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pAl u «E 
tuaGR ICUL TURF 
PBOGRKSS AND IMPROVEMENT: 
NO. K’OTJIi CENTS 
S WHOLE NO. 578 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A* OHIOIXAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
action of front, I ho late ilifloasc, however, in pota- 
toes, balllcil nil precautions; mid the decay has 
frequently been an great where every care was taken 
to exclude moisture, us where no such pains were 
taken. As a general rule, however, dryness and 
exclusion from the air are the grand points, together 
with such a degree of temperature as may not pro¬ 
mote vegetation. Under such treatment, healthy 
produce will seldom decay, and any original tendency 
to decomposition will most probably he arrested.” 
I he lirst, thing necessary to the preservation of 
Unit or roots, is that they be well grown and well 
matured. When either is immature ami watery, it 
is not in a condition for preservat ion, and decay soon 
commences. A potato that requires a long season 
for its growth, the top of which is usually killed by 
frost, cannot be depended upon for winter keeping. 
The Hubbard Squash, if well ripened, will keep 
sound until May; but. specimens not fully ripened 
it is diilicult to preserve until Christmas. Care in 
handling is another important matter. The least 
bruise causes the living fruit to become a decaying 
mass of corruption. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, und unique 
and beautiful in Appearance Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of Its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render tho Rural an eminently 
Reliable Guide on all the important Practical, Scieutific and 
other Subjects intimately connected with the business of 
those whose interests It aealously advocates. As a Family 
Journal it Is eminently Instructive and Entertaining— being 
so conducted that it can be safely taken to the Hearts and 
Homes of people of intelligence, teste and discrimination. It 
embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural. Scientific, Educa¬ 
tional, Literary and News Matter, interspersed with appropriate 
and beautiful Engravings, than any other journal,—rendering 
it the most complete Agricultural, Literary anii Family 
Newspaper in America. 
For Terms and other particulars, see last png-c. 
E.yterrp Recording to act of Congress, in the year 1861, by 
H R. T. Moore, in the Office of the Clerk of the District 
Court for the Northern District "f New York. 
t'fr- Our only object in Copyrighting this paper is to secure 
what every honorable journalist will freely Kraut — proper 
credit lor articles selected from its pnges. Any und every 
journal is at liberty, and invited, to copy freely, by crediting 
each original article or illustration to Rural New-Yorker. 
MACHINERY AND THE WOMEN 
H. T. B. TO O. M. 
THE SWORD AND THE PLOWSHARE 
don’t understand me to say that she wouldn't get 
married if she-. I meant tu remark that the lady 
aforesaid was satisfied that the women had been fairly 
dealt with in the matter of patent rights,—she be¬ 
lieves the men folks, when they study how to save 
labor, study for the women as much as for themselves! 
“The lords (she informs us,)have not only tried their 
bind* at improved implements for dome site labor- 
saving, but have been eminently successful therein.” 
‘‘That ' old oaken bucket’ no longer hangs !u the 
well, to be lifted, by almost superhuman efforts, over 
the high curb, made so to keep tho cattle out.” 
