VOL. XI. NO. 37. i 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1860. 
i WHOLE NO. 557. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX ORIGINAL WKKKLY 
WJRA1, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY" D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Thr Rural Nbw-Yokkkh is designed to be uu<*nrpa*H«d 
Id Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contenta, and 
unirjiin And beautiful in Appearance. It* Condqctor devotee 
hie personal attention to the supervision of its vamiue de¬ 
partments, aad earnestly labors to render the Rural an 
eminently Reliable fluido on all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects Intimately connected with the 
business of those whose interests l( zealously advocates. 
An a Family Journal it is eminently Instructive and En¬ 
tertaining—being no conducted that It can be safely taken 
to the Hearts and Homes of people ol Intelligence, taste 
and discrimination It embraces more Agricultural, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and News Matter, 
Interspersed with appropriate and beautiful Engravings, 
than any other journal, — remit-,log it the must complete 
Agricultural, Litkrary and Family Nkwspapkb in 
America. 
of the Fourth of July it was apparently healthy 
and vigorous, and bearing a full crop of young 
peaches. On the evening of the same day every 
leaf was drooping and wilted, and it died ua 
speedily as though it had been chopped oft' at the 
ground. Our lirst thought was, that it had been 
struck by lightning, as there had been a thunder¬ 
storm during the day, but of this we could find 
no proof. The operations of Nature ate always 
wonderful, often mysterious, ullbrding constant 
opportunities for the closest study and the most 
scrutinizing lnvi stigation. Though there are 
many things “past Huding out,” we have an am¬ 
ple field in wbiub to gleun wisdom, a valuable 
mine in which we need not search in vain for 
hidden truths. 
- 
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 
.Seedling Potatoes. 
Tiik Journal of the Royal Dublin Society 
contains an article from David Moore, Curator 
of the Society’s Garden, upon the raising and 
growing of seedling potatoes. During the first 
yours of the potato disease in Ireland, the theory 
that tho Btock from which seed wuh then pro¬ 
duced had become worn out, found favor with a 
large class of producers, and a panacea for the 
evil was sought for in the growing of seedlings. 
It was argued that if a fresh stock, with “new 
blood,” as it was termed, could be established to 
procure seed from, the plant would be able to 
withstand the disease as well a* it had done pre¬ 
viously. Mr. Moore was one of the most exten¬ 
sive experimenters, and reports as follows: 
The seedlings have been fully as liable to dis¬ 
ease as most of the old Borts, and even some 
tubers of the original stoek which I had sent 
from South America, were very early and viru¬ 
lently attacked the same year they were planted, 
though they were kept apart from other potatoes; 
thus clearly proving that the disease was not the 
consequence of a worn-out stock. 
So far. nothing more was proved than nega¬ 
tiving the theory; but, in following up the exper¬ 
iments, results of another kiud were obtained, 
which are of more public importance. During 
the first year of those seedlings the crops were 
light, tubers small, and quality bad; consequently, 
they were only grown for the purpose of trying 
whether, as they advanced in age, they would 
become better able to resist the disease. Great 
care was, however, bestowed on their cultivation, 
and yearly we had the satisfaction of seeing 
them improve in produce as well ns in qualify. 
In the early stages of their growth they were 
solid after being boiled, waxy, and unpleasantly 
flavored; and, on cutting a slice from the tubers 
sufficiently thin for examination under the micro¬ 
scope, it could be seen that the starch granules 
were comparatively few in tho mass, and uot 
well developed, as I several times observed when 
looking for the mycelium of the fungus among 
the cells. This will go far to account for the 
soft, waxy state of seedlings at first, as well as 
for their not bursting their skins, as properly 
matmed tubers do when their chemical constitu¬ 
ents arc fully developed. The unpleasant flavor 
continued as long as the tubers were soft; but so 
soon as they become floury, and burst in boiling, 
the taste improved, and some aro now equal to, 
if not better than, many of our old sorts. I sent 
41 samples of the best kinds to the late exhibi¬ 
tion, where they might have been seen on the 
stand near the middle gate, on entering from the 
court-yard, without any notice attached of the 
source they came from. It required ten years’ 
cultivation to bring those samples to the state of 
perfection they were exhibited in, daring which 
period they continued to improve gradually every 
subsequent year; and that Is one of the principal 
tacts I have to state in connection with this sub 
ject, which, simple though it may appear, and no 
doubt it is, when known, like most other things, 
it yet contains the principle of managing seed 
lings to a successful issue. Here we have care¬ 
fully made experiments, showing that no small 
amount of patience and perseverance ought to 
be exercised with seedling potatoes before they 
are given up aH worthless; and further, that such 
is really necessary to prove them. 
