RURAL LIFE 
-ftCRICui -rURull 
I WHOLE NO. 570. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
result, thinking it may be interesting to some. 
Last spring, at the usual time of planting, I took 
those two potatoes, and with my knife I divided 
the Pink Eye portion of the potatoes from the 
Mercer, very accurately, so that there should not 
be any of the white left on the blue portion, or 
the blue on the white; neither was the white por¬ 
tion of the potato iutorsperaed with blue spots, 
nor vice versa. I made eight hillH of the two 
potatoes, four of the wiiite portion, and four of 
the blue, and when I dug them this fall, from the 
four hills planted with the Pink Eye portion, I 
dug Long Pink Eyes; from the Bine Mercer por¬ 
tion, I dug Blue Mercers, which proves that pota¬ 
toes will mix in the hill, v. k. 
INQUIRIES AND NOTES. 
Quitch Grata. 
I uavk a piece of laud that seems natural to Quitch 
or Quack Grass. All the ordiuary efforts to keep the 
ground clenr of woods has failed to eradicate this perti¬ 
nacious grass. I have thought that perhaps this enemy 
might be used to good account by encouraging it gTowth 
for pasturn and hay. Is it of any value for those pur- 
puses? If not, how oan I got rid of it?—A. D., Geneses, 
Co., N. V., 1800. 
Tuie Conch or Quick Grafts, which Is known by 
many other names, as quack, sqaitoh, Ac., has 
creeping roots, or rather under-ground branches, 
as may bo seen by the engraving, which take root 
at every joint, und each joint, If broken off, forms 
a distinct plant, so that its eradication from the 
soil is very difficult. It is almost impossible to 
get up every joint, and usually enough Is loft to 
form a troublesome crop. Plowing in the autumn 
and leaving tho roots exposed is said by some to 
bo quite effectual, while in other cages it has failed 
of accomplishing much good. Plow and drag 
aud go over with a hand-rako, and collect the 
roots in piles to dry. Then throw them on tho 
manuro heap, or bnri). Plant corn or potatoes 
and keep them quite clean, no matter what may 
bo tho labor required. This Is the course wo have 
pursued, and if followed up for a few years it 
will pretty effectually destroy couch grass. Wo 
have killed several patches in our garden by the 
use of the spade and rako. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE. 
With an Ablo Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Tag Rural Nkw-Yorkkr in designed tf> ho unsurpassed 
in Value, I’urity, Usefulness anil Variety of Content*, and 
unique and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor de¬ 
votes bin pereonal attention to the supervision of its 
various departments, and earnestly labors to render the 
Rural eminently Reliable, Interesting aud Acceptable. 
For Tmesis ami other particulars, sen last page. 
THE a.\i fi;iMCvV.>r r j’n:iiitAc:uivrojt 
tor Revolutionising the Culture of tho Earth, by Mellowing and Seeding the Soil while p« 
Improving and Quickening Cultivation, while reducing tho cost “full fifty per cent.," aud pi 
Sevkkai, weeks ago we briefly allnded to Tun 
Ahurican Tkrracultoii, intimating that it was 
our purpose to give au illustration and descrip¬ 
tion ot tho invention in a future number. We 
now havo the pleasure of fullilling tho design in 
a very complete manner—by giving a new and 
accurate representation of the machine, with a 
description of tho same, und a collation of tes¬ 
timony relatlvo to its merits and operation, from 
the pen of Hknrt O'Ebillv, Esq., the public- 
spirited President of the American Terracultor 
Company. It la a source of regret that, owing 
to prior engagements and accidental causes, we 
havo thus far been unable to witness the opera¬ 
tion of tho Terracultor; ycf.froman examination 
of the machine, tho lucid description of its con 
struction and design by Mr. O’Ukilly, and the 
testimony (concerning Its practical operation; of 
those whose judgment iH entitled to groat confi¬ 
dence, we are of opinion that it will result in (if 
it Is not already) a long-sought desideratum — an 
invention which promises to fulilll the anticipa¬ 
tions of Mr. O’K. and his associates by “revolu¬ 
tionizing the Culture of the Earth,” and if so, 
prove of inestimable benefit, to tho Agricultural 
World, fn this conviction we have freely ten¬ 
dered unusual apace for the purpose of intro¬ 
ducing the Terracultor to the notice of that 
portion of the American Agricultural Public 
reached by the Rural New-Yorker: 
To DAjrrm. I). T Moore, Esq., lWt Monroe Co. AgrietU- 
eultunU Society, uwl Editor Rural New-York c r; 
hear Str —The regret expreiund by you, In Common 
with myself and other:!, that you were prevented, by 
accidental circumstances, from witnessing tho operation 
of the Terracultor when hut worked, aud that the 
weather sluce then hau prevented a repetition of the 
WOiLing specially appointed for the inspection of your¬ 
self nnd other friends who wore with you on the former 
occadon—together with sentiments expressed In your 
lottor of December 3d, concerning Impressions derived 
by yon from an examination of and explanations con¬ 
cerning the machine, and from 11 the good opinions of 
competent judges of mechanical Improvementsto 
quota your own language—induce uio now respnotfully 
to submit to you several statements from well known 
Agricultural authorities, together with an engraving of 
the form in which Tcrractiitors are now being construct¬ 
ed—the present structure differing from the former iu 
weight and draft, as much as the above engraving differs 
from tho pictures heretofore published. 
