MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
NOV. 28. 
sown with the flax orop, and haa been found to do 
well, hut it is liable to be injured when the flax is 
beiDg pulled. The late frosts in spring sometimes 
destroy the young plants. On this account, it is 
better not to put in the seed until the frosts have 
disappeared. 
Farmers suffer much loss annually by the failure 
of ttie clover crop. The discovery of the causes 
of failure, is the first step towards supplying a 
remedy. The English, German, and Belgian farm¬ 
ers cultivate clover extensively, and the frequent 
failures to which the crop is liable, led them to in¬ 
vestigate the matter closely. The opinions of some 
of them are well deserving of attention. 
At a great meeting oi German land holders, held 
a few years ago, at Fran kfort-on-tb e-Main, Prof- 
Sweitser stated that, “ With respect to the repe¬ 
tition of red clover, we have abundant evidence in 
Baxony, where the soil is neither too loose, nor too 
close, is detj>, so that the plow can go eight inches 
down, and is also rather moist, clover is the most 
certain, and may also be repeated the most fre¬ 
quently, not only every six years, but with high 
farming, every four years. In an inferior soil, we 
may be quite sore that clover will not do well eve¬ 
ry four years, as has been proved in the vicinity of 
Dresden, where the land is completely clover- 
sick.” At the close of the discussion, at which 
these remarks were made, the Chairman gave it as 
his opinion,—“that a repetition of clover, after six 
years, was allowable in every part of Germany 
with which he was acquainted. That in favorable 
soils, four years might, be considered a sufficient 
interval; but that to bring two crops of clover nearer 
together, was aheays doubtful, and if successful, could 
only be regai ded as an exception to the general expe¬ 
rience of German Agriculturists ” 
Mr, Jons' Turns*, of Ban ten, near Exeter, Eng¬ 
land, says, 4 ‘ I have experienced the loss of the red 
clover plant on my own farm very often, when 
there was the very best plant at harvest time, and 
that, too, on the best soils. The result of my owu 
experience for more than twenty years, is this: 
that in nineteen cases out of twenty, thefailure is entire¬ 
ly owing to the stubble having been, fed bare after 
harvest, as the plant is by this means weakened, 
and rendered unable to withstand the rigors of 
winter. I have so frequently proved this, that I 
have not the slightest doubt on the subject. In 
every instance where I had not fed it bare in the 
autumn, that piece was the admiration of all , in the 
spring^ 
The Rev. W. Thorp, of Wolmsley, in Yorkshire, 
a distinguished agriculturist, attributes the failure 
in m&tiy instances ti> a want of cohesiveness in the 
soil. He directs the attention of farmers to the 
fact, that clover generally grows best on the head¬ 
lands, because in these places the soil has been 
compressed, and hardened by the tramping of the 
horses. He slates thatin Norfolk clover-sick lands 
are completely renovated by the application of a 
dressing of clay or marl; because clay and marl 
give tenacity to the soiL He also supports hie 
opinion by stating that Bcarlet clover, Trifolwm 
incarnatum, invariably dieB in the winter, when 
sown on newly plowed land, whilst if stubble land, 
before sowing, be simply scratched with the liar 
row, and after sowing, compressed by the roller, 
it will stand the winter. 