Destruction of "Weeds fu Ireland. 
It would seem, notwithstanding the prover¬ 
bial clean culture of Irish farmers, that the eviLs 
resulting from the disobedience of our first pa¬ 
rents are seriously felt, as the attention of the 
government has recently been called thereto, and 
a law to provide for their destruction has received 
the sanction of the Queen. We give the first 
section of “The Weeds Act,” merely adding that 
like laws and penalties might prove beneficial 
outside of the Emerald Isle: 
It shall be lawful for the occupier of any cul¬ 
tivated lands, whether arable or pasture, who 
shall have reason to lappreheud injury to the 
same by reason that the seeds of certain weeds 
commonly known as thistles, dockB, or ragweeds, 
growing In any adjoining field or In any adjoin¬ 
ing cemetery, or upon the sides of any adjoining 
railway or canal, might be carried by the wiud 
upon such lands, to serve a notice upon the 
owner In occupation of any such field, or upon 
tho clerk of tho hoard or secretary of the com¬ 
pany to which any such cemetery, railway, or 
canal shall belong, requiring him to cause such 
weeds to be cut down and destroyed. And in 
case the said owner, [beard, or company shall 
neglect to cause snclu weeds to be cut down or 
destroyed within tho ptriod of fourteeminyn from 
the day of the service of the said notice, so that 
they shall not be capable of being propagated 
by means of the windtcarrylug their seeds upon 
the said lauds, such owner, board, or company 
shall bo liable to a priority not exceeding Jive 
pounds: And whenever the said owner, board, or 
company shall have neglected to cause such 
weeds to be s<f eat down and destroyed within 
tho said period, it shall be lawful for the said 
occupier to servo a second notice of tho like form 
anil In the like manner as any stioh first notice 
upon the said owner, clerk, or secretary; and in 
case the Bivid owner, board, or company shall 
again neglect to eautc the said weeds to be so 
out down and destroyed within the further like 
period of fourteen day» from the day of the serv¬ 
ice of such second notice, such owner, board, or 
company shall be liable to a second penalty not 
exceeding double the amount of such first pen¬ 
alty, and in addition to the same. 
Cinders for Pigs. 
J. J. Meuiu, of Trlptiee Hal), England, has 
been publishing his experience in fattening swine, 
and among other things, he has learned the fact 
“that pigs are very fond of Coal ashes or cinders, 
and that you can hardly (Vt pigs properly on 
boarded floors without giving them a moderate 
supply daily, or occasionally.” lie says:—“In 
tho absence of coal ashcB, burned clay or brick- 
dust is a good substitute, if you do not supply 
ashes they will gnaw or eat the brick walls of 
their sheds. I leave to science to explain the 
cause of this want It is notorious that coni 
dealers, where pigs have aoeesH to the coals, aro 
generally successful pig feeders. Those who find 
that their pigs, when shut up, do not progress 
favorably, will do well to try this plan; a neigh¬ 
bor of mine fonnd that a score of fat pigs consume 
quite a basket of burned clay ashes daily. We know 
that tliero is an abundance of alkali in ashes.” 
Stock Italsiug. 
From an article upon this topic in the Field 
and Fireside, we make the following brief extract: 
It is choice cowb, sheep, horses, and mules, that 
yield the greatest returns to skillful husband 
men. The production of scrubs, or mean stoek 
of any kind, is rather a mean business, in a 
pecuniary point of view, liaise superior animals 
on rich perennial grasses, Jf yon seek a good 
income from your farm stock husbandry. Such 
animals may obtain part of their living from 
unimproved old fields, particularly sheep; but 
they want good clover and pea hay in the winter, 
or hay made from the English grasses. The most 
prominent error in stock growing, is the attempt 
to rear fine hogs, cattle, und Bheep, on scanty and 
defective food. Home want a great deal of meat, 
milk, or wool from little or nothing. They ask 
nature to make them rich, while they lie in the 
shade in summer, and sit by the fire in winter, and 
leave their poor animals to nearly or quite perish 
from neglect. 
