ROCHESTER N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JUNE 
MOORE'S SURAL SEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WKKKLY 
RURAL, literary and payday newspaper. 
remain in tlie ground all winter. It is also more 
liable to run to seed in autumn. To counter¬ 
balance these defects, it possesses the properties 
of being a very free grower, coming early to 
maturity, and keeps well when stored. It is a 
good variety to sow in shallow or hard elay soils. 
In the former case, it produces a better crop 
than any of the other varieties of Swedes, in 
consequence of the slight hold it requires of the 
ground; and in the latter it swells ont on the 
surface, and when lifted there is not such an ad¬ 
hesion of earth as with the deeper seated sorts. 
In a wet season, however, this is a very great 
advantage. 
Laing's Improved Purple- Tup Sicede is another 
favorite variety. In Lawson’s Agriculturists’ 
Manual, the author says of this turnip, “that it 
differs from all hitherto known varieties of 
Swedish turnips, in having large, entire, cabbage¬ 
like leaves, which, by their horizontal growth, 
form a thick covering to the soil, thereby mate¬ 
rially checking the vigor of autumnal weeds.” 
their leg3 out when they have the advantage of 
descent into their holes, their sharp claws giving 
them strong motive power. Some practice 
stoning up the holes, but this will need repeat¬ 
ing several times before the “varmints” will 
get discouraged and leave, and then only to go 
into an adjoining field and dig new holes. Hence 
there appears not much advantage in thi6. 
In my own experience, 1 have tried the trap 
thoroughly, but they will often get out unless 
the trap is saw-jawed, and 1 once filed the jaws 
smooth because I thought it hurt them, and that 
hurt me. Have tried stoning up thoroughly, 
with little avail, hut more recently have hit 
npou a better expedient. I use wet hay, pushed 
in firmly. This is better than stone on two 
accounts — because it entirely excludes light, 
and because the hay (or, in absence of hay, 
straw may be used, though not so good,) is a 
serious clog to their feet, wet hay mixed with 
gravel becoming very grit y and cumbersome. 
If this course is practiced early in the spring 
when the animals are weak, they will in many 
instances be unable to get ont of their holes; 
and if ont, repeat the work, and they will soon 
leave for the wood3, your neighbors’ fields, or 
somewhere else. 
When this article is read, the question will 
arise as to the mercifulness of the procedure 
recommended. In reply I have to say when 
objectors have been annoy A by the woodchucks 
as much as I have been, t'jk idei of mercy will 
V left out o' ‘.he quest! tUry will ‘-resit 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
HENRY 8. RANDALL, LL. D. f 
.Editor of the Department of Sheep Husbandry. 
SPECIAL CONTEXBUTORa! 
P. BARRY, C. DEWBT, LL. D., . 
H. T. BROOKS, L. B. LANG WORTHY, 
T. C. PETERS, EDWARD WEBSTER. 
This Rural Nxw-Yorkbb Is designed to ue unsur¬ 
passed lu Value, Purity, and Variety of Contents, and 
unique and beautiful In Appearance. Its Conductor 
devotes bis personal attention to the supervision of lts 
various departments, and earnestly labors to render the 
Rural an eminently Reliable Guide on all the important 
Practical, Scientific and other Subjects intimately 
connected with the business or those whose interests It 
zealously advocnti-s. As a Family Journal it is emi¬ 
nently Instructive and Entertaining— betns so conducted 
that It can be safely taken to the Homes of people of 
Intelligence, taste and discrimination. It embraces more 
Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and Hews 
Matter. Interspersed with appropriate Engraving*, than 
any other journal,—rendering It far the most complete 
Agricultural, Lii-brary and Family Nkwspjlpkk In 
America. 
YOUNG SWEEPSTAKES. 
Young Sweepstakes, a cut of which is given 
above, was bred by David Cutting. He was 
got by Mr. Hammond’s Sweepstakes ont of a 
ewe purchased by Mr. C. ol' Nelson A. Saxton 
of Vergennes, Vt., and from his pure blood In- 
fantado stock. Young: Sweepstakes received tbe 
first prize, us the best yearling Merino ram, at 
the Vermont State Fair, 1MI4. 
Tli t three ewe teg?, represented below, were 
bred by David Cutting. Two of them arc by 
rams of his own breeding. 
THE TURNIP CROP, 
MR. D. CUTTING'S MERINOS 
The Ruvt crops are beginning to assume a 
good deal of importauee in American farming. 
As we become more familiar with their require¬ 
ments, learn more by experience and observa¬ 
tion of the conditions of soil, <fcc., necessary for 
their full maturity, the old notion that our 
climate is unsnlted to their growth is losing 
mneh of its power among the people. Last 
season, though very unfavorable ou account of 
the extreme drouth, produced many splendid 
crops of turnips that would have done no dis¬ 
credit to the best turnip growers of England. 
