Miure 
ROCHESTER, N. Y—FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19,1864 
1 WHOLE NO m 
MOOSE’S STJEAL NEW-YOEKEK, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL. LITERARY AND PAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
this Lease of Life and the accompanying loan 
from Our Father. Ah, I tell you, John, if you 
are honest you’ll smite upon your breast like the 
Publican. , 
Now, while I go and help Patrick securely 
thatch the tops of those corn-stalk stacks, you 
go and shut up turkeys enough to give every 
soldier’s family iii this school district one, and 
feed them well. And, by the way, put up one 
for that poor -of an editor, too. They are 
generally about as poor as soldier’s wives. 
Victoria has a range of mountains running 
east and west at a distance of 50 to 80 miles from 
the coast, thus giving a water-shed to the interior 
and to the coast. With regard to the surface I 
can say that it consists of high and abrupt 
ranges belonging to the Silurian system, de¬ 
tached volcanic cones, and immense plains, 
mostly basaltic. The highest mountains attain 
an elevation of about 5.000 feet To give you 
an idea of the physical features of the Colony I 
wHl select the county in which 1 reside. The 
surveyor’s report to the Government gives open 
plains, 1,018 square miles; timbered country, 
542; auriferous schists, 54; slate, 220; granite, 
32; lime, 10; sandstone, 35; and basalt, 1,340 
square miles. 
The year in Australia is characterized by two 
seasons — the wet and dry — which are equaUy 
deceptive to the stranger. The one is when the 
country is burnt up, and suffering from the 
effects of the hot winds; the other is the rainy 
season, and a stranger arriving at that period 
would scarcely believe that the whole face of 
the country could ever assume a parched and 
withered appearance. 
The dry season in this portion of the island 
lasts from four to six months, during which 
time but little rain falls. In fact, I have known 
four months to elapse without one drop of rain. 
The prevailing winds during the dry season are 
from N. E. to X. W.: and the hot winds from 
that quarter are both disagreeable, and trying 
to the constitution. They usually continue for 
three days, during which time clouds of dust 
till the air to such an extent as to make the sun 
appear like a ball of blood. During the preva 
lenoe of these winds I have seen the thermom¬ 
eter, placed on a cool verandah, rise to 120 deg. 
While they are blowing, the air is almost desti¬ 
tute of moisture, and can only be compared to 
Dr from a baker's oven. As a natural eonse- 
q iente, vegetation suffers, and every particle of 
grass dries up. To give an illustration of the 
effect of the hot winds, I shaH cite their effects 
in my own garden, distant but 50 miles from the 
ocean, and at an altitude of about 1 500 feet. I 
am an admirer of the Fuschia, and have many 
large plants growing in my garden. I have 
admired them one evening, all luxurance, and 
covered with their beautiful flowers, and within 
two days alter the commencement of a hot wind 
I have seen aU their young shoots dead, and the 
leaves as dry as tea leaves. The heat and dry¬ 
ness of the winds is the consequence of the 
absence of rain in the interior, and the heat¬ 
ing of the soil which is unprotected by ver¬ 
dure over vast areas. The foUowing facts are 
quoted from the work of the explorer, Mr. 
Sturt, who visited the district north of 
Cooper's creek in 1846: 
At page 90, Mr. Sturt states that, on the 
morning of the 11th of November, they left 
their camp. “ when the wind, which had been 
blowing all the morning hot from the north-east, 
increased to a gale.” He adds:—‘‘I sought 
shelter behind a gum tree, but the blasts of heat 
were so terrific that I wondered the very grass 
did not catch fire. At noon I took a thermom¬ 
eter graduated to 127 deg., out of my box, and 
observed that the mercury was up to 125 deg. 
Thinking that it had been unduly influenced, I 
placed it in the fork of a tree close to me, shel¬ 
tered alike from the wind and the sun. In this 
position I went to examine it about one hour 
afterwardjyshen I found that the mercury had 
of the instrument, and that its 
fxirtiPW^^H^n had- burst the bulb — a cir¬ 
cumstance that, T believe, no traveler has ever 
before had to record. I can not find language 
to convey to the reader’fi^oul an idea of the 
intense nature Of the prevailed.” 
