fcf 
I 
lean breeders, then shrank from either proving or re¬ 
tracting uur charges, it certainly would not justify any 
other person in following so had a precedent. Wheth¬ 
er W e have over done this, or something quite as 
aggressive towards our breeders as this, as he asserts, 
wAvilt discuss with him ousoroenotdietantoccasion, 
All wo now have to say is, the assertion is utterly un¬ 
founded. 
The Editor of the Country Gentleman does not re¬ 
gard it as a ••continuance of" that “courtesy" which 
he admits that we had ever previously shown him, 
that we should have spoken of some of his correspond¬ 
ents (Feb. 4.) he unworthy of notice from " their insig- 
nificaucc, their scurrility and indecent regard of 
truth." And with a flue-edged appreciation of those 
courtesies which ought to be employed between jour¬ 
nalists, ho declares that should his correspondents 
"be templed to use similar language, it will certainly be 
expunged," on account of its " evident impropriety," 
&c. 
We propose to test the sincerity of these declara¬ 
tions by quoting a few passages from the columns of 
the Country Gentleman. And we present them tor 
another and more important purpose. We wish to ask 
high minded men. editors and others, if an editor can 
consistently with moral right, and consistently with 
the amenities of civilized society, not only publish 
personally insulting accusations which a mere inspec¬ 
tion of the documents referred toby those making them, 
would show to be false, but to follow up such publica¬ 
tions week after week and mouth after mouth —the 
foul stream or billingsgate increasing in volume and 
blackness in its progress — though such editor per¬ 
fectly well knows that the violation of all the decen¬ 
cies of discussion practiced hy his pet correspondents 
preclude any reply to them? If our neighbor goes 
about repeating every slanderous accusation he can 
pick up about us, clothe recognized axioms of society, 
or do the laws of the land hold him irresponsible for 
it? And if that neighbor can, with a few minutes 
trouble, turn to perfectly accessable sources of infor¬ 
mation in regard to the truth of those accusations, and 
fails to do it, ought Ae not to be regarded as responsi¬ 
ble for the falsehoods to which he so industriously 
gives currency ? And in this particular, the neigh- 
bor Who sows calumnies orally, is not half so guilty 
as the editor who publishes them to hundreds of times 
as many auditors —many of them unacquainted with 
the parties or the facts, and therefore liable to he to¬ 
tally deceived hy tbe ex-parte statements of the ac¬ 
cuser. But to our elegant extracts. 
1, In the Country Gentleman, May 20, 1804, it is 
stated, in commenting on the pedigrees of Paular 
sheep, which we sent to the American Agriculturisi 
and Albany Cultivator, in 1S44. and which were pub¬ 
lished in those papers, that, ihe evidence did not 
justify us in stating that the Rich sheep were pure 
Panlurs, hut that it no doubt “ increased the value of 
Dr. Randall's Jewett sheep with which he estab¬ 
lished little colonies iu the South.” 2. In the same 
paper, Oct. 20, we are accused of 11 purchasing and 
selling the Iufantados as Paulars.” 3. In the same, 
Dec. 15, it is declared that, the Paular pedigrees above 
mentioned, sent by us for publication in l&U. were 
'• notoriously untrue at the time they were recorded." 
4, Iu the same, both of Oct. 20 anti Dec. 16, reference 
is made to a letter cited hy us, at page 24 of the Prac¬ 
tical Shepherd, in the following words:—"See his 
[Huu, Wiluam Jakvim'] letter to me on this subject, 
in 18 + 4 , published that, year in the Albany Cultivator 
andN. Y. Agriculturist,” The writer eays:— 1 “The 
letter was not addressed to Mr. Randall. 1 1 was ad¬ 
dressed to D. H. Grecjohy, and first published in the 
Bellows Falls Gazette, and by Mr. Jarvis’ request 
published in vhe Albany Cultivator. * * * To 
gTalify Mr. RiNSULt self-esteem, I will give him <*>•. 
benefit of • ecc bis letter to me.' * * * I think Mr. 
