RURAL LIFE 
a CP'IC u [_ rUHr 'ii 
mMm 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AJ» ORIGINAL WKHKLT 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
Bureau of tlie Patent-Office are already doing 
thie—what is the use of farther action?” Yet 
nothing tangible has been achieved in America, 
while foreign nations have adopted and are car¬ 
rying out Lient. Maury’s system, with prospects 
of the most valuable results, as already stated. 
It appears to uh that If anything is to be done 
with this plan of Lient. Maury, he is the mutt to 
take the helm. The originator of a system is 
generally the most competent to superintend its 
perfection, and introduce it into practical and 
successful operation. This opinion is expres¬ 
sed without the knowledge of Lieut Maury, or 
our being cognizant of his individual wishes as 
to the direction or superintendeney of the pro¬ 
posed system. We only know he is most anx¬ 
ious to have the system which has proved so 
beneficial to commerce and navigation, extended 
to the land for the benefit of Agriculture. If it 
more appropriately belongs to any other man or 
institution, that can and will carry out the plan, 
let it be thus done. We only ask, in behalf of 
the Agricultural Interest of the Union, that some 
the atmospheric influences, and it is then only 
that deep plowing, which gives the arable layer u 
greater thickness, pays completely for the ex¬ 
pense it has occasioned.” 
Where subsoil is turned to the surface, it is best 
to plant some strong growing vegetable that will 
send its roots down into the original soil. One 
of the best crops of carrots we ever saw raised in 
this country, was grown under these circum¬ 
stances. 
Advantages of Side Hills. 
Tiikke can be no question but we have more surface 
on an acre of uneven land, or side bill, than upon an 
acre of level surface, but the question is, can wo raise 
more crops to pay for the extra difficulty of culture? 
This is a question in which I am at this time very much 
Interested, and desire information, as do others in this 
section.— Li ill-Sid*, Wyoming, IV. V, 18(50. 
Wk may give It, as a general rule, that the 
number of plants which may he placed upon a 
certain piece of ground dues not depend entirely 
upon the exteut of surface, and that the power of 
production in a field which is sloped does not 
exceed its horizontal projection. We will illus¬ 
trate this by the following engraving, showing a 
the handB of the masses a more rational system 
ol medication is being pursued. These, however, 
while they enlighten concerning a cure when dis¬ 
ease has set in,—how to assist nature in her efforts 
to throw off an unsound stale of body and build 
up a living, healthy organism,— or to relieve the 
suffering in their agony, are faulty in not laying 
down general principle* for the guidance of those 
who cling to the uld-timo maxim—“An ounce of 
prevention Is worth a pound of cure.” 
I here Is but little doubt that at least one-half of 
the ailments to which our domestic animals are 
subject may be traced to indiscreet management 
Our systems of feeding (if there he any system at 
all,) are improper; our Btables are illy-construct¬ 
ed, badly ventilated, and wo seem to forget that 
bodily cleanliness, — the. necessity of a healthy 
tnun, 1s Incumbent whenever animal soundness 
is desired. All of these topics have received 
more or less discussion in the Rural, und wo will 
refer to them but briefly at the present writing. 
No one can properly estimate the amount of 
disease that has resulted from bad food; or from 
good food badly administered; from lavish feed- 
ing, or scarcity,— in many instances-amounting 
almost to starvation,—from lack of thomrht or 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Tub Hr HA i. Nxw-Y okkkr im designed In be unsurpassed 
in Value, Purity, Useful nosg and Variety of Contents, and 
unique and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes 
his personal attention to the supervision of it* various de¬ 
partments, and earnestly labors to render the Ritual an 
eminently Reliable Guide on all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects iotimutely connected with the 
business of thoee whose interest* it zealously advocates. 
