... 
....WO........WM-W.U., 
APRIL 11 
AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Eoos Consumed in England. —The annual pro¬ 
duction ol' Eggs, according to the statistics of 
British commerce, is put at 75,000 tuns aonnally, 
and the value of these, ia estimated at $15,000,000. 
The importation of egga lor eight years, ending 
with 1847, ranged Iroin 90,000,000 in 1840 to 77,- 
500 in 1847, and the importations of the succeed¬ 
ing years are given in the following table: 
Number. I Number. 
1848. 81.012,685 1852 .108,281,233 
Corn cut up when green and put in large stacks' 
or mould, and if so 
THE CULTURE OF THE WILLOW, 
Another expet ieticed friend says, ‘T always took 
good care of my oxen—was careful not to strain 
aud injure them when young—got up early and 
fed them and gave them a little time to chew the 
cud after their breakfast, fed them a few roots in 
the latter part of winter aud some meal during 
spring, always kept them in good heart, gave them 
regular exercise during the winter and never fail¬ 
ed to make them perform as much as the best 
horses.’’ 
I have no doubt that the modern fashion of us¬ 
ing horses and steam for traveling purposes aud 
for marketing our commodities, by making us less 
dependent upon oxen during winter, has caused 
them to lose much of the efficiency that charac¬ 
terized the “oxen of all work” that graced our 
new settlements. We let our oxen stand in the 
stable or the yard till spring and then expect them 
to perform wonders with very little care aud 
attention. 
Oxen seem to be gaining somewhat in popular 
favor, but I have generally adopted the opinion 
that horses would do the greater share of farm- 
work more economically. On large farms both 
are useful, hut if a man keeps but one it will gen¬ 
erally be a horse team. 
Breeding for 5e«?/and breeding for wor£ are dis¬ 
tinct operations—those who put their faith iu oxen 
must be alittle careful of those breeds that are got 
up with special reference to the best sirloin pieces 
— Dnrhams, though sometimes good workers, are 
are by no mesas the best. Enthusiasts id the mut¬ 
ter of working cattle, might breed in reference to 
woik and so raise the credit of oxen in this respect. 
The above bints may be of service, and I may 
add that oxen should not only have plenty of good 
feed, but they should have the cool of the day to 
eat it in. The practice of starting teams to work 
very early in the morning expecting them to cat 
when it is hot, will prove a failure. Without ade¬ 
quate nourishment they cannot perform well. 
in wet falls, is very a pi to heat 
the seed selected from it is pretty sure to fail.— 
Many farmers when they husk their corn, throw it 
iu large hilis, allowing it to remain for some days: 
it heats, and the next, spring their corn fails to 
come up. Corn selected from cribs to plant is 
very apt to fail from the same cause; of course it 
must be the “ cold winter .” 
No donbt many have got poor “seed corn” this 
Spring. Now. it you wish to avoid the evils re¬ 
sulting therefrom, just plant a few kernels from 
the most unlikely ears, in a box of dirt, and set it, 
in a warm place. You will soon ascertain the con I 
dition of the seed, and that in time to procure a 
genuine article it yours is not such. You will 
save a great deal of patience in planting over, 
which would make yonr crop late next fall,—run¬ 
ning the risk of having poor seed another year.— 
Another reason why we wish yon to make sure 
work of it is, corn that is “ planted over” prevents 
tilling the ground until it becomes hard and siitf, 
and the weeds get almost supreme control, thus 
securing about half a crop and sometimes less; 
and then yon will turn right about and charge it 
all to “ cold winter” who has no more to do with 
it than tho man in ibe moon. 
Try my plan next fall of saving seed corn, (I 
mean you that take the papers,) and see if yon can't 
dodge the “ cold winters.” W. Doolittle. 
Susquehanna, March, 1857. 
Ens. Rural:— In your paper of the 21st uB., I 
observe an article on “ Willows and their Culture.” 