Rameau, will expunge from fat ere editions the words 
‘see Me Idler lo me.' ” 5. In the same, Dec. 15, it is 
• ■said:—"As a portrait of Sweepstakes adorns the first 
. page of the Practical Shepherd, X shall look soon for 
the notice —-1 iiave a hack of that flock/ ” 6. In the 
same, Dec. 22, are given conflicting descriptions "of 
the Paular sheep, as represented by Mr. Jarvis and 
Mr. Randall, as they appeared when imported from 
Spain." We are quoted as saying " Those who wish 
to know how Mr. Pettibone is able to sustain his 
a! tuck on my Paular pedigree" "and how he fares 
generally in this brief but decisive controversy, will 
do well to turn back to it." Speaking or a letter of 
George Brown, published in the Rural, Oct. 22, it 
is said:— "It is evidently the work of Mr. Randall" I 
—‘•I think Mr, Randall will lead Mr. Brown to 
•make some statements not perfectly accurate." 7. It 
is several times asserted, either directly, or by impli¬ 
cation, that we wrote the communication in the 
Rural, signed “A Breeder." 
These are hut some of the readiest specimens on 
which our eye falls of the style of language employed 
towards ns hy correspondents of a journal whose edi¬ 
tor has such a delicate appreciation of violations of 
courtesy towards those correspondents. Let us see 
how far a little examination would have demonstrated 
to the editor "Ihe scurrility and indecent disregard 
of truth " manifested by his favorites We will take 
up the above fragrant bundle of accusations seriatim. 
1. Had the Albany Cultivator of 1S-14, then edited by 
the Senior Bditor of the Country Gentleman, been con¬ 
sulted, it would have been seen that our "Jewett 
sheep ” were not claimed tob e pure Paulars; that wc 
expressly declared our disregard of the "fictitious im¬ 
portance attacked to the Paular name;” and that so 
far from writing what wc did write for effect “in the 
South " (where wo were not then sending sheep,) our 
attempt to prove that there were pure Paulars iu the 
U. S. was iu answer to a challenge or request to do so, 
addressed to us by name, published in the American 
Agricult urist, by its editor. A. B. Aj.lkn, who did not 
then believe there were any such sheep iu the IT. B. 
2. The accusation under this head was based on the 
assumption that we were representing Mr. Jewett's 
ram, Fortune, (the sire of our Jewett sheep,) " to be 
a pure Paular,” and tbe sheep wc “purchased o! Jew¬ 
ett as Paulars,’’ whereas, says the writer, he was got 
hy a Jarvis ram, out of a ewe which was a pure de¬ 
scendant of Col. HuMrmufv’s importation. In the 
pedigrees above alluded to, published by the Senior 
Ifiditor of the Country Geutleman in 1844, wc gave ihe 
statement of the breeder ol'the ram, Tyler Stickney, 
that he was got by a Jarvis (mixed blood Man no) 
ram, and the statement of John T. Rich that his dam 
was u pure bred ewe of his own (Paular) stock. No 
claim was therefore made that he was a pure Paular. 
3, This Impudent declaration could not have beet be¬ 
lieved by the Seuiur Editor of the Country Geutleman 
in 1S44, or he would not, we might suppose, have pub¬ 
lished eucli notorious falsehoods. And wo are very 
strongly Inclined to believe tiiat we could Ibid among 
our old tiles of letters oue from that, gentleman warm¬ 
ly congratulating us on our "triumphant reply" to the 
American Agriculturist's attacks on the pedigree of 
the Paulars 1 Mr. Allen himself received those ped¬ 
igrees as authentic. And no nmn of any character in 
Vermont ever questioned the veracity of Effingham 
Lawrence, John T. Rich and Governor S. H. Jbnni- 
bon, whose statements, apart from any others, fully 
substantiate tbe pedigrees. These pedigrees have 
been regarded as genuine, and treated as the real ped¬ 
igrees of this family of sheep, hy the buyers and sel¬ 
lers of them in Vermont, for tho last twenty years. 
