same or some allied disease, and that if he does 
not, he may transmit it to his posterity. It 
would not be "‘right or honorable” to soil this 
ram without apprizing the buyer both of the 
facts and the danger resulting from them. And 
it would bo - far better not to sell him at all—for, 
tram accident, or ignorance, or knavery, lie may 
be extensively used, and may, therefore, do 
extensive injury. His incat is good before any 
disease has been developed, though we can by 
no means concur with Mr. Spooner when he 
says, of a sheep that has exhibited scrofula, — “as 
soon as the animal is considerably better, it should 
be sent to the butcher.” Even Mr. Youatt 
displays the same loose morality on one or two 
occasions, in regard to selling the meat, of dis¬ 
eased animals ! It is indecent ., and has been held 
by courts and juries, in this country, to be illegal 
to sell such meat, if the animal is laboring 
under any general disease, of the system, like 
scrofula, fever, Ac. Let Mr. Ayehy do exactly 
as he proposes—castrate the ram and “keep him 
a few years as a matter of experiment to see 
-whether he will be affected with the disease of 
the parent.” 
rather variable weather—but during the last half of 
December, and up to this time (Jan. 20,) it has been 
preur steadily cold, with considerable snow—much 
more favorable weather lo sheep than alternate freez¬ 
ing and thawing weather. Our farmers already remark 
the superiority of their hay over that of last year. 
Marking Sheep.— A. Willson of Marcellas, N. Y., 
prefers wooden letters and figures to the iron ones of 
Mr 1 1 up lor mar king sheep, on the score of economy. 
TJlcsma11 difference in price (ray *1.25) is a mailer o! 
no consequence, provided one is even slightly bettor 
than the other, in respect to n But of implements of 
this kind which Will never wear out. The iron letters 
are much more accurately formed than any we ever 
saw cut ont of wood—and they arc more easily kept 
clean. ' 
Fulton, Rock Co.. Wis .,\ 
November, 2 Slh, isnt •, 
Henrx S. Randall, IX. 
WESTERN SHEEP LANDS. 
Dakota Citt, Nebraska, Dec. 20, 1801 . 
Hon. H. S. Randall —Bear Sir: I have 
been very much interested in reading articles 
in the Rural on sheep husbandry in Minnesota 
and Iowa. Believing that there are other 
equally good if not superior localities for this 
business, I feel that they ought to be made 
known. I am not in the business myself, and 
own no lauds. Neither am I interested in any 
speculations. I write solely for the benefit of 
those who desire to engage in sheep raising. 
I uige all such to visit the best portions of 
Iowa and Minnesota, and then before they 
determine where to settle, come and take 
look at Nebraska. Take, for example, Dakota 
county-, the capital of which Dakota City, five 
miles south-west of Sioux City ou the western 
shore of the Missouri. The bottom here is 
from seven to nine miles wide. The soil is sur¬ 
passed by none in the world for fertility. It is 
from ten to Jillcen feet deep, and is composed of 
a sandy loam, mingled with vegetable mold. 
Protracted drouths have probably less effect 
upon it than any other in the United States. 
With the most ordinary culture the soil pro¬ 
duces from sixty to seventy bushels of corn per 
acre. As high as one hundred bushels have 
been raised by care and attention. Wheat, outs, 
sorghum, potatoes, &c., yield equally well It 
is a common thing to raise forty-six bushels of 
spring wheat to the acre. All along the edge of 
the.bluffs, extending into the bottom, are a vast 
number of springs and rivulets, which offer an 
abundance of water for sheep and cattle.^_Tlie 
very best of these lands, within four miles of 
Dakota City, can yet be purchased for from 
two and a half to four dollars an acre. There is 
so much unimproved land held by speculators 
that there will be any quantity of grazing lands 
tor many years to come. The cost of putting 
up bay depends on the price ol labor, generally 
from two to four dollars a tun. It can be cut 
almost anywhere over the prairie. 
The atmosphere is very dry; and the sky is as 
clear as that of Italy. The climate is surpassed 
by none in the world for healthiness. No mins 
fall in winter. During the whole of the cold 
season there is comparative uniformity of tem¬ 
perature. Indeed, so wonderfully is the country 
• adapted to stock raising that sometimes cattle 
are not fed all wiuttr. They thrive and grow 
fat on the rush grass alone, and are] taken 
directly in winter from these pastures *to the 
butchers. 
