’ 
RURAL LIFT, 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVKMEN:'!' 
WHOLE NO. 567 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1860. 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
XX ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
or four inches. In both pun and plain tiling, 
large concave tiles are used to cover the ridges 
and hips, and gutter tiles are also used for the 
valleys. 
Of the cost of tiles in this country, as compared 
with shingles, wo can now form no estimate. In 
regard to their durability, we quote the opinion 
of Jambs Nkwi. ano, Civil Engineer of Edinburgh: 
“Tiles form a very heavy covering for a roof, and 
the rapidity with which they absorb moisture, 
which they communicate to the latliB and rafters 
below, speedily destroy these, and la also destruc¬ 
tive to themselves in the event of frost. Of the 
two kinds, pan tiling is the lightest; and, alt,ho’ 
not so warm, is a more secure covering than the 
other, capi .daily when pointed on the inside with 
lime and hair; it also may be used with a roof of 
less pitch.” Our climate, wo think, would be 
much more severe on tilea than that of England 
or Scotland. 
Composting Manure. 
AYiTil some Mends I have been (lipcu Bring the advan- 
tags of composting manure. I cannot see that, by mix¬ 
ing manures, we add anything to their value, Why are 
not the same manures applied to the soil just as valuable 
as though mixed, or composted, and then added?—A 
Lovan or Pacts, Ontario , A. 1860. 
It is true that, we cannot add to the elements of 
fertility by mixing manures in the fora of com¬ 
post. The value of a manure iu practice, however, 
depends somewhat n;> in its mechanical nawell as 
upon its chemical condition, it may contain all 
the elements necessary for a valuable manure, and 
yet be iri such a condition that these elements 
cannot be made available. A farmer may, thro’ 
some miafoituuo.'huvo on band a number u. dead 
carcasses, or a quantity of refuse animal matter 
at killing time iu the fall, and a quantity of strong 
lie may also 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE. 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Tub Rural New-YORKER in designed to be uuaurpasBed 
in Value, l’urity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and 
unique and beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor de¬ 
votes his personal attention to tho supervision ol its 
various departments, and earnestly labor a to tender the 
Rural an eminently Reliable Guide on all the important 
Practical, Scientific and other Subject* intimately con¬ 
nected with the buainees of those whose interests it 
aeatomdy advocates. A. it Family JotlWLAL it Is emi¬ 
nently Instructive and Entertaining being so conducted 
thet it can be safely takeu to the Hearts and Homes of 
people of intelligence, taste and discrimination It em¬ 
braces more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Edu¬ 
cational, Literary and News Matter, interspersed with 
appropriate and beautiful EngraviugS, than any other 
journal,—rendering it the most complete AGRICULTURAL, 
Literary and Family Nkwnpaper in America. 
For Terms and other particulars, fee hist page. 
T£, -t^r/ifjujw M 
judges in America, spoke in the highest terms in 
an at tide published iu the Rubai, of the Id inst. 
Speaking of the Agricultural Bhow at Whitby, 
Mr. J. nays" But the sheep excelled all. They 
tjo.v • n grout numbers, and !or fat and size I 
question it they could bo surpassed anywhere. 
Mr. William Jrffuky had Home very fine. A Mr. 
Guy had also some that were very good. But 
they were all good—notabad lotamong them. I 
examined Mr. Jkfprby s und Air. Guv h on their 
farms, and really T think there can be no further 
improvement made on them. Mr. Jkpprky 8 are 
pure Leicester,—Mr. Guv’u have some cross of 
tho Cotswold, at least a portion of them. * 
v * 1 was delighted with tho Bhocp I saw at the 
shuw, and on Mr. Jeffrey's and Mr. Guy's farms. 
There was ft pair of fat ewes shown that took tho 
first premium; said to weigh, together, 4B0 lbs. 
They were as broad in the back as a good Durham 
cow. The Canadian farmers can make wonderful 
sheep. Mr. Jeffrey had photographs taken of 
gome of his buckB, but, they were not so good as 
the originals.” 
