10. Diseases and Trisects. 
The diseases and insects injurious to barley are 
not numerous. A kind of smut, called the barley 
brand, sometimes prevails iu cold, wet seasons, 
and is its worst disease. It, is a fungus parisite 
having its seat in the ear, and developing a sort of 
woody tissue between the layers of the fungus.— 
The outer covering of the grain remains sound, 
but the internal structure is blackened and de¬ 
stroyed. Tn the Eastern States the ‘'maggot” or 
worm in the straw sometimes injures barley, and 
the wheat midge has occasionally been found in 
it, in sections where it prevails. 
1L Yield and Profit of the Crop. 
The average yield and prolit of barley, compares 
favorably with other graius. It can be grown for 
fifty cents per bushel, and prices of late have aver¬ 
aged more than double that amount. The product 
ranges from ten or fifteen to fifty bushels per acre 
—the average may be put at twenty-five bushels 
in Western New York. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
JX ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AH ABLE COBBS OF ASSISTANT EDITORS 
Can there be any Substitute for the Wheat Crop 
in the Genesee Valley ? 
Eds. Rural: —The question for consideration be¬ 
fore the “Farmers’ Club,” at their late meeting in 
this city, was, “Whether some other crop could be 
profitably substituted for that of winter wheat in 
this county?” The partial failure of the wheat 
crop in the Genesee Valley for the past few years, 
has become a great calamity and excites universal 
alarm. This failure has not been owing to the 
exhaustion of the soil, although the crop of late 
years, ou this account, has not equalled that of 
former years. But it ha3 been owing to those in¬ 
sects that are the deadly enemies of the wheat 
plant, and that have increased beyond conception 
within the past few years. 
Now the Farmers’ Club has not, as I can learn, 
recommended any crop as a substitute, or suggest¬ 
ed any measures to remedy or mitigate the evil.— 
When men of experience, men of so much intelli¬ 
gence and practical knowledge, fail to suggest any 
remedy for this evil, the conclusion seems forced 
upon us that if we continue to cultivate winter 
wheat, it will be at the great hazard of losing the 
crop. I suppose this is the true and only alter¬ 
native. 
There is no crop raised by the farmer of equal 
value. Corn is an exceedingly valuable crop, but 
it requires a great amount of labor. It can do 
nothing, however, towards supplying the place of 
wiieat as food for man. It cannot be marketed till 
the season after it is raised; nor even then be 
‘‘hipped to fun” u markets except ir is first kihi- 
\ dried—and to consume it in distilleries, it had 
better be subject to blasting and mildew. It can 
subserve great and profitable uses, it is true; what 
these uses are tbe farmer knows without being 
told. 
Barley is also an exceedingly valuable crop. It 
can r.e produced with less labor than any other 
grain of the same intrinsic value. Like eorn it 
requires as good soil, and as favorable seasons as 
wheat. For fattening pork, and as feed for other 
stock, it is little if at all inferior in value to corn. 
But it cannot produce wheat bread for the sable, 
although in the great failure of wheat in 1837, I 
made as good bread from bolted barley flour as is 
ordinarily made from what is termed fine flour or 
common wheat floor, at this day. Any extent of 
barley therefore, beyond what is used for fattening 
pork and feed for stock, will necessarily go to the 
brewer, and produce a moral pestilence. 
Land that is too moist for corn or barley will 
answer for oats. But this crop cannot avail muc h 
a3 a market grain. 
There remains but one crop more, and that is 
spring wheat. Although considered a little in¬ 
ferior to winter wheat in respect to the quality of 
flour, this crop is still the only one that would, if 
successful, at all supply the place of winter wheat. 
Will, then, the enemies of winter wheat destroy 
[ know not that this question 
Fig. 2. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. Fig. 5. 
Tbs Kviul Nkw-Yorkkr is dealgned u> be TOBtirpAMe'd In 
Value, Piwhy, UsofnlneSB iuid VnrletJ of < v 'Lt«iite, and tmlqne 
and benntifnl iu appoamoOL. Its Conductor devotee Ids personal 
attention to mo supervision ot He various deportments, aud 
earnestly labors to render the Rural an eminently Reliable 
Guide on the Important Practical, Scientific and other Subjects 
Intimately connected with the business of those whose interests 
It jealously advocates It embraces more Avrienltural, Ilortl- 
onltnral, Scientific, Mechanical, literary ami News Matter, 
Interspersed with appropriate ana beautiful Engravings than 
any other journal,—rendering it the most complete Agricultu¬ 
ral. Literary Atrn Far rt.T Newspaper tn America, 
GT All communications, and business letters, snonld be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORE, Rochester, N Y. 