When Dr. Lyman Bkkchkk and some of bis family 
were capsized in their carriage, Mrs. Stowk Jumped 
up, and devoutly exclaimed, “ let us thank God that 
none of us are hurt.” “Thank (Jon for yourself,” 
said the Doctor, “ I’ll examine my hones lirst.” Ho, I 
imagine, a multitude of fair sisters will exclaim 
touching the “old oaken bucket” which still hangs 
in Uu-ir wells. Even where pumps have been vouch¬ 
safed, a big stream does not always respond to a 
gentle touch, -frozen up in the winter, dry in the 
In looking over the past history of the world, the 
observing man cannot but feel surprised at the little 
advancement made in agricultural knowledge. Here 
and there a ray of light may he observed — some 
bright star ahlniug for a season and giving promise 
06 fetor. po<>«, i.ot | Q * little while it In lost, and all 
again is gloom and darkness. That some of the 
ancient nations possessed considerable knowledge of 
agriculture we must admit, yet this knowledge is 
lost to the world, and even its extent and value is a 
matter of Conjecture. War has been the deadliest foe 
of agriculture — it has been the profession of kings 
and princes at once the occupation and the scourge 
of the people. War has presented the chief road to 
honor, and fame, and wealth, and consequently the 
young and the ambitions have Bought glory on the 
tented field, to the entire neglect of the peaceful pur¬ 
suits of agriculture, which was left to those too old, 
or too young, or too indolent to ”ngage in the more 
active and honorable profession of war. This state 
of things rendered the business of tilling the Boil 
unsafe as well as disgraceful, for the invading army 
often devastated the land, and the farmer beheld the 
fruits of months of toil swept away in a day. The 
sword, in Hacred Writ, is represented as tho great 
adversary of the plow, and in the good time coming, 
when the earth shall be filled with peace und hanoi- 
( 'KI.KHlfA/rKD IIORHJ 
hhujheu 
warded to him in London. His Lordship replied 
“that the horse could not be sent, — Mr. Rahey 
must go for him. He bad not been out of bis box for 
three years, and to approach him was impossible 
without endangering life.” 
We have not space to give tho result in detail. 
Suffice it to say, Mr. Raeky introduced himself, the 
conilict was terrible, but mind gained a complete 
mastery over brute force. In course of time Mr. 
Rakby became proprietor of tlie animal,—the once 
dreaded Cruiser is now the pet of his conqueror, and 
is on exhibition at N’iblo’s Garden, New York city. 
(.'miner is dark brown, of medium size, and with 
heavier limbs than is usual in horses of gucli pure 
blood, arid is as gentle and tractable as any stallion 
that can lay claims to high breeding. 
In connection with the foregoing, a brief sketch of 
Mr. Raeky may not be uninteresting. He was born 
In Franklin county, Ohio, and is now in the thirty- 
third year of his age. Ilia fattier was living in what 
was at that time almost a wilderness, neighbors being 
few and far between. John, being the youngest 
child, had no playmates, and being of a sociable 
nature, he soon found companions among the farm 
horHes and colts, and it was a source of pleasure to 
lmcst “trick horses.” Stimulated by his success, he 
bought other colts, and took horses to educate. 
Such whs bis reputation, even while yet a youth, that 
be had pupils sent him from the distance of two or 
three hundred miles. 
It was now conceived by him, says the * Old Spirit 
of the Times,' that his success and experience could 
be reduced into a system; he had dim idea*that what 
he accomplished was merely the result of Intelligent 
treatment of ail animal naturally superior, and that 
the Creator, having intended the horse for tbe com¬ 
panionship of immortal beings, must have given the 
exalted animal intellectual endowments in harmony 
with his destined purpose. With this developing 
idea lie now for tho first time macticallv noticed 
that 1 can never pardon “old ma —,” your fair 
Correspondent for broaching it. 
“Then the coffee roaster, which Husan or Jambs 
(I would like to see a frizzle-headed boy make him¬ 
self useful in doors, just once,) can turn so easily while 
tho coffee is browning,”—well, may he they do have 
one of those things iu Cayuga County. 
“And the mince mill, cutting the meat for pics as 
well as for sausages.” I can explain that to your 
entire satisfaction. You sec that cutting “sausage 
meat” fell to the men, and they generally went at it 
after wriggling round in their dozy chairs six times 
and making all manner of excuses. When, therefore, 
“ in tho coarse of human events,” they saw a chance 
to make it easier, they produced a machine, — that it 
is ever applied, except very occasionally, to “cutting 
tbe meat for pies,” you will permit me to doubt; 
everybody knows there is but one in the neighbor¬ 
hood, and that was broken when last heard from. 
“ Even the castors on the large table saveB many a 
hard lift.” 
