Smgg; 
r^GRICULTURr ~ 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN OEIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
there being no strength in it to rise again, it 
will not seed, and all that touches the ground 
will be worthless as it all rots before pulling 
time. I think a bushel per acre in that country 
enough." 
We thank our correspondent for her opinions. 
But the reasons she. gives why less seed should 
be sown in Minnesota, we regard as good ones 
why more should be sown. We know some¬ 
thing of tin; effects of thick and thin seeding on 
those rich prairie soils, from personal observa¬ 
tions; and we would sooner sow tiro bushels per 
acre than one, notwithstanding Mrs. W.'s argu¬ 
ments. Oi;e thlug should be remembered by 
Western men 1 —Flax should be sowu as early 
iu the season as possible. 
they will eat enough to kill them before they 
discover the poison. Strychnine is better; they 
will eat that without the hi ding. But the best 
of all things to keep away the rats, is Guinea 
hens. I have had a pair ’ vo years and not a 
rat nor a rat hole have I se u about my build¬ 
ings in that time.— S. W. Arnold.— Cortland, 
III., 1864. 
PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS. 
There is a talk among the ladies of New 
York city of organizing a patriotic association, 
every member of which shall, during the war, 
contine her purchases of articles, and particu¬ 
larly of articles of dress, as far us practicable, to 
t hose of home production and manufacture. If 
this idea could be generally acted on. it would 
do more to restore the soundness of our cur¬ 
rency—by keeping gold in our country, instead 
of having it drained out to purchase foreign 
luxuries and gew-gaws—than all the legislation 
which Congress can possibly bring to bear on 
the subject. But let the gentlemen, too, give up 
their costly and unnecessary foreign luxuries— 
their splendid broad cloths, French boots, bran¬ 
dies, wines, &c, It is difficult to believe what 
an amount of American gold 
_ -vt—- is annually paid out in sense- 
- AS, less extravagance, for for- 
| eign articles which have 
i ij good substitutes at home. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T, MOORE. 
CIIAltL.ES D. ISRAGDON, A—mime Editor. 
Sheep husbandry 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D.. 
Editor Deportment of Sheep Husbandry. 
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS : 
P. BARRY, C. DEWEY, LL. P., 
H. T. BROOKS, L. B. LAN GWORTXl Y 
Milking Heifers before Calving, &c. 
M. S. Barrett writes, in response to the 
inquiry of “Young Farmer*’;—“I have often 
done it with good effect; and it must be contin¬ 
ued once a day until she comes in. Should any 
of • Young Farmer's’ cows drop their calves 
prematurely, say from one to four months too 
soon, put a young calf to >-uch an animal, and 
all will come right. And as * Y'oung Farmer’ 
has much to learn, if he has lingers afflicted 
with what is called * run round.’ so that he can¬ 
not milk, lot him scrape, with a piece of glass, 
a cow’s horn, mix the scrapings with lard, and 
it will never be forgotten." 
This last sentence i- rather ambiguous. Our 
correspondent, to whom we are much obliged 
for his items, and all others should remember 
the importance of giving the whole process in 
detail. Wo take it for granted, of course, that 
the horn scrapings and the lard applied to the 
“run round” will cure it; if so, it would have 
been as easy, and better, to have said so. 
PAULAR SHEEP OF THE MESSRS. RICH. 
thk Rural Nkw-Youkkr Is designer! to be unsur¬ 
passed In Value, Purity, and Variety of Contents, ami 
lintiue and beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor 
devotes Ids personal attention to the supervision of Its 
various departments, and earnestly labors to render 
the Rural ru eminently Reliable Guide, on all the 
important Practical, Selentlllc ami other Subjects Inti¬ 
mately connected with Ute business of those whose 
interests It zealously advocates. Ae a Family Journal 
I t Is eminently Instructive and Entertaining — being so 
,’omluoted that It can tie safety taken to the Homes of 
people of Intelligence. taste and discrimination. It 
embraces more Agricultural. Horticultural, Sclcntltlc, 
Educational, Literary and News Matter, Interspersed 
with appropriate Engravings, than any other Journal,— 
rendering It the most complete Ai.ttlOI.V.TUK.v'L Litk- 
rary AND Family Newspaper to America. 
In 1844, when a warm controversy was 
raging as to the fact whether pure blood 
Spanish Merinos, and particularly Pauiar Me¬ 
rinos. continued to exist in the United States, 
it devolved on the writer of this to attempt to 
Sowing Spring Wheat in the Fall 
Hugh Hubbard, of Fond du Lac Co., 
Wis., in reply to the inquiry of Chauxcy 
Harris, oii page 184, current Vol. Rural. 
writes:—“Sow your spring seed wheat as late 
in the fall as possible —the day before the ground 
shuts up. The wheat must freeze iu the ground, 
and not germinate till spring. By so doing, 
spring wheat can be made winter wheat. My 
son-in-law sowed two bushels of club (spring) 
wheat on my farm late in the fall. He finished 
harrowing it in late the night before the ground 
froze up. From that seed he got about fifteen 
bushels of first quality of wheat.” 