As a Family Journal it is eminently instructive and Kn- 
tertalnlnif beiinr so conducted that it can bo safely taken 
the ITnarts and Iforaus of people ol intelligence, taste 
and discruninatmii It ctnbrncus more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and News Matter, 
interspernod with appropriate and beautiful Keg ravings, 
than any other journal, rendering it the most complete 
Agricultural, Litkiuky and Family JfcwnrAren in 
America. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
of which Mauhy also gives uh a glimpse in the following 
passage of his Introduction to the Physical Geography of 
the S*a: 
“Rarely lias such a spectacle been afforded to the 
scientific world; all nations united t.o co-operate in a 
System of philosophical research. They may become 
enemies In all el-e, but hero they remain friends. Every 
vessel which sails over the high seas, with these chart* 
and this meteorological journal on board, may be regard¬ 
ed as a flanting observatory—a temple of science. I hope 
that my fellow-citizens will not fall to second, by their 
co-operatioD, so humane, wise, and noble an under¬ 
taking.” 
He bss found, in fact, amoDg his compatriot sailors, 
the most devoted assistant* We may so infer from the 
following extract of a letter addressed to him by one of 
them:—“lam happy, for my Own part, to contribute to 
fnrnlsh you materials suitable Tor perfecting your great 
and glorious enterprise; not only in seeking to deter¬ 
mine the most direct routes upon tho ocean, but more¬ 
over In teaching our sailors to look about themselves 
aud hco by what marvelous manifestations of the wis¬ 
dom and goodness of the Almighty we are ever snr- 
Annual Fairs and Meetings. We suggest that 
one and all take this subject up for consideration 
again, discuss it earnestly and upon its merits, 
and appoint good, efficient committees to co-ope¬ 
rate with Lieut. Mapky in carry ingout his system. 
— In this connection It affords 
before our readers the follow! rj ! 
Though written in 1858, it ha^we believe! 
before been published. 
in heavy damages. The brute creation know 
when the demands of nature are comp lit/d with, 
ami in this respect will furnish a pattern worthy 
of imitation by tho “crowning work.” The es¬ 
sentials here are good, clean food,—of a variety 
that the appetite may not cloy,—regularly given, 
and in quantities as tho animals will readily 
consume. With reference to stable architecture 
we cannot do better than quote the views of 
Henry William Herbert; 
“ In a climate so uncertain, changeful, and in 
which the extremes of heat and cold lie so far 
apart as in this country, the question of stabling 
is one of puramouut importance. The stable, to 
J he of real utility, must he perfectly cool, airy, and 
pervious to the atmosphere la summer; perfectly 
close, warm, and free from all drafts of external 
air, except in so lar as shall ho needed for ventil¬ 
ation, in winter; perfectly ventilated, so as to be 
pure, aud free from ill odors, amrnoniacal vapors 
and the like, aiisiug from the uriue and excre¬ 
ment of tho animals at all times; perfectly dry 
under foot, and well drained. Lastly, it should be 
perfectly well lighted, as well as thoroughly aired, 
since it is not only cruel to animals, which are of 
a gay, cheerful and sociable nature, to keep them 
constantly In the dark, and not only depress 
their spirits, but injure their animal health.” 
Wo have been led to the foregoing reflections 
by the host of inquiries emanating from stock 
owneis iu all sections of the country. Every con¬ 
ceivable malady is mentioned, and remedies 
sought after. It cannot be possible that there fa 
the Agriculturists of the Country upon the hub- 
ject of Meteorology for Farmers. Tn a series 
of able articles contributed to this journal, he 
invited the co-operation of farmers and Agricul¬ 
tural Societies in aiding him to extend from the 
Sea to the Land tho beautiful and valuable sys¬ 
tem of physical research which has given such 
world-wide renown to his labors. lie promised 
the rural population results which should be as 
valuable to the industrial pursuits on shore as 
those already obtained have proved to he to 
commerce and navigation. 
Connected with this plan of Lieut Maury’s 
was a system on Telegraphic Meteorology. This 
idea has been taken np in other countries, where 
it is being carried out to a gieater or less extent, 
and with the promise of the most brilliant results. 
