AGRICULTURE 
I WHOLE NO. 579 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1861 
his bntter product largely increas'd, so much so as 
to furnish a great profit on the jextta food consumed. 
The same would hold good in regard to the cheese 
dairy, though to a greater degree 
In confirmation of the impoilnnce of concentrated 
food, I give a statement obtain'd from Mr. II. Sack- 
who lives at Hobart, in Delaware county, of 
their sphere of usefulness over a still wider range. 
The mere discipline of writing such papers would be 
of incalculable advantage to all who engaged in it. 
In a short time a body of Transactions would be accu¬ 
mulated which would become a storehouse of valua¬ 
ble hints for the descendants of those who begnu their 
accumulation. 
But we shall be met with objections of this kind 
among practical farmers:—“I cannot write long 
papers," say such. " I have not the skill in compo¬ 
sition necessary for the composition of such papers." 
But we oak such persona if they cannot tell what they 
know, in talking? We never meet a farmer, however 
defective his education, who cannot with great case 
and clearness tell the results of his experience in 
stock raising, or with various cropB and soils. If a 
man can talk he can write. The trouble with men 
who are not accustomed to composition is, that they 
are not satisfied with writing naturally as they talk. 
If the practical farmer is willing to lay aside all 
thought about tine writing, and simply set down his 
ideas as they come to his mind, he will have no tron 
ble. When the Duke of Wellington was l'remier in 
England he asked a member of the House of Com¬ 
mons to take a seat in the Cabinet. The answer was, 
“ 1 cannot talk in the House." “ Nonsense,” said the 
old veteran, “do as I do, say what you think, and 
don’t quote Latin." If our farmer friends will take 
Wellington’s advice and write down simply and natu¬ 
rally “what they think," they will find no difficulty. 
It may be said by some, “ My education is defective. 
I cannot writo or speak grammatically, and my spel¬ 
ling is bad." Wbatof it, my friend? Will that make 
your experience any leas valuable? Your bad educa- 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
RIDER, 
the prodnets of a single cow fait seven months. 
271 pounds butter, sold at 20c ^ lb, _ . $54 20 
Calf fattened and sold for.. . . 6 00 
Milk sold . .12 60 
Milk used in fttinilj of six grown people_ 10 80 
Total for seven months. .582 50 
The other five months would probably be worth 
at leaBt. -. 8 50 
Making, for the year,_..... ...J..f01 00 
I inquired his method of keeping. He fed bis cow 
ber own milk and the slops of tiic house, as he kept 
no pig. Here, then, was the secret of his large yield 
of butter. Among the dairymen through that region 
two firkins of bntter, or 1.60 pi mi.-., is considered a 
good average for a cow. Mr. r < i am Bit’s cow pro¬ 
duced more than 100 pounds *>ve the average. 
Probably if the whole milk had ".'cu used for butter, 
she would have given at least double, or four firkins. 
The cow was the pet of her owner, and when 1 saw 
her, in high condition, lmt not large. If placed 
upon the scales she would have weighed from 700 to 
750 pounds. She indicated a dash of Short-horn 
Tub Rural N'kw-Yorkrr >% designed to be unsurpiwed in 
Vaine. Purity, Uiefttlncse and Variety of Contents and unique 
and beautiful in Appearance Its Conductor devotes his per 
eonal attention to the supervision of Its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rural an eminently 
Reliable Guide on all the important Practical. Scientific and 
other Subject* intimately connected with the business of 
thorn whew interest* It zealously advocates. As a Family 
Journal it U eminently Instmetlve and Entertaining— being 
so conducted that it can be -h.VIt taken to the Hearts and 
Homes of people of Intalllffence, taste and discrimination. It 
embraces move Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educa¬ 
tional, Literary and News Matter, iuteispejsed with appropriate 
and beautiful Ensrravings. than any other journal,—rendering 
it the roost complete Agricultural, Literary and Family 
Newspaper in America. 
For Terms and other particulars, tee last page. 
EntRREP according to act of Congress, in the year 1861, bv 
ri. 1). T. Moore, in the Olfio* of the Clerk of toe District 
Court for the Northern District of New York, 
Cy Our only object in copyrighting this paper is to secure 
what every honorable Journalist will freely grant —proper 
credit for articles selected from its pages. Any and every 
journal is at liberty, and invited, to copy freely, by crediting 
each original article or illustration to Kurat A no- Yorker 
jivYo-ji 1 
***** 
sb if ted from time to time, and finally placed in a 
largo tub about eighteen inclius in diameter. During 
winter it bad the protection of a cool green-houso. 
Last spring it was placed out in the open air with 
other plants, and Hoon began to make a vigorous 
growth, forming a splendid tuft of long slender rush¬ 
like leaves, gracefully drooping to the ground. The 
latter part of August it began to throw up ltd stout 
reed-like stems, from which sprang two flower-spikes 
that attained the height of eight feet, terminated 
with plumes of feathery flowers fifteen inches long, 
of a light or silvery color, which actually glistened 
under our bright sun. It has been justly described 
as a “fountain of foliage, acquiring more and more 
force from day to day, till at last the gushing lluid 
sprung up into jets of living silver.” 
