ffigricyir 
Agriculture 
FOUli CENTS, 
ROCHESTER. N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1861 
mitted to grow. All weeds that have commenced 
flowering should he collected together in a pile, dried 
and burned. If gathered before flowers are formed, 
they may be placed upon the compost heap and 
mixed with fermenting manures. 
The number of seeds produced by our common 
weeds is really astonishing to those who have not 
studied the matter. A good plant of dock will ripen 
from twelve to fifteen thousand semis, burdock over 
twenty thousand, and pig-weed some ten thousand. 
To destroy a plant before seeding, therefore, is a 
work of no small importance. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIOINAL WEEKLY 
agricultural, literary and family journal. 
in June for the first time in the second year. The 
best plan is to turn on your stock wheu the seed 
ripens in June. Graze off the grass, then allow the 
fall growth, and graze all winter, taking care never to 
feed the grass closely at any time.” 
A mono all the inventions 
for paring apples which have 
come under our observation 
Of late years, the “Return- 
Table Apple Parer,” recent¬ 
ly patented by Wihttemoke 
Brothers, Worcester, Mass., 
is the most novel and com¬ 
plete. For paring only we 
think it just the thing, and 
likely to give entire satisfac¬ 
tion. In the language of the 
inventors, “it embraces some 
of the principles of former 
patents, but the principle of 
giving the knife motion 
around the apple, and caus¬ 
ing its return, is entirely new, 
and a patent has been al¬ 
lowed upou it. It takes 
three turns of the crank to 
pare the apple and bring the 
knife back in its place, with¬ 
out llm use of a spring, and 
in the neatest, and most quiet 
manner imaginable; while 
no machine leaves so little 
paring upon the apple.” 
It can be seen at the store of 
N. B. Phelps, No. 3 Buffalo 
st., who is agent for Roches¬ 
ter and vicinity. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
Canada Thistles. 
Some years since, in our investigations among 
the flowers and weeds, we found what was new to us 
— a Canada thistle with white flowers. In the 
locality where we discovered this, there were a few 
among the pink variety, but In no other place did 
we And them. Having searched all the botanical 
works within our reach, and not finding the white 
variety described, we made inquiry of some of our 
be«t botanists, and found they were ignorant, of its 
existence. Since then we have watched its increase, 
and now a lew can be found in almost all places in 
this section of the country where Canada thistles are 
permitted to grow. About five weeks since, in 
giviDg some notes made among farmers and in the 
harvest field, wc playfully remarked:—“The Canada 
thistle is a pretty flower, very fragrant, and we have 
discovered a white variety; but we hardly think it 
worth while to grow seeds on a large scale, for the 
demand will not be great nor the price remunerative. 
We would therefore advise farmers to cut down their 
thistles.” This simple remark brought the following 
letter, and we judge Its author, from the desperate 
effort he makes at sharp writing, has not only labored 
among the thistles but suffered from their sharp 
points: 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— A short time since, I chanced, 
in my rambles, to pick up a copy of the Rural, and in qlan 
eing over an article which I supposed was editorial, I dis¬ 
covered the writer, among other items, gave a thrust at the 
poor “ Canada Thistle," and among his remarks he. says “ we. 
have discovered a while, variety." Well, said I, hern is another 
evidence that, there Is progress — surely, its Oai.lilko once 
.nl(l, "the world inol’r*for in this year of grace 1801, with 
-llie war for slavery upon us, and among all the new things 
which are happening under the sun, some one who Is con¬ 
nected with the Rural, who writes the editorial “ wcj’has 
discovered a 11 white variety of the Canada Thistle ’’ 
Now, Hr. Editor, I am not considered or called a very 
smart man. I was raised in the woods in Monroe county, N. 
Y.i aud have lived on this revolving earth a full half cen¬ 
tury. I have been familiar with Canada Thistles fall forty 
years, have worked among them many a day, have tried 
many experiments with them, in order to become acquainted 
with their habits, and, if possible, learn how to destroy them, 
in which I am vain enough to think I haye succeeded, and 
yet my memory ronneth not back to any time this side of 
thirty yearn whtn I did not know there was a “white 
variety.” 