Writing on the 18th. he mXhKIR thermom¬ 
eter ranged from 110 ii. the 
wind blowing heavily, 
palpable red dust, giving 
boding and lurid appearance as we looked upon 
him. The ground was . reated that our 
matches faUing upou u ign: ” At page 125, 
he states that “ Ther two occasions 
in which the thenm* 4 priced to ex¬ 
ceed the range of ■Lhade.— the 
solar intensity nearly 
M 
■ 
, • ^ ; WL ■ 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE. 
(JHARLFJ! I». BHAGDON, Aft»o<<late Editor. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. — Mr. P.AXDAI.L'S uklrt-SS LS 
Cortland Village. Cortland Co., N. Y. AU communica¬ 
tions intended for this Department, and all inquiries 
relating to sheep, should be addressed to him as abote. 
ELEN'S Y 8. HANDALI* LI* D„ 
Editor Department of Bhecp Husbandry. 
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS i 
P. BARRY, C. DEWEY, LL. D., 
H. T. BROOKS, I.. B. LANG WORTHY. 
SHEEP AND WOOL GROWING IN AUS 
TRALIA. 
Thk rural New-Yorksr Is designed to be unsur¬ 
passed in Value, Purity, and Variety of Contents, and 
unique ami beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor 
devotes his personal attention to the supervision of Its 
various departments, and earnestly labors to render 
the BUBAL au eminently KeUable Guide on all the 
important Practical, Scientific. and other Subjects inti¬ 
mately connected with the business of those whose 
interests it zealously advocates. As a Family JOURNAL 
it Is eminently Instructive and Entertaining—being so 
conducted that It can he safely taken to the Homes of 
people of Intelligence, taste aud discrimination. It 
embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural, SclentlUc, 
Educational, Literary and News Matter, interspersed 
with appropriate Engravings, than any other Journal,— 
rendering It the most complete agricultural litk- 
RABY AND FAMILY NKWbPAPKIl 111 America. 
CURRENT TOPICS DISCUSSED. 
remembered was a very good one, while that of It will be remembered by some of our readers 
last year was very light. We notice the great- that, in April last, we published extracts from 
est increase Is in those States where we had a letter received from Dr. Charles J. Iven- 
supposed but little attention was paid to its cul- worthy', a gentleman of intelligence, who has 
tivatiou—New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland long resided in Australia, offering to furnish us 
and Kentucky—while the crop in the older Sor- with information in regard to Sheep and Wool 
ghutn States has increased but Utile over that of growing in that Island—Information which he 
1802, and in some instances is put down as hav- thought (and we coincided with him) might 
ing diminished. For example, Michigan's crop prove of considerable value in developing a 
is 4-5ths of one-tenth, Indiana l-3d of one-tenth, more economical and convenient system of 
and Iowa 4-5tbs of one-tenth lighter than that sheep husbandry In our own Southern States— 
of 1802, while Illinois’ Increase is put down at and possibly furnish some useful hints for it in 
2, tenths, IV isconsin 3 tenths, Ohio’s 1 tenth, other regions. We at once accepted Dr. Iven- 
and Pennsylvania’s 2f tenths. This may indi- worthy’s kind offer, and below is the first 
cate, in some degree, the aggregate progress of of his promised series of letters on the subject. 
Sorghum culture, but it is very inadequate data It has been some months on its long route. One 
upon which to determine the actual crop, with- somewhat realizes the distance it has traveled 
out some knowledge of the amount of the crop by reading on its envelope the post - marks of 
in the respective Stares in 1802 . The increase Melbourne, Marseilles, Loudon and New York! 
ol the crop of Flax-seed in nineteen of the How rapidly the remaining letters of the series 
States named is reported as near 50 tenths com- will follow we have no means of knowing: 
pi Kd "ith the crop cl ISb.,. A decrease is Ballarat, Victoria. Australia, > 
only noted in New York (j of a tenth) and Min- August *13, istit. s 
nesota (1) tenths.) The decrease of root crops Henry* 8. Randall, E3Q.— Sir: Your kind 
from the crop of 1802. if this circular is any communication, soliciting information respecting 
indication, is a large one. The decrease in the this great wool producing country, is before me, 
number of fattening hogs from that of 1863 , is and it will afford me great pleasure to -tare such 
very large; also of fattening cattle. There is facts as I possess on the subject. 