The best crops of clover that I have ever seen 
were raised with wheat, from seed sown in the 
spring, after the surface of the fields had been com¬ 
pletely softened and freshened up by light harrows 
After the seed was deposited, the soil was rolled, 
and by this means all lumps were pu verized, eve¬ 
ry fissure s < pped up, the soil compressed closely 
about the roots o! the wheat, and a fine level sur¬ 
face obtained, which greatly facilitates the action 
of the reaping machine. Fine clay also resists 
the action of heat, and preserves moisture around 
the roots of the wheat and clover. In my opinion 
farmers suffer a great loss annually, by neglecting 
to make a proper preparation of the sol', before 
putting in the seed, and also by not harrowing and 
rolling their wheat orops 
The following are the principal causes of the 
failure of clover:—L Want of preparation in the 
soiL 2. WantofcohesiveneasiothesoiL 3. Graz¬ 
ing the crops too bare in the fall 4. Bowing too 
frequently in the same field. 5. The luxuriance of 
the grain crop. 6, Covering the seed too deep.— 
7. Permitting weeds to grow and smother the crop. 
8. Sowing too rnncli grass seed with the clover.— 
9. Sowing with a grain crop, when the latter is too 
far advanced in growth. 10. Sowing in a marshy 
soil, or near the borders of creeks or river's, or 
other places likely to be flooded. 
In my opinion the quantity and value of the clo¬ 
ver crop, in the United States and Canada, might 
be vastly increased, almost doubled, by proper at¬ 
tention to the following particulars:—Not repeat¬ 
ing the orop too often. Preparing the soil prop¬ 
erly for the seed, by harrowing, rolling. Ac. Not 
grazing the crop too bare in the fall. Manuring 
with prepared ashes, guano, or gypsum. Mowing 
be:ore the clover becomes too ripe, and saving 
without much exposure to the sun, so that the 
leaves and stems may not become dried up and 
worthless. I have already trespassed too much on 
yonr space. Edward Mason. 
Detroit, Mich, 1867- 
NAMES FOR COUNTRY ROADS. 
Eds. Rural: —Why should not denizens of the 
country have name* to their streets, a convenience 
nearly monopolized by towns and cities? Who 
has not suffered vexation and loss of time from 
not remembering or misunderstanding the round¬ 
about directions kindly given for finding the place 
he was seeking? This trouble might in some 
cases he avoided, if the town custom of having 
the streets or roadB named, and the names affixed 
to the comers, should be extended through the 
country. Then a farmer would not have to spend 
from two to five minutes in giving his addresB, but 
might simply mention his street and No. just like 
your citizen. As an instance, there la an excep¬ 
tion to the general custom in "Clover street,” 
Brighton, near Rochester, no more of a street than 
any country road, yet everybody kuows " CloTer 
St.” because it has a name. As a friend to the 
improvement of the country, I would suggest that 
county and township authorities take the matter 
In hand and give to every road an appropriate 
rural name, cause it to be plainly painted in black 
letters on a white ground, and have it affixed to 
every corner, so that “ he who rnns may read.” 
Greece, N. Y, 1867- C. L. S. 
WESTERN MISSOURI. 
Mr. Moore:—A s I have received many lettcrB 
of inquiry from subscribers of the Rural since 
my communication last August, I will, with your 
permission, answer some of their questions rela¬ 
tive to this country through its columns. 
1st There is sufficient timber in this vicinity to 
furnish rails for fencing, lumber, Ao., for building 
and firewood for all oar prairie, besides a surplus 
of lumber whicb is sent off in every direction 
from 15 to 20 miles where there Ib less timber and 
no saw-mills. I am told the timber h lighter as 
yon go west towards the Kansas line.” 2d. Our 
well water is soft, cold and pure. Springs are 
generally warm in the summer, and where they 
come up through the coal beds, as is frequently 
the case, the water tastes of sulphur. We dig from 
18 to SO feet. After going down about eight feet 
through loam and a mixture of sand and olay, it 
is soft sandstone to the water; easily picked up 
or blasted, 3d. Our small streams do not run 
throughout the je3r, es in the Northern States, but 
dry np during the summer, leaving a solid rooky 
bed, with occasional pools of living water that 
remain pure, as they are led by springs, and which 
afford abundance of waier for stock. 4th. We 
have had some of the wildest thunder storms dur¬ 
ing the past summer I ever witnessed, but I am 
told it has been an unusual Beason in that respect, 
6th. The surface of the prairie is smooth and 
rolling with some stones cropping out, upon the 
highest ground and in the ravines. Timbered 
lund 1 b more broken with frequent ledges of rock. 