I wish now to state it is my opinion, founded on long expe¬ 
rience and observation, that it is only this ‘“white variety” 
which producer need. I have carefully opened and dissected 
perhaps thousands of the “balls” or beads of the pink 
variety, and have never found “ nary seed.” 1 do not mean 
to affirm that this is an unfailing or a universal natural law 
of the existence of the " thistle,” but I do say 1 have never 
found a fully developed seed, or one which would germinate, 
in the pink variety. 
It may possibly be different where “we” have just dis¬ 
covered the “ white variety," but I rather guess if ' we” will 
take the trouble to thoroughly investigate “ our ” discovery, 
“we ” will tind the “ white variety" is alone the seed-bearing 
thistle, and that it is, as a general thing, of rather rare pro¬ 
duction It Is a great blessing to the world it is so. For if 
all of this plant, which is annually alluwed to ripen on the 
soil of our negligent farmers, was but full of perfect germi¬ 
nating seed, many parts of the Empire State would have been 
long ago rendered unendurable, if not perfectly untillable.— 
James M. Westcott, Dundee ^ N . V ., 1861. 
We do not wonder that the author of the above 
epistle is “not considered or called a very smart 
man.” Since it came to our hands, we have grown 
over ninety plants of the Canada thistle from one 
hundred seeds gathered from the pink variety, and 
we will send him a peck of plump Beed warranted to 
grow, for a fair consideration. Again, we will send 
two packages of seeds, one from each variety, and 
he will not he able to tell the one from the other. 
One reason why the Canada thistle does not spread 
more rapidly from seed is the fact that in many of 
tlie seed-producing heads is found a white grub that 
destroys the germ. Another reason is that many of 
the flowers in both varieties arc abortive, producing 
no seeds. This is particularly the case with the late 
flowers. In growing plants, we find that the outer 
covering of the seed comes up with the young plant, 
as with the cucumber. The seeds sown, for the pur 
pose of testing this matter, were not selected, but 
planted as taken from the head, rejecting those only 
that were injured by the grub. 
CHAS. D. BRAG-DON, Western Corresponding Editor. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value. Parity, Usefulness and Variety of Content-, and unique 
and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of Its various departments, 
and earnestly lAbors to render the Rural an eminently 
Reliable Guide on nil the important Practical, Scientific and 
other Subjects intimately connected with the business of three 
whose inter*- -lx it xealoutdv advocates. As a I-’aMII.v JOURNAL 
it is eminently Instructive and Eutertaining —being so con¬ 
ducted that it can he safely taken to the lleai-ts and Homes Of 
people of iutelligenco. taste and discrimination. It. embraces 
more Agricultural, Hortlcultnral. Scleotitlc. Educational, 
Literary aud News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and 
beautiful Engravings, I ban any Other journal. — t endering 
it the most complete Aorjcultural, Litkrarv and Family 
Newspaper in America. 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES, 
WAYSIDE JOTTINGS, 
“SrENns most of his time in the garden.” Such 
was the closing sentence of the hasty history of u 
manor whom I had heard something in the neighbor¬ 
hood—whose son was called an excellent farmer, Ac. 
I determined to call upon this man; for I desired to 
study his composition—to learn something of the 
personal character of one who could “find time” to 
give to such a novelty as a good garden—for outside 
the “corporation limits” of the town, I have failed 
to find a real gone/ kitchen garden, I am sorry to say. 
The two “ boys ” arc cutting oats, and the “father” 
is away yonder salting the cattle, and picking np 
the fallen fence. Ho is ooraiug, and 1 wait to see 
him. The reader knows, as well as the writer, that 
having heard something of the character of a man, we 
associate with it certain physical (Vat,ores or peculiari¬ 
ties, which we are very sure to liml in some form. 
