TWO DOLLARS A. YEAR.] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.' 
[SINGLE YO. EOXJR CENTS. 
ROCHESTER, K.Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1862. 
S WHOLE NO. 626. 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
THE I.EADISO AMERICA** WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
CHAS. D. BB-AGDON. Western Corresponding Editor. 
The Rural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique 
and beautiful in Appearance Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rcxai. an eminently Reliable 
Gnide on all the important Practical. Scientific and other 
Subjects intimately connected with the business of those whose 
interests it zealously advocates- As a Family Journal it is 
eminently Instructive and Entertaining —beins so conducted 
that it can be safely taken to the Hearts and Homes of people of 
intelligence, taste and discrimination I; embraces more Agri¬ 
cultural. Horticultural. Scientific, Educational. Literary and 
News Mutter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful 
Engravings, than any other journal,—rendering it the most 
complete Auri CULTURAL. Literary and Family Newspaper 
in America. _ 
For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
AGBICCLTCML. 
THE WAR AND AGRICULTURE. 
It may well cause anxiety among farmers, when 
they look forward to the season now near at hand 
for the commencement of their usual farm labor. 
The fanner who brings out his plow to begin pre¬ 
paring for his spring crops, may well pause and ask 
what is to be the condition of this country when the 
crop matures and he is to be paid for the labor now 
about to be expended. The dairyman may well 
pause as his cows begin to give out their treasure-*, 
and ask what is to be the prospect for sale of the but¬ 
ter. or cheese, or pork which is to be manufactured 
during the coming season. The sheep farmer may 
well pause, and ponder, and wonder if he is to tind 
the same dull, stagnant market that met him so 
seriously the last year. All are accustomed to go 
cheerfully at their spring’s work when they are 
dependent only upon the kind blessing of that good 
Father who has promised "seed time and harvest” 
to all who, by diligent industry, prepare for the 
reception of these blessings. But now, when the 
very foundations of society are broken up, when 
that peace and security which to the farmer more 
than any other is the “bright bow .of hope." is 
threatened or overthrown, he may well take hold of 
his plow with serious thoughts. 
That the future is clouded cannot be disguised. 
That this great rebellion is causing a great change 
in the business relations of society is very manifest 
That Government is expending vast sums of money 
daily, which, in the aggregate, must be counted by 
hundreds of millions of dollars, is a fact not to be 
doubted; and quite as certain Ls the fact that all this 
vast expenditure of treasure has yet to be met by 
the produce of the land. In other words, the fanners 
of the country in the end must pay the debt; for in 
whatever manner it may for the time be disguised, 
ultimately all national or public debts are paid from 
the cultivated lands of the country. The wealth of 
a country is the surplus of its agricultural products. 
Were the agriculture of this country to fail, or to 
become so feeble as to only furnish a bare subsist¬ 
ence to its population, all its other interests would 
be speedily bankrupt Heavy taxation then, is 
before us. heavier than has ever yet been borne in 
this country. The articles of luxury, and many of 
necessity, will be high, and the products of the farm 
will not be advanced in proportionate value. But 
the duty of the farmer is plain, — the prospect, 
though clouded, is by no means dark. Cultivate all 
the land you can, and do it well. If possible, raise 
greater crops than last year, so that your surplus 
shall equal at least the increase tax that you will 
have to pay for the protection of the whole. Re¬ 
member that war with its desolation, is far from 
your border, and that so long as it keejts its deadlv 
blight from our peaceful homes, we can well afford 
to pay for the exemptions. 
We have taken the dark side of the prospect. 
Let us look upon the bright one, for a bright and 
hopeful one there certainly is. 
ThewantsofE urope h ave al ready absorbed the sur¬ 
plus of one, and are gradually absorbing the second, 
of the most abundant harvests which we have ever had 
on this Continent. The demand will not be abated 
until we reach another harvest at least. All our 
cereals will be in demand and at fair prices* and the 
next harvest will come in on empty granaries. We 
may. therefore, sow and plant in all confidence, even 
if war should continue on the scale of the present 
armament. 
The low prices of butter and cheese during the 
last two years, have introduced these articles into 
foreign markets, where they were rarely seen be¬ 
fore, and the demand has absorbed our surplus, 
and created an increased demand abroad! The 
product# of the dairy, then, will meet a ready sale a? 
fair prices, if we only strive to produce a first rate 
article. For it is by the excellence of our dairy 
articles in the foreign markets that we have been 
such successful competitors, and thus control an 
unfailing demand. 