For Terrs, and other particulars, see last psge. 
WILLOWS AND THEIR CULTURE 
’PT - 
Fig- 9. Fig. 10. 
end of the second year, as it materially strength 
ens the stools. Many good growers occasionally 
let their old plantations stand two years, to give 
them greater vigor.] It will be seen that a ‘'snag" 
is left on the old stem, which will increase at all 
subsequent cuttings, leaving a short stem of it. 
perhaps a few inches, between them and the sur¬ 
face of the ground. At the end of the second 
year, we have a plant like fig. 4; and at the end of 
the third year, like fig. 5. At this and sub sequent 
ages, many of «h. “ stools" will bo fe tting 
sided, from the breaking off of “ snags” by care¬ 
lessness or accident; and when the stools stand 
close together, many shoots will be weak and 
worthless. This is a very bad system of cutting, 
yet in England it is the general one. A much 
better system is practiced by a few good growers. 
When the cutting is planted, it lias the appearance 
of fig. G —the top bud level with the surface of the 
ground. It will he found that the shoots given 
the first summer, as shown at fig. 7, will be much 
stronger than that shown at fig. 2. The reason is 
obvious: as soon as the shoots fairly eommenoe 
growing, roots are emitted at the base of the 
pushing buds, which, being near the surface, 
greatly assist their growth. When these are cut 
back, it must be done close to the surface of the 
ground, as seen at fig. 9. The next summer the 
stools will give a luxuriant growth of “rods,” as 
at fig. 9, showing a great contrast to stools of the 
same age, as at fig. 4. Persons unacquainted with 
j willow-growing must not think this overdrawn, 83 
Fig. €. Fig. 7. Fig. 8. 
4th. Beveridge Willow.—<S. Ileveridgei .—This 
variety is perfectly adapted to the climate of the 
United States, anefiis much more vigorous and pro¬ 
ductive than any other variety known. Cuttings 
of the size of a pipe-stem, sbe inches long, planted 
last April, made during the season shoots 11 feet 
long. Its rods are very slender, comparatively, 
and vary less in Bize “ from butt to tip” than any 
other with which I am acquainted. “ In early 
spring, before other flowers appear, excepting the 
Magnolia conspicun and Oydoniu Japonic^, this tree 
is a mass of dazzling bloom, its immense catkins 
exhibiting all the brightest lines of the rainbow.” 
The remarkable vigor of this Willow, together 
with its hardiness and beauty, constitute it the best 
material for live fences that has yet been discov¬ 
ered, where the soil is suited to its growth; fur ex¬ 
ample, on the deep, rich soil of the Western 
prairies, and on the bottoms where fences are li¬ 
able to be swept off by freshets. It will thrive in 
any soil that is deep and rich, and for a garden en¬ 
closure I can not conceive any thing more attract¬ 
ively beautiful than a hedge of this Willow. After 
the gloom of winter has passed, it atfords the first 
cheerfully inviting scene of spring—its gorgeous 
flowers, covered with bees, filling the air with the 
joyous murmuring of the music; and its dense, 
rich foliage, is the last tn yield to the saddening 
influence of early winter. The cultivation of this 
Willow for hoops may perhaps be worth attention. 
It will yield once in two years about 40,000 poles 
to the acre. One whose judgment is worthy of all 
confidence, writing from England, says “as an 
osier it is better than all other varieties,” and the 
experience of tbe past two years proves it of equal 
excellence here. 
SOIL AND CULTIVATION. 
The Willow delights in a moist, mueky soil, but 
experience has proved that it cannot be grown 
successfully in stagnant water. It requires depth 
of soil, richness and moisture — a well drained 
swamp, therefore, is just the thing, and even if 
overflowed iu the winter and spring, and occa¬ 
sionally in summer during heavy storms it may he 
used advantageously. Heavy, retentive upland 
soil3 when deeply worked are suitable for the Wil¬ 
low. The deep prairies of the West seem prepared 
by nature for the especial growth of the Willow. 