Anything upon this subject is of much interest to 
me, for I have made the culture of willows my 
whole study and business for several years, and 
now have, I think, as nice a plantation as oan be 
found in this country. I have learned much by 
experience since. I commenced their culture, and 
am anxious that those who undertake their pro¬ 
duction should understand fully what they must do 
to insure success, otherwise many will fail to make 
it profitable. Iu the article referred to there is 
much information that is useful and correct; and 
yet there are some things that require explanation, 
or they will be likely to mislead. Downing de¬ 
scribes four varieties as being superior to all 
others. 8o they are; and there is one of these four 
which is superior to the other three. 
1st “ Forbes' Willowy This Mr. D. condemns, 
and very justly, too, for it is entirely worthless. ” 
2d. N. triandra . This, as he says, “whitens 
beautifully, is very tough and pliable, and grows 
vigorously with less drainage than any other of 
good quality.” But this variety grows so full of 
branches that it requires much labor to trim and 
prepare it for peeling, and then it can be peeled 
only by hand, which ruins it entirely for this coun¬ 
try; lor we cannot afford to peel willows iu this 
manner when wages arc so high. Basket makers 
like this willow, but growers cannot afford to pro¬ 
duce them. 
3d. Purple Willow — 8. purpurea. This is the 
willow. It is properly called the “Purple Willow,” 
although it is most generally known in the United 
States as the 8. vimina.U. It is the only vaLuable 
willow for this country, or the most valuable. Some 
other kiuds may pay for cultivation, but those who 
plant on a large scale will do well to plant this 
variety. 
4 th. "Beveridge Willow .” This is a kind 
lately introduced, and Mr. Downing is very elo¬ 
quent in its praise; the cuttings of this variety 
are very profitable too. I procured a few of them 
from Dr. Grant, at twenty dollars per thousand, 
and from what they have grown in two years, I 
am satisfied that there will be but little profit from 
them except for cuttings, and as 1 do not offer 
them for sale, I shall get no return for money in¬ 
vested in them. They are, as Downing says, “very 
vigorous and productive”—of “catkins”or flow- 
Jefferson Co. Ag. Society. —This Society has 
issued its Premium List for the Show of 1857.— 
The Fair will be held on the Society’s Ground, in 
Watertown, September 16th and 17th. 
Trial of Mowing Machines. — The Farmers’ 
Club of the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga Co., 
at a late meeting, resolved to have a trial of mow¬ 
ing machines on or about the first of July next 
and to this end invite the makers and venders of 
such articles to be present and compete. 
Number. 
10,415,517 
104.121l.9t8 
. 419,808 
Comniniunitions 
NOTES FROM THE BOYS 
Information Wanted.— Will grapes, gooseber¬ 
ries, raspberries, blackberries, Ac., grow from cut¬ 
tings, like currants, as described iu the Rural of 
March 28th. Describe the most economical way 
uf propagating each of the above-named fruits, 
whether by cuttings or otherwise. At what dis¬ 
tance should pumpkins be planted, and how many 
vines left in a hill to insure the largest yield?—A 
Boy, Belfast, N. Y., March 28, lha". 
