1 " 
[SING-LEI NO. FOUR CENTS, 
ROCHESTER. N. Y, 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1861 
i WHOLE NO. 622 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the third year; and if the soil end cultivation have 
been good, and the seasons warm and favorable, the 
madder will be of good quality; bat generally, it is 
much bettor in quality, and more in quantity, when 
left until the fourth year. 
DrooiNO AND harvesting.—' This should be done 
between the 2Qth of August and the '20th of Septem¬ 
ber. Take a sharp shovel or .novels, and out off and 
remove the tops with half an inch of the surface of 
the earth; then take a plow of the largest size, with 
a sharp coulter and a double team, and plow a furrow 
outward, beam-deep, around the edge of tho bed; stir 
the earth with forks, and carefully pick out all the 
roots, removing the earth from the bottom of the 
lurrow; tbeu plow another furrow beam-deep, as 
before, and pick over and remove the earth in the 
same manner; thus proceeding until the whole is 
completed. 
A ashing and drying. — A . soon as possible after 
digging, take the roots to some running stream to be 
washed. 11 there is no running stream convenient, 
it can be done at a pump. Take large, round sieves, 
two and a half or three feet in diameter, with the 
wire about as line as wheat sieves; or if these cannot 
be had, get from a hardwire store sufficient screen- 
wire of tho right fineness, aucl make frames or boxes 
about two and a half feet lonx ami the width of the 
wire, on the bottom of which n«i 1 the w ire. In these 
sieves or boxes, put half a bushel of roots at a time 
and stir them about in the water, pulling the bunches 
apart so as to wash them clean; then, having a plat¬ 
form at hand, lay them on It to dry. (To make the 
But I commenced saying that I stopped at Moline 
and spent a couple of hours looking through the 
manufactory whence are scattered over our prairies 
so many glistening, polished steel blades, with which 
the virgin turf is turned, and the fallow soil stirred. 
Mr. Deere is a tall, straight Vermonter—head arid 
shoulders above most men in stature — who early 
learned to work iron skillfully, and came to this State 
twenty-five years ago and opened a single lire at 
Grind dr Tour. He got on a stock of iron, a rare 
thing west of Chicago, and because he had such a 
stock he soon got all tho business he could do. He 
manufactured, the first year, three plows— “gtrap 
plows”—the mold-board being made of four straps. 
Hut they did not meet the wants of In's customers. 
The second year he opened another fire, ami built 
eight or nine plows, Improving them* little. With 
the river custom aud other incidental work, he was 
unable to meet the demand for his plows, and lie 
failed also to satisfy the farmers; for while they 
could get do plow better suited to their wants, these 
plows did not scour. The sticky, dirty prairie soil 
would cling to and clog them. The third year the 
same style of plow was built, and 16 or 1H were made. 
Bat tho complainants grew clamorous for a plow that 
would scour. Many farmers averred that they would 
bo compelled to give up farming in the West, as they 
could not cultivate the soil with such tools. 
After having got over the hnrry of the season, the 
third year, Mr. Rkkhk determined to make a scouring 
plow, if one could be made. Quietly, and without 
allowing liis best friends to know what he was doing, 
that ho might not be disturbed by intrusions, or dis¬ 
tracted by suggestions, he wrought a plow out of 
build them all center draft. I find that center draft 
plows are fully appreciated wherever I find them. 
Perhaps the best one of the kind that I have seen 
anywhere, is one I found on the farm of Messrs. 
Town brothers, in Kano Co. Tt is R. Vincent’s 
patent, and was made at Mishawakee, Ind. One of 
the gentlemen, Town, said it was the best old ground 
plow he ever held; and it is not costly— only $11. It 
seems eminently adapted to stubble plowing. But the 
reader mnst pardon this digression. 
There arc some serious difficulties to be overcome 
by tho manufacturer iu the manufacture of “ cast cast 
steel plows”; hut Mr. Debris believes they can bo 
surmounted, and he is tho man to grapple with them. 
