... 
IS 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. FIVE CENTS. 
VOL. VUI. NO. 39. i 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1857. 
{WHOLE NO. T03. 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AW ORIGINAL WERKLT 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
WITH AN ABLE CORPS OK ASSISTANT EDITOK8. 
SPECIAL CONTHIHCTOHSt 
Prof. 0 DEWEY. T. C. PETERS, 
Lt M. P. MAURY, H. T. BROOKS, 
1>R. ASA FITCH, KWD. WEBSTER, 
T. & ARTHUR, Mrs. M. J. HOLME8, 
LYMAN B LANG WORTHY. 
AU communication!!, nnd business letters, should bo 
addresHod to I). I). T. MOORE, Rochester, N. Y. 
Foa Turks und other particulars, seo last page. 
liral |lEto-forksr, 
ABOUT PIQS AND PIGGERIES. 
The Summer is gone—the Beason so pregnant 
with thought and which forms so great a portion 
of the "stock in trade” possessed by rbymcstora 
has passed away—the fragrant meadows with the 
ring of the scythe, or rather the rush of the Auto¬ 
matic Mower—the fields golden with the nodding 
grain—the rich hueH and great wealth of the ri¬ 
pening maize—the joyous shout of the Harvest 
Home—all these are now but memories—they are 
mingled with the dreams of tho past. Most of our 
readers, however, seldom exhibit tho "line phren- 
zy of the poet’s eye;” they prefer to act In»he Uom g 
present nad we are therefore constrained to hope 
that a little chat about such realities as corn-fed 
hogs will cot lie voted a bore. 
We V v ’ ’imposed a peep af yonr pig-sty, which, 
we doubt not, is all that is required lor the com¬ 
fort anu well doing of the inhabitants thereof. It 
is composed of two apartments—both of which 
are roomy—one being covered and secure from 
inclemencies of weather, the other open—while 
the whole iB so constiucted that, instead of being 
the fonl place so many individuals suppose_with 
all the conveniences you have attached for keep¬ 
ing it In order—spouts to carry off falling mois¬ 
ture—a good supply of muscle for the removal of 
ordure—and, above all, a willingness to make 
things appear respectable—this one, at least, is 
neat and cleanly. 
Some persons — not regular readers of the 
Rural, of course, but belonging to a oIqsb which 
our tea-ralelug brethren would call "Outside Bar¬ 
barians,” the borrowers—have got the idea that 
pork-making is best got aloDg with where swine 
are kept in filth. These one-idea men unfortu¬ 
nately extend the principle, and, admitting if you 
please tho soundness of tbr ir opinions and reason¬ 
ing therefrom, when mailing a survey of their es¬ 
tablishments it is bard to tell which is best fitted 
to fill tho barrel, ho who daily administers the food 
to bo converted into unhealthy meat—tho biped on 
this side, or tho quadruped just over tho fence. Wo 
would say to these,—with all due deference to 
their notions—that the pig is a cleanly animal— 
that although, on a hot day ho will seek a wot and 
dirty place to lie in, if put in a clcun and comfort¬ 
able pen more good pork will result from the same 
amount of food than where everything is careless 
and slovenly, (live your swine a good sleeping- 
room—this apartment should be elevated seveial 
inches abovo tho yard in which they run—and, 
if Btraw ia plenty, a good bed wil' bo appreciated. 
Having made an examination of tho bouso of 
your awiue we arc now prepared to take a look at 
tho animals themselves. Before receiving an in¬ 
troduction permit ns to remark that we are exceed¬ 
ingly sensitive on one point—our acquaintance 
with bad specimens is already as extensive as we 
desire. If yours are genuine Aristocrats—the 
pig-pen Ih the only spot where true aristocracy can 
be found—proceed—if the plebeian enters largely 
into their blood or conformation wo havo gone far 
enough. 