Tho ahovo engraving, now first published, represents 
a Terracultor like that worked on the 7th of November, 
at the nurseries of Mosers, Kllwanhuk & Barry, when 
its workings were witnessed by Messrs. Buoxsox Mur¬ 
ray, of Illinois; I.utHxR Tucukr, of Albany; John J, 
Thomas, of Cayuga, and other gentlemen Interested lu 
agricultural Improvement. Tho engraving also substan¬ 
tially represents the machine worked at the nurseries of 
Messrs. A. Frost A Co., on tho several occasions when 
witueciud respectively by Mr. HORACE Grbki.rv, of New 
York; Mr Lewis F, Ai-I.kx, of Buffalo, the representa¬ 
tive of the Agricultural Department of tho New York 
World, and others. (Tho seed-box Is not shown in the 
engraving—as it is not attached, except when seed sow¬ 
ing is required, and the omission enables the engraver to 
show the machine more perfectly ) 
The substance of tho observations of the above-men¬ 
tioned gentlemen i» briefly collated below. 
It may bo premised that the above engraving repre¬ 
sents a Terracultor cutting ten Inches depth arid neatly 
four lcet width; or about double the average depth aud 
fourfold the average width of tho plow furrow-slice. 
The machines at the two places were worked partly with 
six horses and partly with only four. Tho draft, with 
machines of frits weight, required six horses; but the 
reduced weight of future machines of the same size will 
bring them within the power of four horsus or oxen, 
with a single driver. 
The Terracultor Is designed to supply the great agri¬ 
cultural desideratum mentioned in the U. 8. 1’atent- 
Office Report on Agriculture, for 18M». While discussing 
the experiments with steam plowtug, that Report says:— 
11 Every one knows how much better is the preparation 
“ of the garden by forking up and raking, than by turn- 
11 ing with plow and harrowing; and the implement desired 
“now, in place of the plow, is a forking or digging 
“machine, that shall, at one operation, stir the ground to 
“sufficient depth—leaving It as noarlyas possible in the 
“condition of a garden-bod prepared with a fork." Tho 
extent to which the TorraouUor can supply this great 
farming necessity, muy be Inferred from tho following 
statements: 
After saylDg that tho soli of Ki.i.waxokr * Barry’s 
grounds, where the machine was worked, was “umedi- 
“ um fr «“ fr"R» stone-tho surface nneven, nnd the 
soil wet by the abundant rains"—Messrs. Tucker and 
Thomas state that " The machine wan entirely successful 
in its operation, and reduced the soil to a condition quite 
similar to that of spading or forking, except that it did 
not Invert it, bet scattered and intermixed all portions 
promiscuously. It was drawn by six horses, although 
but four hod been nnnd. It pulverized handsomely a 
strip of land forty [ six] inches wide »t each passing, and 
would consequently go over an acre in an hour, at a 
speed of two and a hair miles an hour, if the team could 
endure it. The soil was left os loose, as it could lie— the 
whole motion being to raise it, instead of pressing it 
flown, as with a harrow, or crowding It into a mass, no in 
plowing. The advantages of this machine, ns they ap¬ 
peared to ns at tho time (continue Messrs. T. aud T.,) aru - 
• ‘L Jt throws the soil up snd loosens It thoroughly, 
instead of pressing It down, an In harrowing, fro. 
" 2. It (iiritis no snbterranean crust, as Is always done 
by the sole of the plow, and the tread of horses’ fret in 
IMPROVE THE MIND AND THE SOIL. 