The bottoms are clear of stone and as fertile as 
any iu the State. We have an abundance of good 
building stone. Gth. Lime is plenty everywhere; 
price, 10 cents per bushel. 7th. Farm labor by 
the month cannot be obtained upon any terms, as 
those who will work have enough of their own to 
do. The class that we expected to rely npoD, bnt 
who will not work, (and thank God they are fast 
diminishing,) oannot be tempted with money to 
do that which they so much abhor. They have 
no objections, however, to a game of brag poker, or 
euchre when the money is on the board. Every 
individual of this class has the fastest horse in the 
country. They have, until within two years, ef¬ 
fectually kept the country in its wild state as it 
was when it was first settled twenty years ago. 
8th. Fruit, common to the North, Buch as apples, 
pears, peaches, plums, cherries, Ac., seems to thrive 
and bear as well or better than in the Northern 
States. There are a few old orchards here which 
show for themselves. The grape is a natural pro¬ 
duct, as we find wild ones everywhere, some of 
which are nearly as large as the Isabella and Ca¬ 
tawba, and very delicious. 9th. Choice tracts of 
wild land are now selling for from $3 to $5 per 
acre. Improved lands from $4 to $8, The im¬ 
provements consist of log honsoB and stables, and 
more or less land plowed and fenced, with now 
and then a psaoh orchard. 10th. Rails, S feet 
long, are worth $1 dollar per hundred; 10 feet 
long, $1 25. For fen cing prairies, 8 feet rails are 
preferred. 11th. The price for breaking prairie 
Is from $2 50 to $3 per acre. 12th. Oak lumber is 
worth fiom $ 1 25 to $2 jier hundred feet; walnut, 
from $2 to $3; pine, S3. We get all of our pine 
from Arkansas, about 100 mileB sou’h, where it 5s 
worth about $10 per thousand feet 
13th. This country was first settled by hunters 
from Ind, IlL, Tenn., and Ky, The emigration 
now is principally from Ill. and Ini. There is a 
colony of Pennsylvanians just commencing near 
us. 14tb. There are several townships In this 
county which will come into market next March, 
which wil! be about the last chance for choice 
lands, at Government prices, here. Emigrants are 
settling upon it t ow and securing their homes by 
pre-emptioning. I would advise those who intend 
coming here for government land, to come before 
the market opens, aDd not wait to take their 
ebanoes with speculators who are ready to swarm 
as soon as the lands are offered for sale. 15th. 
This seems to be as healthy es any new country In 
the west; we think the prairies far healthier than 
those in the more Northern States, and have en¬ 
joyed excellent health since we have lived here.— 
Tnere seems to be no local cause for sickness upon 
the prairie, but npon the streams and bottom lands 
in the timber, ugoe claims its own, and it will 
never be otherwise, 16. Fine stock of any kind 
is now in great demand, and will amply pay any 
emigrant who has it for the trouble and cost of 
transporting it here. 
17th. We have no present prospect of a R. R- 
nearer than within 50 miles of us, and the time is 
about. past when R. R,’s will be made in new conn- 
trlea before there 1 b a call for them by the inhabi¬ 
tant* of the same. When we need the “ iro n horse” 
as an improvement upon our own native steed we 
will have it. 18th. There is a line of stages ran 
ning from Jefferson City to Oceola, about 100 miles, 
which is within a half days drive of this town¬ 
ship. 19 th. Timothy, blue grass and olover grow 
well here, where they have been tried. 20th. Oxen 
are worth from $60 to $75 per yoke; horses from 
$65 to $100, bat not large animals; native Bheep 
$1 60 per head, 21st. The expense of coming 
here by R. B», from Buffalo, would bo from $40 to 
$50 for each individual Ab we do not all judge 
of new countries alike, I would prefer to have 
every man of a family who thinks of emigrating 
here come and see for himself before bringing his 
family from good homes to an nntried life and 
climate. H. P. Smith. 