— ~ »♦>»- 
HOW TO CONSTRUCT LIGHTNING RODS, 
Editors Rural New-Yorker: — Seeing in a 
recent number of one of our dailies, no less 
thau four instances in which property hud 
been destroyed by lightning, in at least three 
of which protection would have been afford¬ 
ed by means of well-arranged lightning rods, 
(the fourth instance was the destruction of 
some cattle in an open field,) it occurred to me 
that far less use is made of the means of protec¬ 
tion within our reach, than would be the case if 
tho public were in possession of reliable infor¬ 
mation upon this subject,—while at the same 
time the miserable substitutes for lightning rods 
which we sometimes see, would no longer be 
tolerated. I therefore take the liberty of throw¬ 
ing together a few ideas upon this subject for 
the benefit of the readers of tho Rural, and in 
so doing would state that l have freely used the 
labors of our most eminent electriciuus— Fara¬ 
day, Noad, De La Rive, Becquerel, Pouillet, 
Harris, &c. —much rather preferring to be cor¬ 
rect than to be original. 
In setting about the erection of a lightning 
rod, the following points will claim our attention: 
First—The material of which the rod should 
be made. 
Second—Its form and size. 
Third — The method of attaching it to the 
structure to be protected. 
Fourth—Its termination, both in the air and in 
the earth. 
With regard to the substance of which the rod 
should be composed, there can be no doubt of 
copper being the most, suitable matoiial for this 
purpose. Not, but that a continuous Iron rod, of 
sufficient size and in good condition, would 
carry off any electrical discharge whatever, but 
when we consider the impossibility of procuring 
a continuous iron rod of the requisite length, 
and that it must therefore be fastened by joints, 
between which oxidation 1 h certain to occur, 
and that, in spite of paint, Ac., iron rods very 
soon corrode and become worthless, it will obvi¬ 
ously be very poor policy to adopt this metal. 
Indeed, so powerful are the destructive agencies 
constantly at work, that, from an inspection of a 
considerable number of rods, we are inoliued to 
believe a very large percentage of the Iron rodB 
in existence afford no protection whatever. 
Nor Is copper so much more expensive as to 
preclude its use for this purpose. When we 
recollect that a copper strip one inch wide and 
one-scvcnth of an inch thick will conduct as 
much electricity as an Iron bar one inch square, 
it is obvious that a good copper conductor is not 
idore expensive per lineal foot than its more 
clumsy Iron competitor. 
The form of rod which recommends itself to 
our notice, is that of a flat strip,—not from its 
increased surface, for rodB are e flic lent in pro* 
portion to their solid section, but ms being neater 
and more easily applied. The size which wo 
believe to be safe is one inch wide, ftud from 
one-fortieth to one-sixteenth of an inch thick. 
We believe that there is no instance on record 
of ft rod of this size having been melted. Less 
might do, for it haB frequently occurred that 
copper bell wires have carried oil heavy charges, 
but 111 such Instances the wuett have always been 
burnt, although they protected the building aB 
far as they went. The lightning conductor ap¬ 
plied to the Nelson Monument, London, is three 
inches wide and one-fifth of an inch thick— 
nearly equal to ten such rods as we propose. 
Harris, (speaking of conductors for skips,) Bays: 
“It has been found that ft rod of copper half an 
inch in diameter, or an equal quantity of copper 
in any other form, will resist the expansive and 
heating effects of any discharge of lightning 
hitherto experienced.” But such conductors aro 
exposed to those terrific tropical storms, com¬ 
pared to which any lightning stroke that we 
experience is hot feeble. On the other hand, tho 
Committee of the Academy Of Sciences of Faria, 
(consisting of MM. Poisson, Lekbvreuinkau, 
Girard, Dulonu, Fresnel, and Gay Lixhsac,) 
reported that there was no knowfl instance in 
which au iron rod of thirteen to fourteen millim¬ 
etres (half an inch) in diameter, had been fused 
or made red hot by ft flash of lightning. Now, 
such a rod presents a sectional area of .1!)(>3 
of a square inch, and, allowing for difference of 
conducting power, is only equal to a copper strip 
one inch wide and one-thirty-seventh of an inch 
thick. Any strip, then, one inch in width and 
over the thirty-second part of an inch thick, 
must be perfectly sate, although it is probable 
that even less than this would afford ample pro¬ 
tection, and would be injured ouly on some very 
extraordinary occasion. 