Here he comes, a straight, wide-awake old man, neat, 
thoughtful, Careful of the comfort and well-being of 
all about hirn, whether brute or bedng. We are not 
disappointed in his comp<> itien. And we are led at 
once to the garden, which i 1 pi jnly his pride and 
pet. It Is not unlike other good gardens. 
We notice lie lias a late crop of dwarf peas grow¬ 
ing, and ask the kind. “The Strawberry l‘ca—the 
best I know of. It is early and productive—occupies 
but little room. You see this is a lute crop, I 
planted them about the last week in June, for seed. 
I find the crop that matures from a late seeding are 
never buggy, as the earlier crop is almost sure to be.” 
Here arc black currants, and l may say here, that 
this fruit is growing in favor in many parts of the 
West as a wine fruit, and is being more cultivated 
than formerly. The Black Naples is most grown; in 
Some gardens I have found the Black Grape, but have 
as yet been unable to detect a difference between the 
two varieties as grown here. 1 notice they are grown 
in this garden In the tree form; and the old gentle¬ 
man asks if f know how to grow them tree form, and 
without waiting for an answer, says an English gar¬ 
dener told him to cut out all the eyes or liuds except 
one or two at. the base of the cutting, and one or two 
at. t,bc top, and there will be no trouble from sprouts. 
That is the way his are grown. But the heavy heads, 
with the burden of fruit, render stakes necessary to 
keep them upright. 
— This is a fine neighborhood—this town of Benton, 
in Lake Co„ 111. and I find there is a good deal of 
rivalry in sheep husbandry. There is one man to 
whom his neighbors refer as a successful shepherd, 
and as having one of the finest (locks Of Spanish Meri- 
noes in Northern Illinois— Enos R. Ferry. Mr. F. is 
a snug farmer—has built up his farm and business by 
hard labor. He has a fine flock of sheep. He has a 
buck that T think it will be difficult to beat—four 
years old. From this animal 324 pounds of washed— 
thoroughly washed —wool was sheared the present 
season, it being only the fleece of one year’s growth. 
Mr. Ferry’s flock— ihe original U»ck—was bred by 
La no no n, of Vermont, whose stock, Mr. F. said, was 
from Hammond’s flocks. 
Mr. F. says he fed no grain to his sheep last winter, 
except to the lambs, and the older and infirm ewes. 
The condition of his breeding ewes to-day confirms 
this statement; and it seems to the writer a question¬ 
able kind of economy in this groat grain country. 
Especially should breeding ewes he well and care¬ 
fully fed. Mr. F. is doubtless convinced of its 
profit; for he said oats were the best feed for sheep, 
and should be fed in the sheaf. He asserted that by 
feeding one bushel of oats per head in winter, he 
could add one pound to the weight of each fleece, if 
wool is worth 30 cents per pound, it would be a good 
profit on oats at present prices— especially when the 
cost of threshing and marketing them is saved, 
even though the improved condition of the animal 
and increased weight of carcass be not taken into 
account at all. The oats should be cut middling 
green, and the sheep will consume all or nearly all of 
the straw. 
Mr. F.’s management of his sheep, his division of 
flocks, mode of feeding, and handling, is not unlike 
that of other experienced shepherds. He evidently 
understands his business. The lambing season is 
usually from the middle of March to the middle ol 
April—before the flocks leave the winter folds. He 
sells, as his flockH increase, but few sheep, compara¬ 
tively, but lets them out to men who will care for 
them, receiving a shure of the wool and the increase. 
— Talking about Horghum, Mr. F. remarked that he 
had found nothing better for milch cows. He has 
had experience with it, feeding it in early autumn 
before feeding Indian corn fodder. While it does 
not produce more milk than our maize stalks, it 
does insure better flavor, and a better quality of 
butter. He has never known it to injure stock 
INQUIRIES AND NOTES 
Kentucky Blue Grass. 