Montevallo, Vernon Co., Mo., 1867. 
-- *—*■ - 
RAISING CANE (CAIN.) 
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SORGHUM QUESTION. 
Eds. Rural: —Raising cane (Cain) is a familiar 
term for moBt kinds oi iniquity and wrong. How 
often, in our j uveniie delinquencies have we heard 
the parental command, “quit raising Cain.” Now 
sir, if I (and many others) had continued to heed 
thiH parental injunction we should have been much 
better off. The fact Is, 3 wanted to be humbugged 
juBt a little, and so concluded to "raise cane.” 1 
have done so, and gone the whole figure, mill and 
all, and believe I can now reckon out the whole 
sum and arrive at a correot conclusion. It is this 
— it will not and cannot be made to pay in this 
latitude. 
Let ns see how the uccount stands. The rent of 
land that is fit to grow oane upon, is worth $12 per 
acre. It will cost twice as much to tend it as it 
would corn, and after being grown, then is the 
time your labor just, begins. Just imagine your¬ 
self, (with the thermometer at or about the freezing 
point, with rain half of the time,) taking up, singly, 
12,000 to 13,000 stalks 12 feet long, (about the pro¬ 
duct of an acre.) and picking off the leaves and 
entting off the tops—running it through the mill, 
5 or 6 stalks at a time, and Bee tbo juice co r e out 
as green as a frog pond; yes, sir, as green as the 
man that quits other work to raise cane. 
Now for the boiling, Teis Is a dtsagreable, odor¬ 
ous operation, the worst part of all, and takes about 
half as long as it would to make sugar from maple 
sap. Nest, the product. I have it manulactnred 
in several ways; it is nothing bnt good boiled sweet 
apple rider, and never will be anything else; there 
is no more grain to it than there is to tar. The 
product per acre is enough, I admit, to satisfy any 
reasonable man, if it wa9 good for anything. It 
cannot be used for anything where boiled sweet 
cider would not be as good. All kinds of cake 
turn black when sweetened with it. I care not if 
some visionary people pronounce it good; they 
may mike np faces when they taste it, and tnrn 
their backs to hide a scowl as often as they please, 
the truth must and wl'-l come out— the whole thing 
is a faUure. Those w ho are green enough to still 
puff it are referred to the nays of Morus Mullicau- 
lis, when It wa« said ‘ unr wives and daughters 
would be clothed in silk every day.” independent 
of Italy or France, — or to the Chinese Tree Corn 
under whose shade the Nations coaid repose.— 
Where are they now? Gone to the shade they 
could not produce. 
Sugar and molan-.es are now produced upon low 
priced land, with labor that costs nothing but 
board andvohippmg, Howcan we compete with them 
with high-priced land and paid labor? We shah 
see. You asked for facte from the other side of the 
question; here they are, incontrovertible from the 
very nature of the cate. I should have written 
long Hince, bnt T wanted to wait until thescnui 
boiled off, for I expect some addle-brained corres 
pondent of yours will be after me with a sharp 
stick; if it is not a Sorg-Hum I don’t care; let 
them come—I am prepared for them. j . c. b. 
Sheridan, Nov. 16, 1767- 
-<—- 
TURNIPS.—THE TBLTOWER REUBEN. 