The Observatories of Greenwich and Paris have 
recently established a System of Telegraphic 
section of a sloping piece of land, the lower line 
giving what would be the surface if flat, 24 feet 
with a rise of 9 feet in the 24, the sloping line 
being 25j feet and the gain in surface by the 
unevenness of the soil, lj feet 
We will suppose this piece of laud to be planted 
with corn or bops, or any plant that grows erect 
at 3 feet apart On every 18 feet of such surface, 
one hill or row of hills will be gained to the roots 
by the unevenness of the surface, but the tops will 
be closer together on the uneven surface than on 
that which is level. To give the tops the same 
room upon the sloping surface as upon the level, 
each hill must be planted about 2 inches further 
apart, as shown by the perpendicular lines, aud 
this will give just the same number of hills upon 
the slopiug land as though it was level, so nothing 
will be gained by the uneven surface. But, we 
must remember, that the greater surface afforded 
to the roots is of some advantage, and that closer 
plauting in consequence may, iu many cases, be 
allowable. For potatoes, vines, grass, and other 
crops, that are confined to the surface, the advan¬ 
tage is quite important, and nearly or quite equal 
to the additional surface. 
us pleasure to lay 
ng interesting letter. 
. -never 
Addressed to the Presi¬ 
dent of the Society of Aoelimatation of France* it 
relates co a further extension of Lieut. Maury’s 
System, and does honor both to the head and 
heart of Lieut. Makcoli.e, tho writer, himself an 
officer of the French Navy; 
Toulon, December in, J858. 
Jl/r. J*rttidenl: —At the time when bo many great 
work* which prepare the way for the pacification and 
future unity of the globe, come in aid of the laborn bo 
eminently useful of the Society of AcclimntUbm. permit 
mo to recall to your mind among these works the beauti¬ 
ful discoveries due to the observing genius of a scientific 
officer of tho United States Navy, Mr Mat’KT, Superin¬ 
tendent of the National Observatory at Washington. 
These discoveries, of which M, Humboldt has said that 
INQUIRIES AND NOTES. 
I hath often been nor-prised at the poverty of the 
subsoil. If the surface is naturally rich, and is kept so 
by the application of manures, how can the subsoil be 
poor, as the soluble and most valuable materials must, to 
■tame extent, wash down? 
Yet, when wo turn np the 
subsoil to the surface, it is poor, and no amount of ma¬ 
nuring makes it as good os tho original surface soil, at 
least, for some time. A little light on this curious mat¬ 
ter would be very interesting to me, and very likely 
to many others.—H. N., Tompkins Co,, A. Y„ I860. 
Perhaps it is not possible for ait to produce a 
soil as well suited to the requirements of plants as 
that furnished by Nature. A new soil from the 
OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS—HYGIENE. 
Among the 
many writers on physiology, not 
a few are arguing that sickness and disease is up¬ 
on the increase in the human family; that, not¬ 
withstanding the accumulation of medical knowl¬ 
edge arid skill, the profession are, to day, as liable 
to meet with peculiar forms of suffering as vague 
and battling as at any period since the foundation 
of the science calculated to prevent, cure, or al- 
The leviate the pangs of this mortal body. With this 
in the new soil the question, however, we have nothing to do,—the 
various “pathies” will doubtless settle it to their 
own satisfaction,— but our sphere may be said to 
include the health and well-being of the domes¬ 
tic aniinalB which look to man for his protecting 
care, and repay therefor by their exertions in his 
service. 
The health of the animal product of our conn- 
try is of vast importance, both individually and 
nationally, and yet, were we to judge by the man¬ 
ner of treatment oftentimes pursued when an an¬ 
imal is afflicted, it would seem to be a matter of 
very little moment whether a sound condition of 
body were restored, or that the ailment Bhould 
terminate fatally. Superstition and error have 
full away,—our cattle are given up to the tender 
mercieB of a leech, whose only forte is to torture; 
or spells and charms are thrown about them, ant) 
these are left to work out the remedy. This is 
not what is required of us as humanitarians; nor 
do we even meet the more sordid demands of self- 
interest. It is our duty to provide a means of 
restoration for the sick, a remedy against deteri¬ 
oration, and we should “cry aloud and Bparenot” 
when empiricism and burbarity enter the field. 