This county also contains an abundance of tim¬ 
ber. One plat alone contains fifteen thousand 
acres. Sufficient can be obtained anywhere at a 
very small cost, for fencing and othcrjpurposcs. 
A steam saw-mill supplies boards, &c., in any 
quantity. Brick can be burned in many places 
-or bought. Sand and limestone are quarried 
with ease at the bluffs, and to any amount. This 
county furnishes lime to all the surrounding 
regions. The Missouri river is a highway to the 
markets of the country. In a year there will 
be a railroad finished to within fifty miles of the 
county, and within a few years to Dakota City 
itself. There is it fine church here with regular 
services, and schools everywhere throughout the 
county. All who have come here and labored 
diligently have been crowned with the most 
abundant success. There can be no'such thing 
as fail'to any one, with only a small capital, who 
has energy and hands willing to labor. In 
short, this country possesses more advantages 
for sheep and stock raising, with fewer draw¬ 
backs, than any place I have yet seen or heard 
of. All I ask is that those interested should 
come and see for themselves, aud not be pre¬ 
judiced against the country by croakers, or 
parties too mncli interested io other localities. 
Malcolm - . 
We 
D.— /tear Sir: Below I 
send you m.v sheep account for three years. |It in¬ 
cludes all money paid out for them, except for the 
single article of salt. I have no way of coming at the 
cost of that item, as I have never kept it separate, but 
use it in common in the family and for cattle. The 
sheep, except the four sheep am] lambs first mentioned, 
were bought of John Clark, (Whitewater, Wis.j 
were from hie flock of grades, and served since I have 
had them by a full-blood ram. 
Respectfully Yours, 
d. f, e. 
I>r. 
Sheep account , beginning Augur!, 18C1. 
'01. Aug. To cash for Tour sheep and lambs, *« 00 
Oct. “ •' 20 ewes and 1 ram. !. 73 00 
62. June. “ “ wool-box. twine A ehcar’ff. 3 58 I 
Oct. “ “ SO owes, 10 iambs, 1 rain,. 170 op 
twine, paint and shearing, 7 no 
. 13 10 
down, put the pigs to her. They will be sprightly, 
and soon get nourishment. The sow wilfgenc- 
rally be quiet and the pigs have Tittle further 
trouble. If left to themselves, the sow is up and 
down, rooting and pawing over the nest, cover¬ 
ing them up, perhaps stepping on some and lav¬ 
ing on others, and quite likely, with ten or a 
dozeu pigs about her, sonic will ho killed or dis¬ 
abled. It is very different with the calf or lamb, 
when dropped, as the attention of the parentis 
directed wholly to the young, aud her warm 
tongue soon licks it dry. 
Perhaps some mayfeay, we knew all this before. 
I lien, surely it will do them no harm. Had 
they dropped a few lines, years ago, through the 
Rural, it might have saved us many dollars. 
This is our object in, forwarding these sugges¬ 
tions, to benefit sdTie one, or perhaps many. 
Others may think t tor much trouble. It is 
trouble and expense, tore, at least, to keep a sow 
confined and fed for tour or live months, with¬ 
out any return, and lien it is a loss to the com¬ 
munity and country! Perhaps, in the “far 
West,” where hogs run more at large, these 
remarks may not be pertinent; hut with us, as 
as pigs usually bring Irom two and a half to five 
dollars each, at six wjeks old, we think it pays 
well to give strict aitiition at the. commencement 
__1 il_ . . C . 1 
of old, rotten chip manure and harrowed it in 
three fo g dC?P trCfiClles 1,1 «« distance of 
vi n T CaCl ‘ way > a,, d Mled the trenches 
c b, t ’ r°! ’ b r Iuam,re - 16a ' v u growing 
he last ol August, the stalks were from four to 
' et 1,1 lic % ht arul in blossom. He had pro- 
Ihe^c | U j IC> .°° Yer tIlcstalkfi t0 protect them from 
the cold nights and early frosts. I have seen him 
smeo and lie thinks lie has obtained seed that 
will germiuate.” 