The last named facts should he well known by a well 
informed agricultural editor residing almost: on the 
confines or that State. 4. The The letter of Mr. Jar¬ 
vis addressed to us in 1844, was, wc supposed, pub¬ 
lished in tho Albany Cultivator that year, because it 
formed a portion of the article on pedigrees, so often 
mentioned, of that year. Wc have not a copy of tho 
Cultivator of 1844. It was also published by ub in 
1844 iu pamphlet form, and wc should be happy to 
furnish our amiable contemporary of the Country 
Gentleman with a copy of it. It was republished in 
Fine Wool Hnsbandrv, at p. 27. note. The letter 
was dated Nov. 1, 1844. The letter of Mr. Jarvis 
to L. D. Gregory, a copy of which now lies before 
us, was dated February 27th, 1844. Wc do not, 
ou a casual examination, see that they have n 
paragraph in common. Ought or ought, not the 
editor of the Country Gentleman to have taken notice 
of these facts— especially if both lotters are published 
iu the Senior Editor's former paper*—before lending 
his columns to fling so petty an insult on us ? 5, The 
imtendo here conveyed is not to be mistaken. V c- 
challenge the editor of the Country Gentleman, and 
we invite every " sheep man" in the country carefully 
to examine our recent and entirely acceptable writ¬ 
ings on sheep—our FiDe Wool Husbandry, our letters 
published m the Country Gentleman in 1863, our Prac¬ 
tical Shepherd, and our department of the Rural 
New-Yorker — to see if in any of them wo have ex¬ 
hibited a propensity to advertise our own sheep, and 
to decide and declare whether wc have not, on the 
contrary, studiously kept our own sheep in the back 
ground? In all of them together we have not, we 
suspect, given so full a history of our own fiock and 
pedigrees as has the correspondent of the Country 
Gentleman, who uttered this scurrilous taunt —and 
who doubtless sought a controversy with us mainly to 
find a pretext to advertise his own pedigrees —pedi¬ 
grees whom nobody has thought, worth assailing. 
Was or was not our editorial contemporary bound to 
pay some attention to these circumstances ? 0. When 
our contemporary paraded in parallel columns the 
conflicting descriptions " of the Paular sheep, as rep¬ 
resented by Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Randall as they ap¬ 
peared when imported from Spain," had he or had he 
not noticed that our description of them applied only 
to a single family, or rather flock of them, as they ap¬ 
peared. modified by American breeding,t say from 
twenty-five to thirty years after their importation from 
Spain ? And did or did not our contemporary observe 
that in the sentence referred to under this same head, 
commencing "Those who wish to know how Mr. 
Pettubone is able to sustain his attack cm my Paular 
pedigree the words placed iu italics are a forgery 1— 
the sentence in the original (sec Rural, Oct. 22,) read¬ 
ing, "Those who wish to know how far Mr. Petti- 
bone is able to sustain his slurs on Vermont breed¬ 
ers," &c. The forged words were placed within quo¬ 
tation marks and given as ours. Was not the Rural 
"at hand” when this was published? lias the Editor 
of the Country Gentleman any assignable reasons for 
admitting into his columns the infamous imputation 
that there was danger of our leading George Brown 
to make false statements? 7. Was it courteous or 
proper iu him to allow one of his correspondents re¬ 
peatedly to assume that wc wrote certain communica¬ 
tions in the Rural, after vve distinctly denied in that 
paper (June IS,) that vve wrote them? 
* And If the letter to us Is not published, as we suppose. 
In the Cultivator, it Dp nears in the Transactions of the 
N. Y. State Agricultural Society (ol which the editor ot 
the Country Geillloiaap vs an ottfecr,) for Will, i>. list Ami 
it is lu-re. too cited ns having appeared til the Cultivator. 
The article In the Transactions. In Which It Is given, was 
a Hejwrl on Kin - Wool Husbandly, mails to the Society. 
It waspiil lislieil outside of the Tr»ut>»cth' 0 «. ond «*• 
tljron«rn vinoi-. i-rlltir.i.i 
+ Mr. Jarvis’ (Inscription of l he'll tti the tone Of their 
tmportation conflicts with that of Lasteyeie, who had 
better and more on tensive opportunities of Judeinp than 
Mr. Jarvis. u(ld whose, uuthoi ityln till* aud nearly every 
Cither matter pertaining to Merinos is Receptor! by Mr. 
You att as decisive. Mr. Jarvis wrote from memory, 
upwards of thirty years after his importations of those 
sheep, and twenty-seven years after lie had ot timid to Loop 
bln Kan litre ooiui.vcd With IJs otlmr fninlltexoi -Merinos. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE, ITEMS, &c. 
The Executive Board of the New York State 
Sheep Breeders’ and Wool Growers’ Association will 
meet at the Canandaigua House In Canandaigua, 
March 7th, at 5 P. M., for the transaction of business. 
Henry S. Randall, President. 
Breedino In-and-In—Breeding from Two Year 
Old Ewes.— J. W. Lowtiier, Waltsvllle, Carrol Co. O. 
Ifycm use the ram you describe, it will not be closer in- 
and-in. breeding than Is practiced by many of the most 
eminent and successful Merino breeders of ihe U. S. 