The past few years have presented vtry grati¬ 
fying changes in the medical treatment of our 
domestic animals. The press has been issuing 
volumes dedicated to a spread of veterinary 
Indeed, we may add the constituents of piauts in 
a far greater proportion, and while ror some 
special crops our improved soil may be made even 
better than the new, as a general rule and for 
most crops it will be found far inferior, 
cause of this may be that f ' 
plaut-food is in a better condition to be take 
and used by the plant. As a generul rule the sub¬ 
soil is unsuited to the growth of plants, and no 
amount of enriching by manure will bring it 
speedily into the right condition. This may be 
partly owing to its texture, but tnaioly, no doubt, 
to the partial exclusion from the atmosphere to 
which this subsoil has been subjected for ages. 
U umboldt found that soil taken from the galleries 
of mines only became fertile after being exposed 
to the air for a considerable length of time, and 
alter obtaining oxygen from the atmosphere. He 
observed that the sides of the large cavities dug in 
the mines ol Saltzburg absorbed so much 
we most u*urui oucettons to naviga- 
tors. Hy tho use of Iheae directions, the duration of 
long vu^sges has been reduced more than one-thin), 
and the annual saving which results was estimated, in 
1 S-H, at an enormous total for tho marine of the United 
Suites alone. The Government of the Union destined 
thus first to establish the benefits of a system of research 
which must greatly enlarge the field of oux scientific 
knowledge, luvited all luaralime powers to a conference 
toe principal object of which was to establish a uniform 
plan of meteorological Observations at sea. This cou- 
lerence, in which were anited the representatives of 
Franc*. Eagifind, KusaU, Sweden and Norway, Portuva] 
| THE "PROSPECTIVE STERILITY” QUESTION. 
The discussion now upon the tapis in the 
Rural in relation to “Prospective Sterility,” is 
one which I apprehend needs the light of facts 
for its correct and satisfactory conclusion. From 
au experience of thirty-five years, on one farm, I 
am of the opinion that the case stands thus: —A 
man may possess $10,1)00 invested at 6 per cent. 
His Income will bo $000 per annum. Now, if he 
lives on $500 yearly, and adds $100 each year to 
the principal, at the expiration of any given term 
of years, himselt and his posterity will be pe¬ 
cuniarily in a thriving condition. If be invests 
this $10,000 in a farm, and manages it skillfully, 
without the aid of any fertilizer from abroad! 
except only plaster and clover seed, J believe it 
may be managed so as to place himself and his 
posterity in the same thriving condition. In 
either case he may exhaust the principal,—by 
reckless expenditure In the first instance, by 
reckless prodnetion in the other. The fact is, r 
believe, that in the laboratory of Nature there is a 
recuperative power, designed for the benefit of 
man, with which, if the farmer will work in har- 
oxygen 
Irom the atmosphere as to render it unfit for res¬ 
piration, and incapable of supporting combustion. 
Bousbinoault, iu alluding to this subject, Bays:— 
"All our agricultural facts show the necessity 
ot air in the interstices of the soil that is destined 
for the growth of vegetables. When, by plowing 
very deeply, for example, we bring up a portion 
of the subsoil into the arable layer, in order to 
increase its thickness, we always lessen the fer¬ 
tility of the ground for a time; in spite of the 
action of manures, and of any treatment we may 
adopt, a certain time must elapse before the sub¬ 
soil can produce an advantageous effect; it is 
absolutely necessary that it have been exposed to 
- - - ——- o w »v luio 
u rtau, i n connection with the Smiihsouiao 
ffBtitute, proposed, a year or two ago, to do 
h| j;aething in the way of Agricultural Meteorol- 
°gy. but nothing practical has resulted from the 
K'ltnise. Haviog stolen Lieut Maury’b thunder, 
w Ub the view, as announced, of perfecting and 
Us >ug it as intended by its originator, Congress 
was of course deterred from taking action upon 
bul -'j ec l ln response to petitions and memo- 
'•a- q - But nothing was done, and whenever the 
! tnds of the project have since proposed a 
° Ve in Congress, they have been met with the 
-Ii.lrk that ‘ The Smithsonian TnfltitnfA onA A 1 
H hviMY-t 
IRVING. N Y 