But our correspondent does not tell us whether 
the seed, thus obtained. if sowed iu August and 
September, and allowed to make a full growth, 
would produce a good crop the succeeding sea¬ 
son. Has he tried it? If not, he has not estab- 
lished the fact that spring wheat* will become 
fall or winter wheat by such a process. There 
is no doubt at all that good spring wheat can be 
grown by sowing seed on well prepared land at 
any time during the winter months; but we 
question whether wheat so produced can be 
called winter wheat. 
S. Pettit, of Pa., w rites that he sowed Can¬ 
ada club wheat in September, which came up, 
did well, but the next spring but few blades 
were alive. The product of the few blades was 
sown the succeeding .September, with better 
success; and this seed and its yearly product 
has been successively sown seven or eight years; 
but lie thinks it no better, if as good, as many 
other varieties of winter wheat. He has given 
up seeding with it. 
The lowest Subsciption Frick of the Rural la 
Two Dollars a Year. For particulars see last page. 
Manuring Corn and Potatoes. 
J- H. Hall, of Chautauqua Co., X. Y., 
writes:—“Iagree with ,1. L\, of Saratoga Co., 
about applying coarse, unr ’ted mann-e r pre¬ 
fer horse manure) on top of potato seed. Have 
tried it with different varieties. Think it an 
excellent plan for early potatoes. Soil, gravel. 
“Ditto for corn. I think I etui beat 8. 
Young, of Essex Co., who gave his method on 
page 125, current Vol, Hen manure, unleached 
ashes, and rotted manure, equal parts, thor¬ 
oughly mixed, one handful to each hill after 
planting, will keep the worms away. I'll guar¬ 
antee, and the corn will come forward rapidly, 
and of an excellent color. 
“ This method accomplishes the desired result 
with the least labor and least manure, giving 
the corn help at the most desirable time. Soil, 
gravel,” 
PAULAR HKltlSO SUE TEG. 
establish that. fact. We published in the .bn eri¬ 
ca » .4 •' rist and .1 for, a -erics 
of certificates, showing that Andrew Cock, of 
Flushing, Long Wand, bought (18111 thirty 
Paukiy sheep of the importer—that they were 
accomfiAi .i-i by a Spanish pedigree describing 
them as pure blood Paulars—that the authen¬ 
ticity of this i.H-ument was attested by the 
American Consol, undoubtedly Mr. Jarvis, 
though those who certified in 1844 that they had 
seen and read the paper, did not remember.) It 
was shown that < ucK was a man of high char¬ 
acter .ml a careful breeder; that bis certificate 
of bh •ai was entitled to implicit reliance: that 
in iu 1S28 he sold liis Pauiar dock, containing 
such of the imported sheep as still sur¬ 
vived, to Hon. CHARLES Rich. M. C., and 
Leonard Bedell, of Vermont, delivering 
them the original Spanish pedigree as that of 
the -|> purchased by them. It was further 
shown that Hon. Charles Rich had bred his 
share of the above dock pure down to the time 
of writing, and pure Pauiar, except that 
he had taken some recent crosses in 1842 and 
1843.1 with full blood Merino rtuns purchased of 
“Consul” Jarvis. 
These certificates came from such reliable 
sources—all that was important in them was 
sustained by such well known and disinterested 
witnesses* —that it was candidly admitted on 
all sides that they settled the question. The 
late John T. Rich, Esq., inherited his father’s 
flock, and it has been, in turn, inherited by his 
sons John T. and Virtulan Rich, who -till 
occupy the old homestead at Riehville, Addison 
county, Vermont. 
Two or three dips into other pure Merino 
blood besides Pauiar, have been made by the 
IttcH family, hut as stated in the Pmclknl 
Shvphcnl, (in which their objects and the effects 
they thus produced are described,) “it has 
always been made a point to breed hn-l.- after 
taking these crosses so as e-seutially to preserve 
the blood and distinctive characteristics of the 
original family.” And that work adds; — ” The 
Messrs. Rich have succeeded in all these objects, 
and have kept up well with the rapid current of 
modem improvement," 
The ewe teg, a cut of which is herewith given, 
was bred by the Messrs. Rich iu 1863. She 
was betw een nine and ten mouths old when the 
drawing was made? and we thought her an un¬ 
commonly tine specimen of the low, compact, 
hardy, weli-woolcd Pauiais of the improved 
family. We learn that slip lias been since sold 
to D. W. Peucey, of North Hoosick, X. Y. 