It is not expedient to pnt yearling ewes to rum, for Ihe 
sake of " gelling into better Block speedily." If very 
early lambs—if grown very large—and if their own 
lambs can be taken oil as soon as dropped and put on 
foster dams—it is proved by the experience of Borne 
excellent shepherds, that they may be put to ram at 
oue year old and bced at two years old without injury. 
But nnder the common management, breeding at that 
age seriously Injures llio ewes and produces Jambs of 
little value. 
National As&ociationof Wool Manufacturers 
—First Government Meeting. —A etakc the follow¬ 
ing from a pamphlet, issued by tho President of tho 
National Association of Wool Manufacturers. 
The first meeting of the Government of the Assor.i- 
ation was held December 21,1864, m the rooms of the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston, the 
President in the elmir. 
Mr. T. Quincy Browne, of Boston, was chosen Sec¬ 
retary pro ban, , 
The lion. John Coved* , of Pennsylvania. Messr-. To 
M Bailey, of Mass., A. G. Dunham, of Conn., and .J. 
A. Stiastnyv of .V, Y., were duly elected member* ui the 
Association. 
The Hon. John Covodc was unanimously chosen a 
director, thus filling a vacancy iu the Board. 
In conformity with a provision of the By-Laws eon- 
eornin • iii*' olc< tiou of honorary members, a * ommit- 
of the President, Messrs Qeo. W 
Bond, J. Wiley Itdiuand-. and J J Robinson, was ap¬ 
pointed to nominal*! three candidates, Upon their re¬ 
port, flic lion. Henry S. Rundall, of New fork, Justin 
S. Morrill, member of Congress from Vi., and Isaac 
Newton, Commissioner of Agriculture, Washinglon, 
D. C-. were unanimously elected honorary members of 
tlie Association. 
Tim quest ion of electing a permanent Secretary was 
then taken up, roilrldeicd and intrusted to a commit- 
lee, with fail power In make the appointment, tempo¬ 
rarily nr permanently, Us they may deem expedient, 
and to fix tic salai v. This rommiUeu consists ot the 
President, Mer-rs/J. Wiley Ed minds, Edward Harris, 
Theodor* Pomeroy, N. Kingsbury, and T 8. Fax loti. 
The eamc committee, on motion of Mr. Joshua Slot- 
Boii, were empowered to take such action as they shall 
deem expedient. In case of any legislation by Con¬ 
gress affecting the woolen interest, 
' On motion of Mr N. Kingsbury, it was voted, tiiat 
the President be requested to prepare and print a 
statement of the objects aud plan ol the association, 
with such cxpllhatlons and remarks as hr may deem 
appropriate: appending tuereto an account of ilu> or¬ 
ganization, its articles of association, its by-laws, a 
fisiof Us officers and members, and proceedings of this 
meeting; and that lie transmit copiesof the pamphlet 
to the several members of (he association, and to such 
other persons as he may think likely to lake an inter¬ 
est in the cause. , , . 
On motion of Hon. J. Wiley Edmunds, It was voted, 
that, the next meeting of the Government or the Asso¬ 
ciation bu held in the. city of New York; and, on mo¬ 
tion or Mr. It. W. Robinson, it waaalso voted that the 
time of hotdiug said meeting shall be determined by 
the President, 
The meeting was then dissolved. 
Communications, (Etc. 
MAPLE SUGAR MAXING. 
Eus. Rural New-Yorker There are doubt¬ 
less a few of the many readers of the Rural who 
intend this spring to commence the manufacture 
of maple sugar for the first time. To such with 
your approval I will offer a few suggestions: 
1. Have you SO cured your buckets and boiling 
apparatus? If not, do it now ; for the only way 
to bo successful in sugar making is to be pre¬ 
pared to secure the first run of sap. Your buckets, 
if of wood, should be painted on tbe outside— 
but not on the inside as paiut injures the fla¬ 
vor 80 peculiar to the maple—and thoroughly 
cleansed aud scalded before using. For a boiler 
I have found the sheet-iron pan to be the best. 
A good size can be mode from a sheet of heavy 
iron 2 feet 4 Inches by 7 feet, by having the edges 
turned up 3% inches and strengthened by wire- 
ing with a % rod ; aud for convenience of lifting 
from the arch, it should have a handle riveted on 
near each corner. Your tin-smith will furnish 
you the iron, and make the pan, for a trifle more 
than tbe cost of the iron. 