There was a cast cast steel plow at Town City, which 
was used by one of tho plowmen at the plowing 
match; it did excellent work, and was very much 
liked by the plowman. It scoured perfectly, ft was 
made somewhere in New England. It is certainly of 
no small importance to the Western farmer, Unit this 
kind of a plow he manufactured here, for it is believed 
that ultimately they may he made cheaper than the 
wrought plows. Again, they may he made more 
durable, for it will be easier to increase the thickness 
ol the plate at exposed wearing points, and give it 
uniformly the best, form without, affecting said dura¬ 
bility. The farmer will bo better able to duplicate 
parts of his plow, with no danger that they will not 
match tho worn parts. There arc other reasons, 
which it is not important should be discussed here. 
Tho Father of Waters turns the wheels of this 
establishment and of many other large manufactories 
hereabouts. The available water-power at this place, 
Moline, is immense, and i'b reliable. The only diffi¬ 
culty that. has ever been experienced, is that of get¬ 
ting a dam capable of sustaining the immense pres¬ 
sure of the volume of waters above. There is no 
doubt, but it can and will he done; but It. lias not yet 
been accomplished. The facilities afforded for ship¬ 
ment in all directions, and for receiving from all 
'll" imi'tirhil f.,r ,,/r,tmv, to 
an nmjUo and i ctinhle water-power, point to ttU» place 
as a most important Western manufacturing center. 
Hero are already located S. W. Whebi.ock's large 
paper mills, Bgyington's Moline flouring mills, 
through which the writer was courteously conducted. 
There are other important manufacturing establish¬ 
ments, which I had no time to visit. 
A.V ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
OHAS. D. BKAODON, Western Corresponding Editor, 
vame. runty, usetulnw and Variety of Contents, nmi unique 
and beautiful m Appearance It* Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attenf >u to the supervision of its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rural an eminently 
Reliable Guide on all tbe important Practical. Snientiflo and 
other Subjects intimately connected with the business of those 
whose interest* it Mutously advocates As a Family Journal 
it it eminently Instructive and Entertaining—being so con¬ 
ducted that (t can be safely taken to the Hearts anil Homes of 
people of Intelligence, taste and discrimination. It embraces 
more Agricultural. Horticultural. Scientific. Kduoatior.Bl 
NOTES AND INQUIRIES. 
Buck, Ashe*, and I.inie on (irass hands. 
In answer to a correspondent of Herkimer Co., 
whose communication, for some reason unknown, 
lias only just reached our table, we would say that if 
the muck was drawn out as is usually dono during 
the summer, we would compost it at once with the 
lime and ashes and apply to grass land in the fall. 
Lime works a great change in muck, correcting tho 
acWity and hastening decomposition. In fact, muck 
is about the only material that lime coutie composted 
with to advantage. To put lime with stable manure 
as is sometimes done, is a had practice, often result¬ 
ing in the loss of one half the valne of the manure. 
Unleached ashes should never be composted with 
manure. If the muck Is got out this winter, it may 
be mixed with the lime as fast as procured, and 
applied to the land in tbe spring, or it is about as 
well and less trouble to spread it ns fast aB taken ont 
and apply the dressing of lime and ashes early in the 
spring. About the best crop of hay we ever saw 
was obtained by a dressing of composted lime, ashes 
and muck in the antnmn, and u light coat of well 
rotted manu-e in the spring, brushed in. This, if 
anything, will renew an old pasture, though if very 
mossy, it is best to give it a good harrowing before 
brushing. It is somewhat difficult to destroy sorrel 
without breaking up und thorough culture. Enrich¬ 
ing the soil, liming, and deep cultivation will soon 
subdue it. Perhaps some of our readers can wive 
1 REPARING SETS AND PLANTING.— Madder SCtS, Or 
seed roots, are lest selected when the crop is dug in 
the fall. The horizontal uppermost roots (with eyes) 
are the kind to be used; these should be separated 
from the bottom roots, and bnried in sand, iu a cellar 
oi jut. It not dono in the fall, the sets may be dug 
early iu the spring, before they begin to B pront. 