TriK motto of one of tho first ngricnltural jour¬ 
nals established in America, was for a long time, 
and perhaps still is, “To Improve tho Soil and 
the Mind.” Though good, we think the sentiment 
sasceptitile of improvement—any by this trans¬ 
position : To Improve the Mind nnd the Soil. This 
rendering is certainly the most appropriate at 
the present day, when Agriculture is not reckon¬ 
ed as an Art alone, but us a Science also —when 
extensive knowledge, sound Judgment, and close 
discrimination, are important requisites to suc¬ 
cess In the noblest of all pursuits. The time la 
approaching, if indeed It haa not already arrived, 
when the young farmer especially, muHt be thor¬ 
oughly informed* relatlvo to the most improved 
modes of culture, and know somewhat of tho 
Practical Sciences—such as Chemistry, Geology, 
Botany, Ac. All minors who intend to pursue 
farming as a profession for life, will And it for 
their interest to devote special time and attention 
to the investigation and study of snch questions 
as are closely connected with the practice and 
science or Agriculture, as tho period is not dia- 
distimtwhen he who would be up to the times, 
and equal to his competitors, must be intimately 
acquainted with those branches of culture and 
production in which lie is engaged. 
These thoughts are suggested now for the con¬ 
sideration of our agricultural readers, nnd par¬ 
ticularly tho yonng nnd middle aged, for the 
reason that thtt present ia their season of leisure, 
affording abundant time to improve the mind. For 
months the great mass of our readers can do little 
or nothing, by physical labor, to improve the soil, 
but they can do much, make large, dividend- 
paying Investments, in mental improvement—in 
storing their mlmls with such knowledge bb will 
prove of vast benefit in future practical operations. 
The best books and journal on Agriculture, 
Horticulture, and kindred subjects, should be 
read and studied with care and earnestness. On 
this point an able writer, addressing tho young, 
remarks:—“Agriculture Is in itself the grandest, 
noblest, and moBt useful of RcleuccH. It ia youra 
to practice if, but atudy it also. Head your agri¬ 
cultural papers with an earnestness next after that 
with which yon read yonr Bible. One may be a 
good farmer without being much of a man; or 
he may be the latter without being the former. 
We confess to a littlo ambition;—we should want 
to be both. If wo had a son leaving ua for thin 
When young, this graSa ia relished by cattle, and 
if cut in blossom it ia uaid to make nutritious 
hay. We would not, however, encourage its 
growth, for It ia always bad policy to have a plant 
in cultivation so difficult of control. 
Potatoes Mixing iu tho IIlll. 
Boms time since, we published several articles 
on this subject, among which was one from F. 
Mr. F. sends us 
Kjsllogg, of South Avon, N. Y, 
further proof of the position assumed by him,— 
that potatoes wilL aud havo mixed, or that 
different varieties may be grown from the same 
tubers. We Lave not space now to argue this 
question, but we have grown potatoes a great 
many years, and Borno seasons, forty or fifty dif¬ 
ferent kinds iri the same field, and we have had no 
mixture. It ia contrary to the laws which govern 
tho vegetable world. The potato is but an 
enlargement of tho under-ground stem, and if 
potatoes will mix, as described, there ia an end to 
all our Ideas on vegetable physiology, for tho 
trees muy mix In oar orchards, and tho Greening 
bear Epitzonburgh apples, and so on, until all is 
confusion. 
Mkehks. Eds.: —About one year ago, or a littlo 
more, when there was a controversy through the 
columns of the Rukal, in regard to potatoes mix¬ 
ing in tho hill, I stated then that 1 had, by plant¬ 
ing the Blue Morecr and Long Pink Eye in the 
same hill, found two potatoes, of which one half 
was Blue Mercer, and tho other half, Long Pink 
Bye, and that I should experiment further with 
those two potatoes. This I did, and will give the 
nerteil by the driver. Mr. Murray stuns up hU com- 
meodutions by declaring that “it (the TerracaRorj lift 
the soil in a condition to dely competition from the 
Hpade or even the fork-much less tho plow and the 
harrow." 
The Agricultural Editor of the New York “World,” 
who witnnmed the worklug of the Terracultor on a dif¬ 
ferent occasion, concurs folly with the foregoing gentfr- 
mon iu their statements concerning the excellence of 
the work performed by the machine, and conclude:! by 
expressing “great pleasure at having, a* public jouruai- 
iete, discharged our duty to the agricultural oommuuity, 
in congratulating them on the introduction of so novel 
and Important an invention to their notice.” 
Among the gentlemen who at different time* witnesHod 
tho working of tho Terracultor at the Numerics or 
Menem. A, Fhost A Go., wore Horace Grkblky and 
Lewis F. Allen, The opinions of Mr. Gkbklky were 
expressed fully to those who surrounded him on that 
occasion, and subsequently to yourself (Mr. Moors) and 
other gentlemen; bat as those opinions have not yet 
IRVING. N Y 