Eggs in Wint 3 r. 
A successful manager of fowls tells in the 
fm Tw < ' a ‘ tl ' ,,na ^ how he gets eggs, in winter, 
.. . J fmvls ‘ IIc k eeps feed and clean water 
within their reach constant ly, also shells or bones 
pounded, or old mortar; grass, cabbage or other 
vegetables, of which they are fond, boiled pota- 
fron ° r UlGpecling8 o1 " thwu, and scraps 
11 table daily. The potatoes and turnips 
boiled with coarse Indian meal, or C 0 T .1 and oats 
ground iogother, and fed cold or partially so 
veuer hoi ; scrap meat that comes from the tallow 
chandler’s or pork butcher’s in cakes, is good • 
make a hole, basin-like, into a cake, and fill it 
with water, which affords them drink and softens 
the 
’63. June, 
M 
’62. June. By cash for 106 lbs. wool @ 45c, 
-Ion *1 Cl n .11.. ’ • 
’ 68 . Jau 
Oct. 
$277 24 
Or. 
$47 70 
scrap so as to make it palatable to them, 
and then, as our friei.fl observes, feed well keep I boiUhe “^i U pieCCft ’ 80ak or 
plfffln nr\+ nmillikiM.. L_Atr.-i _ ■. «... I 1 "itll TJlCiU, OTld feed It tllC BiUllC 
as potatoes, &q. Thu fowls have warm, clean, 
airy quarters. The letter closes as follows 
vemember that liens are only machines for mak¬ 
ing . 
Livingston Co. (N. Y.) Ag. 8oc.KTT.-At the annual 
meeting of Hits Society, tho fid inst,. t) JU following 
wheera were elected: President- Copt. Ouaio W 
Wadsworth, Ocncsoo. Vice Prest.- Win. II. Spouccr, 
l ork. Sec,—D. a, McMIUon, Uetiesco. 7Vw«,—Eph. 
Cone, Ocncseo, Geologist and l ibrarian— William II. 
Shepard, Genesee, 
Oneida Co. (N. Y.) An. Society.— The following 
officer* were elected the 6 th inst.: President- Col. II. 
<>. Savebv or Blossvale. rice Presto— 1 st, Morgan 
Lutlor, New Hartford; 2d, Horatio N. Carey. Marcv. 
fv’ r 5? ol ‘ 11 B - Bartlett - Pari*. Treat. - Edward 
IT. Shelly, Borne. 
Stephenson Co. (III.) As. Society.— At tho annual 
meeting of the Stephenson Co. Agricultural Society, 
ec. 81,1804, the following officers were elected for 
1866: President —C. H. Rosenstikl. Five tweets - 
Harrison Diemer, James Finns berg, Joseph Scott. 
N«:.—Geo. Wolf. Cor. Sec.—E. Ordway. Treat. 
L, F. Henderson. 
Skaneatei.es Farmeiis’ Club. — At the annual 
meeting of the Sknneatclos Farmers’ Chib, held Jan. 
14, 1805, the following named officers were elected for 
the ensuing year: President— Alfred Lamb. Vice 
Presto,- Wm. E. Clark. C. C. Wyckoff. R«c. Sec - 
Chaunoey B, Thorne. Cor. Nee.-James A. Root. 
Treat—Wm. J. Townsend. Directors , including those 
holding over-John D.ivey, Jacob H. Allen, Wills Cleft, 
Geo. Austin, JedodinU Irish, Moses Parsons. 
clean, not omitting a plentiful supply of bright 
straw for bedding. C. W. Turner. 
Dighton, Mass., Dec, it$6t. 
if! 
BTTRAL NOTES FROM VERMONT. 
64. 
Dec. 
Feb. 
June. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
~ pelts,. 1 62 
12 old crones,. «> m 
2 lambs @ $5,. Jo on 
871)4 lbs. wool @65jic,.. 243 88 
use or ram,......... m .ui 
. ..." 15 00 
0 pelts, . O fjA 
666 lbs. wool @ 75c,. .lo.i vi 
12 CTnnos G)! $3. vm on 
.. io So 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker;—S nows and blows 
are in order, and particularly popular, in Ver¬ 
mont, the present winter. I think it has snowed 
at least two days In a week, on an average, for 
the past, four weeks, and each storm is quite sure 
to terminate in a geuuine Vermont bluster. It 
is safe to say that four feel of snow has fallen deemed folly, by some, to ask the question, what 
since the middle of December, an unusual depth is a nu,le ? The answer will, nine times out of 
Brock pout Union An. Society. — President .— L. 