Your arch, which should be of brick, should be 
oue foot high, and two inches narrower than 
your pan, and, if convenient, long enough to ad¬ 
mit a five pail kettle between the pan and 
chimney. Such a pan and kettle, with good 
wood, will do the boiling for 250 or 800 trees. A 
building 13 by 10 feet, 8 feet liigli would be a 
convenient size with which to enclose your arch. 
2. Do not use the ax and gouge in tapping, for 
hy so doing you permanently injure your trees, 
and that wilhouLan equivalent return either in 
the flow of sap one saving of time. I use a % 
inch Cook’s aug^ftit, boring into the tree % of 
an inch ; and for Wles, tin, which does entirely 
away with the iM^of the gouge, and does not 
injure the tree, aWuey are only driven into the 
bark. 
3. nang your buckets to the trees on nails; 
thereby avoiding tbe frequent upsetting of your 
buckets by the settling of the snow, and the pos¬ 
sibility of the sap dropping outside the buckets. 
I have my nails made the exact shape of this cut, 
and hang ray buckets on by the 
upper hoop. Such nails can be 
made by your nearest blacksmith 
for $1 per hundred. 
4. You have doubtless read of 
the many best methods of cleansing 
maple sugar. I would recom¬ 
mend the following: 1. Have 
your boilers perfectly dean before 
using. 2. Ifleares, chips, or other 
foreign matter gets into the sap 
at or before the time of boiling, 
remove the same with a skimmer 
In removing the sirup from the 
boilers, strain, while liot, through ft white flannel 
or other woolen cloth, and set away in tin pails 
12 hours before sugarihg otT. 4. Thoroughly 
cleanse the boilers immcdifte’.y after each sirvpintj 
..,r. •" ’-— 
gar from the sides of In^^tlcr, v\Inch, il allowed 
to remain, would surely discolor the next 
“batch. 1 * 
Such is my method of cleansing (?) sugar, 
which, if you will adopt, my word for it you will 
not need "to use either milk, eggs or ealcratus to 
cleanse yours. D - °- M - 
Lodi, N. Y., Feb. Gth, 1865. 
While on the subject of Maple Sugar wc will 
quoto the following timely and sensible remarks 
from a late letter from Deacon Asa Bingiiam of 
Camillus, N. Y., a veteran farmer now over SC 
years of age, yet hale and vigorous, who knows 
whereof he affirms. The good idea about oiling 
harness should be noted “ As the time is near 
when many who take your paper will be making 
map'.e sugar, I will tell you what 1 think is far 
the best kind of spouts for tapping maple trees. 
Ten or twelve years ago I got sick of wooden 
spouts, and I bought the thickest kind of stove¬ 
pipe sheet-iron and made my spouts, and they 
are good yet. It will never wear out. I cut 
them three inches wide at one cud and two at the 
other, and from six to twelve inches loug. I 
then ground the widest end sharp. Then with a 
gouge I cut a hollow iu a solid block of wood 
twelve inches loug, two Inches wide at one end, 
aud one inch at the other. I then made a round 
of iron suitable to fill the hollow. (I think hard 
wood would answer.) I then laid on my spout 
over the hollow, and my round on the spout, and 
with a hard stroke wit b a mallet pressed it into 
the hollow; then with mallet or hammer, finished 
it, making ono end lik* a gouge Aud rounding 
the other eud like a collie-pot noso. To keep 
them from rusting I put a little oil or lard into a 
tub or kettle of hot water and dipped them in. 
Common harness may be oiled or greased iu the 
same manner to good advantage. 1 know it is 
so, for 1 have tried it for more than twenty years. 
1 doitin a hot day, spreudiDgit on boards to dry." 
once. 
GARGET IN COWS. 
In tbe Rural New-Yobkek of the 18tli inst., 
I noticed an article under this betid, in which the 
root ot Veratrum viride is recommended as a cure 
for garget in cows. Several years ago I was 
much troubled with this disease In a herd of 
cows numbering twelve to fifteen. In its earlier 
stages I found the root of Phytolacca dccandra, — 
known under the common names of poke, poke- 
weed, pigeon-berry, coucfltn, garget, &c., —ouo 
of the best remedies. The usual mode of ad¬ 
ministering it was to cut the root into small 
pieces and mix them with meal; or sometimes to 
pul thin slices between pieces of potato or car¬ 
rot, and let the cow take them from the hand. 