We never could conceive why some farmers 
would persist iu feeding one of those long-geared, 
fiat-sided animals unless it was lor tho purpoae of 
ascertaining how much coru It. was possible for an 
animal of its Bize and weight to destroy. Tho at¬ 
tempt to fatten them lor market with profit is in¬ 
sane—we know nothing that will so quickly con¬ 
sume a man's patrimony except It be bank and 
railroad stocks. Secure good stock for the farm, 
whether it be Cattle, Sheep or Swine,—these are 
the right, kiud of ‘‘fancies”—they always declare 
hnnest dividends, never goffer from street panics, nor, 
when they are wanted, do they collapse. 
Rapidity and economy are the objects which 
should be kept In view by those fattening Bwine, 
and every means calculated to promote these ends 
should be readily adopted. Experiments have fre¬ 
quently beeu made in which tho comparative ef¬ 
fects ot raw and boiled food havo been tested, and 
tho great benefits arising from the consumption of 
tho latter sufilcieutly demonstrated to warrant tho 
expenditure and trouble necessary to thus prepare 
t. Regularity in feeding is of paramount impor¬ 
tance—delay will soon cause a loss equal to the 
good resulting from the previous meal. The quan¬ 
tity should be so gauged that while none be put 
upon “short allowance” there will be, at the same 
time, nothing wasted. 
The kind of food best adapted for fattening 
swine is well known to our readers, still as the pig 
ia almost un omnivorous eater—anything and 
everything seeming to “tickle his palate”—varie¬ 
ty is an essential. The SmitMcld (Eng.) Club di¬ 
rects all exhibitors to utate how their animals are 
fed, and from these statements it appears that bar¬ 
ley, bean, pea-meal, peas, corn meal, potatoes, mid¬ 
dlings, skim-milk, whey, Ac., are used, the bailey 
and pea-meal taking the palm, as the choicest food. 
The following mixture Is highly recommended by 
English feeders: "A few roots of mangold, or 
Swedish turnipB welt steamed, alittle bran or meal 
added; or instead of these brewers grains or half 
malted barley well boiled, and given moderately 
cold and iu a moist state.” Potatoes with a little 
meal are much used iu the eifrlier stages of fatten¬ 
ing, the quantity of meal being increased as the 
period for slaughtering approaches. 
FARMING ON THE PRAIRIES. 
But little attention has been paid to root crops in this 
part of Illinois, owing to various reasons. Com is the 
main stable feed ol cattle and horses, and irom its over¬ 
abundant use, serious evils result. Now, for work horses 
and milch cow* though the winter and spring one feed of 
carrots with two of corn is far healthier and better than 
all corn. Feeding coin without grinding, is a great loss, the 
boRt that can he said about it. For stall feeding cat lie, the 
carrots with the corn will make more and betterbetl than 
corn atone. At some future time we shall endeavor to 
show that both cattle and swine can be raised in the Slate 
at one-fourth less expense than alter the present mode, and 
if tho market rules far below the present prices, still tho 
ntn-'W rntatlig til. X.r. aUl 1 -r.io of die wr.L , »jtng I . Hie 
country. With ordinary cultivation, from live hundred to 
a thonsand bushels of carrots can he taken from an acre, 
and, with superior cultivation, much larger corps have been 
harvested. 
Thk above we cut from the ** Spirit of the Ag¬ 
ricultural Press,' 1 an excellent agricultural paper 
published at Urbana, Illinois. A short time since 
we made a visit to Urbans, about 120 miles south 
of Chicago, and tho Graud Prairie, on which this 
new aud growing towu issituated. It wasthe first 
view wo had ever obtained ol a truly grand prairie. 
For scores of miles, as far a* the eye could reacb ( 
an almost unbroken prairie waB before us, with 
only hero and there a settler. Where the ground 
was cultivated we observed that tlie growing crops 
betokened a soil of extraordinary richness. Two 
or three things snrprised and interested us, ono 
being tho safety with which crops seemed to be 
grown without fenc es. We saw thousands ol acres 
Of wheat and corn growing ou the open prairies, 
some of which had been cultivated for several 
years, aud we were informed the crops had always 
been gathered uninjured. Once plowing effectual¬ 
ly destroys the prairie grass, and if allowed to re¬ 
main without cultivation a year, not a blade of 
gruBB or weed is to be seen. The rain washes the 
Carta from the roots of tho grass, and the whole 
field presents the appearance of a beautiful net 
work. In the wagon tracks and foot paths on the 
prairies the original prairie grass dies out, and in 
its place springs up a fine growth of white clo¬ 
ver and a kind of blue gross. How the seeds of 
these becamo mixed so freely with the prairie soil, 
miles from any habitation, is an interesting inquiry. 