Babcock, Riga. Vice Prest.- R. J. Cook, Sweden. 
Sixty.— H. N. Beacti, Brockport. Trees,—O. B. Avery, 
en-j~ „ 1 ,,| III.. - Brockport. Directors — German Elliott, Hamlin; G 
• i ogs. and like the null for making flour, if K. Field, Clarkson; R. p. Hubbard, Chili- John 
the gi aims not put. into the hopper the flour will Bo »«l»on, Ogden; Harvey Way, Sweden-’ V P 
not come ont. As the grain is to the hopper, so Br,nvn " Wheatland._ 
1 he Farmers’ Club op East Maine, (Broome Co., 
N Y.,) field its eighth annual election of officers on 
the 28th of Doc., 1861, aud chose for the ensuing sea¬ 
son : Tor Pi'esidcnt—Axyi. II. Green. Vice Prest— 
Otis Fuller. Secretary and Treasurer— Robert Hogg. 
Librarian —'Thomas tio fTrr . 
is the feed, water, vegetables, lime, pounded 
shells, bones, Ac., to the hens.” 
What is a Mule ? 
Ai’tkr so much said about mules, it will he 
.. ri . .. . JU |i(l . * -- , - J «.**aav^o vuw KJl - -- 
aachoice yean, ’ ) , BO early in the winter; it has been considerably tcn > Bc . ’ a hybrid between the horse and the ITllYfil iVnfftr .YitN lAiiavia* 
-d choice @ $io. 10 0 00 reduced, however, by a thaw or two during the ftss '” Yet this is not exactly correct, for a Uy- UlUCU ^ 0IC5 ^ VLUlCttCij. 
_ _ limn TU , - , ... ” liitirl _ * t. a . .. 1 J 
$038 65 
N. Y. State Sheep Breeders and Wool Grow- 
ers’ AssociATioN.-The N. Y. State Sheep Breeders 
and Wool Growers’ Association will Hold its Annual 
Winter Meeting in the City Hall, in the City of Syra 
cuse, on Wednesday, Feb. 22d, at 12 o'clock M. The 
bhcop Breeders and Wool Growers of the State are 
invited to attend. Tho Executive Board of tho Asso¬ 
ciation will meet the preceding evening to transact 
raportant business, aud the members are requested to 
time. There may be two and a half feet on an Urid b . c twcen the horse and the ass will produce 
average, at the present time. The snows have tW0 ciistlnct races <- ,f animals, as different from 
been very light when they have fallen, and the " nc anotla ' r ^ a horse is different from a mule, 
playful nor’wester has taken unusual liberty to 
dispose of the “atoms” according to liis own 
peculiar fancy. 
The signs of Hie times thus far indicate a 
severe winter. In fact, it came in like a lion and 
has not yet materially changed fits ^li 
One of these, the offspring of the male horse or 
slid lion and the female ass, is the hinny, (from 
tiie Latin hinnus, the derivative of the word hin- 
nirc, to neigh.) This animal is characteristic of 
the horse, which ho closely resembles in many 
__ 'ICities; but ho also inherits the hardy eonsti- 
report themselves at the Syracuse House at’f^clock I ^ U ? d B ‘ iH ,cndln « r «P waJ,d thcgrahis | t , uU ,° n a » d activity of his mother, the ass. One 
P. H. P 
Iiarnctor, 
Henry S. Randall, President. 
CARE 
YOUNG PIGS. 
are sorry that the highly respectable 
author of the above article, has insisted, from 
notions of modesty, on withholding his name. 
Ilis name would have given double weight to 
his statements. — [Ed. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE, ITEMS, &c. 
Good Sheep in West Virginia.— Our friend Sam¬ 
uel Archer of Holliday’s Cove, Hancock Co., West 
Va., has bought ton ewes of Edwin Hammond for 
$4,000; one of U. W. Hammond for $400; six from S. 