Of the fresh root, a portion equal to an inch 
square and six inches long may be given every 
day t ill the desired effect is produced. An equiv¬ 
alent of the dried root may be given. It is the 
practice of some farmers to dig the root in the 
fall, cut it in small pieces aud dry it for use 
while the ground is frozen. 
Some people consider thi3 jilaut a specific 
against garget in cows. In sections where it is 
common, cattle arc frequently seen to crop the 
leaves and tender stalks, and cows seem to be 
less troubled with garget in those districts, than 
where the plant is not found. 
I have never used Veratrum viride , —which is 
the American White Hellebore, sometimes called 
Didian Poke,— in eases of garget, and do not find 
it recommended for that malady in any treatise 
on cattle diseases. It is possible the two plants 
—although very different in their character—may 
have been sometimes confounded, owing to the 
similarity of one of their common names. 
It is true that the roots of both these plants 
are said to be poisonous, but it is evident they 
are not equally so. Gray ( Manual of Botany) 
says the root of Phytolacca dccandra is “ poison¬ 
ous," and that of Veratrum viride 11 very poison¬ 
ous." That the. noxious quality of the former 
plant cannot be very potent, may be inferred 
from the fact of the tops being eaten by cows, as 
before stated, and that the young shoots are 
frequently eaten by men as a substitute for 
asparagus, in which form I know they are neither 
bad to take nor unwholesome. But I would not 
like to eat Hellebore, or have my cattle cat. much 
of it. 
I have said that the root of Phytolacca dccandra 
is of service in the t reatment of garget iu its 
earlier stages. In confirmed cases, however, I 
prefer other medicines—as uitre or iodine — the 
latter in the form of hydriodatc of potash. Dr. 
Eben Wigut of Dedham, Mass., who has used 
the hydriodatc of potash with great advantage, 
recommends giving a cow 10 grains in a table- 
spoouful of water, three times a day, in a mash 
of shorts or meal. In very obstinate cases au 
ointment composed of 20 grains of iodine to 1 
ounce of lard may be applied to the udder. 
Sanford Howard. 
Office of Mich. Board of Ag., Lansing, Fob. 20,1865. 
Remarks.—W e wrote only what we had prac¬ 
ticed when wc recommended Veratrum inride, as 
above referred to, In our issue of the 18tli inst. 
THE "OLD REVOLVING HORSE-RAKE." 
Editors Rural New - Yorker : — Through 
the kindness of a friend, my attention was called 
to the notice iu the Rural New-Yorker, page 
374, Vol. 15, an article in relation to whom 
belongs the credit of the invention of the horse- 
rake now so generally used in the Eastern, 
Middle and Western States. The article, though 
signed Justice, was evidently written by Hiram 
Hunt, who is therein given credit for the inven¬ 
tion. or hy some one under his dictation ; and it 
is to some of its erroneous statements, that I 
wish to reply. 
I am well acquainted with Mr. Hunt, as he 
formerly resided in Bridgewater, and was my 
neighbor for twenty years or more, and am per¬ 
fectly familiar with the circumstances of the 
getting" up of his rake. I also know that there 
is but little, resemblance in appearance, and, in 
fact, none at all in the working of his rake, to 
the one now so generally in use. 
Hunt was a farmer and I a mechanic. Be¬ 
tween us, we got up the rake for his own usa 
us a farmer; hut for which he obtained a patent, 
No. 101, Dec. 10,1830, I making the first scratch 
on, and taking off the last chip from the origi¬ 
nal one manufactured. 
Two years after, the rake now so extensively 
used in the Eastern, Middle, and Western States, 
was invented, in Bridgewater, by myself. When 
it was brought out, the one for which Hunt 
Obtained a patent was east aside, not one having 
been used for the last twenty years or more, T 
will venture to say. 
Let Mr. Hunt produce a drawing or descrip¬ 
tion of his rake, to eIiow how it will compare 
with the one now in use, and surely no sane 
man can call them nearer relatives than fifth 
cousins, unless, like PotONit.'S, he is bound 
to see that the cloud looks “very like a whale." 
I can prove, by living witnesses, tbe statement 
above made, and also that mv invention was 
recorded at the right time and place, though, as 
yet, no patent has been taken out for it. 
Albert Brockny. 
North Bridgewater, Oneida Co., N. Y., 1865. 
Rural Notes anb (Queries. 
BEES ROBBING. 
