MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AS ORIGINAL WEEKLT 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 
standing will not affect it in the stook. When cut 
in this way we have no doubt the grain appro¬ 
priates to its nse a portion of the sap already in 
the plant, and the plant may absorb additional 
matter from the atmosphere to aid in its perfec¬ 
tion. 
The time of cutting corn is a matter of great 
importance. If cat too early shrinkage is the con¬ 
sequence, and it loses weight and nutrition, and if 
allowed to remain in the ground until after frost, 
unless fully ripe, the sap becomes vitiated, and 
great loss of both grain and stalks is the effect.— 
It is better to cut too early than to run too great a 
risk; and where appearances indicate severe 
weather, harvesting should commence at once.— 
Corn, though but slightly glazed, if cut and laid 
evenly at the butts, bound and set up in small 
stooks, will ripen. Last November we saw hun¬ 
dreds of acres of unripe corn standing on the 
prairies of Illinois, among which the cattle were 
roaming at pleasure, which we doubt not might 
have been saved if this precaution bad been taken. 
There are various simple plans for shocking 
corn, and the following sent ns by a correspondent 
in Michigan seems well worthy of atteutioa. First, 
twist together the tops of four adjacent bills in the 
form of the letter X, and then cut and set up the 
corn in the angles so formed. No other support 
is needed for the corn until the shock is finished, 
and when properly tied it will weather any storm. 
The four hills left standing at the outskirts of the 
shock act like the stays to a most, and being well 
rooted in terra firma will support it mostefficieut- 
ly. By this form there is a cavity left in the cen¬ 
tre of the shook which facilitates the drying of 
the corn, and is much better in this respect than 
the compact form with a hill of green corn in the 
centre. Taking six rows, with 36 hills to the 
shock, is most convenient. 
The cry last spring went out, through all toe 
land that the cattle in many sections were suffering 
and dying for want of food, actually starving to 
death. To say nothing of the loss, how painful 
must Buch a state of tbiDgs be to every humane 
man. The coming winter my be more severe and 
of longer continuance even than the last. Every 
corn stalk should be cured properly and stored 
carefully away. More than enough coarse fodder 
was wasted last fall to have prevented all the want 
and snffcring of the following spring. Many who 
at that time were glad to obtain hay at $40 or $50 
a tun to save the lives of their stock, were only 
reaping the reward of their own folly. The wise 
profit by the teachings of experience. 
are b-iag executed at depths of from fonr 
to six feet, according to soil and outfalL 
and at. distances varying from twenty-four 
to sixty six feet; complete efficiency be¬ 
ing the end studied, sntf the proof of such \ 
efficiency belDg that, after a due period ^ 
given for bringing about drainage action ^ 
in soils nnused to Ir, the water should not p 
stand higher, or mud* higher, in a hole / 
dug in the middle between a pair of drains, \ „„ 
than the lev 1 of those Irains.” / 
In this department <it labor, as well as iP 
in the depth of drains, no rale can be giv- ) . 
en by which all operations are to be gnided. / 
There are a variety of c ircumstances which / 
need careful consideration, each of which 
must be recognized or toil ana capital will 
bs thrown away. Porous soils do not re. Iff 
quire such frequency 1 of these water- 
courses as do these impervious in cbarac- 
ter. In some soilsartifieial porosity — the ~~~a 
result of thorough draining — is soon ere- Jr 
ated, and on such lend we may, with im¬ 
propriety, place drains farther apart than • 
where years will be necessary to develop ~ ~ ~ ~~ 
this peculiar action. Take, for instance. f 
clay subsoil which conlalas a large qaan- ~ 
tity of imbedded stone. This class of subsoil, on 
cutting into, is often luc.nd dry, although the sur¬ 
face soil was little better than a marsh—yet, when 
an opening is made, filtr-.tion commences through 
the agency of these n tural stone drains. The 
modes of both of the authors quoted are defec¬ 
tive. iVe cannot conc'-iTe of a soil requiring 
drains at a distance of oily ten feet, while sixty- 
Bix feet may be at th-. other extreme, where 
thorough draining is the object desired. 
The preliminary step? which should be taken by 
every one abont to con»^ ict drains aie those upon 
which we have lecu u . "i ucuuug, viz.* their depth 
and frequency. In order to arrive i>t a conclusion 
on these two point?, where ilie nature of the sub¬ 
soil is not familiar, holes or pits should be dug to 
the depth ol three, tour, or in >re feer, and all the 
knowledge obtainable acquired. Il&ving accom¬ 
plished thus much, we . in take the tools in hand 
and work, knowing that oor labor will not be in 
vain. 
The next point requiring attention is the outfall. 