G. Holyoke of St. Albans, Vt., (first choice of file 
yearling ewes, and one two year old,) for $2,100. Mr. 
A., his brother, and another gentleman purchased a 
ram and some ewes of the Messrs. Hammonds at 
much higher prices—but they have not authorized us 
to make those prices public. 
WiN-miLNo of Sheep.—W e Bball he glad to learn 
from time to time everything which is worthy of note 
on this subject from our subscribers in all the different 
States. The winter started in Central New York w-itk 
Eds. of Rural New-Yorker;—N oticing 
few weeks since, some very timely arid truthful 
remarks about “ raising pigs, ” wo will add a few 
suggestions, more especially relating to their 
treatment, when first dropped. We cannot 
speak of a long ••.xpcrieucc., „„ K f r | ulJ ttors ; 
still long enough to satisfy us of the utility of 
our practice. 
In the first place, pigs ought, notto “come” 
too early in t he spring, or too late in Die fall. 
About the first of April is a proper time. The 
middle of March is early, unless one has an un¬ 
usually warm and sunny place. Pigs, to thrive, 
need warmth aud the sun. Early pigs generally 
sell best. In the spring, and sometimes, wishing 
to avail ourselves of the quickest sales and 
highest prices, we lose pigs and all, 
In the full of1862, we had a splendid sow, from 
which for our own and our neighbor’s accommo¬ 
dation, we looked for an early and fine litter of 
pigs. On the evening of the 20th of February, 
following, we prepared a suitable nest,— made 
the pen warm as possible, by excluding cold air, 
<&e. The night was clear and still. Wo went 
out early, next morning, expecting to find all 
right and prosperous, but found, to yur disaj 
[•ointment, the sow grunting and lamenting over 
fourteen chilled and dead pigs. Then our eyes 
were opened. What wc leurn by experience, we 
generally leain well. Since then, when any new 
comers, ol’ the kind, are expected, wc are up 
aud observing. If help is needed we give it. 
In tliis way we have learned many things about 
euccw in raising pigs,—why it is, that many tell 
us they never have any “luck” in raising pigs, 
<ke. Some, after a few trials, give up the busi¬ 
ness entirely, and bny their pigs. A little atten¬ 
tion, at the time the pigs appear, may save all; 
Without it, they moy be saved, and they may be 
lost entirely or iii part, especially is it so, if it 
happens to be cold at. the time. 
Several of our neighbors lost a portion of 
their pigs, last spring, in the latter part of 
March. Wc have raised six litters the past, sea¬ 
son, and only lost one pig, and that was through 
carelessness. Ilad we not. been present to see 
to them, we6honld have lost many. In two or 
three instances wa found pigs quite cold and 
chilled. Wc got a basket, put some clean straw 
and woolen eiotbs into it, brought, the pigs in, 
built a lire, and, when sufficiently aroused, gave 
them a little warm milk with a spoon. When 
the sow was quiet., put. the pigs with her. In 
another instance we found the sow cross and 
about to kill the tirst one. We took it away, 
and the rest as soon as dropped—when through, 
w r e “scratched her down,” and put. the pigs to 
her. If she got up to bite them, we kept her 
head away gently—gave her some New England 
rum aud milk, and thus, by working carefully 
two or three hours, she adopted them, and they 
paid us well for the trouble. 
Our advice is, if pigs are coining early, mite 
the time—have, if possible, Il gentle, quiet kind 
— be. in the habit of treating them kindly- have 
a little dean, line straw, cut, if necessary, for a 
nest—as fast as dropped take Die pigs to a warm 
place at least, most of them—when through, 
remove Die damp bed, aud replenish with line 
straw as before. When the sow is quiet and laid 
arc in demand and on the advance. High prices disti, iguishing feature of the hinny is that he 
generally rule the market. Hay is selling for nci fc r| * Iik e the horse, and his earsarc smaller and 
$18 to *20 per tun; outs, 80 to 90e„ per 30 lbs.; his leet lilr U er {l >on the mule proper. In every 
corn, per bushel; beaus, $2.50, and potatoes, rcs P ecl be partake® more of the character of the 
the common field varieties, 50c. per 80 pounds. 1,orse ,han tllu *86, The second hybrid between 
These are truly living prices for the farmer, and ‘bcwmle ass or Jack and the female horse or marc, 
with beef at $15 per cwL, and mutton at $10 -to 
say nothing of the extravagant prices realized 
lor fancy horses and cat Dc, and the one to live 
thousand dollar Spanish, or rather “ Improved 
American Merino” sheep, the wide-awukc, pro¬ 
gressive farmer and stock-grower can “still 
live,” and add matiriallt i0 his means.—ailowina- 
» iiDst-.ii marginal gmv,ri for high taxes and for 
patriotic, benevolent and humane purposes 
Lyndon, Vt„ 1865. I, W . Sanborn. 