Eds. Rural: —In the Rural of the 31st nit, 
James M. Smith, of Dayton, Ohio, wishes infor¬ 
mation about a certain Turnip, called Teltower 
Reuben, (not Feltower.) They are raised near 
Teltow, a small town not far from Berlin In Pros 
si a, from which place they are sent to all large 
cities in Germany. The soil there is somewhat 
like the GeneBee Flats, or 6ome of onr rich river 
bottoms, and is made Btill richer by plentiful 
manuring. It favors the growth of all kinds of 
roots, especially the sugar beet, carrot, mangold, 
etc,, the firBt of which is extensively grown for the 
manufacture of sugar. But there is a decided dif¬ 
ference in regard to the effect of this rich soil on 
this turnip and most of the other roots. The latter 
will yield an enormous i-rop, while the former will 
grow to the smallest possible size In the turnip 
lino, They have the *bape of a carrot, but their 
average size is not more than three inches long, 
half an inch in diameter ar the top and tapering to 
wards the end. They are, indeed, a very delicate 
v getable, and certainly cannot be equalled fo* 
flavor and tenderness by any other tnrnip. It ismy 
opinion, however, even if 6ome of onr American 
soil was conducive to their growth, their Bize 
would be quite an objection to American farmers^ 
as it would require something more than Yan¬ 
kee patience to cultivate and harvest them.— 
There Is no other locality in any of the German 
States, as far as I am aware, where they grow and 
retain tue three essential good qualities peculiar 
to this turnip. 1 have seen some, raised near 
Frankfort-on-the-Maine,—but they were larger, 
coarser, and with lees flavor. I have sold them at 
Frankfort for a shilling a quart, and some seasutia 
for twice that, which price can only be afforded 
by the rich. I suppose the seed could be obtained 
through our Ambassador at the Court at Berlin. 
Ogden, N. T., 1857- Charles Kettinoks. 
SHINGLES AND SHINGLING. 
Eds. Rural:—I would like to offer a few re¬ 
marks through the medium of your paper, to your 
numerous readers, upou the subject of roofing for 
buildings. 
A6 shingles are in general ubc in this State, and 
will be tor some time to come, it ia important to 
know the beet methods of making and laying toern. 
I have been a practical builder for a number oi 
years, and from my own observation, I think there 
are great errors committed in making shingles, 
and in roof-boarding to receive them. It is a very 
common mistuke in making shingles to cut down 
the tipB to the thieteuets of a mere shaving, and 
from one-fourth to half an inch narrower than at 
the hots. Now, in width this order should be re¬ 
versed, and every shingle made one-fourth of an 
inch widest at the top, and the thickness of the 
latter, should be three-sixteenths for a shingle 
eighteen inches in length. The bnt should be at 
leust three-eighths of an inch in thickness—a halt 
would be better—as a thin shingle becomes very 
brittle when only partly worn, t shingle should 
never exceed four inches In width for a good roof, 
as a wide one will crack at the bnt much worse 
than a narrow one. Roof hoards Bbould not be 
over three Inches in width, and are better an in- h 
and one-fourth thick. 
Many still adhere to the old custom of placing 
the roof-boards close together, and I have known 
some to match them, thinking to have the boards 
carry off the water if the shingles would not.— 
This must be called pound foolishness, as shingles 
made of most timber would Boon decay, especially 
if shaded by trees as many honsea are, I have 
made good roofB with boards six inches wide, 
leaving the same space between them, and nailing 
the Bhingles to them near each edge. Shingles 
shaved from good pine, if made In the form I have 
recommended, undoubtedly stand at the bead of 
wooden rooting. Sawed pine abiugles also make 
an excellent roof, if boarded so a* to give them 
plenty of air from the under side, and each space 
between the bnts about one-fourth of an inch — 
Cedar, chestnut, hemlock, Ao., also make a very 
good roof. R C. Norton. 
Guilford, N. Y., Nov., 1857. 
!ltira! f etes anti Items. 
A Valuable Annual —We are indebted to the 
publishers, Luther Tucker A Son, of Albany, for 
a copy of "The Illustrated Annual Register of 
Rural AflMis and Cultivator Almanac, for the year 
1858.” It contains 124 pages of reading and 
illustrations, the character and quality of which 
may be Inferred from the fact that the work i3 by 
J. J. Thomas, author of the " American Fruit Cnl- 
turist,” *' Farm Implements,” etc. It is certainly 
a model in both contents and appearance, and 
worth far more than its price—26 cents—to any 
farmer or horticulturist. 
