^ iGRICULTUR f- 
[SINGJ-XjK NO. FOUK CKNT8, 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JUNE I, 18G1 
1 WHOLE NO. 594, 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WBFKLT 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
bills of my agents, only a little over fifteen hundred 
pounds had been allowed—making an actual Iohs of 
some $4,000 to the parties interested in paying for 
the wool. Now, I am fully resolved, with hundreds 
of others with like experience, to suffer no more 
such frauds hereafter, and feeling perfectly friendly 
to the wool growers in general, I have thus been 
perfectly free and frank in making these statements 
and remarks, with a hope that a knowledge of these 
facts will stimulate all to use due care and precaution 
in bringing about a remedy so much desired. Hence, 
to aid in these matters, permit me to suggest the 
following rules to bo observed:—First, before wash¬ 
ing, tag your sheep and sell the tags to pedlers, or get 
them worked for family use. Second, wash imme¬ 
diately after a rain; if not Convenient to do this, 
take your flock to the water and dipeach sheep in till 
you go through the lot, then Commence washing on 
those first dipped, and wash till the water runs clear. 
Third, after washing, drive to a clean grass pasture, 
and, if dry weather, then commence shearing itifour 
days, and never let them run over six or eight days 
at most; if rainy so as to delay, get your sheep under 
cover, and keep them in a close place a few hours, 
and they will soon dry from animal heat. Fourth, 
shear in a good clean place, and keep'all dirt and 
filth away from the wool; do up the fleeces sheared 
side out, use the small twine, neglect the large 
wholly, do not roll them too tight, and pass the twine 
round each fleece from two to four times, being sure 
to trim all loose ends of the twine from every fierce, 
as these on the wool make it appear very bad. Fifth, 
pack your fleeces in a clean, light place, and put all 
unwashed and heavy buck’s fleeces by themselves; 
then the buyer can see all your wool at once, with¬ 
out handling but little, and be prepared to make yon 
an offer. Keep your wool out of all hogsheads and 
boxes, for in them it always shows bad. If you fol¬ 
low these instructions, be assured your wool will sell. 
Boston, May, 1861. Ammi Willard. Wool Agent. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
Thk Rra.«. New-Yorker is assigned to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulncps and Variety of Contents, end unique 
and bountiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of itg various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rural an eminently 
Reliable Guido nn Ml the important Practical, Scientific and 
other Subjects intimately connected with the business of 
those whose interests it sea!oustr advocates. As a Family 
Journal it is eminently Instructive and F.nterUloiuif — being- 
so conducted that it can be safely taien to the Hearts and 
Homes of people of intelligence, U-te and dUcriminntion. It 
embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educa¬ 
tional, I.lterary aud News Matter, interspersed with appropriate 
and beautiful EoKravings. than any other journal,—rendering 
it the roost complete Agricultural. JUterary a.nd Family 
tiEWSl'AJ'KK in America. 
E.VTKRKD according to act of Congress, in the year 1861, by 
f>. II. T Moors, in the Office of the Clerk of the District 
Court for the Northern District of New York. 
dT'Ottr only object in copyrighting this paper is to secure 
what every honorable journalist will freely giant,—proper 
credit for article* selected from its pages. Any and every 
journal (s at liberty, and invited, to copy freely, by crediting 
each original article or illustration to Rural New- Yorker. 
III! . 
\. t 
PREPAKING WOOL. FOR MARKET, 
p:r:k;viitj:»i ipJjAin aw barn - perspective view 
Those who have read this journal from its com¬ 
mencement, are aware that both editors and corres¬ 
pondents have now and again nrged wool growers to 
exercise great care in preparing their woo! for 
market. It was argued, with some degree of confi¬ 
dence, that dealers would discriminate in favor of 
I clean wool, put up in good order—and hence that, 
aside from moral obligations, it was the interest 
of every producer to avoid any deception. But this 
position proved erroneous, for purchasers would not 
discriminate; and fhe result was that those who were 
careless and slovenly (not to say dishonest) obtained 
about the same prices as were paid the most careful 
and painstaking. Of course this treatment was not 
calculated to lead to reform or improvement in wash¬ 
ing and putting up. wool, and it is not surprising that 
farmers neglected care and neatness when they were 
so little appreciated. 
Finding that dealers were so careless in making 
their selections and purchases— paying about the 
same for an article put up badly as that In the best 
condition —we last year concluded to omit any 
special advice or admonitions to wool growers on the 
subject, in the belief that purchasers would ere long 
discover that they must themselves adopt a different 
course in order to institute reform among the pro¬ 
ducers. For this omission we were taken to task by 
a dealer, and how we responded is related in the fol¬ 
lowing paragraph from the Rural of the 4th of 
August last: 
“A few days ago we were accosted by a wool 
buyer in the street, substantially thus— ‘ Why don’t 
yon blow up the farmers about the ridiculous manner 
in which they put their wool. They take no pains to 
have the fleeces clean and nice, and put in all the 
dirt possible. In fact,’ he added, ‘I don’t believe 
there is an honest fanner in the State!' To this salu- 
In accordance with the promise made in the 
Rural of May 4th, (in answer to a request then 
given,) we re-publigli from a former volume the 
Barn Plan which was awarded the second premium 
under our offer. We think this plan adapted to the 
wants of manp of our readers. 