This, to render the system perfect, must at all 
timrs afford a ready aud clear outlet to the draim?, 
and most, of necessity, occupy the lowest part of 
the land for the dmics of which it is the relieving 
spot. A superior outfall can olten be obtained by 
cutting across a piece oi land, and by a little ex¬ 
tra expenditure, and the needful outlay should be 
freely given, as this, to say the least, is one of 
the most important positions to be selected. Here 
are the labors commenced, and no one should un¬ 
dertake the construction of a system of drains 
upon his soii, involving the expenditure of his 
capital, without taking such measures as will in¬ 
sure the final success of the operation. The prac¬ 
tical benefits of the ad3ge—be sore you are right, 
then go ahead—will have ample opportunity for 
exemplification in the discharge of this duty. 
The position of the minor drams will next occu¬ 
py the attention of the drainer. The Cyclopedia 
of Agriculture gives a very simple mode of effect¬ 
ing this object. It says:—“The surface of each 
field must be regarded as being composed of one 
or more planes, tor each of which drains must be 
laid out separately. Level lines are to be set out 
a little below the upper edge of each of these 
planes; aud the drains must then be made to cross 
these lines at right angles. By this means the 
drains will run in the line of the greatest slope, 
no matter how distorted the surface of the field 
may be." 
The location and size of the mam drams is next 
in order. All of the minor drainsshonld lead into 
a main, and not into an open ditch. The ditches 
soon fillup, or grass and weeds growing therein 
easily choke the mouths of the small drains and 
destroy their efficiency. The farmer can much 
more readily attend to the few large openings, 
than to a groat number of small outs; and it must 
be borne in mind that keeping the outlets free 
from anything that will tend to obstruct the ready 
passage of water is an object of paramount im¬ 
portance. 
’*Vo have here placed before Rural readers the 
preliminary practical labors of the drainer, and in 
our next will take up the various styles of drain- 
ing— tile, stoue, brush, &c.— and the mode of con¬ 
struction. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AN ABLE CO HI'S OF ASSISTANT KDITOItS. 
SPECIAL CONTItlUCTOKBi 
Prof. O. DEWET, T. 0. PETERS, 
I/r. M F. MAURY, H. T. BROOKS, 
Dr. ASA FITCH, EWD. WEBSTER, 
T. 8. ARTHUR, Mrs. M. J. HOLMES, 
LYMAN B. LANQWORTHY. 
Tub Rural New-Yorrbr is desijrncit to bo unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety nf Contents, and uniquo 
anil beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor dovntos his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision uf its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the F-ukal an eminently Reliable 
Guide on the important Practical, Scientific and other Subject* 
iniimalely connected with the business of those whose mlerosts 
it senloutly advocau-s. H embraces more AzricnUnrni, Horti¬ 
cultural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary anil News Matter, 
interspersed with appropriate and beautiful Engravings, than 
any other Journal,—nmih ring it tbo most complete Agricultu¬ 
ral Litkkaky ai> n Family .Iocrnal in America. 
t'j?~ All communications, and business letters, should be 
addressed to D. D. T. MOORli, Rochester, N. Y. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
Tee introduction of the Chinese Sugar Cane as 
an article for general culture, and the very extended 
dissemination of the seed, together wit - rbe act 
that its value is a problem yet to he demonstrated.' 
has given a new field lor the inventive genius of 
the country, and if we were to particularize any 
great mechanical want, it would be, just at present 
a cheap and effective cane crusher. As the merits of 
this new saccharine production have not, in our 
northern latitude, Neeicfld a toot, s* i» not jrra-atv 
cuVile for farmer* to invest a hundred or more dol¬ 
lars for the mere purpose of obtaining the syrup 
contained in the little patch each has under culti¬ 
vation. When the experiment has been fully tried 
—when the Sorghum Saccnara!ittn “ has been 
weighed iatfce balance"—if it proves to be what 
its ardent friends claim it really is, then it a in pay 
to obtain perfect and costly machinery. 
The mill in general use upon the plantations of 
Louisiana consists of three iron rollers, of two feet 
and a half in diameter aud five feet in length.— 
They are placed about five-sixteenths of an inch 
apart, and are capable of sustaining an immense 
outward pressure as the cane passes between them. 
A stalk of sugar cane is heavy and compact, aud 
has a great deal of strong vegetable conformation 
about it, but let it pass between the rollers of the 
mill, and it cornea out crushed into fragments— 
literally ground into dust and ribbons. This mill 
is placed at some considerable height from the 
ground, so that the expressed cane juice, as it 
Hows irom it, will readily run down to the kettles. 
The illustration given at the head of our col¬ 
umns represents a mill manufactured by Messrs. 
Hbdoks, Free <£• Co., of Cincinnati, 0. It is com¬ 
posed of three rollers, vertical in position. The 
rollers are of cast iron, shaft of wrought iron, top 
ana bottom plates of cast iron, side-braces of 
wood of sufficient strength. Each roller is eleven 
inches in diameter. This firm manufacture six 
sizes of this description, varying in costfrom$100 
u» 42Z5-. and in capacity will exprasa itssza. om U> 
two and one-haii gallons ol juice per inmate.— 
They also make a horizontal ihree-roller mill, roll¬ 
ers eight inches in diameter and twelve inches 
long, which can be run with any kind of power, 
where a belt can be applied. This costs $150. 