The Llama —We observe that a New Yorker, 
as consignee for the owners, advertises a cargo of 
Llamas, under the heading of " A New Animal for 
Farmers.” Though these animalsare commended 
by the advertiser, who asserts that they "are be¬ 
lieved to be well adapted to the use of the farmers 
ot this country,” and "as profitable a9 any animal 
now kept npon the farm ” we very much doubt 
whether an investment in Llama flesh will pay any 
cultivator of the soil Better pry more attention 
to the breeding and care of such animalB as we 
now have and which are known to be profitable, 
rather than waste money in needless experiments 
with those of questionable value and utility. 
Chinese Sugar Cane—W e clip the following 
it-’ms in reference to this plant from our ex 
chang- a. A Michigau journal says:—“A farmer 
in Jackson county, Michigan, left some stalks of 
Sorghum uncut until they were frozen hard, On 
boiling down the jnlce from those, he found the 
syrup to be clearer and finer than any he had pre¬ 
viously made, the juice apparently divested of its 
coloring properties, by the aotion of the frost. He 
says:—’ It was clear as amber, and its flavor more 
like honey than anything I ever tasted before.’ ” 
— The St Louts Democrat Btatee that Mr. W. H. 
Belcher, of the celebrated sugar refinery of St. 
Loufr, peruapa the highest authorityin saccharine 
matters iu the corn.try, has been carefully testing 
tho Chinese cane. He bu.vb that it will prove a 
failure as fur as sugar making is concerned, and, 
if it will not granulate, (as it will not,) the symp 
does not contain a due proportion of cane BUgar. 
He doubts its virtues as a sugar producing plant 
Whole Potatoes rs. Eyes for Seed.—A n Eng¬ 
lish paper, the Ipswich Express, gives the result of 
an experiment lately made to ascertain what would 
be the difference in yield where whole potatoes 
were used for seed or the eyes alone, and reports 
thus:—“A trial has been made in the vicarage 
garden, Coggcsball, of potato eyes against whole 
potatoes, on perfectly equal terms, a row of each 
aide by side —a certain number of whole potatoes 
were sown a yard apart, the eyes of the same num¬ 
ber o' potatoes of the same sort were sown at the 
usual distance—equal care was taken in all re- 
epect* that the trial might be fair. The resalt, as 
sho»n a few weeks back, was, that the wnole pota¬ 
toes pici-juv-d. in weight more |*otatocs, bat the 
excesB or weight was just equal to the weight of 
potatoes from which the eyes had beeu taken, and 
which potatoes had gone into the kitchen for 
dressing; s ■ that, as far as this experiment goes, 
nothing is g lined by sowing whole potatoes. 
Potato and Onion Crops in Sacramento Val¬ 
ley.— An individual who has made an examina¬ 
tion of the farms iu this celebrated California 
Valley for the purpose of obtaining statistics rel¬ 
ative to these crops, reports to the Sacramento 
Union as follows:—“From careful inquiry he as¬ 
certained that 1,593 acres had been plant-id in Irish 
potatoes, yielding 231,808 sacks, or about 463,610 
b ishela Of sweet potatooa there were planted 356 
acre*, which have produced 32,276 sacks, or G4.660 
bushels. Of onions, the quantity of land planted 
was 177 acres, producing 32,550 sacks, or 05,100 
buBhels. The greater portion of this crop has 
been sold iu Sacramento, Stockton and Ban Fran¬ 
cisco markets, although there are large quantities 
still In the ground unsold. The balance of the 
land, about 700 acres, was planted in melons and 
different kinds of vegetables.” 
Specimen Caors of Minnesota —As a sample 
of the productive powers of the soil of Minnesota, 
the Faribault Herald gives the following figures 
relative to a crop of Oats, and also of Potatoes, 
grown on the farm of Mr. Mills, in that vicinity. 