inent, or shed as it is sometimes called, is 11 feet | 
wide by 30 deep, and is marked (I on the ground- 
plan. There is a large Root Celler opening into the 
main hall or carriage floor, fifteen by twenty-three 
feet, convenient to both a and cow stables, A 
black board on wall of > .V|2e ttonr, is very con¬ 
venient for writing down amount of feed, <Vc. The 
horse stable has conveniences for six horses, with u 
cistern of water holding some MO barrels. All stock 
can be watered without going out of the barn in 
coldest weather of the season. The cistern is coveted 
with red cedar, 10 inches thick; sides of cistern arc 
stone, and plastered. There 1 b also a largo tilore 
Room for tools and implements, large enough to 
house all the farm implements. 
The Main Floor contains a Granary, large, and 
conveniently divided and arranged. From it are 
spouts leading to the Carriage Floor of basement, 
so that the contents of the granaries can be received 
into a wagon below, or used otherwise, as may be 
convenient. There are two largo bays, a large barn 
floor, 14 hy 45, 'fhe Stables arc supplied easily 
through trup-doors from the main floor, as Bhown in 
the plan. The scaffolds are reached by movable lad¬ 
ders, which may lie changed to any locality desired. 
The windows of basement are supplied with pul¬ 
leys, so as easily to be moved, and ventilate the 
entire lower floor. 
The Outside Finish is with good matched stuff, 
battened to the eaves, and the gable-ends are clap- 
boarded. The whole is finished with three coatB of 
white paint. 
The Carriage Way is on the south side of the 
building, and is made of easy grade, whilst the floor 
of the barn upon the south side is about 10 feet from 
the ground. This makes it convenient in stacking 
straw after threshing. 
This barn is so arranged that all parts are easily 
accessible; and when once in the building, you can 
get to any part with ease. There is so much room 
that all the crops cun be housed with ease, and with 
little labor. 
The Yard is supplied with water from a well about. 
80 rods off, by a syphon. 
The builder was Cormine Martin, of Avon, N. Y., 
and the cost about $1,500. 
In a future number we will republish the plan 
for which our third premium was awarded. 
FLAX CULTURE IN CANADA, 
Several times have we called the attention of our 
readers to the importance of Flax culture, a crop 
much neglected in this country. While the weevil 
was committing its ravages unchecked, we urged the 
substitution of flax, at least to a limited extent, and 
had our farmers heeded such counsel, the mischiev¬ 
ous weevil might have accomplished some good, as 
well as a good deal of evil. In the proceedings of the 
April meeting of the Chemico- Agricultural Society of 
Ulster, Ireland, the subject of Flax growing In Can¬ 
ada was introduced by Mr. Robert M’Crka, who had 
recently visited the United States and the British 
Provinces. It appears that the flax spinners of Ire¬ 
land find it difficult to obtain a supply of the raw 
material, and Mr. M,, although a flax grower anil not 
a manufacturer,* while in this country, had an eye to 
the supply of this want. He says be observed in one 
particular district In Canada a great number of fields 
of good looking flax, and he found, on inquiry, that 
they were taken from the farmers hy the Messrs. 
Pkrim, who were Germans, and who had erected a 
scutch-mill in the locality for the purpose of scutch¬ 
ing the flax. The year before last they had upwards 
of 600 acres of flax under cultivation, and last year 
they had upwards of 1000 acres. Now, it struck him, 
IVLAN or BA9KME.YT. 
A,__Tool Room; B, Root Cellar; C. Cistern; D, Hall; K, Horse 
Stable; F, CowStable; G, Open Shed; a, Managers; b. Feed 
Box; c, Stairs, 
This barn is situated in the town of Wheatland, 
Monroe Co., N. Y,, on the farm of Ira Armstrong, 
by whom it was built, in the year 1856. It is located 
upon a level piece of ground, the entire, building 
being above the surface. The size of the structure is 
45 by 60 feet. 
The Basement Btory is built of stone, and is 
nine feet high, with 10 stalls for cattle, and a place 
to throw manure out into the open apartment where 
it can be preserved under cover. This open apart- 
ri.A.v or (iain floor. 
A, Granary, with openings foi pnaxlog grain below; between 
this and the bny in a hall, ’Ike barn floor is large, with two 
openings for passing hay aid feed below, for use in the 
stable*, aud on the right is the large Bay, 25 by 45 feet, in 
which may be stored au imuense amount of grain or hay. 
era, and amicable relations be again established. 
When dealers talk about their own “unwise and 
foolish operations, ” and moreover promise reform 
during this “great reformatory year in the political 
and moral world,” we suggest that producer* who 
may bo at fault can safely follow their example in 
tho matter ot repentance, and also as regards assu¬ 
rances of future, good conduct. But while we exhort 
wool growers to second the efforts of dealers toward 
instituting thorough reform iu preparing their staple 
for market, we need scarcely remark that our corres¬ 
pondent is evidently disturbed by other causes than 
the one which is the special burden of his complaint. 