INQUIRIES AND NOTES 
q. jt is honorable to themselves and beneficial to 
tho country. Nu portion of toe Continent can 
produce so line a show of Leiceslrra ns Canada 
West, aa any one ran stt. st who bus ever wiinoss- 
ed a display at its Provincial i'aL. V.e *ri *. 
never more agreeably surprised than at ihe show 
in this department, at the Fair held In Cobourg, 
some years ago—an account of which was given 
iu tho Rural. To us the exhibition was most 
wonderful and Instructive; and the numerous 
specimens of superior mutton sheep, (superior in 
size, weight and beauty,) convinced os that the 
farmers of the Province were both B.tilliul and 
enterprising—entitled to the front rank among 
tho exponents and promoters of Rural “ Progress 
; . Went—'Whi. .lit! i-. !• t.T'-q.. of Whitby. The 
portraits are not as gtv**i as the originals, how¬ 
ever, from the fact that ■ mr artist bad only j>oor 
photographs from which to transfer the “coun¬ 
terfeit presentments;” yet wo think Mr. J. will 
recognize the animals, If tho picture does not do 
justice to their beauty and proportions. The 
large figure on tho left is a two-year old buck—a 
very fine aniui il. Of the next three figures, two 
are two-year-old ewes, and ono a back lamb; 
while the one King down is a ewe lamb. We 
liquid manure from the stables, 
have, as almost every farmer should, a pile of 
weeds, leaven, road scrapings, muck from the 
swale, Ac. Now, nothing is added, we admit, by 
mixing them, and yet we think much is gained. 
The animal bodies nud matter are not in a condi¬ 
tion to distribute oveathe soil, and if pnttogether 
to decay, putrefactive fermeat&tation takes place 
ho rapidly that much of value is lost. The liquid 
manure must be diluted with water, and distrib¬ 
uted over the soil, and this, with the conveniences 
farmers generally have, is a very troublesome 
operation. The refuse pile of muck and weeds 
should bo decomposed before being pat on the 
soil, or its decomposition takes place very slowly, 
and many of the weeds will grow. But even in a 
pile, unless there is an unusual quantity of vege¬ 
table matter, decomposition is too slow. This in 
the condition in which the farmer lluda himself 
placed, with all the elements of a valuable manure 
on hand, but yet not iu a condition to be applied 
to the soil. 
It is in such a case as this that the value of 
Make the animal matter as 
roof* for our cattle shed*?—A Praikir Farukh, Central 
Winnie, 1860. 
Straw is considerably used in different parts 
of Europe for covering cheap cottages, sheds, .Vo. 
We have often been surprised that it has not been 
generally employed for this purpose on the 
prairieB of the West, where shingles and boards 
are so dear that many farmers allow their cattle 
to run at large all winter, without protection 
from theBtorms, which in the prairie country are 
peculiarly severe. Those who arc not handy in 
the nse of straw, and have not observed the labor 
of the skillful straw-worker, will bo surprised to 
notice the many wayB iu which it can be employ¬ 
ed to furnish the very best of shelter. Not only 
may buildingB be roofed, but even walled with 
straw, while the yard may be sheltered by a fence 
of straw that will afford ample protection. Of 
course a light frame-work is necessary. These 
straw shelters arc made use of in Europe by all 
good gardeners, to protect borders of early vege¬ 
tables and hasten their maturity. A western 
correspondent in the last volume of the Rural, 
highly recommended straw for roofing, and where 
this could not be obtained, the “slough grass,” 
abundant on low prairie lands, which he had 
found to make a “cheap, substantial and durable 
roof for out buildings.” Perhaps other western 
| take care that the temperature of the water should 
be warm, and thus our live stock would fatten 
with a smaller quantity of food. 
The pulping of roots and mixing them with cut 
straw have soon como into favor with farmers, 
because It diminishes the disproportionate quan- 
I tlty of water which the animals are compelled to 
take in their roots, when they have no dry food. 
Sheep should always have one pound of clover or 
grass-hay, or some cut Btraw, and one pound of 
rape-cake, when on turnips, in cold or wet 
weather. ThiB would diminish the consumption 
of turnips, and restore a proper equilibrium be¬ 
tween the dry food and water, and would add fer¬ 
tility to the soil. If no hay is given, fine cut 
straw will answer admirably, and you will find 
, that your straw thus applied will realize a ranch 
i bett' r price than whi n merely used as bedding. 
Iu conclusion, a wise farmer will so limit his 
^ j consumption of roots by each animal, that tho 
water contained in them should approximate to 
the quantity he would give to an animal eating 
dry food. Pour gallons, or forty pounds of water 
ner dnv would be a full allowance for a bullock, 
| sheep which has to raise to the digestive temp si - 
I ature, or, in fact, to warm two gallons of cold wa¬ 
ter or ice some forty or fifty degrees. Can we 
wonder at the laxative scouring of sheep or bul¬ 
locks, and the consequent h IHmmation or death? 