The exigences of the nation require a high tariff 
which, from the very nature of things, must remain 
for many years. This will give permanence to 
manufactures, and capital will readily seek employ¬ 
ment iu manufacturing. All over the couutry we 
are. therefore, to have an Increased demand for the 
products of our flocks and fields and herds at home. 
The consumers will be mindly increased, while the 
producers will, if anything, decrease. The tariff 
will give permanence to our financial institutions, 
aud we shall have a season of prosperity such as 
never has been seen in any country. 
But over and above all this, we are to be im¬ 
proved in our morals* in our habits of economy, in 
those of thrift, and we shall come out of this great 
rebellion strengthened. 
Let us all then endeavor, each in his proper 
sphere, to make what seems a great calamity a great 
National Blessing, and a kind Providence will crown 
our efforts with success. 
IRISH AGRICULTURE. 
— ■ 
The present state of our country — the unhappy 
war made upon the Union by a horde of unprin¬ 
cipled slaveholding politicians and their silly dupes 
—the hatred of the Loudon Times and three-fourths 
of the English papers towards the North, and their 
avowed sympathy with rebellion—the honest manly 
sympathy of Ireland and the Irish people every¬ 
where with the free North, and the present scarcity 
of food and thr atoned starvation in the “green 
i-de,” gives At . -ricau# an interest in the condition 
, of Ireland that has not been felt since long years 
ago we -ent our ship# on their errand of mercy to 
save the men. women, and children of that beautiful 
} * unhappy island from a horrible death. For 
some years the London Times has urged Irish land¬ 
holders to abandon the culture of wheat and other 
grains, and even flax, and to lay down the whole 
island in permanent pasture for the purpose of 
growing stock and butter for tin* English market 
That this course would rob the laboring people of a 
great part of the work upon which they depend lor 
subsistence, was of course well known, for but little 
labor is required under such a system of agricul¬ 
ture; yet this sacrifice was not considered too great 
to carry out the notions of the Times, and furnish 
meat to England in exchange fur her manufactures. 
Through the influence thus set to work, the plan 
has been adopted to some extent, and its ruinous 
effects are seen and lamented by the best agricul¬ 
turists of Ireland. It has deprived many indus¬ 
trious men of labor and the means of subsistence 
and driven them from their homes to seek labor 
and support iu other lands. But even this has 
been declared by the Times an evidence of pros¬ 
perity. and the Irish Farmers Gazette , one 
of our best European exchanges, says— 
“In the estimation of the writers in the 
Times , a rapid and enormous decrease in 
the population ol Ireland has been con- ^ ^ 
sidered a sure indication of the rapidly / 
improving and enormously increased pros- * q 
perity of this country iu every point of view; l 
while the abandonment of tillage and the ^ B 
extension of permanent pasture has been V 
no less lauded by them as the most bene- \ 
ficial agricultural change which could pos- \ 
sibly have occurred.” JUg 
Feeling that its wild theories needed c wP* 
support from the attacks of the Irish 
agriculturists, the Times pursued its lavorite 
course, and last autumn sent a well - known 
English agriculturist as a commissioner to make 
a circuit of the Island, and report upon its agri¬ 
cultural condition, believing, no doubt, that the 
commissioner would see the necessity of serving hi# 
masters, and fully realize that his principal work 
was to sustain by facts and arguments the course 
the Times had pursued. Had a politician or barris¬ 
ter been selected for this work, all would have gone 
smoothly, no doubt, but a barrister’s opinion on the 
agriculture of Ireland would of course have no 
weight, and therefore it became necessary that a 
well-known farmer should lie chosen for this mis¬ 
sion. Fortunately, farmer#, as a general thing, have 
not yet learned that it L# not good policy to be 
| hone.-t and truthful, and are not quick to take a 
hint that any dishonorable work is required of them. 
The Commissioner entered upon his mission, and 
soon discovered that the opinions advanced by 
writers in the Times were calculated to do great 
mischief, and recommended very urgently a differ¬ 
ent policy. He found that while *• in some localities 
the farming show# universal improvement, in other 
parts of the country no perceptible progress had 
been made, saving that a fearful amount of depopu¬ 
lation had left fewer families to share among them a 
larger stock of floating and movable wealth.” 
