that 
in a minute to come in.” 
Finally they sorter settled the matter by ap- 
pinting me a Coinmitttee on Ailing up. I'm to 
leave off the Ingins if I can, and I want to con¬ 
sult with you a little about it. We’re all agreed | 
that if we can get you to come and give us the 
oration, it will be near upon as good as the other 
shows to get the folks in, because every body in 
these parts want to sec the man who prints the 
Rural. I tell you, Col., you don't know what 
heaps of friends you’ve got all up and down the 
Toemuddy, and on Punkin Hill, and ovev in the 
Hollow. I do believe if you'll only come we can 
get out near upon as many as a gineral trainin.’ 
If you can come, do you think we’d better have 
the Squaws, and the other lngins? Seeing I’m 
ioaio 
d, nogs’ Feeding-Room; a, Hogs’ Sleeping-Room; /?, 
t'igH’ Feeding-Room; ft, Pigs’ Sloeping-Rootn; c, c, 
Troughs; V, Stairs to Loft; A, Cooking-Room; F, 
.Stove, or Furnace. 
Tt will be seen by the engraving that the feed¬ 
ing pens and cooking room are 10 feet square, 
and the sleeping apartments 5 by 10 feet. The 
upper floor may bo used for storing soft corn in 
the autumn—and with trap doors oue foot square, 
over each pen, will be found very convenient in 
feeding. Tt also would be a good place to store 
farming implements during- the winter and sum¬ 
mer, when not in use. Upon each side of the 
main door, there should be a window, and small 
doors to each pen, leading into separate yards, on 
the side and in the rear. 
Materials and Construction. — The frame 
should be made of good, sound timber. The 
sills, posts and plates should be 0 by H inches; 
tho girts and door posts 4 by 0 inches; rafters 
and studs 1 by 4 Inches. The lower floor, where 
the swiue feed and sleep, should be composed of 
three-inch plank, and slant two inches from the 
troughs; cooking room, level, two-inch plank, 
and upper floor, inch boards. Side up with inch 