Eos. Rural New-Yorker: —Will you be kind enough to 
give me some information, through the columns of your 
paper, or otherwise, in relation to Blue Grass, stating what 
kind or kinds of soil are adapted to it, tune of sowing, quan 
tity of seed per acre, &c.? Do you consider It preferable for 
meadow or panto re to timothy ?—\V. F. GREEK, J’ainetvilte, 
Lahe On., O., 1-881. 
Our correspondent, we suppose, refers to the Ken¬ 
tucky Bine Grass, which is commonly called here 
’ ■■**’ t* nn sventensh. and not the true Blue 
Grass, or IV ire Grass, Poa comjiressa. The former Is 
the favorite pasture grass of Kentucky, where it is 
known as Blue Grass, and hence the reason that it is 
known so generally as the Kentucky Blue Grass. 
Various opinions arc entertained lu regard to its 
value, aud while some think it the most valuable of 
all the grasses in our pastures, others regard it as 
far inferior to others, aud comparatively worthless. 
The truth, no doubt, is that this grass is peculiarly 
adapted to certain localities, and in these it is exceed¬ 
ingly valuable, while for others we have grasses 
much its superior. It may be seen in perfection in 
Kentucky ami Tennessee. Prof. Way has shown by 
analysis that it is far inferior to Timothy in flesh¬ 
forming, and especially fat-f'orining principles. All 
experience, we believe, shows that, if Kentucky 
Blue GrasB is cut for hay, it muBt he done wheu the 
plant is in flower, as, if the seed is allowed to ripen, 
a large portion, some- say a fourth, of the crop is lost. 
It is generally admitted that the produce is less 
than many other grasses, but the herbage is fine. It 
is not particular as to soil, and flourishes on dry 
knoll3, or in a wet meadow, though a dry calcareous 
soil is doubtless the best. This grass is injured by 
severe drouths, yet it iB said cattle will eat it when 
dry in the field with great relish, and much better 
than any of our grasses. It is extremely hardy, 
enduring the winters well, and in Kentucky, where 
it is so highly prized, and where the winters are mild, 
it is often found luxuriant daring the whole season. 
For that Btate, it is said the best Blue Grass pastures 
are those thatare partially shaded. About six quarts 
of seed are sown to tlie acre, though in some cases 
less ia used, and we think more might be with advan¬ 
tage. Early in the spring is the best time for sowing. 
The following from the Ohio Farmer is by a Ken¬ 
tucky correspondent, and gives, no doubt, the general 
opinion of Kentucky farmers respecting this grass: 
“ Blue Grass, in our climate and soil, is not only the 
most beautiful of grasses, but the most valuable of 
crops. It is the first deciduous plant which puts 
forth its leaves here; ripens it seeds about the tenth 
of June, and then remains green, if the summer is 
favorable in moisture, during the summer months, 
growing slowly till about the last of August, when 
it takes a second vigorous growth until the ground is 
frozen by winter's cold. If the summer is dry, it 
dries up utterly, and will burn if set on fire; but even 
then, if the spring growth has been left upon the I 
ground, is very nutritious to all grazing stock, and 
especially to sheep aud cattle, and all ruminating 
animals. When left to have all its fall growth, it makes J 
fine winter pasture for all kinds of grazing animals. 
About .Seeds and Weeds. 
Thvse who have giveu particular attention to 
the ripening of seeds of flowers or grain, know that 
many varieties will come to maturity if the plant is 
cut soon after the flowers have fallen, and that even 
when a plant Is considered in full flower, seeds from 
the earliest blossoms are sufficiently matured to ger¬ 
minate. Some plants too will continue to flower aud 
produce seeds even after being pulled up by the 
roots. A knowledge of this fact is of great benefit 
to the seed-grower, for he can pull up the plants, 
wash the dirt from the roots, and lay them on cloths 
where they will perfect their seeds, which are saved 
without much trouble. Many farmers, however, do 
not seem to understand these facts, and they pull up 
the tall weed- among the earn and throw them on the 
ground, in the very best possible condition for the 
ripening of seed. A careful test, we believe, would 
prove it to be a fact that a pig weed will ripen more 
seeds when pulled up and laid in the sun than if per¬ 