They should he cut or broken into pieces, containing 
from two to live eyes each; i, e,, three to four Inches 
long. The time for planting is as early in spring as 
the ground can bo got .in good order, and severe 
frosts are over, which, in this climate, is usually 
about the middle of April. With the beds prepured 
as directed, stretch a line lengthwise the bed. and 
A DAIRYMAN ASSISTED 
get good hard butter. But now we churn, churn, 
churn, and got little and poor. Some of our neigh¬ 
bors have the same trouble.” This is certainly a 
serious trouble; for we get tired of churning when it 
takes only from three to fifteen minutes to fetch the 
butter. 
I am confident —though not entirely certain — 
that, if others would pursue the same course in their 
dairy operations which we have adopted, they would 
have no more trouble in getting their butter. The 
main points in our practice, which differs from the 
common mode of butter-making, are these: First — 
The rows are salted every day. Second - The first 
time cream is skimmed into the cream-pot, about 
half a gill of suit is thrown into it and well stirred 
with a paddle. [Our cream-pots hold about four 
gallons. If larger ones are used, put In salt in pro¬ 
portion.] Third — Every time more cream is pat in 
— and two or three times a day besides — the whole is 
thoroughly stirred with the paddle, which is made 
similar to a pudding stick. Careful attention to 
particular value to the farmer. Our correspondent 
should pursue his investigations in a more promising 
field. The Comfrey, Symphytum officinale was for¬ 
merly used in England to some exteut us a green 
crop, but its culture has been abandoned. Prof. 
Lindlky says, “ it pushes very early in the spring, 
then producing a great quantity of tender, succulent 
shoots, perfectly free from every noxious quality, 
and freely eaten by cattle, after they are accustomed 
to it. Its herbage, even later in the sj^ring, is abund¬ 
ant, and evidently a grateful cattle food. It has, 
therefore, been recommended occasionally as a good 
green crop. It has, however, fallen into disuse.” 
Our common Borrage, 13. officinalis, is a pretty gar¬ 
den plant, rough and hairy, with light blue flowers. 
It is supposed to possess medicinal properties, and 
the young leaves are sometimes used as a salad and 
pot-herb. 
Madder is extensively nsed in this and all manu¬ 
facturing countries for dyeing, as it is used in dyeing 
several colors, but is most valued for its rich madder 
red. Perhaps this will meet the eye of some one 
who can give the history of its introduction and 
culture in this country. We give a description of 
the mode of planting, culture, Ac., by Mr. Batehah, 
of Ohio. From this it will be seen that the raising 
of madder, like that of tobacco and hops, partakes 
somewhat of manufacturing, and requires to be con¬ 
ducted with skill, energy, and means, to insure 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES, 
JOHN DEEHE--A VISIT TO HIS PLOW FACTORY. 
On my way, returning from the Iowa Fair, Moline 
was visited. There are few men better known to the 
farmers of the North-West than John Deere. He is 
either present, or represented by his agents and 
plows, at nearly every State and County Fair that 
takes place. IUb plows are competitors at nearly 
every plowing match in the country. They are popu¬ 
lar among prairie farmers; and they deserve to be, or 
they would quickly be discarded; for it is a fact that 
there is no equal number of farmers in the world who 
are so impatient of and so quickly discard and throw 
by a poor tool, as the farmers of the prairies. There 
arc few who can so quickly determine the real merit 
and value of an implement, and I do not detract from 
the intelligence or practical knowledge of farmers in 
any other locality by the assertion. 
PROTECT THE ANIMALS 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: —The severe castigation 
" if. T. B.” gave the unmerciful owners of dumb 
brntes, (see Rural of Nov. 30,) was just tho right 
thing at the right time. Let any man of any intelli¬ 
gence take a trip on the Erie Canal from Buffalo to 
Albany, and see the poor, wretched, starved, bleed¬ 
ing, maimed, blind, and dying horses the whole 
length of that “ditch,” and then let him Bay which 
has the most brute iuhim, the horse or the owner. 
I recollect some twenty years or more ago taking a 
trip from your city to Schenectady, aboard a line- 
boat, and upon that occasion I had leisure to exam- 