♦ Hon Fppinguam Lawrbnoe, 91' Long Island, and 
Gov. S. U. .lENNtsos, of Vermont 
CURRENT TOPICS DISCUSSED, 
Do the Drains Work? 
Complaints of wet weather come to us. 
The season is late. We cannot get on our 
land; if we could, it is in no condition lo work. 
Such is the talk. But do the drains work, dear 
sir? Oh 1 your land is not drained! That 
makes a difference. We know of some men’s 
farms that are drained, and they report their 
grain in the ground and growing—the tempera¬ 
ture of their soils all that, coiltcl bo desired, and 
prospects good. Estimate the gain from this 
state of things;—Time gained for the crop by 
getting it in early—a longer season for develop¬ 
ment. Time gained for the farmer because he 
gets in more seed in seed-time. The crop better 
insured against fortuitous circumstances—such 
as Hood, frost, drouth, and accompanying acces¬ 
sories. A healthy plant is secured; and a fully 
developed grain results. These are some of the 
gains which result from thorough drainage of 
plowed lands. And tho gains are like com¬ 
pound interest—doubling up as tho season ad¬ 
vances. 
To you, good friend, who have not sown be¬ 
cause of Hie w ind and rain—because the clouds 
“dropped fatness”—w r e put the question, do 
your drains work? Have you made any sub¬ 
stantial resolutions concerning drains during 
this period of waiting and wetness? Have you 
marked out any natural water-courses, on your 
farm, where you think water will run faster 
with the aid of pick, shovel and level? Have 
you set your teeth firmly together, clasped your 
hands tightly, and resolved not to be caught iu 
such a scrape again ? 
Amount of Flax Seed per Acre, 
Mk.h, H. W 1 hu, of Johosouvilte, N. Y., who 
lives in a Uux-growing region and has had 83 
years experience in the production and mauu- 
tacturu of flax, thinks we recommend sowing 
too much seed, when we name a bushel and a 
hall per acre lor the Minnesota lands. She says 
the amount of seed sown iu that section when 
seed and lint arc both wanted, is one bushel per 
aero sometimes a little more, say 12 bushels 
on 11 acres. She says this Is enough; the flax 
^ands thick enough. She says if tlnx Is coarse, 
it can be made tine for spinning, if the people 
understand their business. She has taken very 
indifferent flax, generally , from which to spin 
ier finest yam; and some of her splinting has 
•eon pretty fine, for she asserts that she had one 
piece ot cloth of la yards that weighed but one 
pound seven ounces. she mills: “Now if our 
Minnesota friend sows one and a half bushels 
I'ci acre, the rich soil of that country will make 
the flax grow so rapidly, and Its being so thick, 
lore will not be strength enough to hold it up. 
the first wind that comes after it is one and a 
ulf feet high, will blow it to tho ground; and 
FEEDING SHEEP FOR SPRING MUTTON, 
Hen Manure and Unleached A3hes for Corn. 
IV. C. E.. of Pennsylvania, asks for the 
best method of applying hen manure aud un¬ 
leached ashes to corn. We should compost the 
hen manure with muck and perhaps other ani¬ 
mal manure, and then it may be put in the hill 
with good results. But we should not apply 
hen manure alone in this manner. 
Unleached ashes should by applied to the sur¬ 
face as a top-dressing about the time the corn is 
getting above ground, or after the first hoeing—at 
least we have seen the best results follow’ their 
application in this manner. A handful to each 
hill will be sufficient. Combined with the heu 
manure, applied as above recommended, good 
crops will be likely to follow on a soil and in a 
climate at all suited to corn culture. 
Red Stone, Fayette Co., Pa., April, 1864. 