Some varieties will bear more water than others, 
as the Long-leaved triandrou* Willow will flourish 
on a soil so soft that plowing is impracticable, 
and requiring no other care than keeping down 
the weeds, bat on the same soil the Purple Willow 
would scarcely grow. 
The ground for the Willow should be well plow¬ 
ed and dragged, and if the soil is not naturally 
rich a good dressing of manure should be plowed 
under. There appears to be a good deal of differ¬ 
ence of opinion as to the distance at which to plant 
cuttings. We rather tliluk, however, that about 
three feet each way will be found right. Tbe cut¬ 
tings should be from seven to twelve inches in 
length, according to the stiffriess of the soil. If 
| the soil is heavy, seven inches in length will be 
short enough. After planting, the ground must 
lie kept cultivated, until the Willow gets such a 
start as to shade the ground, and prevent the 
growth of weeds. 
CUTTING. 
Ou this subjective cannot do better than to give 
j an article written by John Saul, now of Washing" 
extensively ] ton, D. C\, who is well acquainted with the willow 
res aud rab- j and its culture in England. It commends itself to 
is important that it gets a fair start before the ' 
summer drouth comes ou. Of late years, we find 
few sm ressful crops whi h were >wr. t**i • ’ 
May-day, uud one advantage oi u.U piouing'our i, 
corn stubbles, is, th • it facilitates the early sew¬ 
ing of the barley ct p following iu rotation. 
The amount of seed usually given to an acre, 
varies from two to three and one-half bushels; 
poor, early sown, and mellow soils requiring least 
If drilled in, also, a less quantity is required: and 
rolling when the young plants are a few inches in 
height, if tbe ground is dry and porous, is said to 
be serviceable in giving support to tbe roots, 
causing the plants to tiller and increasing their 
vigor. We question the utility of sowing over 
two and one-half bushels per aere, though some of 
the best crops reported have received three bush¬ 
els, and three and one-half. Others, however, 
equally as good, have been produced from two 
bushels seeding. 
8. Harvesting—Value of the Straw, 
In harvesting barley it is important to cut it at 
the right stage, when neither too green or too ripe. 
If rather green, the graiu shrinks, and is of light 
weight—if fully ripe it shells easily and the straw 
is of less value. It is Baid that when the head be¬ 
gins to assume a reddish cast, and drops down 
upon the straw, the proper period of harvesting 
has arrived—and, as after this the grain matures 
rapidly, it should at once be cared for. It maybe 
mown or cradled, or cut with a reaper—if the 
straw is long it should be bound, though with 
proper lurks for loading, it may be pitched from 
the swath without this additional labor. It ueed 
not stand lnug in the field, yet care should be ta- 
taken that it is properly dry before storing in 
large mows, as it is more easily injured by beating 
than any other grain. 
Barley straw, well cuieu, and not over ripe, is 
readily eaten by all kinds of stock. It is worth 
more (or fodder than wheat straw, and is equal, 
perhaps, to com stalks or inferior hay. The chaff 
is much liked notwithstanding the strong beards 
with which it is filled. 
a. Ises —Stock Peed — Matting, Etc, 
The greatest use made of barley, as before re¬ 
marked, is in tbe production of fermented anil 
alcoholic liquors, but this graiu affords nu excel¬ 
lent feed tor horses and is equal to corn lor fatten¬ 
ing cattle and swine. For the latter purpose it 
should be cooked, or soaked in the grain, or tho 
meal may be avcl and allowed to commence fer¬ 
mentation before using. This grain, when boiled, 
has long been employed in Europe as horse food, 
especially after a hard day’s work or during illness. 
When fod to horses iu a half malted state, it is 
said to be perfectly harmless, however heated they 
may be, nr whatever quantity they may can To 
prepare it, soak it iu water from twelve to twenty 
four hours in tbe usual way. 