And. as the conclusion of the whole matter, he 
considered it his business •* to t<ress the i :nporta7tee of 
enlarging the present proportion of pine land by 
breaking up inferior old pastures: it having been 
shown that the lighter soils—embracing one-ha!f the 
entire surface of Ireland, and two-thirds of the area 
in cultivation — t could furnish moke meat and 
stoke animals, besides the corn, dairy produce , and 
icvol, if farmed as a mixture op grass and tillage 
kind, instead of being purely grazed. And this addi¬ 
tion of 4,000.000 acres to the labor-needing area 
would provide work for about 600.000 men, repre¬ 
senting as heads of families probably 2.500.000 
inhabitants." 
Sadly disappointed and chagrined at the honesty 
of its practical correspondent, the Times commenced 
a system of bullying towards Irish agriculturists, 
similar to that which for months has characterized j 
its course toward America, and with bold impudence 
A CHAPTER ON POULTRY. 
.1 irxjiNu from the tenor of several inquiries now 
before us, it would almost seem as though the fever 
which exhibited it.#, violence in a passion for large 
declares its opposition to the facts and opinions of breeds of fowls was passing away, and that those 
r * 1 i • • i . . c.. .v .. i . .1 __*v:_t_ a _ _ 
be perfectly white, globular, and free from broken 
colors. Her wattles are rounded and well 
developed: the ear-lobe white. In form, she is 
closer built than the cock, full-breasted, and should 
weigh about four pounds. 
its own commissioner, and that it ha* “ no reason to 
doubt that the green island will one day present the : 
aspect of a vast pasture, studded with towns." In ’ 
reviewing these articles, the Farmer's Gazette says— 1 
It is positively painful to follow the editorial 
writers in the Times through all their misrepresen¬ 
tations of facts, and their unmanly, pettifogging 
quibbling. They have been convicted of error by 
their own correspondent, but from pure obstinacy— 
that kind of obstinacy which is engendered by the . 
combination of pride and ignorance—they refuse to i 
learn wisdom even from hi# pen. So far as we are 
concerned—to use what Is now classical language— 
we ' don't care two rows of pins' for the opinions 
of the Times on Irish agricultural matters: but 
there are some among us who are weak enough to 
see only through whatever spectacles that journal j 
may choose to supply them with—who'imagine it to 
be almost an inspired guide in all sublunary affairs; | 
and there are others, we are sorry to say, who ■ 
would rather listen to a chorus of Beelzebub’s 
angels than the blithe whistle of a sturdy plowman. 
It is on that account alone we speak out; for we 
would desire to save the one party from the conse¬ 
quences of their blind infatuation, and the country 
from those which result from the line of conduct I 
pursued by the latter. When Ireland realizes the 
lend wish of the Times, by becoming • a vast pas- j 
tun*.' England may look to her own stability, 
chained as she will then be to a lifeless mass. On 
the other hand, if we improve the talents with 
which a bountiful Providence hath endowed us. in 
what we undoubtedly enjoy, a fertile soil and 
genial climate, then, indeed, Ireland will be Eng¬ 
land's right arm. and a mighty contributor to the ; 
nation # wealth. Let us. then, not ’bruit to Vie 
bullied by the Times, to follow a course which has 
already produced much evil among us, and which, 
if persisted in. can only end in the general ruin of | 
the country.” 
who have heretofore discarded anything but a mam¬ 
moth feathered biped, are seeking for a “happy 
medium” between the gross and the diminutive in 
ehickendom. To those who have queried us directly, 
and all others who may be seeking something of a 
like character, we recommend the following: 
Where the Hamburg fowls originated is not defi¬ 
nitely known. By some writers it is claimed that 
they originated iu Holland, and by other# that they 
first came from Hamburg, whence is derived their 
distinguishing title. Be this as it may. the places 
designated furnish at the present time the best speci¬ 
mens of the breed obtainable, for their highest 
development has been an object of great care among 
poultry-breeders. 
■F' 
GOLDEN-PENCILED ir am nr kgs. 
THE POTATO. 
It will be recollected by those who have been 
attentive readers of the Rural for some years past, 
that when discussing the raising of potatoes in the 
hill, we stated that the potato is not a,root, but an 
under-ground branch. As some proof of tbi#. we 
gave an engraving of potatoes produced above 
ground. In the London Gardeners Chronicle we 
INCHES 
I 2 3 ♦ 5 
Of the Hamburg fowl there are two distinct varie- 
! ties, and these are again sub-divided into two each. 