Mr. M. had ten acres that yielded about 70 bushels 
per acre, and, from 25 acres, he threshed a ,d sold 
1,100 bushels. Of potatoes he has raised over 400 
bushels, by measurement, of round pink eyes per 
acre In regard to the Rye crop of that region 
the Herald remarks:—"From a sack of flour pre- 
s Died us by Mr. Dutson, we had bread baked in 
onr family, the whiteness of which bo contradicted 
our strongest assertions, that with difficulty we 
c 'Uld m ike our friends believe it was other than 
wheat bread ” Speaking of the foregoing, together 
with what has been witnessed by the editor, the 
Minnesotian Bays:—Onr Eastern friends who think 
the West on the verge of bankruptcy, ruin, Ac,, 
will make a note of this. Like crops have been 
grown throughout the Territory, and our agricul¬ 
turists are beginning to try the wonderful resources 
of Minnesota. 
- >-*-• - 
The New Jersey State Ag. Society is said 
to have suspended payment on the premiums 
awarded at the late exhibition, and the debts incur¬ 
red thereat. The causes are not made known; 
but we fear the “Jersey Blue” farmers are not true 
blues in the ouuae of Agricultural Improvement, 
else the treasury of their Society would be ple¬ 
thoric, even in these times. 
— - - • - 
Potato Rot in England. —The London Florist 
says the potato disease has made such sad havoc 
with the orop the present year that the price Is bo 
high us to be almost prohibitory to families with 
common means. Still, we believe, the prico is 
only about $1 26 per bushel, and iu New York city 
the best potatoes are selling at from $3 to $3 50 
per barrel. 
Guano.— A letter, dated Lima, Oot, 12, says the 
guano statistics for the month of September show 
that 39,386 tuns register have been shipped to Eng¬ 
land, 7,281 tuns to the United States, and 5,000 to 
France and her colonies. 
REMEDY FOR THE HARD TIMES. 
Under the head of "How to make the 'good 
time’ come right along,” Life Illustrated utters 
some logical and timely thoughts, in thiswise:— 
"Give all the editors 'a dollar or two’ to carry 
in their pockets, and a hopeful ray of mental sun¬ 
shine will soon lighten up their depressed and de 
sponding spirits, and direotly you may read In 
their papers of 'a favorable change’ in the finan¬ 
cial condition of the country. This will iudnee 
timid capitalists and bankers to put out their funds 
—which they have called in—manufacturers to 
boiBt the gates aDd Btart the wheels of their ma¬ 
chinery, and thuB give honorable employment to 
honest hands. This will create a demand for agri 
cultural produce for 'home consumption’—put 
money into the pockets of larnurs, and they, in 
return, pay the printer, the storekeeper, the tailor, 
blacksmith, the shoemaker, the schoolmaster, and 
others Try it There ia no less money In the 
world now, but much more—than at any previous 
time. All that is necessary to restore business, is 
simply to restore confidence, and to put the m oney, 
now buried np or lying idle, into active circula¬ 
tion. If you owe the printer a dollar for hifl pa¬ 
per, or for advertising, pay him premptly—the 
whole if you can, A part anyhotc, and he wil', in re 
turn, pay those to whom he ia indebted, a d thus, 
throughout all the ramifications of bu-iness, new 
life and activity would at one-- be manifested.” 
— A great many wise people are semUrg "a 
dollar or two” for the Rural about these dayE— 
not to " pay np” for the past, but to continue the 
paper orbeeo.ne new subscribers—!n*omuch that 
we begin to think the timeB are not so very hard 
after alL If i s friends will make a little effort to 
extend the Rursi/s area of circulation and useful¬ 
ness with the new volume, we doubt not alt inter¬ 
ested will be benefited—!or while eveiy " dollar cr 
two” will streugU en ns, that which we give in re¬ 
turn will impart far more than its cost-value in 
instruction and entertainment And to the parties 
who shall introduce it, to the notice snd support 
of their neighbors and others, the Rural offers 
something more than mere thanke—as will be seen 
by reference to its Premium List. 
gomui finalist. 