Grapes and gooseberries aro grown from cut¬ 
tings, like currants. Raspberries and blackberries 
are propagated by dividing the roots. V\ here a 
raspberry bush lias been growing for several years, 
a great number of young plants will he seen 
springing up from the old roots all aronnd. 1 bese 
should be transplanted. When nurserymen wish 
to propagate any scarce variety rapidly, they cut 
up the roots, and plant them in the propagating 
house, nnd raise ft new plant fiom each cutting of 
the root The way to raise the largest yield of 
pumpkins to the acre would undoubtedly be to 
appropriate a field to their use, leaving but one or 
two strong plants in a hill, and the hills some 
twenty feet apart, and stopping the running of the 
vine by cutting off the tops as soon as a sufficient 
Dumber had been found on each vine. The com¬ 
mon practice is, however, to plant them with corn, 
and perhaps this is the most profitable way. As 
the corn is the main crop, but little pains is taken 
in most cases with the pumpkins, a few seers 
casionally. Perhaps some of the 
THE CULTURE OF HOOTS, 
The farmer's busy days will soon arrive, for the 
time to sow and plant i& close at hand, and it is 
of great importance that the soil should be put 
into good condition to receive the seed and give 
it a vigorous start, and it is equally essential that 
spring crops should be put in in good season. It 
is also of great importance for the cultivator to 
know what crop will be most profitable for him to 
raise, and not impoverish the soil. Every 7 piece of 
ground (in ordinary seasons, and with a uniform 
market) will produce more value of some one pro¬ 
duction than any other, and the success of the 
farmer will depend very much on his knowing 
wbat that crop must, be: yet while each one should 
raise a variety, the staple production ought to be 
that which is most profitable, without impoverish¬ 
ing the soil 
The value of Roots for winter feeding and for 
making manure, is not suffioiemly realized by 
mauy of the farmers. I consider that the increase 
of the quantity and quality of the barn yard ma¬ 
nure amply compensates for all the labor and ex¬ 
pense of raising them, and tue succulent food, lor 
winter feeding, is all profit. Having been repeat- 
ediy inquired of about raising roots the past sea¬ 
son, I will give my answer through the Rural, yet 
it will only be a repetition of that which I have 
frequently written. 
The cultivation of Roots, (as a field crop for 
feeding stock,) like all other farming operations, 
requires experience,—for the differences of soil, 
of cultivation, and location, are such that each 
one must be his own experimenter, and learn him¬ 
self what to do, and how to do it, if he wishes to 
I would recommend to all who 
WAKEFIELD'S HAND COHN-PLANTEE, 
During the season of 1856 we heard many fa¬ 
vorable reports in regard to the operation of this 
Planter from subscribers who had used it, and 
from such testimony and an examination of the 
article itself, we have no hesitation in commend¬ 
ing it as a valuable labor-saving improvement. 
The invertor thus describes its operation, advanta¬ 
ges and construction: 
“This implement is designed for Planting Corn, 
Broom-Com, Beaus and similar seeds. Ills carried 
aud used (as represented in the above engraving,) 
us a cane or walking stick—requiring no delay 
aud no additional motion or effort. It is easily 
adjusted to plant at any desired depth, and to drop 
any required number of seeds iu a hill. The 
method by which the seed is planted with this 
Planter ia new, and it is believed possesses advan¬ 
tages over every other, not only iu facility of use 
Put in hastening germination. The seed is forced 
by pressure obliquely from the surface of the 
ground to the required depth, thus insuring the 
immediate absorption of moisture, by bringing it 
into perfect and hard contact with the soil uuder 
and arouurl it, while the earth, falling loosely over, 
cannot obstruct the coming up nnd growth of the 
blade. The Planter is simple in construction— 
not liable xo get out of repair. Weighs about 
seven pounds.” 
Mr. M. W. Sihmqns, of Brockport, N. Y., is gene¬ 
ral agent for the sale of this implement in the 
Counties of Monroe, Orleans, Niagara, Wayne, 
Cayuga, Oswego and Jefferson. See his announce¬ 
ment in our advertising department. 
being dropped mi 
boys can tell more about growing pumpkins. 
From a nnmber of articles from our young read¬ 
ers, we select the following, and will give others 
in future numbers: 
“Have a Care.”—W e once recollect hearing a 
wise man remark that there was no business, prop¬ 
erly conducted, that was not remunerative; but 
we often see persons, seemingly prosperous, leave 
their business Dir some other, alleging as a reason 
for so doing, that their present employment will 
not pay, and thus, year after year, they continue 
to keep moving from one place to another, and 
from one busimss to another, until the little prop¬ 
erty they once possessed is dwindled down to 
naught, and the poor,unsuccessful man is reduced 
to penury and want in a few short years, while liis 
neighbor in the same business prospers. Thus we 
notice that while one man succeeds in life, another 
takes the downward course, although tho one. pos¬ 
sessed no more nor better opportunities than the 
other. The case is illustrated by the farmer who 
contracts a debt when no occasion calls for it, and 
GYPSUM.— CON STITUENTS, &c. 