AU kinds of grain grow on the prairies with 
comparatively littlo labor. The prairie is "broken” 
up in the spring and corn planted immediately, 
which, without further care, produces a very good 
crop. This is called "Bod corn.” Tho second 
crop, however, is much better. For fall wheat 
tho ground is plowed iu June or July. 
We never more fully realized that “ feeding corn 
without grinding is a great loss, tho best that can 
be said about it,” than when we were on the prai¬ 
ries. As we approached the settlements, we ob¬ 
served little piles of broken corn, and could not 
imagine why corn should bo wasted in this way 
until wo found by investigation that these little 
mounds were the droppings from cattle, the rains 
having washed away the mauuie, and left nothing 
but undigested oorn. Wo do not believe one-half 
tho oorn ted to cattle whole is digested; and yet 
this ia tho principal mode of feeding at the West. 
It the farmers of Illinois are determined to pursue 
this course, they should raise largo broods of 
Shanghais, as they would "pick up their living" 
very nicely among tho cattle, and cost nothing to 
keep. We hope, however, that the advice glv«*n in 
the article we havo quoted will be heeded, and that 
not only will meamt be taken to crush the com, but 
that root crops will have at leuat a fair trial. Wo 
saw no crops of roots of any kind growing in the 
fields, but from the nature of the soil, and tho 
specimens we observed m the gardens, we have uo 
doubt that root crops can he raised on tho prairies 
with ease aud profit 
I.and is, or has been, so cheap ou the prairies, 
and is bo easily brought under cultivation, that 
most, ot the (arms uro much larger than in New 
\ ork. From 500 to 1,000 aereB in a firm i» by no 
weand uncommon. We made a very short call at 
M. L. Sullivant's farm, seme 15 or 18 miles from 
Urbana. It consists of 20,000 acres of most beau¬ 
tiful prairie. Mr. 8. only commenced operations 
in the spring of 1856, and has already about 7,000 
acres broken up, 3,000 of which are in corn, and 
the remainder in when, barley, oats,flax, Ac. His 
wheat crop is estimated at 15,000 bushels, and bis 
corn crop, estimated at only forty bushels per acre, 
woutd amount to 120,000 bushels. Over 100 bands 
were employed on this farm, with 125 yoke of 
oxen and about 50 horses. We saw eight break¬ 
ing teaniB at work at once, each team being com¬ 
posed of eight yoke of oxen, wc think. Work¬ 
shops, cottages for men, rcbool-house, Ac., are ail 
built ou the farm, and belong to the proprietor. 
Barns aro scarcely to be Been on the prairies, 
and seem to bo considered rnoro of a luxury than 
a necessity. Much loss, however, mast result from 
the want of them, and we think onr friends on the 
prairies will soon learn that a good barn ia a ne¬ 
cessity on every farm, and a profitable investment 
- ■ -♦»»- 
THOUGHTS ON IMPROVEMENT. 
of the public servants, criticize their acts, or scold 
at their short comings. 
One great means of improvement that we should 
rtjoice to sec established in every neighborhood, 
is the Farmer's Club, where might he discussed all 
questions bearing directly or indirectly upon the 
interests and happiness of agricnltnuBts. Here 
questions might bo examined and discussed care¬ 
fully aud critically, mind would be brought in con¬ 
tact with mind, and the friction would arouse the 
dormant energies that but for this might have 
slept forever—awaken talents unknown even to 
their possessor, and polish and reveal the beauty of 
many arough diamond, that might otherwise never 
have glistened ia the sunlight. We may pursue 
this subject farther at another time. 