THE TIME FOR MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 
As Whiter Is peculiarly the season for mental 
improvement among those engaged in rural pur¬ 
suits, we would urge upon on: yonng friends the 
importance of making good use of the leisure at 
their command during the ensuing few months.— 
Those who attend school should Btrive to excel by 
making it a business to understand what they 6tudy, 
instead nf merely going through the ceremony of 
learning, without obtaining practical knowledge 
of what their text books and teacheisare designed 
to impart. Oor Common Schools are not what 
they ought to be In many respects, yet they are 
pTniAia«m»iG- a<> rcopie s Colleges—the fountains 
whereat must be obtained the rudiments of knowl¬ 
edge by the great. mass—and If properly watched 
and sustained by parents, and attended by scholars 
they will become more and more useful snd cred¬ 
itable. Every boy and girl should endeavor to 
make the best use of their time and facilities du¬ 
ring the school season, and thus prepare them¬ 
selves for future usefulness. 
But, In addition to school studies, there are other 
means of mental improvement which should not 
be neglected, and to which much time may be de¬ 
voted during the long evenings of Winter. By 
the perusal of books which are books—those that 
treat npon subjects a knowledge of which will 
prove of permanent Interest and benefit by pre¬ 
paring the yonng for the labors, trials and per¬ 
chance triumphs of the future—much valuable 
information maybe acquired iu hoars and moments 
whicb would otherwise be wasted. Time and life 
are too valuable to be wasted in idleness, or, what 
is perhaps worse, in poring ovor the pages of love¬ 
sick novels and like trashy and ephemeral works. 
If yon wish to make your time pay, and afford 
good dividends in the future, read history, biog¬ 
raphy, and works relating to the nsefnl arts and 
sciences—and devote attention to the intelligent 
investigation of useful subjects. Form associa¬ 
tions for mutual improvement — reading clubs, 
lyceums, Ac.—and learn to talk and write and 
thin's 1'or yourselves. Remember that, the Young 
Ruralists of to-day must bo the active world- 
movers of America twenty and thirty years hence 
—the leading fanners, merchants, lawyers, legis¬ 
lators, Ac.,—for the great mass of real mkn of every 
nation have been born and reared in the country, 
away from the turmoil, temptations and associa¬ 
tions of large townB and cities. Those, therefore, 
who now " act well their part” will reap the ad¬ 
vantage of so doing in occupying positions of 
mefulneps, responsibility, and perhaps eminence, 
in future years. In view of what they may accom¬ 
plish for themselveB and the country, we urge our 
young friends to employ well the golden moments 
of the present winter—to let no opportunity of 
improving and disciplining their minds, and ac¬ 
quiring knowledge and accomplishments of last¬ 
ing value, to pass unheeded. 
TAXIDERMY.—AN INQUIRY. 
Eds. Rural: —PerhapB there may be more Young 
Ruralists, like me, in different parts of the Union, 
who would like to form collectlonsof stuffed birds 
and animals, but like myself have neglected doing 
so, because they have no voty correct knowledge 
of the process. I write now to know if yon could 
not help me and my friends along a little in the art 
I have tried some myself, but cannot make them 
look natural. If you or any of your correspon¬ 
dents oould famish some useful hints, they would 
be gladly received by me and my yonng friends. 
A Lover ok Nature. 
St Lawrence Co., N. Y., 1867. 
W k presume there are many taxidermists among 
onr readers, and trust some one or more will re¬ 
spond to the above by communicating definite in¬ 
formation. _ _ 
Read not books alone, bnt men, and above all, 
read tbyself. 
Money in your purse will credit you—wisdom 
iu your head will adorn you—but both iu your 
necessity will serve you. 