In mailing for manufacturing purposes the grain 
is soaked for several days in large vats tilled with 
water, and tbeu heaped upon floors to sprout, iu 
which process diastase is formed, which has tbe 
property of converting the starch of the grain 
into sugar. The grain, when thus sprouted, is 
placed over a furnace, aud hotair passing through 
it, checks tho germination and drives off the mois¬ 
ture. When thoroughly dried it is ready for the 
use of the brewer, w ho steeps it iu warm water, 
and in combination with hops and other substan¬ 
ces produces ule, porter, beer, etc. For distilling 
it is first ground or crushed, and submitted to the 
usual process. 
hanged to a fruitful field,—and many a piece of I 
ml. ji ; ; : ally J.ained -with a faint hope of ma- I 
king it dry enough for the Willow, will prove to [ 
be the most fruitful corn field on the farm. Tf the ! 
discussions on the culture of Willow aud the i 
Cranberry, have no other effect, they will be, and in- I 
deed have already been, of great advantage, in di- i 
reeling attention to the draining of our swamps. 
VARIETIES SUITED TO OUR CLIMATE. 
The culture of the Willow was urged many I 
years ago, by the elder Mr. Princf., but tbe subject 
received but little attention, and tbe varieties 
which were recommended as the best English sorts, 
did not suit our climate. Onr dry, hot summers 
checked or entirely stopped their growth, so that 
during July and August, they would remain appa¬ 
rently dormant, some varieties starting again with 
the fall rains, but not making sufficient growth to 
be of any value. Dr. Grant and Chas. Dow ning, 
of Newburgh, have for several years beeu import¬ 
ing all the English varieties aud conducting a 
system of reliable experiments, of immense value 
to the country, aud tbe result is, they have found 
four varieties to succeed admirably here, and tho' 
others have proved valuable, these four have 
proved superior to all others. We give Mr. Down¬ 
ing’s description of these sorts. 
1st. Forbes’ Willow.— Salix Forbyana.— Hardy 
and productive, its rods having almost a leathery 
toughness; bat it does not whiten well, and in 
consequence its usefulness is greatly abridged.— 
For work where unpeeled rods are used, it is most 
excellent. 
2d. Long-leaved Tkiandkoub Willow.— & 
trumdra .—This whitens beautifully, is very tough 
and pliable, and grows vigorously with less drain¬ 
age than any other of good quality. If the soil is 
very deep, it will grow with equal vigor where tbe 
ground is very dry; and in addition it has the ex¬ 
cellent habit ot early ripening the extremities of 
its shoots, on which account it is quite hardy iu 
high northern latitudes. With our German basket 
the spring wheat? 
ean be decided, except by actual experiment.— 
There are two principal and fatal enemies to the 
growth and perfection of winter wheat — the 
“Wheat Midge,” and the “Hessian Fly.” The 
midge destroys the crop byeatiDg the kernel—the 
fly by cutting off the stalk. The midge is a worm, 
or maggot, hatched in the kernel while in its soft 
or milky state, from an egg deposited there by a 
fly. This fly. as stated by the celebrated entomol¬ 
ogist, Dr. Fitch, can be seen for about three weeks 
in June, dancing in the air, over the wheat heads, 
in immense numbers or swarms. It is during this 
brief period that the egg is posited in the kernel, 
when the husk is not too hard to be penetrated by 
the sting of the fly. To avoid this hazard, there¬ 
fore, the wheat must be matured so early that the 
fly cannot, during this period, say from the 10th of 
June to the 1st July, penetrate the husk, on ac¬ 
count of its hardness or dryness—or it mast he 
sown so late that the head is not yet put forth and 
the kernel formed during this period. Spring wheat 
can be sown late enough to avoid this hazard, and 
still have time to mature perfectly. But whether 
it can he matured early enough to ensure safety, I 
cannot say. It would be worth while to try both 
experiments. 
No better time fur plowing and sowing spring 
wheat could be asked tor than occurred iu Febru¬ 
ary, and no better time, where the land has not 
already been plowed, need be desired than this 4th 
day of March, on which I write. A better field of 
J spring wheat (the Ifclian) 1 never saw than one 
plowed and sown in $ie month of January. It was 
ripe for the sickle as early, if not u few days ear¬ 
lier, than the winter wheat on the same farm.— 
Bearded spring wheat, it is supposed, would be 
comparatively safe, it being difficult for the insect 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
“ PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[ SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
VOLUME YM. NO. 12J 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-SATURDAY, MARCH 21,1857. 
! WHOLE NO. 878, 