4 • » 
Unless we grow wiser every day that we live, 
unless wisdom increases with our years and knowl¬ 
edge with our grey hairs, truly we live in vain. In 
our eagerness for the improvement of sheep, in 
both wool and mutton,—in onr anxiety for the im¬ 
provement of onr cattle so as to produce the finest 
beef at the least cost—incur desire to improve the 
speed of our horses, do we not forget that more 
important work, the improvement of the mind and 
tho heart; indeed, we fear some of the means 
adopted to secure these ends are calculated to 
work an injury to both. How much wiser, how 
much better are those made who spend their time 
air»j«yio Art ,fairs where 
tho principal features are the racing of horses 
and other things calculated to attract but not im¬ 
prove the mass. The improvement of men is the 
great work to which all other improvements should 
be auxiliary and subservient. Well do we know 
that the thoughtful farmer, who seeks diligently to 
improve his soil and his stock, and thus learns to 
look from meaus to ends, from cause to effect, be- 
o mes svlser and stronger. We have not now to 
learn that tho thoughtless, careless farmer is the 
ignorant one—that ignorance and folly generally 
go hand in baud. Yet wo would have a special 
and direct effort made for mental improvement 
and will give a few suggestions that may not he 
unprofitable. 
We have before us a letter from a farmer, in 
which be says:—“We see by the reports of the 
trades aDd professions of the members of our State 
aud National Legislature, that almost all of our 
representatives are lawyers, with occasionally a 
farmer. Farmers often complain of this through 
the agricultural presv, and iu other ways; bat I 
think the lanlt lies with ourselves, for how few 
farmers are there of sufficient general intelligence 
to make good legislators. We aro not in the habit 
of taking up questions and examining them care¬ 
fully on all points so as to ariivc at just conclu¬ 
sions. Farmers feel this, and that is the reason, I 
suppose, why, in districts where ninety-nine out of 
every one hundred are farmers, the one-hundredth 
one being a lawyer, he is chosen and paid to rep¬ 
resent the ninety-nine farmers in the Councils of 
the Nation. These arc the facta of the case in 
many portions of our country, I know, ami [ think 
they are pretty general. They are not very flatter¬ 
ing, I acknowledge. What can we do to remedy 
this thing, und make farmers feel that they are 
competent to perform the duties of a citizen of 
tills great country, in any position.” 
It is wise, certainly, to look at the matter thus 
philosophically, and sock for a remedy. l eaving 
our readers to inquire to what extent this state 
of things exists, we proceed at once to the remedy. 
Let every I’uriner see that his children receive a 
good, thorough education. More thau this, let him 
see that a good school is established anil kept up 
in bis neighborhood, so that every child in the dis¬ 
trict can receivo at least a good English education. 
Banish the idea at once und forever irom yonr 
minds that every child that shows the least smart¬ 
ness is only fit for a lawyer, or doctor, or merchant 
II it is necessary to compliment a neighbor by 
praising his child, don’t say, “you son will make 
a keen lawyer;” but just say, "your son has a tine 
head; he will make a good farmer.” Pursue this 
course—prepare the children for positions of use¬ 
fulness aud honor, without dtiving them away from 
the farm—show a proper respect to your own call¬ 
ing, and a very diilcront state of things will exist 
twenty yearn from the present time. 
Every farmer should keep fully* informed of the 
doings of his State, and the Nation, and should 
also havo a general knowledge of the Impor¬ 
tant events transpiring throughout tho civilized 
world. This knowledge is now furnished by the 
press bo cheaply as to bo within the means of tbo 
poorest farmer in oar land. And whata providen¬ 
tial arrangement it is, that, in the winter, when the 
Legislative bodies and Congress is in session, tho 
farmer can tut by the fire, at his case,—his crops 
all secured, his work all done—and read the doings 
KEYSTONE CIDER MILL. 
As appropriate to the season we give above a 
cut of the "Keystone Cider Mill,” patented Nov. 