•In a late number of the Rural a 
Eds. Rural 
query was made in regard to Gypsum, (or, as it is 
more commonly called, Plaster,) and with your 
permission I will state a few 7 facts and give a reply 
to the query. My authority is “ Stoc/c hart's Agri¬ 
cultural Chemistry." 
Pure Gypsum contains in 100 lbs. — of lime 32J 
lbs.; sulphuric acid, 4(>i lbs.; water, 21 lbs. It of 
course acts through its lime and sulphuric acid.— 
All plantB contain both these, and they must obtain 
them from the soil, or, if the soil is wanting in 
them, such land must be unfertile. It may act as 
ii manure when it gives either of its constituents 
to lbe growth of vegetation. 
It is yet a disputed question how Gypsum acts, 
beneficially on some soils and not on others; and 
why, on the same land, it sometimes has scarcely 
any c-ffect, while ftt others a decided influence. It 
is a specific manure for clover, causing an increase 
frequently of from 25 to 50 per cent. To account 
for this, it is only necessary to know that clover 
grows naturally or spontaneously on land under¬ 
laid by Gypsum. On peas and Indian corn it often, 
though not always, produces a marked good effect. 
It probably ads chiefly nnd directly by its sulphu¬ 
ric acid, which it supplies to the plants, while its 
effects indirectly are as a fixer of ammonia arising 
from the earth; as an absorbent of ammonia in the 
atmosphere, and by setting it free iu the earth that 
it may be absorbed by plants. It is slowly soluble 
in water, and that it maybe more readily dissolved 
by the rain and dew, care should be taken that if 
be as finely ground as possible. The coarser the 
plaster is, the less quickly is it in a state lit for the 
use of plants, and the longer it remains inactive. 
Gypsum of some regions is impure, and shale or 
other strata deposits which lie next it are frequent¬ 
ly ground with it, making it of less value than it 
otherwise would be. l l. s. 
South Onondaga, N. Y-, March, 1857. 
be successful 
bave not been successful iu their endeavor, or 
have not tried to raise roots, to commence on a 
small scale, and persevere until they learn the art 
of raising them, and acquire the knowledge of 
keeping and feeding them, and I am confident 
that they will not regret the time and trouble 
spent in acquiring said knowledge. 
The Wurtzel and White Sugar Beet, the large 
White and Long Antrim Carrots, and Swedish 
Turnip, are the most profitable varieties to raise 
on dry soils. The Wurtzel and Sugar Beet are the 
most valuable for milking animals, but the Carrot 
is preferable lor feeding horses and fattening 
stock; but I recommend ail who commence rais¬ 
ing roots, to sow a portion of each variety, and 
ascertain by experience which is the most profita¬ 
ble for them t i cultivate and feed. It frequently 
answers well to mix the seed, and sow the different 
varieties in the drill, and when hoeing save the 
best, but keep them separate when gathering. 
All roots require a rich, deep, and well pulver¬ 
ized soil; and a bountiful supply of manure, suffi¬ 
ciently rotted to mix with the soil, ia very essen- 
The Wurtzel, 
Plowing Sward Land.—Barn Cellars.—(1.) 
Should award land,broken last August—on which 
T intend to spread a coat of manure and plant to 
be plowed again this spring? (2.) Are 
ooru 
barn-ceilar stables liable to dampness?—W m. W. 
Manning, Weston, Windsor Co., Vt., 1857. 