With a deep, rich, well pulverized soil, the 
turnip will succeed in more than nine seasons 
out of ten. Bone dust and the pbosphatic ma¬ 
nures are best suited to the turnip. 
The Put a Bag a or Swede Turnips arc the most 
valuable for feeding, as they contain more nutri¬ 
ment than the white turnips. They should be 
sown from the 1st to the 15th of June, in drills, 
far enough upart to allow of cultivation one 
way with a horse. At hoeing the plants should 
be thinned out to about eight inches apart. It 
is not best, however, to thin out too early, until 
all danger from destruction by insects is over. 
Vacant places may he filled by transplanting. 
It is all-important to give the turnip a rapid 
growth when young, to get it out of the way of 
the turnip fly as soon as possible. The follow¬ 
ing are some of the best varieties of Swedes. 
We published last we<;k a general account of 
the pedigree of the Merino flocks of Messrs. 
David and German Cutting of Richville, Vt. 
A GOOD HAY-RIGGING. 
Editors Rural New - Yorker : — I saw an 
inquiry in your paper of March ISth for a rig to 
haul hay or grain. I will give you my plan, 
which is becoming very much in use in this 
county. 
I first make a common wagon box, but the 
sideboards are made of 1'^ inch lumber and 12 
or 14 inches wide, which makes the height of the 
box; it makes a good box for all kinds of heavy 
work, such as hauling mature or stone. For 
the shelving I use three crooked cross pieces; 
these may be sawed out of three-inch plank, or 
they may be made of round poles, if they are 
the right crook — cedar makes the best, as it is 
light and 6trong —or they may be of any other 
light wood, if it is sufficiently strong. I use 
two pieces on each side, about 6 or 8 inches 
wide andl 1 / inches thick, which makes a good 
platform to stand ou to put off the last of 
the load. 
I fasten the shelving on the box by means of 
hooks as given in the drawing. The side pieces 
are put on the cross pieces with small bolts, 
which makes it convenient to take apart te store 
away under shed or other places. For a ladder 
at the fore end put four stiples in the end board, 
and set the bottom of the ladder in the staples, 
and make the ladder so that it can be put in or 
taken out when required. It makes a shelving 
that can be put on or takeu off readily by one 
man, and it requires no wrench to take off the 
shelving, for the hooks are made to fasten by a 
thumb screw. 
LAINo’S 1MPROVED PUUPI.E-TOP TURNIP. 
This peculiarity of shape will be seen in the 
engraving, where both the leaves and bulb are 
seen in their natural condition; aud by compar¬ 
ing the leaf ol this turnip with that of Skirving’s 
Swede, the difference of formation is very appa¬ 
rent. In point of shape, hardiness and quality, 
it is represented superior to all other varieties of 
turnips. 
Green-Top Swede is an old aud excellent sort, 
the top of a dullish green color, flesh yellow. 
It is a good variety and produces abundant 
crops. 
Marshall's Extra Purple-Top, Large London 
Sieede and Sutton's Champion Swede are new vari¬ 
eties that have proved very satisfactory the two 
past seasons. 
The White Sweet Suede is becoming a favorite, 
producing good crops of nutritious roots. It is 
in all respects a Swede, but with white flesh. 
In a future number we "will describe some of 
the best of the English or 1 Vhite Turnips. These 
may be planted during the latter half of June, 
and until August. 
GROUP OF EWE TEGS. 
IMPORTATION OF AUSTRALIAN MERINOS 
INTO THE U. S. 
yet iu a railroad car. at the end of a AO,000 miles’ 
journey ! The distance from Melbourne to Liv¬ 
erpool, by the usual route now pursued by sail¬ 
ing vessels, is, without making allowance for 
deviations, about 16,700 miles. Then add on 
3,000 miles for the distance to New York, and 
their trip into “the interior” will make up 
“the balance” of the distance first named. 
They had encountered all sorts of weather ou 
the passage. They had been wet to the skin 
hundreds of times, and sometimes been kept wet 
to the skin hours together, by sea-water. They 
had been exposed to intensely cold weather— a 
thing they were wholly unused to. They had 
been knocked about, as everything on legs 
gets knocked about in a sailing vessel iu rough 
weather; and the ram, rather a high tempered 
young spark, had hit out right and left with his 
horns, when crowded upon by bis mates. The 
sheep then had every right to look rough, dis¬ 
consolate and poor. 
But they didn’t. The wool had some of its 
crimp rubbed out, aud some of its luster washed 
away — but any man half a judge of wool would 
have known its exquisite quality by merely clap¬ 
ping his hand on one of the sheep in the dark! 