aDo reported a large decrease in the amount of Australia has been termed “ the country of 
old wheat on hand in September, 1S64, com- opposites.’’ This is no misnomer, for its goo- 
pared with the quantity in store in September, graphical position is antipodean; and its seasons 
i 860 . In most of the States, an improvement and natural productions correspond. Some of its 
in the quality ol the wheat of 1864 compared animals (Kangaroos) use their tails forloeomo- 
with that of 1863, is noted. Without giving tion, and their feet for mauipulation; a majority 
space to the tables, we have thus given a glimpse of the animals (class Marsupalia) carrying their 
of what this circular contains. Our readers offspring iu bags: one animal (Ornithoryneus) 
must decide as to its value and interest to them, j has the biU of the dock, the tail of a heaver, the 
. T “ spurs of a cock, the flippers of a turtle, the fur 
The Plow m the Potato Field. , 
of the otter, burrows like a rabbit, lays eggs and 
8. V\. Arnold, of IlUnois, writes us:—*‘1 suckles its young—an epitome of creation! It is 
am just unearthing three acres of potatoes with * land where the trees shed their bark instead 
the plow. It works fi/st rate. The ground is I of their leaves; where some are leafless and 
rather dry, and the potatoes adhere, with con- others hang their leaves edgewise to the sun to 
siderable tenacity, to the stalks. The variety allow the rays to pass through: where cherries 
is the Peach Blow, The plow leaves the hills | tear their kernels outside of the fruit; where 
set on edge, when a slight scratching with a the thermometer may he at 120 deg. in the shade 
wung hauler or garden rake, on the bottom of at 2 P. M., and inside one hour at 60; where the 
ttie hills, disengages the potatoes, and they run northern wind, instead of refreshing and cool- 
back into the lurrow. After picking up, I shall ing the wayfarer, burns and parches him up 
pass a harrow over the ground which will un- with the heat and dry ness of the air from a blast 
totei some that are left. Alter this is done, I furnace. In fact, it is an Island of astonishing 
do not think tLere wilt be oue per cent, left in permutations and unexpected combinations, 
the ground. This will certainly be better than But with all its disadvantages of climate and 
paying two dollars a day each for men to dig location, stem Anglo-Saxon perseverance and 
them out with hoes. Four men and a small enterprise have rendered it, par excellence, the 
boy are taring out aud storing at the rate of 140 IVool and Gold producing country of the world, 
bushels per day.” . 
vrr , , , - . Australia proper is an immense island situated 
\o,k Jurmg the p*t three week* A greet „ a , )ctTOll „„ 0 
rnehy potatoes were m the ground when the iuJe , Iu length rroin oast to .vest fs 2..W mill 
rath, came ee. Ohe man on elect™, day, told and Us mean breadth 1,200 nUlerimvtag » 
us his crop was still m tUo ground—that he -,*• o a V \ aaa m * mi , 
could not hire hands at less than ^l»o0 pel* day, f . . , , i \ . ,, 
a ,oy„ii .u .v f V of tn ntenor has beer untrodden hy man; aud 
u i ' “) ' 0 ; 1 u T 1“ it is eulv recently that i tplolurs succeeded in 
o l ,s tery dry poutoes have been serious y crossing it from Llh to north. The vast in- 
I! tl,, hlv7)!77T'' > ? terlor is, to a great extent, a barren wilderness, 
have cost to have lorked them out. ravin" a • .... - 
, .. , , ... . .-ir, m consequence of the absence ol rain for long 
dolhu and a halt lor the day s labor. Horse- pePi<xl ,. The existing surface is, to a great ex- 
power may much oftener be substituted for the tent , volo , nic _ th;U J £o sav , covered by hn- 
Jahorer than lt [ f otatoc-s can be well dug mense be ) 3 0 f lava. Underneath the table 
with n plos\ and hiirrow. l>ut Dotuto dicr^mrs , t . , r 
ym - i Ur* ? ¥ ,, . 1 V. upou which I am at present writing, four 
n furnushed at a reasonable pros, will become , „ ot basalllc roc J makl 
popular, ouch suggestions as our fraud sends gate. , UrUkuess of about 300 iek The whole 
us are alwnps valuable to praotieU men. of ^ c01mtry is ata j tW „. iti 