The rod is best attached to the building by 
simple nailing. Insulators are worse than use¬ 
less,—all electricians, from Franklin and Harr 
to Faraday, recommending that they be con¬ 
nected with all large metallic surfaces on the 
building. There is no danger of the lightning 
leaving the rod, if the latter be well connected 
with the earth, while a charge passing parallel 
to a metallic water pipe, yet insulated from it, 
would be very apt to produce an inductive dis¬ 
charge which would prove rather dangerous. 
The rod should terminate above in a series of 
points, forming a large brush. Not that this is 
required to enable the electricity from the clouds 
to enter the rod, for it would enter just as well 
by a single point, however blunt that might be; 
but as the lightning aB often passes from the, 
earth to the clouds, as from the clouds to tho 
earth, the reasons in favor of a good connection 
between the air and the rod, are as Btrong as 
those in favor of a good connection between the 
rod and the earth. And as the air in such cases 
is generally moist, and hence conducts well, this 
condition is by no means difficult to fulfill. 
That the lower extremity of the rod should 
terminate in a good conducting medium con¬ 
nected with the earth, is too obvious to require 
comment. This is generally secured by burying 
the end of tho rod so deep as to be always in 
contact with moist Boil, and ns tho area of the 
two surfaces in contact, (that of the soil and that, 
of the rod,) determines the efficiency of the con¬ 
nection, wo would not be sparing of the amount 
of sheet copper burled beneath tho surface. In 
this case, however, it will bo well to use tho 
thinnest sheet copper, carrying It off in several 
directions. Wo thus obtain au increased surface 
of Contact with a minimum Of metal, but wo 
must at the same time remember that where wo 
depend upon the copper alone to convey the 
discharge, the aggregate section of all the strips 
should at least equal the section of the main 
conductor. j. r. 
Remarks. —We concur generally in the views 
expressed by our correspondent. In tho belief 
that the flat copper rod, similar to that, described' 
is preferable to any other, we have recently had 
Buch erected Upon our dwelling, under the direc¬ 
tion of Frnf. N. Britt an, of Lockport. The rods 
used are about one inch wide. In the most 
exposed situation two copper Btrips were placed 
together—in the others only one was considered 
necessary. No insulators wore used, but the rods 
were well pointod above, and terminated in moist 
earth—extending some four teet below the surface 
and six to eight from the building.—Ei>. 
-»-• ♦ 
BROOME CO - AG, SOCIETIES, PROGRESS, &c. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: — The people of 
Broome County are at present taking a very 
lively interest in Agricultural pursuits. We have 
now three regularly organized Societies for tho 
promotion of Agriculture, so situated as not to 
interfere with each other, und all working harmo¬ 
niously together for the good of the whole. 
During the past year it has given me great plea¬ 
sure to mingle with the members of each of these 
Societies, and to confer upon subjects of general 
interest to all. While on a visit last winter to the 
Farmers’ Club of East Maine, (A. H. Green, Presi¬ 
dent,) 1 fonnd a well organized Society, situated 
iu the western portion of the county, well officered 
with some of the most talented and. substantial 
men of that section, accompanied by a glee club, 
which discoursed most excellent music — all har¬ 
moniously engaged in the advancement of the 
interests of the tiller of the soil. 
The influence of this Society iB felt for a great 
distance in tho surrounding country, iu the im¬ 
proved plowing und thorough culture of the soil, 
the olearlng the new lots of tho hideous stamps, 
briars, and thorns, the raising of magnificent 
sheep, line cattle, and improved breeds of horses— 
Including some lino specimens of oats and wheat. 
The Harperevllle Union Ag’l Society, (W. L. 
M v nn k, President,) located in the easterly portion 
of our county, is also u very flourishing institution. 
1 had the pleasure of meeting its members last 
fall at their Annual Fair. The weather wa 3 un- 
propitious, and they were under the necessity of 
adjourning the first day; but, nothing daunted by 
the severity of the weather, they carried out the 
programme quite successfully, and to the satisfac¬ 
tion of all. 