It has that downy tou,eb which uo lower grade of 
wool ever attained, and which gives Australian 
wool Us peculiar value in market; because this 
softness indicates the highest working proper¬ 
ties of every kind in the staple. Iu the bodily 
condition of the strangers we were most agreea¬ 
bly disappointed. Every one was as plump as a 
partridge, aud as lively as a kitten! The ram 
which was lost on the passage was takeu ill very 
soon after embarking and died from disease—not 
from the exposures of the voyage. 
Well, what do the sheep look like, we hear 
some impatient “sheep men” ask? Not like 
American Merinos, certainly. They are consid¬ 
erably taller, and are less “chunked” every 
In a former number (March 11) we stated that 
our countryman, Dr. Charles J. Kenworthy, 
in returning from a long and prosperous resi¬ 
dence in Australia, was bringing with him a lew- 
specimens of Australian Merinos from the most 
celebrated pure blood flocks of that country. 
They reached New York during the week of the 
the State Sheep Fair, but not in time to be 
exhibited at Canandaigua. They were imme¬ 
diately sent to our residence, ^Cortland Village, 
N. Y.,) where they will remain until other ar¬ 
rangements arc made for them by their owner. 
They are seven lu number, two ewes from the 
flock of Mr. Thomas Leakmonth of Balluratt, Vic¬ 
toria, (a ram from the same flock died on the pas¬ 
sage ;) a ram and two ewes from the flock ot Mr. 
J. L. Currie of Cressy, Victoria ; and two ewes 
from the flock of Mr. Thomas 8ha\v of Wool- 
riwirite, Melbourne. These gentlemen arc among 
the most eminent breeders of Australia. Mr. 
Learmontu probably occupies the very first 
position. His sheep have won the principal 
prizes at the Australian sheep shows. Mr. 
Currie, we believe, obtained the first prize for 
fine wool at both tbe first aud second Interna¬ 
tional Exhibitions at London. All these breed¬ 
ing flocks have the same origin — the Camden 
flock, as it is called. This, as we before have had 
occasion to state, is composed of pure blood 
descendants of the flock of Ncgretti Merinos 
obtained by the King of England iu Spain in 
1797 or 1T9S. Mr. McArthur made purchases 
from the royal flock and introduced these sheep 
into Australia, where they have been most sedu¬ 
lously guarded from all intermixtures with other 
families of Merinos. 
It was with strong curiosity we first gazed on 
these strangers from the antipodes. They were 
HOW TO HEAD WOODCHUCKS 
Rural Editors: —It is about time to again 
agitate the woodchuck question, since that pest 
will soon appear to make its ravages ou grass 
and other crops. The discussion ou the subject 
last summer iu the Rural, has passed from me, 
and not knowing where the papers are, I must 
write from my own observation. 
In the first place, whoever is troubled with 
woodchucks has got good land, that is, if the 
culture is good, for he must have a good base— 
for be it remembered, the animal cannot burrow 
in wet and cold, or stiff clay land, but must 
have dry, gravelly soil to make bis hole in. But 
my object is uot to discuss how to preserve and 
foster the animal, but how to get rid of the 
pest. In uiy young day* I was a friend to the 
woodchuck—it was such rare fun to hunt and 
kill him—that time, however, passed away, and I 
have been annoyed too much to be his friend any 
more, and contemn him uext to the rebel. But 
to the point. Again, bow to get rid of him. A 
good marksman with a rifle, if he has time, will 
do good execution. A good woodchuck dog w ill 
do much to thiu them out; but then many farm- 
are have not or do not use these exterminators, 
aud must resort to other means. A good steel- 
trap, if carefully tended, will do much, but be it 
knowu that the animals often extricate them- 
A, Cross piece or crook. B, Sideboard of the 
box. C, Iron ou the sideboard, which may be 
made long enough to go through cross piece 
under the box, and will then fasten the box 
well together. The dotted lines across the cross 
piece, A, show the shape the mortice is made for 
the hook to pass through, and when ouee put 
iu never need to be taken oat; all there is re¬ 
quired is to lessen the thumb screw until the 
hook will come out of the eye ou the side¬ 
board. A Farmer, 
Cayuga Co., N. Y., 1S65. 
8K1R\1N(i’9 IMPROVED PURPLE-TOT 1 SWEDE. 
Skir ring's Improved Purple- Top has become a 
standard variety. The appearance of the bulb 
aud leaf arc sliowu in the engraving. It is a 
good grower, coming to early maturity, and keep¬ 
ing well when stored. Morton says :—It differs 
from the other “purple-tops” in the more Ob- 
long shape of the bulb, having a longer neck, 
standing more out yf the ground, and eonse : 