Hon. Henry S. Randall: — I wish to give 
you our method of feeding sheep for spring mut¬ 
ton, It may not be equal to John JOHNSTON'S, 
given in the Practical 8• , •.,</, but we think 
it more economical. We buy our sheep in the 
fall: the larger, fatter, and smoother the better, 
providing the price is right. We keep them ou 
good grass till the approach of winter, when 
they are brought to their winter quarters and 
fed good greenish cut hay in the evening, and in 
the morning they are turned on a good sod of 
timothy aud blue grass which has not been pas¬ 
tured since harvest. This sod should be close to 
the sheep house. We endeavor to keep about 
20 acres to the hundred sheep. This sod with 
hay once a day—except in case of much snow- 
will keep them in a thriving condition till tho 
1st of February. Then, as the grass is much 
gone, we commence feeding corn, half bushel 
per day to the hundred—increasing the hay if 
they will eat it — and continue it till we 
turn them to grass again. If properly cared 
for they will be good mutton any time after 
Christmas. Our object is not to make a great 
amount of gain in weight, but to told the weight 
they get from grass until grass comes again, 
unless they are sold in the meantime. This 
method has not failed to pay us. Even the year 
when John Johnston had a “tight squeeze” 
to get the manure for profit, we had it for our 
labor, and a dollar per head for' our profit be¬ 
sides. Since then it has paid well. We have 
ever found it difficult to make a lot of ordinary 
wethers gain enough to pay for the extra amount 
of grain they take in heavy feeding. John 
Johns ion’s gaiu is as heavy as I ever heard of 
in this country with the same kind of sheep, 
care, feed, Jce. Not knowing the prices where 
he lives, I will make a calculation with his 
sheep in this locality, substituting corn for 
buckwheat, which 1 suppose is about equal in 
price by weight. If they gaiu 24 pounds from 
Oct. 20th to March 1st, they may gain from 
Dec. 1st to March l»t, jhe time he feeds grain.) 
three-fourths of that amouut, or 18 pounds. 
For this he feeds one pound of corn per day, or 
How a Horse was treated. 
A. W. Britton, of Livingston Co., Mich., 
writes us that he bad a horse similarly affected 
to that described by W. M. I\, Elkhorn, Wis.. 
on page 110 of the Rural, lie purchased the 
horse, cured him, made $60 on him, gave $30 of 
it to for the cure and the recipe, aud, as his in¬ 
structor is dead, ho donates it to the Rural for 
the benefit of all horse kind. 
The animal had discharged at tho nose about 
six months, when lie got him, most of the time 
from both nostrils, and was said to have the 
glanders, by some. But his glands were not 
swollen. He had been towelled and treated by 
different veterinarians, all to no purpose. He 
was six years old. The owner said the cause of 
his illness was horse distemper, lie received 
the following treatment:—Add camphor gum to 
Jamaica rum as long as it will dissolve, and turn 
it into the cars of the horse every alternate day 
at first; then every third day, and once a week, 
as the case may require, so long as the animal 
discharges unnaturally at the nose. Pour not 
less than a tablespoon twice lull at a time, into 
each ear. Hold the ear firmly and shake down, 
or stop it up, else he will throw it out by 
shaking the head.” 
The Farm Note Book. 
Just as we were writing tho last sentence 
above, it occurred to us how useful a pocket 
farm note-book aud pencil have been found by 
farmers with whom we ue acquainted. We 
know men who do not go Into the fiedd without 
one; and who do uot fail to profit by their ex¬ 
perience thus recorded. It is not a safe way to 
depend upon memory. For time effaces such 
records—especially tho details—and we hardly 
realize how much we have lost. 
The opening season of field work is a good 
time for those who think it a good practice, to 
test its value. We hope it will be done. Once 
begun, and systematically pursued, it will uot 
soon be abandoned. 
To Expel Rats and Mice. 
Every western fanner necessarily has 
large quantities of straw and grain about his 
premises; and some, through poverty, are com¬ 
pelled to make sheds and buildings of straw, 
which makes a tine harbor for mice and rats. 
And if no means are taken to keep them in 
check, they will soon overrun and destroy to a 
great extent. 
Good cuts will do something, and a good dog 
will do more; my dog hunts rats and mice, 
gophers and rabbits, and saves many times his 
keeping in that way. 
To kill rats with arsenic it is necessary to bait 
them with meal for several nights, increasing 
the quantity each uight until it is discovered 
how much they will consume. Then fix about 
half the quantity rather strong with arsenic and 
To Prevent Wire-Worms. 
E. W,, of Wayne, Steuben Co.. N. Y., has 
found that manuring corn in the hill will pre¬ 
vent the ravages of the wire-worm. And he 
has also seen winter wheat on heavily manured 
land stand well, while that on land not manured 
was badly eaten in the full. We call attention 
to a paragraph we printed ou the first page of 
our issue of April 30th on this subject. The 
more we think of it, the more we think that 
wire-worms are most active ou undrained and 
wet soils. Will not our readers watch this mat¬ 
ter the present season and report? 
To Correspondents.— Mr. Randall’s address is 
Cortland Village, Cortland Co., N. V. All communica¬ 
tions Intended for this Department, and all Inquiries 
rdatluR to sheep, should be addressed to him as above. 
TWO DOLLARS .A. YEAR.l 
“ PROGRESS zAJSHD IMPKOVKMKNT.” 
[SINGLE NO. FTVE CENTS. 
VOL. XV. NO. 20.S 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-F0R THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1864. 
1 WHOLE NO. 748. 