" ‘ 
NO-PATENT PROCESS FOR TAMING BEES. 
When bees are full of honey they will not 
sting, and arc as harmless as kittens. They 
will fill themselves with honey when frightened. 
Smoke of rotten wood, tobacco, cotton rags, or 
dry corn cobs, will frighten them. Those”artj- 
cles should burn readily, slowly, and without 
blazing. The very best material to use is dry 
rotten wood; it should not be loo dozy, as it 
will burn too fast and he likely to blaze. Wood 
is very convenient, and evidently net expensiw. 
With the month first direct a little smoke to 
the entrance of the hives and then into the slots, 
or holes of Die honey-lmrd, and directly upon 
the bees, Do not lie afraid of injuring (lie bcee; 
you cannot, harm them with a reasonable amount 
of smoke. Now, remove the honey-board and 
blow enough smoke upqp the bees to keep them 
below the bps of the femes. Keep them below 
until they are full of honey, In from live to 
fifteen minutes the most of the bees will be 
gorged; they will look ai plump ns aldermen, 
When in this condition the frames of comb may¬ 
be taken out, examined, aid returned. Follow 
these directions and you viil find no trouble in 
taming and handling any liive of bees. Try it. 
~. , Vf. M. Baldridge. 
St. Charles. Kane Co., Ill., RC5. 
garni . Spirit o: Die iYrss. 
About Sorghum as a Crop. 
Luther Brown of Hidcory Corners, Mioli., 
in the ifekm Rural, ossi-ts that the ground 
that will produce one hushi shelled Indian corn, 
w ill produce four gallons soghuni molasses ; and 
any ground Dint will produo a good crop of corn, 
will produce a good crop of nne. And he thinks 
a tun of cane, grown upon ipland, will produce 
more sirup than the same mount grown upon 
rich alluvial bottom land. He knows, he says, 
from experience that sorgnim planted beside 
Indian corn two or three yc;rs will so degenerate 
as to render the seed unfit f.r use. 
is the mule, (trom t he Latin hcmUmus or half-ass.) 
1 Ids hybrid takes after his sire, as in the ease of 
the former hy brid, 1 have never had any expe¬ 
rience with the hinny, but have heard it said they 
were preferable to the mule for pleasure trav¬ 
elling but not for heavy draught. — Cor. Gcr. 
Telegraph. 
-- -- —_ 
^gricultural Varieties. 
Connecticut State Ag. SociETr.-By the report of 
1 i° •^ rea6uror this Society we learn that it is out of 
debt, with a surplus of funds in the treasury The 
Society recently elected the following officers for I 860 - 
l‘resident-E. II. Htde of Stafford. Fks Presto.-Huh 
bins Hut tell, Norfolk; H. L. Stewurt, Norwich. Dl- 
reclors—J. j. Webb, New Haven county; C. M Tend 
Hartford county; P. M. Augur. Middlesex county,’ 
ledrdiall Spalding, New- London county; G. C, Hitch 
cock, Litchfield county; R. B. Chamberlain, Tolland 
county; B. F. Sumner, Windham county; Thoma* A 
Mead, Fairfield county. Cor. Sec.-T. 8. Gold, West 
Cornwall. Dec. S , Xl —Burdctt Loomis, Windsor Locks. 
Treat.— F. A Brown, Hartford. 