Such is the Pampas grass as grown under unfavor¬ 
able circumstances; when allowed to acquire strength 
in a deep rich soil, it attains the height of twelve 
feet and throws up forty or fifty of its magnificent 
plumes, as represented in our engraving. South of 
Washington, where it will prove hardy, and attain 
these or larger dimensions, what a treasure it must be! 
In our gardens it is doubtful whether auy protec¬ 
tion will make it safe to leave it out in the open 
ground: but uo matter; though we inay not have the 
pleasure Of witnessing such grand specimens, smaller 
plants possess beauty enough to pay for all the winter 
room they require. We doubt not it could lie kept in 
a dry cellar with perfect safety, and transferred to 
the open ground in spring, lifting it after blooming 
in autumn, as we do many other plants. 
When, growing it requires an abundance of water. 
The soil should bo rich and light, and the aspeet 
warm. As soon as the weather becomes severe, it 
should be removed to the green-house, where, placed 
in a good position, its mass of gracefully recurved 
leaves render it a conspicuous and very ornamental 
object. By increasing from time to time the size of 
the tub, large and very fine specimens could un¬ 
doubtedly be obtained. It is well worth all the labor 
that may be bestowed upon it. It is readily propa- 
Pkrjtaps it would not be considered, by our readers, 
a very grave ollence should we introduce, and almost 
for the first time, a little of the ornamental on the 
first page of the Rural. It being understood, then, 
that we have the approval of our friends, we leave 
the horses, and cows, and sheep, and barns, and a 
most beautiful engraving Of the pig that took the 
prize at the late Dublin Exhibition, and which we 
will give in a future number, and introduce a plant 
which wo have observed and admired almost every 
day the past summer. Many times have we resolved 
to furnish our readers with a description and engrav¬ 
ing, and now we purpose to carry our resolution into 
effect. It is no other than the Pampas (Jrass of 
Brazil, which there grows in such abundance us to 
cover the vust Pampas, or level plains, for hundreds 
of miles. 
The* London Horticultural Society was the first to 
Introduce Ibis plant as worthy the attention of culti¬ 
vators in Europe and America, and large quantities 
of seeds were distributed by this Society in 1856, and 
in the Autumn of 1858 the reports from cultivators 
in all parts of England, spoke in glowing terms of the 
huge proportions and magnificent appearance of this 
famous grass. The finest specimen we have seen was 
on the grounds of Ellw anger & Barry of this city. 
At the base it was some eight or nine feet in 
diameter, and the flower-spikes about the same 
distance from the ground. In our northern climate 
the plant must be removed to the cellar or green¬ 
house in winter, but us far Mouth as Washington it 
would doubtless prove entirely hardy. 
Messrs. Hovky of Boston, and some gentlemen in 
the neighborhood of New York city, have good 
plants. Mr. Hovky gives his experience and opin¬ 
ions in his magazine, as follows:- “Coming from a 
pose to solvo the question. I only know that 1 never 
tasted sweeter milk or better butter than while in 
that county. 
Johnston, in his Agricultural Chemistry, (a work 
which every young farmer ahuuld own and read,) 
says we have reason to believe that the natural and 
immediate source of the fat of animals is In the oily 
matter which the food contains. Hence, the farmer 
who wishes to fatten his sheep or cattle, feeds them 
with food rich in oil, as oil cake, or linseed oil mixed 
with cut straw, bran, or meal. 
Until quite recently no experiments had been 
made for ft sufficient length of time, or by competent 
persons, to test the theories of the laboratory, or the 
closet. Special feeding had produced peculiar and 
unlooked for results, but it was left for Tnos. Hors¬ 
fall, an English farmer of moderate means, but 
possessed of abilities which eminently fitted him for 
the task, to reduce the whole subject of special food, 
and its application to a favorable result, to the 
definite proportions of a science. 
His experiments, conducted with great care and 
skill, and running through a series of years, were at 
length communicated to and published in the 
English Royal Agricultural Society’s Journal, anil 
re-published in the Transactions of the New York 
State Agricultural Society for the year 1856. And 1 
venture the assertion, without the fear of contradic¬ 
tion by any intelligent farmer, that there has never 
before been published so much valuable knowledge 
for the dairyman, and stall feeder, in so small a 
compass. 
Mr. Horsfall directed his experiments to establish 
the fact, that by a Hording an ample supply of the 
proper elements, he could increase the animal condi¬ 
tion, and also increase ami improve its product. It 
could not be done witli the ordinary farm produce, 
of which ho usually fed cabbages anil kohl-rabi, in 
moderate quantities. Of meadow bay it would 
require, beyond tho amount necessary for the main¬ 
tenance of the cow, an addition of full 20 pounds for 
the supply of casein in a full yield of milk, (10 
quarts,) 40 pounds for the supply of tho oil for the 
butter, and 9 pounds for the phosphoric acid. It 
would therefore require the cow to consume GO lbs. 
additional, of hay, to keep her in condition, and sup¬ 
ply the full yield of milk. 