The losses ot dealers for a year or two past arc not 
mainly attributable to the evil for which a remedy is 
sought, and hence what iB said about prospects and 
prices may be taken with some degree of allowance, 
I hat wool will not rale as high this season as last, is 
conceded, but how much leas it will bring remains 
to be decided. We shall endeavor to keep our read¬ 
ers advised as to the state of the market, and the 
prospect. Meantime the attention of all interested 
is invited to the article of our Boston correspondent, 
which concludes with some timely and valuable 
suggestions. 
neglecting their wool by putting it up in bad condi¬ 
tion. Now, for this nnw.se and foolish practice, ail 
those who annually payout their money for wool, 
most earnestly call for f reform in these matters; 
and believing this to bea great reformatory year in 
the political and moral world, i am sure this is tho 
very one to bring about such a result. 1 speak 
knowingly and advisedly when i say that a general 
and universal complaint upon this subject is now 
prevalent with all rnanuUcturers and dealers; and 
there is now a fixed deUrmiuation to purchase no 
wool except such us is pu 1 up in good condition and 
properly handled. 
The unusually large stocks of domestic and foreign 
wool now in our market}, selling from twelve to 
twenty-five per cent, loss, together with the fact that 
no woolen goods arc seling except for army use, 
with the certainty of an increase of our domestic 
clip over last year of some four millions, and at least 
a decrease of one-third in he use of the raw material 
hy our home manufactured, reader it morally certain 
that the wool growers this- season cannot but antici¬ 
pate low figures for their dip; hence the importance 
of putting up their wool n excellent condition, in 
order to obtain anything like remunerative prices. 
It is now probable that al those who continue the 
foolish practice of puttiig up their wool In bad 
order, will have the satisfaction of adding their 
second clip to it before finding a market for such 
wool. The ultimate caust that produced the great 
excitement last season, knl which caused wool in the 
country to advance eight cents per pound in as many 
days, (while it remained in all our cities unchanged, 
in domestic and foreign,j was the faqt that money 
was abundaut, together with an unusual desire and 
eagerness with dealers aid local speculators, and 
also with the manufacturers and even wool growers 
themselves, to purchase til the wool as soon, aud 
even before it was Liken from the animals’ backs; 
consequently this broughi armies of inexperienced 
buyers into the field, who would pay the same price 
lor wool that would shrink in preparing for the cards, 
at least one-half, as they would for the same grade 
against himself as a llax-grower. When in Upper 
Canada, he went with his brother, who was living in 
that country, to visit Messrs. Rerim’s establishment, 
where he found that the flux used hy them, instead of 
being steeped, a3 was the practice in this country, 
was dew-rotted—that was, rotted by the heavy dews 
at night, and afterwards dried by the sun. The flax 
was allowed to ripen very much, and the over-ripen¬ 
ing and want of steeping accounted sufficiently for 
the difference in the quality; but he believed there 
could be as good flax grown in Canada as there could 
be in Ulster, for the capabilities of Canada as a flax- 
growing country had not been properly brought out. 
It was to state that fact to those interested in the 
subject that he had come to the meeting; and, with¬ 
out wishing to prevent parties attempting to procure 
flax in India, he thought that the manufacturers 
might be able to get a portion of their flax from 
Canada. It would, no doubt, require a good deal of 
time before a large quantity of flux could be culti¬ 
vated in Canada. What he had to suggest was, that 
the manufacturers of Ulster should send out au intel¬ 
ligent person to inspect the establishment of Messrs. 
I’ekim, and then to purchase some flax fields in a 
locality where there was good water, in order to test 
the question as to the cultivation of flax in that 
country. It was of importance that plenty of good 
water should be iu the locality, for the water made a 
material difference in the quality of flax. On his 
own farm he grew, last year, four acres and a half of 
flax, and for a portion of it he got £5 per cwt., whilst 
for another portion, which hud been steeped in other 
water, at the distanco lj miles from his place, he 
could only get £3 2s. fid. per cwt. lie mentioned 
that in connection with his remark about water In 
Canada, because a field of flax which might be worth, 
in one township, having good water, £10 per acre, 
TO WOOL GROWERS. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: —As the time is near 
when the farmers are to prepare their annual clip of 
wool for market, will yon permit one who for thirty- 
five years has been mostly engaged in growing, buy¬ 
ing and manufacturing this staple article in the Free 
States, to make a few remarks, and state some facts 
for their consideration, through your valuable 
journal. No one will gainsay, that for the last two 
years the wool growers have, for various causes, 
obtained exorbitant prices for their wool,—from 
four to fifteen cents per pound above its true value 
to the manufacturers. Hence, dealers and local 
speculators have met with severe losses in handling 
their wool during these years, especially the one now 
closing; and for all these foolish and unwise opera¬ 
tions, the farmers have had a profitable harvest, 
without Being in any wise to blame for these losses, 
a 
L. 
oRitstuy 