' The variety figured above is allied to the Silver- 
Penciled. (ol which we may hereafter give an illus- i 
trution,) and differs chiefly in having a yellowish- ' 
! bull or a vellowish-Uay vround color in its plumage 1 
where the other is white. Dement thus describes I 
! them:—"The cock has a ro.->c comb about an inch t 
| and a half broad, with points of uniform height, | 
and with a pike reaching far back; face well crim- 
' soned round the eye: ear-lobe white; neck reddish- 
yellow : ‘upper wing-coverts, -addle-feathers and ! 
breast, light brown; thighs brown; tail black, with 
bronzed tint upon the I'-iither#. well sickled. and 
very ample for the- size of the bird; legs blue. The 
height is about eighteen inches, and weight aver¬ 
ages nearly five pounds. The hen possesses a rose 
comb; face paler than in the cock; neckbackle yel¬ 
low-buff. but not so free from stains as the Silver- 
Penciled; breast, wings and back, brownish-buffi 
accurately penciled with black; legs blue. Height 
about fifteen inches, and weight about four pounds." 
Al l varieties of the Hamburg fowl are reputed 
to be excellent layers* little inclined to siL possess 
i fle#h of superior quality, and their eggs are good as 
well as abundant. Among Hollanders, the Golden- 
Penciled are known as “ Dutch every-day layers." 
The qualifications we have enumerated, together 
with their great beauty of plumage, have made 
them favorite# with English amateur poultry-breed¬ 
ers living in the vicinity of large towns, who are 
WHITE POLISH FOWLS. 
Mowbp.ay says “ the Polanders are not only kept 
as ornamental, but they are of the most useful 
varieties, particularly on account of the abundance 
of the eggs they lay. being least inclined to sit of 
any other breed, whence they are sometimes called 
everlasting layers, and it is usual to set their eggs 
under other hens. They fatten a# quickly* as any 
other breed, and in quality similar to the Dorking; 
their flesh perhaps a little'more juicy and of a 
richer flavor. They are a quiet, domestic fowl, 
neither quarrelsome nor mischievous, and their 
eggs of a good size, fine flavored, and thin shells.” 
They do not lay quite so early in the season as 
some varieties, especially after a hard winter; but 
they are exceedingly good layers, and continue a 
long time without wanting to sit. They will sit, 
however, at length, and prove of very diverse dis¬ 
positions; some being excellent titters and nurses, 
others heedless and spiteful. 
BLACK SPANISH FOWLS. 
Among the most beautiful of all our fowls will be 
found the Black Spanish. When thorough-bred, the 
feathers should be entirely black, and when in good 
condition, these will display a greenish metallic 
luster. The comb is erect, brilliant scarlet, and 
serrated; clear, milk-white face and ear-lobes: dark 
blue legs; carriage lofty. Wattle# of the hen small, 
but large aud conspicuous in the cock, and. like the 
comb, light scarlet. The marked contrast thus pre- 
I seated renders the head of the Spanish cook as 
[ handsome as that of any other variety; and when 
I they are genuine, the whole form is equally good. 
The cock bird should l<e strong and short in the 
find an engraving and description of a Fluke potato 
upwards of two feet in length, and its examination, 
the editor remarks* will be very instructive, -be¬ 
cause it assists in demonstrating the true nature of a 
, _ , , . ..1.- A U* UIIU C-UI-'UIU 4UU ruuii ill UJC 
short of room, and w ho require a constant supply ol r 
, . . , ...... legs as possible; his back, from tail to neck, short; 
eggs rather than frequent broods of chickens. I r. . * , , . , , ,, 
toi I I rrro un<l ureri w I bn vi ohmilif net Li. 
In choosing this variety of fowl for breeding pur¬ 
poses. the person making a selection cannot be too 
tenacious in requiring that the cock should not have 
any marking of black except upon his wings,—if he 
potato: not that such proof is wanted by men of h a.#. disappointment will result, as he will inevitably 
science, but because there is still a lingering belief pr0< ] uce spurious birds, 
in many minds that this vegetable must be a root. 