Remarks— (1-) Should say not. The action of 
the frost will, we think, leave it in a better condi¬ 
tion than could be attained by any further opera¬ 
tion, except a slight harrowing if it be rough.— 
The decay of the sod lias been minute as yet, and 
plowing would bring it again to the surface. If 
the sod turned under was a good heavy one, and 
the soil iu medium condition, would think manur¬ 
ing unnecessary. If manure ia applied, it will 
have to be done in the hill. 
(2.) This will be governed by circumstances such, 
for instance, as location, drainage, ventilation, &c. 
When the foundation is sunk in clay, it will he al¬ 
most impossible to keep it dry by any method.— 
there arc- many substances known to builders that 
will prevent the walls absorbing moisture, and 
where these are properly constructed, in connec¬ 
tion with the various means used for expelling 
dampness, we think dry stables ol this kind may 
be obtained.— Eds. 
ttal to secure a bountiful crop. 
Sugar Beet and White Carrot will do well on a soil 
that is too stiff' fur corn, providing that it is well 
manured and thoroughly pulverized. The Antrim 
Carrot and Swedish Turnip requires a lighter soil. 
I prefer fall plowing for roots and in spring har¬ 
row, and cultivate until the ground is well pulver¬ 
ized—the finer the better. Ridge iu small ridges, 
2 J feet apart, and plant as soon as the ground is 
sufficiently warm to germinate the Beeds. Soak 
the beet seed (the Wurtzel is a beet) in warm rain 
water 24 hours—pour off the water, but keep the 
seed moist until it is put into the ground. Keep 
the ground loose and clean; commence hoeing as 
soon as you can see the plants, and repeat it as 
often as it iB necessary. Give them plenty of room 
to grow; thin out the beets from 8 to 12 inches 
apart in the drills — carrots from C to 8 inches.— 
The Turnip is a very precarious crop with me. I 
only sow.them where tho other roots have missed, 
for they do with later sowing. 
Be liberal with the seed. To have abundance 
of plants saves time in hoeing, and secures a reg¬ 
ular crop. Five or six pounds of the beet seed 
per acre, two of tho carrot, and three of the tur¬ 
nip answers very welk In securing for winter be 
caref ul not to make them too warm, for they are 
apt to heat when in large quantities together. If 
they get frozen before they are gathered, let them 
remain in the ground until they thaw out,then the 
frost does not injure them, hut if frozen alter they 
are gathered, it is a damage. w. a. 
Wheatland, N. Y., March, 1857. 
Plaster. —Will Plaster deteriorate in value uy 
remaining a length of time, after being ground, 
exposed to light aud air, but protected from the 
weather?—or, in other words, will plaster that waa 
ground last summer contain all the elements of 
fertility and be of as much value for agricultural 
purposes as that ground the present winter for use 
this spring?— W. B. R., Etbridge, Onondaga Co., 
N. Y., March, 1857. 
Remarks,— The peculiar property of Plaster as 
an auxiliary of vegetation, consists in its power of 
absorbing and letainining moisture, and this fea¬ 
ture it possesses until it is totally dissolved. Plas¬ 
ter, of itself, is inadequate to the production of 
fertility,—it requires the concurrence or organic 
manures. 
ABOUT SEED CORN 
Friend Moore:— For the last two or three years 
there has been a great complaint about the failure 
of corn to come up. The cold winters have bad 
to shoulder the blame, bat from my experience the 
responsibility rests w.tli the farmers themselves, 
and if so, let us “render unto Cmsiir the things 
that are Cccsur’s.” I always Bclect iny corn for 
seed from that which ripens first, gathering it early 
before the heavy frosts aud rains, which many 
times materially injure the corn, especially in short 
summers. Leaving a lew hunks, the ears are 
braided together and hung np iu some dry place 
until I wish to plant. This is my uniform plan, 
and my seed has never failed in any one instance, 
let “ cold winter” do her best. 
(W. D. O., Port Byron.)— Vo not know of any 
person who lias thoroughly tested the machine 
you refer to, (Steven’s American Seed-Sower,) nor 
can wo state who has it lor sale. 