Calls from Brethren.- Within the past two 
weeks w r e have had several calls from brethem of the 
Fress, and others, which were very gruiifylng. For 
instance, last week Gen. Harris of (bo Ohio Parmer 
in company with W. F. Greer, Esq.. Rec. Soc’yof the 
Ohio State Board or Agriculture, honored the Rural 
sanctum with a visit-when, as In duty bound, we 
aided the Jovial and genial gentlemen in admiring the 
beautiful in both art and nature at the Ml., Hope Nur¬ 
series and elsewhere. A ’ola llcne—U not bcitm the 
season for plums, Gen, II. did not require quite as 
much spiritnai aid as on a former occasion I Onr 
friends wore er. route for Vermont, to visit the cele¬ 
brated flocks of Merinos in that State, In company 
with Dr. Randall and other connoisseurs in sheep aud 
wool. May they have a rare time and their shadows 
grow broader. 
— Diir bachelor friend, Prof. WethbrelloHIio lios- 
ton Cultivator, also showed us the light of his boni"- 
mnt countenance a few days ago. He is a venerable 
man, in appearance, and if he would only practice 
what he preaches in regard to family matters-bocome 
the head of a family, for example —ho would be en¬ 
titled to additional respect. 
1 he Hamfsiurk (Mass.) Ag. Society chose tin- fol¬ 
lowing officers for the ensuing year: President- f svi 
Stock bridge of Hadley. Vice Presto.- j. m. Smith 
Sunderland; Joseph Smith, Hadley; Wm. Thayer’ 
Bolchcrtown ; Levi M. Graves, Lcverett; Lorenzo 8 
Nash, Granby; Thomas lit,flan, Pelham. Executive 
Com. —K. F. Cook, Austin Kastman, Oliver Watson 
Amherst; John A. Morton, Hadley; Albert Monta-ue 
Sunderland; Savannah A. Thayer, Beldiurtown ■ Ches¬ 
ter Leach, Lcverett. Auditor-V. N. Webster, A in¬ 
here 1 . Delegate to the State Board of Agriculture- 
Levi Stock bridge Hadley. 
The Ohio State Board of Agriculture is onnui 
ized lor 1865 as follows: President— HI, J, Turney of 
Pickaway Vice Presto.- Thos. C. .Tones, Delaware; 
Si iS 0 "' Unk,n: Wln< B - soiling, Miami; 
Daniel McMillan, Green; R. R, Donelly, Wayne; J. 
\V. Ross, Wood; James Buckingham, Muskingum. 
Rec. Sec.— Wm. F. Greer, Lake. Cor. Sec,— J. jj. K|jp. 
p.-m. VYewrurer—lhi rid Taylor. Franklin. Executive 
Owl—M essrs. Turney. Jones, McMUleu and Taylor. 
Illinois State Ag. Society.-T he Treasurer's re¬ 
port of this Society Just, made shows that at the bmin- 
iimg of 186! the amount of money then in hand was 
$2,<ri8 11. Receipts from all sources during the year 1 
$21,851 71, Expenses $18,120 71. Balance on imnd 
Jan. 1st,, 1865, *5,314 08. The next annual Fair of this 
Society is to be held the first week in September nex t. 
Just a Worn*.— Wo wish to state for the benefit of 
those interested, that no Rural was issued on the31st 
of December, 1861 , for the reason that there were 53 
Saturdays lost year,—and fnrthermoVc that wo gave 
and give 60 numbers in each year and volume or this 
journal. Our custom (in common with that of either 
prominent papers,) hss been to omit oue publication 
whenever 53 Saturdays occurred in a year, in order to 
commence tho succeeding volume at the proper time 
Dios.- who grumble, or complain that they bare not 
had their complement of papers, ore simply mistaken 
— and if they w-lll return the 52 numbers sent them 
last year, wc will refund their money most cheerfully 
and a bonns also if they will agree not to tako the 
Rural in future. Wc dislike to have the names of 
tmy-gouled pcoplo on onr booke. 
Tm; Tax on Tobacco.—T he bill matured by the 
< ominittee on Ways and Means provides that after tb„ 
l.sth of July, 1805, there shall be levied, collected and 
paid on all manufactured and leaf tobacco, tobacco 
stems and crop tobacco produced In the Untied States 
a tax of 30 cents per pound, and on all loaf tobacco 
known as strips, aud of like production, 30 cents per 
pound; and on all manufactured tobacco, stems and 
scrape of tobacco produced in the United States after 
tin- aforesaid date, a tax of 20 cents per pound. 