I submit, my dear madam, that yon are over gener¬ 
ous in that statement. Vou vary well know there are 
next to no castors on tlie every day kitchen tables, 
and as for that new dining table, that never corues out 
except when the minister or Mrs. A. makes a visit, 
or it is our turn to give a Thanksgiving Dinner, — 
why, then, even the men folks share so largely in the 
general enthusiasm that they would, if politely asked, 
help out with a table from which I conclude that the 
few “castors” we have are superfluous. 
CAUSES OP DECAY 
of the cells, the union of which is frequently com 
pletely destroyed, as in tissue affected by frost; but 
this is scarcely matter of surprise, as the Bubtle re¬ 
productive bodies of mold arc capable of penetrat¬ 
ing iuto the most hidden tissues, as is proved by 
myriads ol (acts. Mr. Hassall, indeed, has succeeded 
For some time we have heard complaints of the 
unusual decay of fruits, roots, &c. No care in gath¬ 
ering or storing seems to insure success. Without 
being able to give any particular light on this subject, 
we call attention to some interesting facts by Prof. 
Berkeley, who lias given more attention to this 
question perhaps than any other living amu. 
Many productions, both of the farm and garden, — 
such as roots, tubers, and fruit, which contain a large 
proportion of water,— are subject to more or less 
rapid decay. Chemical changes are constantly taking 
place in tbe constituent parts; and in fruit especially, 
sugar is formed at the expense of the lignine and 
water. As soon, then, as the formation of sugar has 
arrived at its maximum, or, in other words, when the 
fruit is ripe, there is a tendency to further change, 
and decay commences. Carbonic acid is formed, the 
nitrogenized substance enters into a state of putre¬ 
faction, and the sugar undergoes fermentation. The 
more free the admission of atmospheric air, or its 
oxygen, the more rapid is the decay. This takes 
Place cither in detached spots, which’ soon become 
continent, or the whole mass seems at once affected, 
In general, even when the cnticle is not ruptured, 
threads of mycelium, principally belonging to the 
most common species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, 
Mucor, and Oidium, will be found in the interstices 
onwiuuueu; out to wnaiuus weakness is owing, 
is still matter of doubt. It is not simply decompo¬ 
sition, in tho regular course of nature, ub in fruits; 
which decay only, in ordinary cases, when their 
proper functions have been performed. Potatoes are 
also subject to a dry decay, which is especially dis¬ 
tinguished by the circumstance, that tubers so 
affected will not germinate; whereas, in the potato 
murrain, the pushing of the eyes Is rather accel¬ 
erated, probably from the partial conversion of focula 
into sugar, and an excellent crop may bo obtained 
from highly diseased tubers. 
Decay frequently taken place, both in fruijs and 
vegetables, from external injury. In delicate kinds, 
such as peaches, tlie damage is in a short time dis¬ 
cernible; and, in all, it is soon more or less visible. 
The cells being ruptured, the vital powers are 
destroyed, and, iu consequence, decomposition takes 
place; which, according to circumstances, increases 
with more or less rapidity; besides which, a fit 
matrix is at once established for the development of 
fungi. 
The great thing in the preservation of fruits, 
especial care having been taken to bruise them as 
little as possible in the gathering, is to exclude the 
access of oxygen. As regards the main produce of 
many years since, uy I'KCEEiz, and tbe more recent 
observations of Liebig, as to the presence of the 
mold; though we are far from denying the powerful 
effects of the growth of fungi in promoting decom¬ 
position, living, as they do, at the expense of the 
substanceBon which they grow, which they could not 
do without producing chemical change. 
In the case of tubers and vegetables, whether 
abounding in fecula or sugar, which are destined, iu 
general, to another year’s growth, decomposition 
seldom takes place from mere exposure to the air, 
except accompanied by such a degree of cold as 
destroys, to a greater or less extent, their tissues. 
Still, decay does take place very frequently when they 
are stored lip for use, originating, generally, from 
numerous points in their substance, and rapidly 
extending, and passing at length into complete 
putrefaction. This lias, of late years, attracted 
general notice, from its prevalence amongst potatoes. , 