20,1855, by W. O. HiCKOK, of Harrisburg, Pa. The 
mill occupies about 2£ by 3 feet, and is i feet high, 
weighing 370 pounds. The inventor has given 
more attention to portaLle cider mills than any 
other person, as far as onr knowledge extends, and 
hns succeeded in producing a very perfect and de¬ 
sirable mill. 
The improvements for the present year consist 
in making the cylinders almost twice the length of 
former ones, and all, including the top cylinder or 
crusher, are made of iron. It, has a two inch screw, 
withaheavy half V thread. The beam isof castiron 
very heavy, and the thread for the nut cut for four 
inches through it. The whole mill is made in the 
most substantial manner, the arrangement for the 
tab end press being utrong and substantial. Hav¬ 
ing observed this mill much for the past three 
years, wo know that iu the main it has been very 
satisfactory,—that with good apples, two men and 
a boy can make 6 to 10 barrels of cider per day, 
the work being no harder than much other farm 
labor,—and tho concurrent testimony of farmers 
who havo used it is universally ia its favor, as an 
efficient labor-saving machine. 
Recently this mill has claimed some attention in 
connection with the experiments making with the 
Chinese Sugar Cane. Though not of sufficient 
capacity, it has been successfully used in crushing 
tho cane and expressing the juice, enabling the 
farmers of a neighborhood to test the value of the 
cane for syrup with very little outlay. We have 
the details of several experiments in whieh corres¬ 
pondents speak highly of the mill for that purpose. 
THE CHINESE SUGAR CANE. 
We have devoted considerable space to notices 
of this new plant daring the week or two past, but 
as we "are all in the darn” in relation to the 
various operations connected with its manufacture 
into syrup or sugar, and are seeking light there¬ 
upon, wo continue to give the views of our corres¬ 
pondents in various parts of the country ns regards 
their success in its culture—the experiments that 
are making—the inquiries they have to propound, 
and hope thereby to obtain the desired information. 
Ens. Rural:—I inquired of you last week at 
what 8tngo in the growth of the sugar cune the 
juice should be taken, but have not, as yet, received 
any reply. Fearing 1 might not obtain the infor¬ 
mation seasonably, I have lost no time meanwhile 
in experimenting and (jonti iving means to extract 
alittle of the juice, enough to satify my curios¬ 
ity, and I have succeeded, too. It can he so cheap¬ 
ly done, aud knowing that there are many waiting, 
as I have been, to learn something respecting it 
through the Rural, I hasten to give ilm result. 
Borrow of a grocer ids sugar crusher. The one 
I found is made by Dithybr A Forsyth, of Roch¬ 
ester, aud is marked No. 1. Ono of the cylinders 
has a small cog wheel operated by a correspond¬ 
ing larger one on the other, which of course gives 
a rubbing motion. Take them off, and put ou cog 
wheels alike, and you havo it. Both drums will 
now move together. This is all the expense, and 
it will operate on a small scale sufficiently to test 
the thing by. One tuuu at the crank will turu as 
fast as another will put it in, one stalk at a time. 
Pat the stalks in from below. Cut them in short 
pieces transversely. They will then enter between 
the rollers readily. I got out six quarts last eve¬ 
ning in a short time, and shall boil It down to-day. 
The rollers of these machines are fastened in 
an iron frame, which can he taken off the box and 
fitted to any other frame in aDy position. They 
can be put up vertically and a horse-power ap¬ 
plied. The motion will be slow, and bo long as it 
might not be strong enough to pass but one stalk 
at a time, man power will pat it through about ten 
times as fast It has a large balance wheel and 
operates comparatively easy. 
I am still at a loss to know how to manage the 
juice—how to settle it—how to clarify and rid it of 
any vegetable taste it may have, if any—or is St 
simply to be boiled down? Is there any reliable 
work on the subject,?—M. S. Kimball, Fulton, Os¬ 
wego Co., TV. V, 1857. 