And cannot farmers now understand why my 
live stock losses are so small compared with 
theirs, when 1 avoid sneb treatment? Need we 
be surprised that our stock thrive so much belter 
aB the spring advances, when the temperature of 
farmers. With reference to their worth, as com¬ 
pared with guano, we cannot answer exactly, but 
Bbould, when reduced to dust, appra.se them at 
more than one half. It is estimated that they 
yield about half as much ammonia, nearly twice 
as much phosphoric acid, and about three times 
as much lime as does guano. Their effect, as our 
correspondent is awr <*, is much slower than that 
of guano, but is very much more durable. 
composting is seen, 
fine as possible, mix it with the cold pile of muck, 
turf, Ac,, pour over this the liquid manure, and the 
result is that the disposition of the animal matter 
to decompose too rapidly is checked by the slowly 
decomposing substances with which it is in con¬ 
tact, while the decomposition of these are hasten¬ 
ed, and in a few months all forms a mellow pile 
the proper mechanical 
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE, 
Root Crops for Lite Stork. 
In a laie issue oi the Mark Lane Express wo 
find an article from the pu of J. J. Mr cm*, 
answering the quern- —” What proportion of an 
imlmal’s winter food should be roots?”—and “ In 
what condition sbonb they be given?” AsMr. M. 
so presents tho suhj ct that American larmera, 
who are cultivating aid feeuing roots, will find its 
perusal both pleasin', ami profitable, we extract 
at considerable lengti: 
The question appears to hinge upon what pro¬ 
portion water should be ir to tho dry food con¬ 
sumed. Turnips contain 90 to 02 per cent, of wa- 
of the richest m u,are, in 
condition to be evenly applied to the soil. Fresh 
stable manure cannOt always fie taken to the field 
and plowed in us soon as made, und if thrown iu 
a pile alone, rapid decomposition takes place, nod 
the result is a great loss of valuable plant-food, 
and a mass of fire-fangod stuff hardly worth cart¬ 
age. If this manure had been composted with 
any slowly decomposing material, all would have 
been saved. It is the opinion of some of the best 
cultivators in Europe, that peaty muck receives 
most of its value from the decomposition which 
it undergoes in the compost heap. 
The compost heap furnishes a very convenient 
receptacle lor odd things, which but for thiB 
would never be Bftved—a few bushels of weeds 
would lay in the corner of the fence but for the 
fact that ihe compost heap is waiting for them— 
it furnishes a fine grave for a dead hen or sheep- 
killing dog, and will nicely absorb all the wash¬ 
ing water, Ac., from the house. In this way tho 
compost heap is a catch-all and save-all. 
Farmers have a saying that sheep thrive muon v ' , . ... . . 
Farmers nave i u * . welching fifty pounds, would be a fair average 
better on roast meat than boiled, meaning that wugniHB ui.gr ‘ ’ 
neu. r uu ° Quantity lor a ful -sized bullock, and a propor- 
tho diminished per ceutaae of moisture and in- i'"" 4 r ’ 11 
tne cusunisne ^ •• tionftte quantity for sheep, 
crossed tQfflpsrfttnrc of tho food in tho not inoutliB 
abstract little caloric from the internal animal Farm Opcmtloiw lor November, 
system; whllstthecxteriorsnifacooftheirhodiie, Tuh editorial in the Irish Farmer's Gazette, 
being 'surrounded by a summer temperature laying down a plan of operations for November, 
makes no demand upon their food to keep up contains three paragraphs which will strike 
the natural animal warmth. Farmers know quite American farmers as very unseasonable, to say 
well that there is diminished quality in grass the least. We can perceive from their tenor the 
when the summer has departed, and there is an advantages of climate,—where an early matured 
absence of heat and light; und most people know product is desired,—possessed by the agricultu¬ 
re evil results wheu animals consume green food rists in the “ Emerald Isle.” We quote: 
with the hoarfrost upon is, or when very wet from Pka3 and Beans.— The Russian or winter bean, 
Nature has indicated that we should mukc the Mazagun bean, and gray peas, may still be 
sown; they yield good crops in good stubble land 
without, manure, but if it can be spared, a liberal 
dressing will be well ro-paid at harvest time, in 
tho superiority and early maturity of the crop, 
taught them the proper quantity to j Well manured beans is tho best possible prepara- 
rains. 
hay while the snn shines, as a provision for win¬ 
ter, and that the grass having lost sixty-five per 
cent, of water by doing, we must make up the 
deficiency by providing otir animals with drink. 
Nature has 1 „ 
take; arid a wise farmer would in cold weather l for the wheat crop, 
IRVING, N Y 