The head-quarters of the Broome County Agri¬ 
cultural Society (of which your humble servant 
is President,) are located in Lisle, nearly equi¬ 
distant between the two above named. It has 
been organized only two years, hut has been a 
decided success both years, aud is now out of 
debt, with about one hundred dollars in the 
treasury. Our receipts last year were over eleven 
hundred dollars, and uu effort will be made for a 
continued success ou the 11th, 12th, and 13th of 
September inst. Previous to this, a Society was 
organized, but from some cause was allowed to 
ran down. A Town Society was next organized 
in Lisle, and this is the fruit of it, and we are now 
indebted to the indomitable courage and energy 
of a few noble men and women in that town, for 
the cxisteuee of the present Broome County 
Agricultural Society. 
A word or two about the crops and I have done. 
The wheat is harvested in tine order, and a most 
excellent crop it is, free from midge or rust; and 
I think 1 can send yon a sample of as fine wheat of 
my own raising, as Western New York can pro¬ 
duce. The oats and barley are heavy, but very 
much beaten down by the seventy of the storms. 
In some localities near here, we have been visited 
by severe hail storms. The hay crop is unusually 
large. 0. C. Ckockkk. 
Binghamton, Broome Co., N. Y., 1800. 
THE BLIGHT. 
Sorely are we troubled sometimes to know 
what is meant by the word at the head of this 
article, the Blight. A correspondent complains 
that bis wheat or his oats looked well for a time, 
but was seized with a blight; or his potatoes or 
pear trees are blighted —and he wishes to know 
both the cause and the remedy. Thus we are 
placed in a dilemma—being anxious to afford 
information, but have no means of doing so. It 
seemti we are not alone in the difficulty; for the 
editor of the London Gardener's Chronicle, speak¬ 
ing of the same trouble, and in answer to a cor¬ 
respondent, gives a definition of blight, thus:—“It 
is a sun stroke, or a frost bite, a plague of insects, 
or of fungi, a paralysis of the roots, a gust of bad 
air; it is wetness, it is dryness, it is heat, it is 
cold, it is plethora, it is starvation; in short, it ta 
anything that disfigures or destroys the foliage.” 
This is an admirable definition; but our own would 
be more brief — that it ia a name given to any un- 
known disease. This is especially the case where 
the effect is Biidden and unexpected. 
Blight ia, perhaps, most generally thought to 
arise from atmospheric causes, and it is not 
unusual to hear persons point out the particular 
day, or fog, or warm rain, to which it is due. it 
is thought, however, that these peculiar condi¬ 
tions of the atmosphere only increase the malady 
already existing, so as to cause it to attract, gene¬ 
ral observation. Mildew, no doubt, in many 
cases, ia the cause of blight. Want of Constitu¬ 
tion in the plants is another cause. The plant is 
weak and becomes the easy prey of insects. 
These obtain nourishment and strength, and ex 
tend their ravages in each direction, forming 
cirelcB of blighted grain. A remarkable ease of 
this kind ia reported in the English Agricultural 
Gazette. In June, the wheat was promising; but 
soon after blossoming, the plants died in certain 
spots; these spots gradually extended all around 
their respective centers. Adjacent spots occa¬ 
sionally united; but in other cases, they had 
merely approached each other when the ripening 
process was completed, although the whole crop 
was nearly destroyed. We have seen, the present 
season, a field of potatoes of about four acres, in 
a very similar condition. The latter part of June 
several spots appeared where the plants were 
dead or dying. In bob 1 eases only a few liilla 
were destroyed; in others, several yards; but 
the circles continued to increase until the first of 
August, when tho malady stopped. Every plant 
within the fatal circle was dead. This was prob¬ 
ably caused by insects, though in a rather careful 
examination wo failed to find the depredator. 
Might it not be caused by an Infectious disease; 
and if so, the early removal of the diseased plants 
might have stayed its progress. 
Blight, or disease of any kbd, in grain, is apt 
to produce such a disorganization of the plant, 
that imperfect seed is the result—bearing very 
little resemblance to the true grain. We have 
before us a specimen of wheat sent us by a friend, 
as some new and foul seed, which we think is only 
the result of disease in the wheat plant, by which 
we have little hesitation in saying it was produced. 
Blight sometimes appears so suddenly that a 
tew are hardly willing to attribute the result to 
natural causes. A few jears ago we lost a valua¬ 
ble peach tree very suddenly. On the morning 
TWO UOLLABS YKAR.] 
[SINGrJLiIC NO. P’OTJJK CRNTS. 
“ PROGRESS 
IMPROY KMKNT." 