Tits Beater Hav Press.— 11. L. C\, Phelps, N. Y.: 
There Is an organization in this city called The Gen¬ 
esee Valley Beater Press Co., A, McVkan, Secretary 
which controls this machine lu Genesee, Livingston’ 
Monroe, Ontario and Wayne counties. You should 
address tho Secretary named above for information 
concerning terms, Ac. 
Grain and Plaster Sower.— J. N. B., Sherburne, 
N. A asks which is the best kind of grain aud plas^ 
ter sower there is made. We cannot answer this ques¬ 
tion. At the State Fair, last fall, we saw soveral 
which we named in our report; which is the best we 
do not know. ‘ 
About Growing Tobacco. 
M. Greenough writes ion) Maine Farmer 
“ Tobacco requires from the first of May to tho 
20Di of September to grow and ripen. A neigh¬ 
bor of mine told me he sprouted the seed between 
two sods by putting the seed between two cotton 
rugs, and in eight or ten days tjicy sprouted ; he 
then put. a few in each lull and they t-oon sprnn- 
up, grew finely i ln( ) healthy. This saves trims- 
planting, and makes the plants come to maturity 
a month earlier. If sown in open alt- beds, seeds 
generally lay in the ground six or seven weeks 
beiore they come up, which makes it lute before 
coming to maturity. Last May one of my neigh¬ 
bors obtained some Havana seed (Cuba.) He 
plowed the ground and hauled on u large quantity 
New England Wool Growers’ Association,_A 
convention of the Wool Growers of New England was 
In-Id at tv hits River Village, Vt., Jan. 4th, the day 
follow ing the annual meeting of the Vermont Agricul¬ 
tural Society at White River Junction. The conven¬ 
tion was Quit© large and interesting. After a free and 
full discussion of the wool growing interests in Amcr- 
i<.a, and especially in the Eastern states, a New Eng¬ 
land Wool Growers' Association was formed, open to 
any one on the payment of one dollar a year Into the 
treasury. It was voted to adopt the uiunc “Improved 
American Merinos'' for the breed of sheep now 
known as thorougli-brcd Spanish Merinos, Thofol 
lowing are officers of the Association; President _Dr, 
Gico. B. Loring of Mass. Vice Presto. —M. R. Flint, 
Maine; John Preston, N. II.; Geo. Campbell, Vt.; Wm. 
Blimey, Mass.; Gov. Dyer, R. I.; Geo, Atwood, Conn. 
Cor. Sec .—Daniel Needham, Mass. Rec. Sec.- Henry 
Boynton, Vt. 'Treasurer — Hampden Cults, Vt,; and 
two Directors from each of the several States, The 
move is in the right direction, aud will, without doubt, 
result iu good to the farmers and wool growers of the 
more easterly States of the Union.—1. W. Sanborn 
Lyndon, VI. 
of Rural. 
Flax 
A good one is advertised in this issue 
Brakes.— A. W. M,, Friendship, N Y asks 
when- the best (lax dressing machines are made aud 
sold. The best we know of arc those known as tho 
Sanford & Mallory machines made and sold by the 
Flax & Hemp Machine Co., John W. Quincy. A-u m 
William St., New York City O M 
('<airman of Senate Committee on Aoriculturk 
A Michigan paper saysSenator C’iianuleh has 
been appointed Chairman of the Committee on A-ri- 
culture, '/.m u. is a good judge of corn aud rye when 
properly prepared!’’ 
('hickory. A correspondent asks what this root is 
worth in market. We do not see it quoted in our ex¬ 
changes except in Boston, where it is now quoted at 
[ $1 lb. Coffee sells In the same market at 45© 
50e. ip it>, wholesale. 
Glanders » Horses.-A. R. L. Newton, Jasper 
o., Iowa: We do not know any remedy for this dis¬ 
ease. Veterinarians, we believe, generally regard tt 
incurable. 
Delaware Swjjkt Potato. — “Sheffield” itBks 
Where he can obtain a few bushels of potatoes with 
the above name. Who can tell him ¥ 
The Indiana State Fair for 1805 is to be held at 
ndianapolis, commencing the 2d day of October. 
I(| 
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V. 