A friend living in Jefferson county, this State, 
tells me that his neighbors have had great trouble 
with their bees robbing each other — that many 
of them have lost a good share of their stocks 
from tins cause. It requires but a little knowl¬ 
edge to prevent all this. If you find a hive is 
being robbed, simply close the entrauce, so that 
only oue bee can pass at a time. If the combs 
range from front to roar, raise tbe back side of 
the hive so as to incline the bottom board to an 
angle of twenty-five or thirty degrees. Tbe 
small entrance enables a few bees to guard it and 
the Inclined alighting boards enables tbe bees 
readily to attack and tumble off the assailing 
party. 
If the. weal her is hot it will be necessary to 
ventilate tho hive by the means of wire cloth, 
perforated tin, or slightly raising the cover or 
the hive from the bottom board. Neglect of this 
precaution may melt down the corubs or suffocate 
the bees. , , . , 
The contraction of the entrauce, as stated, will 
in niuc cases out of ten, prevent robbery. Iu 
case a failure should occur, Hie entrance may be 
closed altogether for a day or two, by giving 
ventilation When opened it should be watched 
against any return of the robbers. Queenless 
stocks cannot be guarded too closely. 
If you wish to know from whence the robbers 
proceed, throw flour upon their barks as they 
leave the hive and watch where they go. 
It. (a sometimes difficult to decide whether a 
hive is being rubbed. To ancertuiu tills, kill a 
half dozen bees that enter and leave t tic hive. It 
you find those going Into tho hive have their 
honey sucks empty aud those going from it have 
theirs tilled, it is strong presumptive evidence 
that robbing is taking place. 
Robbing Is sometimes taken advantage ol by 
the expert bee-keeper to reinforce weak stocks. 
L. L. Fairchild. 
Rolling Prairie, Wifl., Feb. 8tb, 1865. 
Tint SirKxr Breeders and Wool Growers in 
Council.— The firstamiunl meeting of the N. Y, Sheep 
Breeders’ and Wool Growers' Association, hold at Sy¬ 
racuse on the 22d inst.. was largely attended and Us 
proceedings unusually interesting. Many of the most 
intelligent aud enterprising Hock-masters of this State, 
Ohio and Vermont were present, and tho occasion was 
one of rare interest to all engaged In tho important 
branch of American husbandry songht to bo promoted. 
At the hour named for the mooting (12 M n ) It was 
called to older by the President, nou. II. 8 . Kandall, 
of Cortland, and tho Business Committee submitted 
tho following resolutions and propositions for discus¬ 
sion : 
Resolved. That it is the duty of this Association to 
encourage the breeding of every variety of sheep which 
is calculated to meet tho wants or an important class 
of American consumers, and thus render our couutry 
independent of foreign ones for its supply of raw ma¬ 
terial. 
Resolved, That we approve of the present wool tariff 
of the United States. 
Resolved, That we recommend a higher tax on dogs 
by our State Legislature, and that provision bo made 
lor its uniform and rigid enforcement. 
The subjects, in addition to the resolutions, wore 
these: 1. Wool pulling—its causes and euro. 2. Rheu¬ 
matism In Sheep—lts causes and cure. 8. Goitre in 
Sheep—i is causes and cure. 4. The Crossing of Dif¬ 
ferent Breeds of Sheep. 
The discussion of these topics occupied most of the 
afternoon and evening sessions. After a very general 
and exhaustive discussion, in which some fifty 
prominent and experienced flock-masters participated, 
tho first and third resolutions were unanimously 
adopted, and the second one referred to the Standing 
Commit !go on Congressional Legislation affecting the 
interests of sheep breeders and wool growers. 
The discussion of ihe subjects embraced in the 
propositions was one of the most interesting, satisfac¬ 
tory and profitable wo ever heard at a gathering of 
farmers. A goodly number of tho two hundred or 
more flock-masters In attendance took part in the de¬ 
bate, and mauy important and useful facts were elicit¬ 
ed, while the President, by timely suggestions and 
statements of facts and results, added much to the 
valuable information imparted. 
The first annual meeting of the Association was a 
great success-not only in the targe number of influ¬ 
ential gentlemen in attendance, but tn tho character of 
its discussions and other proceedings, and wo congrat¬ 
ulate all interested upon its auspicious beginning aud 
prospects. Judging from present indications we arc 
confident the Association Will go on prosperously, and 
tlmtits organization and action will accomplish much 
for thobonolit ofal) engaged in the important and profit¬ 
able business of Sheep Husbandry. A report of the 
discussions cannot, bo published iu our present issue, 
as it would necessarily occupy much space, but we 
presume it will bo given, by the editor of tho proper 
department, next week. 