canoes. Within a radius of thirty* 
Those j rofitable Cows. where I aai at present, I am eouvino|^2!^C 
J I’Ll a, of .Portage, who made a statement or more volcanic cones could be couufl^^fcow- 
of the product of her cows for the season, pub- ever, none of them are large, 
lished ou page 357 current voL Rural, in re- Australia is hut poorly supplied wigHPrers; 
spouse to our Inquiry says that the cows had an and many of those are merely dry channels, or 
abundant supply of clover, with a plenty of clear chains of water-holes, during a larg^portion of 
water to run to. The cosvs are the result of the year. In some portions of tit- coast as 
crosses of Durham and Devon on Native stock, much as a thousand miles may traversed 
We thiuk it plain to the thoughtful reader, that without finding a stream emptying into the 
the milking stock of the country may be ocean. But as my knowledge is limited to the 
greatly improved by judicious breeding. The Province of Victoria, a central southern 
discussion upon this subject at the recent State portion of Australia, I shaH mainly confine my 
Fail* was a most Interesting and instructive one. remarks to it. 
About Plows and Plowing, 
Ax Illinois correspondent writes us that 
cast-steel plows are In common use on the prai¬ 
ries, and are far superior to the soft steel that 
were formerly made; and that a cast-iron plow 
on prairie soil would be just as good as a wooden 
one. We are quite well aware of that fact. 
But has Our correspondent seen the cast-east 
steel plows that were being introduced on the 
prairies by the Messrs. Deere, of Moline, in 
1861 or ’62 ? They have also been in use in the 
New-England States, but to what extent we 
are not informed. 
Another IUinois correspondent, Charles 
E. Baker, of Champaign Co., writes: — 
“Here, iu Central IlUnois, the left-hand plow 
is used almost exclusively, and is generally 
regarded by farmers as being far superior 
to the right-hand plow. I have not yet 
heard testimony sufficient in favor of the for¬ 
mer, as against tbo latter, to warrant me in 
rendering a verdict of superiority in either case. 
It seems to me to exist in the manner of using, 
and not in the plow itself. In localities where 
the teams are driven with a single line, the 
left-hand plow can be used, without doubt, most 
advantageously; but iu sections of the country 
where this manuer of driving is unknown, I 
would not recommend the farmer to act upon 
the suggestion of * E. E.’ Having never used a 
left-hand plow, except to plow my garden, I 
can not speak from experience, but simply 
from observation. The right-hand plow has 
been a pleasant companion of mine from early 
boyhood, till within the last few years. I have 
been engaged in other pursuits. Next season I 
intend to put my hand again to the plow. Be¬ 
fore the ojieuiug of the season 1 shall purchase 
a plow. I want the best. Which shall it be ? 
I should Uke to see this subject discussed through 
the columns of your valuable paper, by those 
who have used both. Wo want facts; based 
upon extensive, practical experience.’’ 
It is proper for us to say here, that we have 
received abundant testimony from correspond¬ 
ents, east and west, establishing the superiority 
of steel over cast-iron plows, even on our stiff', 
stony soils of the east* This superiority, so 
far as the testimony received goes, relates more 
particularly to ease of draft, freedom from clog¬ 
ging, Ac. Nothing has been said of relative 
cost and durability. Some of our correspond¬ 
ents have named the manufacturers of the 
plows used, which is proper but not essential 
in establishing the relative merits of iron and 
steel. 
While on this subject of plows and plowing, 
we may properly quote from a letter before us 
from Do Kalb Go., HI.: —“The favorable 
weather the past month enabled farmers to 
secure most of their crop: in good order, and 
the plow is now running on nearly every farm 
for the spring sowing. Fall plowing for small 
grain has long been considered indispensable, 
and many farmers are lately getting in favor of 
fall plowing for corn." 