TIriB being simply impossible, he turned his atten¬ 
tion to what are termed artificial, special, or feeding 
substances, and to select such as would he rich in 
albumen, oil, and phosphoric acid, regard being had 
to their comparative cost, with a view to profit.—p. 
THE COW AND HER KEEPER. 
All the elements contained in milk exist in the 
food which the animal consumes, put together and 
combined nearly or quite in the form in which they 
there occur. Certain plants contain one substance, 
as the leguminous, which are rich in materials for 
casein. Peas and beans are peculiarly in this class, 
and are valuable for producing growtli in young 
animals, and for increasing the curd in milk. On 
the other hand, those plants containing oil, will 
materially increase the quantity of butter in the milk. 
But as the milk must contain both the oil for butter 
and casein* or the curd, it follows that if food be 
furnished to t.'ue cow rich in either of these elements, 
but deficient in the other, there may be serious loss, 
inasmuch as all fed to her beyond what she requires 
for her sustenance, and to supply tho demand for the 
milk, must be rejected and thus wasted. 
It is by the skillful combination of all these ele¬ 
ments, existing ready formed in certain plants, and 
feeding them to the cow in such a manner that she 
can consume the largest amount, under the most 
favorable circumstances for its thorough digestion, 
that her utmost value is obtained. The use of con¬ 
centrated food becomes of prime importance to 
every man who wishes to reach the highest value 
from his cow. Thousands, nay, tens of thousands of 
dollars are annually lost to the dairyman for tho lack 
of this knowlege, or the want of practice upon it. If 
the farmer who devotes his dairy to butter were to 
feed bis-cows daily with a small quantity of any of 
the unctuous oils, as cotton seed oil, or rape oil, 
mixed with bran, or meal of any kind, he would find 
bis stable one day, he saw bis horse standing in the 
yard, looking as though he was repeating the last 
four lines of the “ Beggar’s Petition," apostrophised 
no doubt. Upon inquiry, learned that sometime 
previous, while the ground was frozen, he was letting 
him play at the halter, and in making a turn, he re¬ 
members that he slipped, and from that time on had 
been more or less lame. Especially on starting had 
he shown it, and when standing, had,put this foot 
forward. A learned Veterinary Surgeon, whom he 
had consulted, had told him that the horse was not 
really laine, but had contracted the foolish habit of 
standing with this foot forward. His remedy, (oh, 
shade of Dadd and Youatt, pardon!) founded upon 
this view of pathology, was to put on a stifle shoe on 
the well foot, and thereby make him stand on this, 
and learn to keep it under him. Upon removing this 
excrescence of ignorance, the animal immediately 
resumed his position upon the well foot, with every 
look and act of gratitude, more easily imagined than 
described. Fortunately for tho case in point, the 
horse, from this exposure sickened, and died soon 
after with pneumonia; and while a learned disciple 
of yEsculapius was making a post-mortem, and talking 
learnedly to the gaping crowd of grey and red hepat- 
And now, Mr. Inquirer, allow me to say to you in 
all candor, that the very best remedy under tho 
canopy of heaven, in my humble opinion, fOrSwecnie 
or any other disease, is to know you have got It! The 
second is like unto the first, viz., to know what you 
have when you have got it. The third is of minor 
importance, viz., what will restore the diseased or¬ 
gan to a healthy condition. 
The above premises, at first thought, may seem 
nonsensical, (and with many will at the last,) and yet 
a little reflection will teach almost any brain that is 
too large to fill tho cranium of an oyster, that in nine 
cases out of ten, and 1 had better say 999 in the 
1,000, of the fatal cases of disease in the horse which 
they have seen treated, a scientific examination would 
have demonstrated that the first remedy spoken of 
had not been given or understood. Having owned 
as many as one horse in the last thirty years, and 
seeu two others, I propose to give a case in point, 
and if it does not demonstrate any of the above posi¬ 
tions, will perhaps prompt an inquiry which may he 
of some use. 
Some four or five years since, a friend of mine 
owned a most magnificent animal, which, for style, 
speed, and docility, is seldom equalled. In passing 
Someth lNO over two years since, the following 
query was made in the Rural, viz.,—“ What is the 
best remedy for Sweenie?” Having waited thus 
long and patiently for some abler pen to come forth 
in vindication of the wrongs, outrages, and useless 
tortures to which the noblest animal given us for our 
use, is so often needlessly subjected by those self- 
styled V. B.’s, raethouglit I would fire it squib from 
my pop gun, in hopes it might call out a thunderbolt 
from some big battery of experience. The same prin¬ 
ciple applies in investigating disease in the brute as 
the human subject, and to one disease as to all others, 
and consequently so far as the analogy holds good, 
the same reasoning to the one as well as the other. 