as it is commonly called. If anything can remove = 
such an erroneous belief, the monster before us will r A - 
do it. for it bears unmisuikeable evidence of being J 
an underground branch covered with buds. How it 
was formed is uncertain, the specimen not having -gjj= 
been examined by ourselves; but it is probable that 
the base of the tuber was somewhere about and 
that it was formed by three successive growths. #*2 x1 W-*?-' 
Probably the first growth was from * to i>, which 
was what in Ireland is-called the ’rose end.’ in 
which vegetation is most active; this is shown by 
the direction of the notches, or imperfect leaves on I 
the under side. The part between * and u having | '''&***■ " I ~~— '' 
been formed, growth seem:# to have been tempora- 
•i i 1 TIT*. . . , . H BLACK POLISH FOWLS. 
rily suspended. When renewed, the laterals s. b. 
were formed, and they beinz formed, growth was a For the purposes of the Poultry Fancier thePolisl 
second time arrested. Eventually, tow ards the end fowl.: are well suited. Their flesh is superior ant 
of the season a third attempt at extension was their plumage very beautiful. The great point ir 
made, the result of which was the little knobs c c this breed is the top-knot, which should be large 
| c c. All this is just what would happen in an ordi- compact, well-shaped, and full. In front of this i 
i nary branch budding repeatedly above ground, and a small, bright red comb, divided something afte 
I has no resemblance to anything that occurs among the fashion ot a pair ot horns. The different kind 
j roots. The difference between this potato tuber and are distinguished by their colors. The cock and tfc. 
1 a potato branch arises from the constitutional pecu- hen are of the same color. His carriage is good 
BLACK polish fowls. 
were formed, and they being formed, growth was u For the purposes of the Poultry Fancier the Polish 
second time arrested. Eventually, tow ards the end fowl*' are well suited. Their flesh i# superior and 
of the season a third attempt at extension was their plumage very beautiful. The great point in 
made, the result of which was the little knobs c c this breed is the top-knot, w hich should be large, 
c c. All this is just what would happen in an ordi- compact well-shaped, and full. In front of this is 
nary branch budding repeatedly above ground, and a small, bright red comb, divided something after 
has no resemblance to anything that occurs among the fashion ot a pair ot horns. The different kinds 
roots. The difference between this potato tuber and are distinguished by their colors. The cock and the 
a potato branch arises from the constitutionai pecu- hen are of the same color. His carriage is good: 
liaritv of that plant to form gouty branches* and I the arched neck nearly meeting the tail, which is 
tail large and ample. The weight should not be 
less than six pounds. 
Spanish hen# are also of good size and good figure, 
and are celebrated as layers. The head of the hen 
is neat, and of moderate size; eyes bright: comb 
single, very large and pendulous; face entirely 
white; neck of moderate length, neatly set on; body 
broad; wings of middle size; legs bluish-white; tail 
long and well squared: plumage of a glossy black, 
wtilh handsome tint# of green and purple, as in the 
cock, but less brilliant. Weight of the hen five 
pounds. 
Inferior cro#.* breeds of the Spanish fowl are 
often met with, and we would caution those wishing 
to increase their poultry stock against imposition, as 
such fowls are not worth keeping. Li*t the pure 
strain only be adopted. It may be preserved by the 
occasional introduction of males of the same race, 
and up to the mark in every point, which have 
descended by a collateral branch from the same 
root, and which have, therefore, only a remote 
connection with the stock to which they are admit¬ 
ted. It is thus that breeder# may often benefit each 
other by mutual exchanges. 
from the latter being produced in the midst of the 
mechanical opposition offered to regular develop¬ 
ment by a close pressed stony soil." 
Unproductive ts. Weil-Tilled Farms.—A 
worn out and unproductive farm, like a bloated 
drunkard, is an unpleasant spectacle to look upon; 
but a well-tilled homestead, like a robust, healthy, 
temperate man, standing in his meridian strength, 
is one of the most pleasing objects that one can meet. 
very full and erect especially when he become# 
excited. The breast is wide and prominent while 
the short legs and generally compact form arc* no 
* less pleasing to the eye than valuable in an econom- 
I ical point of view, as indicative, technically speak- 
‘ ing. of the comparative small quantity of offal. A 
: full-sized Black Poland cock should weigh from 
J live to five and a half pounds. 
When we turn to the hen we require the Fame 
| color throughout, but the top-knot, of course, must 
HEADS OF BLACK SPANISH COCK AND HEN. 
The great and in fact the only, objection to this 
breed of fowls in our climate, is the fact that the 
large, thin, and beautiful combs, are very apt to 
freeze, and thus the great ornament is lost. 
VOL. XIII. NO. 2. 