FARMER GARRULOUS TALKS, 
“ Thanksgiving ! To be sure I am glad 
Abraham Lincoln has Nationalized a Thanks¬ 
giving day. I like such autocratic—I believe 
that’s the word—exercise of power. I don’t 
know as you or I have any right to put on long 
faces and clothe ourselves in sack-cloth and 
ashes because cotl’ee is high, and sugar dear, and 
tobacco is taxed. I am not going to do it, I can 
tell you. You and I have no right to magnify 
our sufferings aud misfortunes. Wc ought to 
look for something to rejoice oyer. We wouldn’t 
have to look long either. From our own stand¬ 
point, as farmers, we ought to see enough to 
make us grateful. 
There’s neighbor Graspy, whom I met just 
now, said be hadn’t any thing to be thankful 
for. lie was offered 50 cents per pound for his 
butter, wouldn’t take it, wanted 75 cents, and 
had sold it at 35 cents. What has he to be 
thankful for, he would like to know !—had a 
whole tun of butter ami had lost $300 on it slap 
dab. Didn’t feel vory thankful—not yory. 
Charged it upon “ the administration.” I told 
him I hadn’t a doubt but “the administration" 
was to blame, and if I was in his place I would 
substitute a man of good sense in the place of 
the one who refused fifty cents per pound for his 
butter—and that he ought to thank God that 
He had opened his eyes to the value of butter. 
No, no, I don’t like to torment any body. 1 like 
to have people happy and prosperous; but after 
haviug given my boy Dick to the country, 
buried him In its behalf, I am sure I’ve got a 
right to thank God, humbly too, that I am not 
as other men are, some of them, lovers of self, 
workers for self, worshippers of self. I tell you 
John there is not an atom of the Pharisee about 
me when I thank God that 1 am not as other 
inen are iu this respect, though I must acknowl¬ 
edge I may be worse than they in other respects. 
But I was saying, JOHN, that farmers have 
something to be thankful for. They have a 
Country left them, its honor burnished, itsglory 
greater than over before, their citizenship 
assured, their homes yet sacred to them, their 
barns, grauaries and cellars filled, their labors 
rewarded, their vocation respected, their in- 
fluence as an integral profession acknowledged, 
their loyalty unimpeached, the sturdy bravery 
of their sons made historical, their self-sacrifices 
recorded, freedom of speech assured, the l ight 
to worship Goo according to the dictates of 
their consciences untrammelled, and the duty 
of offering Thanksgiving to Him officially en¬ 
joined by the Chief Magistrate or the United 
States ! 
Is’nt that something to thank God for? But 
you aud I, John, ought not to stop here in our 
Thanksgiving. There are a great many little 
things, personal to us, which we should note 
down in our hearts as belonging to our Indebt¬ 
edness to a good Providence. When we get 
through husking to-night, let us, each of us, Like 
a pencil and write down the items of credit to 
God’s goodness which wc can think of, and for 
which wo ought to give thanks. I tell you it 
wiU he found to be a long list. And then if you 
want to he made humble, try to enumerate what 
you have done that entitles you, as a farmer, to 
The Crops of 1864. 
We have received from Commissioner Nkw- 
TON a Drop Circular, embracing estimates of 
the crops of 1864, made from returns from cor¬ 
respondents of the Department, compared with 
those of the two previous years. The crop of 
Wheat for 186 4 is put down at 160.695,823 bushels 
—a decrease from the crop of 186:) of 18,708,213. 
The crop of Rye is given at 19,872,975 bushels— 
a decrease of 909,807 bushels from the crop of 
1863. The crop of Barley is estimated at 10,- 
716,328 bushels—a decrease of 750,827 bushels 
from tho crop of 1863. The crop of Oats is esti¬ 
mated at 176,690,064 bushels—an increase over 
the crop of 1863 of 2,889,480 bushels. Tho num¬ 
ber of tuns of Hay harvested is put down at 
18,116,751—a decrease of 1,620,096 tuns from the 
crop of 1863. The crop of Corn is put at 530,- 
581,103 bushels—an increase of 78,013,444 bush¬ 
els over hist year's crop. The Tobacco crop of 