We doubt not that these mills will perform effi¬ 
ciently, but the great difficulty is their price- 
being, at the cheapest, at least one-half more than 
farmers can afford under existing circumstances. 
For our second engraving, representing a cheap 
wooden mill, we are indebted to the Ohio Cultiva¬ 
tor, concerning which the editor remarks:_“We 
do not think that an economical manufacture of 
the syrep can be gone into without an iron mill._ 
To crush the canes effectually, it will require the 
rollers to nip very closely, and the gudgeons must 
be very strong. If made of wood, the gudgeons 
must be so large as to create a good deal of fric¬ 
tion. It ahonl d be borne in mind that the jaice is 
pressed ont entirely by ihe roller^ while the canes 
are passing through, and not, as in cider making, 
by pressing afterwards under screws.’’ 
HARVESTING COHN, 
In onr previous articles on this subject, we have 
given the theory of the Mechanical and Chemical 
advantages to be derived therefrom, and turn now 
to Borne of the practical labors connected with the 
construction of ’hose minute water courses. 
In the laying out of work of this nature, no one 
branch of labor has called forth as much discus¬ 
sion, and sb many conflicting opinions, as the 
endeavor to fix a proper depth for denies, having 
reference to what will be required of them. To 
Buch an extent was this disputation carried in 
England, that, at a certain peried, one of the par¬ 
ties was known by the sobriqaet of "Deep-Drain¬ 
ers," while their opponents wore the equally charm¬ 
ing title of “Shallow-Drainers.’’ Each conld bring 
forward powerful arguments in Bupport of their 
chosen positions. If one person should advocate 
the peculiar efficiency of bis method, he only called 
out those who entertained conflicting opinions, and 
a war of words ensued. The fact is, nothing defi¬ 
nite—no governing rule to be followed in all cases 
— can be arrived at. Drains must be constructed 
for the particular case in which their benefits are 
sought. There is doubtless a limit to the depth of 
drained laud required for the purposes of cultiva¬ 
tion, and to go beyond that requirement Is a waste 
of time and means. In a porous soil drains may 
ho deep and placed widely apart, for in soils of this 
character water will have ample opportunity to 
seek for and find an outlet,—while in a compact, 
clayey soil they require to be nearer the surface 
and more frequent. An inch of worked clayey 
soil will hold water almost as readily as a vessel 
constructed for that especial purpose. 
This brings n.a to the consideration of another 
topic upon which there is also a great ■ iversity of 
opiuiou — the frequency of drains, lu a work enti¬ 
tled Theory of braining and Deep Plowing, Mr. 
Smith, the advocate of close work says:—‘ In lay¬ 
ing oil the drains, the first object for consideration 
is the nature of the subsoil. If it consists of a 
strong, stiff ‘till,’ or a dead, sandy day, then the 
distance from drain to drain shonld not exceed 
from ten to fifteen feet; if a lighter and more 
porous subsoil, a distance of from eighteen to 
twenty-four left will bo close enough; aud, in very 
open subsoil, forty feet distance may be sufficient ” 
The opposing mind, Mr. Parks, in the Philosophy 
and Art of Land Drainage, representing the deep 
and distant drain system, states:—“It consists with 
my own practice, at the present time, that drains 
VERTICAL WOODEN CANE * CSITSHBK, 
Attaunea to tae mill is a ingenious contrivance 
known known as the “carrier.’' This consists of 
a never-ending band, about three feet wide, made 
o: chains anfl cross bars of wood, that runs upon 
rollers, and is used to bring the c ine from the out¬ 
side of the building up and into the mill. The 
carrier generally roaches a considerable length 
beyond the walls of the sugar house, and, aa the 
grinding goes on, is fed with cane by the women 
and children appointed for that purpose. The 
primitive method of supplying the mill with cane 
was for the negroes to “carry" it by armfuls, which 
is still the general custom in Cuba and in the West 
India Islands. But on the Intiodaction of steam- 
power was easily obtained, and machinery was soon 
brought to relieve the laborer of this then most 
unpleasant duty. Now the cane is placed upon 
the carrier, at a long distance from the mill; it is 
arranged in parallel lines, as upon a table, and 
moves quietly to its place of destination. 
Subjects for Farmers to Study. —Few occu¬ 
pations tarnish as fine opportunities for close and 
careful sludy as farming. How much light the 
practical farmer, by observing closely, may throw 
upon these two suhjects—1st, The want9 of diiler- 
ent plants in reference to the elements of nutrition. 
2d, The wants of plants in reference to the physi¬ 
cal condition of the soil. The theories of scien¬ 
tific men must be proved true or false by actual 
trial in the field. Indeed, most of the labors of 
agricultural chemists have been direoted to ac¬ 
counting for facts discovered by farmers. 
AWVI, 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[ SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
YOL. YIH, NO. 37.} 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.,-SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1857. 
1 WHOLE NO. 101. 