Remarks. —We are all wishing to fathom the— 
as yet—deep profound connected with the manu¬ 
facture of either syrup or sugar from Sorghum_ 
there Is but one mode by which we can, at present, 
arrive at practical conclusions, i. e., by experiment¬ 
ing. We should judge, however, that the process 
must be somewhat similar to that, in use for attain¬ 
ing the same end with 6ugar cane. In an article 
entitled Sugar and the Sugar Region of Louis¬ 
iana, by T. B. Thorpe, Esq., (from which we have 
heretofore made an extract,) we learn evaporation 
by boiling is the means used. Mr. T. describes the 
process as follows:—"A ‘set of kettles’ consists 
of five deep evaporating castor wrought iron ket¬ 
tles, arranged in solid masonry, so that they set in 
a line, with their tops ail upon the same level.— 
Underneath these kettles is a furnace, the month 
of which is outside of the building. The furnace 
ia ou ai.tti.gc.; Jui.i Sv , ,ui .lio Lc.ti.ll.j 4 
wood passep, in its progress to the chimney, under 
each kettle. Sugar makers have given to these 
several kettles distinct names, as follows:—the bat- 
terie, the sirop, th v Jlamhtau, tb Vpropre, the grande. 
Etch of these boilers enlarges progressively, from 
the batterie to the grande. As the sugar cane juice 
flows from the mill, It runs into a large wooden 
reservoir, that connects by a cock with the grande. 
At the commencement of making sugar, every 
kettle is filled with juice, the fire in the meantime 
has been lighted, and it soon gives out an intense 
heat. The concentration of flame is under the 
batterie, for this kettle is situated directly overthe 
mouth of the farnace. As soon as the juice be¬ 
gins to boil, there rises to the top a vast amount 
of woody fibre, and other foreign substances, not 
before observable, and the attendants commence, 
with a large wooden sword, to sweep off the scum 
of the kettles, from the batterie toward the grande. 
In this way the whole line ia purified. As might 
be presumed, evaporation takes place moat rapid¬ 
ly at the batterie; consequently, while tho dirt that 
gathers on the top of the foaming kettles is swept 
by the sword to the right,t he ladle is used to bring 
the concentrating juice to the lejt, so as to keep 
every kettle fall. Directly over the boiling kettles 
is what is termed the steam chimney, through 
which passes the vapor that rises from the rapidly 
evaporating cane juice.” 
This is the old-fashioned mode, and, notwith¬ 
standing the extraordinary inducements held out 
by high prices, 4a, and tho numberless experi¬ 
ments by chemists and practical men, Mr. Thorpe 
states that nothing better than the “ open-kettle” 
method has been produced. 
A Treatise, just published by A. O. Moore, of 
New York, was noticed in the Rural of last week. 
Eds. Rural: —I have just finished boiling down 
some juice of the Chinese Sugar Cane, and think¬ 
ing would it be of interest to some of your readers, 
I giv* the result of my experiment. 
The eano is not all ripe enough to cut yet, but 
there are a few stalks tlat will do. Of these I 
took 150, pressed them through a pair of wooden 
rollers three times, obtaining from them twelve 
gallons of juice. This I boiled down to li gallons 
ot good molasses—better than we commonly have 
for sale in onr country stores. 
1 obtained from lb Peters, of Atlanta, Georgia, 
enough of this seed to plant half an acre in drills, 
twelve inches apart iu the drill, the rows being 
four feet apart I planted it about the same time 
with the common corn, working lt in the eame 
manner and allowing all suckers to grow. It ia 
now from ten to twelve feet high, and the most of 
it fully tuaaelou out If what I have to cut makes 
as much in proportion as ihe stalks I experiment¬ 
ed on, whloh were average ones, I will make 100 
gallons from the half acre. It will be ripe iu ten 
days, aud to convince some of your subscribers 
that it is uot a " humbug,” I may lot Y on hnow 
how much it makes.—A. E. G-, Caledonia, Missouri, 
Sept. 10,1857. 
Eds. Rural:—I noticed an article in your paper 
Of Sept 5, in which s contributor ia particularly 
dowu on the Chinese Sugar Cane, and Bcems to 
think that it is all a humbng. If the gentleman 
could call and see us, I think he would be convinced 
I 