- .4 » 
Sorghum Sugar. — Wo sou it stated in our [ex¬ 
changes, that a gentleman of Bloomington, Ill., has 
discovered a method of cryst-alization by which the 
sirup from tho Chinese sugar canes can bo reduced to 
sugar as quickly as from Southern sugar cane, and at 
prices far more satisfactory to consumers than those 
now prevailing. We hope this can be done, but shall 
exercise our privilege of saying we don't believe any 
such thing. This pretension that Sorghum sirup can 
be transformed into sugar quickly and at small cost, 
by patent process, is a humbug just about as huge as 
any recently eolten up. 
--- 4 » 
Flax Cotton Manufacture at Oswkoo, N. Y.— 
Mr. J. M. Hart, Treasurer of the Homo Manufactur¬ 
ing Co. at Oswego, has shown us excellent samples of 
Flax Cotton prepared by the Company. Dressed flax 
is purchased and cottonizcd for spinning at a cost of 
about flirty or forty-five cte. per pound. It Is mixed with 
wool and cotton in equal parts and spun and manu¬ 
factured into knitgoods for under wear. Half flax and 
half wool have been used, and makes a very good ma¬ 
terial,but a proportion of cotton is better. Wogleancd 
these facts from a conversation with Mr. Hart. Wc 
have not seen a sample or the goods, but are promised 
a look thereat. 
-1 » ■ 
Wind-Puff on Horse’s Leo,— On page 70 last Vol. 
(1864) Rural, J. H. L. tells of curing wind-puff on his 
father’s horse. I have one that is lame, have tried tho 
medicine he recommended, but it has not cured mine. 
Will he answer the following questions:—Was your 
horse lame? How much of the medicine did yon ap¬ 
ply at a time? Should it be rubbod in well with the 
hand ? Shonld the horee he worked or kept still at the 
time of doctoring? Would there be any harm tn using 
more than one ounce of hemlock and alcohol ?—S. U. 
H., Memphis, A. 
Italian Bees.—I would like to have those of your 
readers who lmve tried the Italian bees state, in the 
Rural, how they compare with the common black 
bees, and if superior, iu what respects. Those who 
have Italian queens for pale, at a high figure, claim 
that they are lar superior in almost every respect, but 
I am disposed to take their statements wiffisomo lim¬ 
itations. It they ore superior it must be known by 
this time, and if I am convinced tlmt they are enough 
better to warrant, the trouble and expense of changing 
1 shall go In for Ihe Italians, as 1 believe iu having ihe 
best, both in bees and all other stock. 1 would also 
like lo know whether queen* raised from worker eggs 
and brood, us is recommended for rearing queens lor 
artificial swarming, can be relied on. I got the im¬ 
pression from reading the Mysteries ot Bee Keeping, 
that uo great dependence could be placed on queens 
produced in that way. G., Conn., Jan. 9Tth. 
Wagon Brakl. I wish lo Inquire where 1 can find 
the very beet self-adjusting wagon-bruko that has ever 
heeli given to the public, all things considered.—J. H. 
C’., JJryden, -V. Y. 
Shall we toll our correspondent that such a question 
is ridiculousV What is Ihe very best of anything Is a 
matter of opinion entirely; and opinions are based 
upon as many distinct standards as there are individ¬ 
uals. As good u self-adjusting brako as wc have seen 
is one exhibited at the State Fair here in 1862 by Dan¬ 
iel Sayke, Greenbueh, N. Y. 
Sowing Oats Karly. -Joaemi GmsoN is informed 
that If wc were going to sow Timothy and Clover seed 
with Oats, we should sow them the earliest moment 
iu the spring. We would not sow grass seed with oats 
at all, late tn tho season; but if the oats are put in 
early, the grass plants will come on well. On fall 
plowed land they may be put in as soon as the frost 
ia out. 
• - «♦* - 
Mule Management.— Will some of your Southern 
or South-western readers give a chapter on mule man¬ 
agement—especially with reference to brooding, train¬ 
ing, and relative value for teams? I want to breed 
them.—W. P, C., northern Ohio. 
Tub Canada Farmer.— H. 13. T., Clinton Co., N. 
Y,: The Canada Farmer is a semi monthly paper pub¬ 
lished at Toronto, U. C., by Okouuk Brown. Price 
$1, (Canada inwicy.) It is an excellent paper, and 
worth all that is asked for it. 
