fiSi^URE 
rToRlCULTURC 
EOCHESTER, N. Y.,—FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1862 
{WHOLE NO. 634, 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
correspondent:—“Wishing to find a good substitute 
for that heavy and very expensive substance, 1 Town 
Manure,' of which there is a large, quantity applied 
in this locality, I was induced to institute the experi¬ 
ment recorded below on a crop of potatoes. The 
experiment Was conducted with the most minute 
attention and care, and under my own immediate 
inspection. « 
single prize of $20. which should have been $100; 
another of $15, which should also have been $100, 
and nine prizes of $10 each, which should have 
been at least double that figure. Especially should 
the Board have been liberal for once , in this class 
ot prizes, inasmuch as it would have an important 
and direct hearing upon the value and usefulness of 
the Journal in which these Essays are to appear. 
Twenty dollars are offered for the host crop of 
Indian corn of not less than five acres, and yet only 
$10 are otfered for the “ host, approved essay on 
orchards in Illinois, embracing the selection of trees, 
location, preparation of soil, planting, culture, and 
after management, ot trees and fruit, with means 
used to protect against insects and birds;” and only 
$15 lor the “best approved essay on insects inju¬ 
rious to vegetation in Illinois, with suggestions as 
to the means for their destruction!” 
Now, I modestly assert that this is ridiculous. 
Why ? Because the people of this State grow poorer 
annually, because they devote so much ot their 
attention to corn, to the neglect of other branches of 
husbandry. And hero they are paid a larger pre¬ 
mium for continuing this losing business Ilian the 
man is who devotes his energies to the discovery, 
description and destruction of insect enemies, which 
tax industry hundreds of thousands of dollars each 
year, by their depredations! To grow a good crop 
of corn is desirable; and the farmer has an imme¬ 
diate and corresponding reward for his effort. But 
to know something of the natural enemies of our 
crops is more important and desirable; and the 
naturalist who pursues his studies reaps no material 
reward as a product of his labor— no remuneration 
corresponding with his patient persistent effort. It 
is all wrong; and the assertion will apply to tho 
action of other than the Illinois State Agricultural 
Society. 
THE FARM COMMITTEE ABOLISHED. 
Heretofore, a visiting committee has been appoint¬ 
ed annually to visit (arms and nurseries entered for 
premiums. This committee has been compelled to 
travel over this large State, at a heavy expense of 
time to the members, and of cash to the Society, 
and (lie information collected and the good done 
thereby has not always been commensurate with 
this expenditure. 
The Board has now abolished this committee; and 
while it still offers premiums for the best farms, nur¬ 
series, market gardens, .to., it proposes to base the 
awards upon certain verified statements to be fur¬ 
nished by the competitors. 
This I regard au important and valuable reform; 
for an intelligent award will he quite as likely to he 
made in this case as the other, if the committee 
adhere to the formula of statement required. There 
are few farmers any where, who cannot show their 
farms better in almost any other way than with pen 
and ink; and no award ought to he made in any 
case without the aid of such a statement. Facts 
and figures in detail ought to have greater weight 
than a special cleaniug up for the reception of the 
committee. 
CURRANT VS. STRAWBERRY WINE. 
The committee have made another distinction in 
their offersof premiums, against which it is my duty 
to protest. They offer $10 for the best three bottles 
of currant wine produced in this State, and $2 for 
the best two bottles of strawberry wine. 
Facts that have come to my notice recently lead 
me to believe that this is a grave error. I called 
upon a commission man in this city the other day, 
who showed me samples of strawberry wine from 
Hoosierdom which would have made any veteran 
connoisseur’s eyes sparkle. 
The manufacturer of this wine planted 117,000 
strawberry plants last year, lie grows largo quan¬ 
tities of the fruit, but does not send it to market— 
will not sell it in market, lie manufactures wine 
from it; and from one half acre of strawberries he 
sold $000 worth, of strawberry wine the past season, 
and at Ihe time of writing had a half barrel left 
This is his own statement, copied by me from his own 
letter; and l am assured he is a truth telling man. 
Other wine manufacturers in the State have ex¬ 
pressed great lailb in tho strawberry as a wine pro¬ 
ducing fruit—its exquisite fragrance and flavor, 
and the large amount of juice which it yields, being 
commendations in its favor. It seems to me, there¬ 
fore, that the strawberry should he elevated to a 
position equal with the currant at least 
EXAMINE PATENT OFFICE SEEDS. 
A paper on •• the Grain Weevil,” from the pen of 
B. D. Walsh, suggests tho importance of cautioning 
your readers in reference to the disposal ot seeds 
that are now being distributed by the Patent Office 
through the agency of members of Congress. Walsh 
says: “ When we consider that three of our most 
noxious insects — the Hessian fly, the wheat midge 
and the bark louse—arc not indigenous to America, 
but imported from Europe, it seems singular that 
so little care should be exercised by the authorities 
of the Patent Office in distributing imported seed. 
Si range or singular it may seem! — but this practice 
will continue as long as charlatans and plagiarists 
are pensioned by government to collect seeds abroad. 
Examine the seed Carefully for insects before using 
it, are words of caution which should be heeded. 
We have opened bags of imported wheat, distributed 
by the Patent Office, alive with the most destructive 
of the European grain weevil. 
twenty rods long, containing one-fourth of an acre 
each, upon a reclaimed slough from which three 
years previously had been grubbed willows, aspen, 
and other semi-aquatic trees,—soil black mold, rest¬ 
ing upon stiff clay. The first crop potatoes, the 
second peas, the third the five varieties of potatoes, 
as stated before. It was drained by an open ditch 
leading into a deep ravine. The potatoes were 
planted on the surface, and covered with a plow, 
and thoroughly worked. They ripened, — Early 
York first, Mercers second, Prince Albert third, 
Rohan fourth, and Peach Blow last. They were 
planted ihe last, days of'May, and dug in October. 
The yield was,— of Mercers, twenty-three bushels; 
Early York, twenty-seven bushels; Prince Albert, 
eighteen bushels; Peach Blow, seven bushels; and 
Rohan, fifty-eight bushels. About the middle of 
July the headland next Ihe ditch was plowed up, 
thereby destroying the dead furrows and prevent¬ 
ing Iho escape of water into the ditch, conse¬ 
quently when the extreme wet weather came in the 
latter part of the season, about one-half of the lands 
were submerged alike, excepting that of the* Kobans, 
which only pointed on tho lower side, and had 
besides another ditch lying immediately on the side 
ol them. Those vines that wore submerged were 
killed immediately, and the Prince Alberts and 
Peach Blows commenced rotting at once. The 
Mercers and Early Yorks did not suffer so much, 
owing to their being nearly ripe, neither did the 
Bohans, on account of the side ditch. And now 1 
am coming to the sequel,—the potatoes in this case 
were affected just in proportion to their maturity, 
without any reference to their supposed hardiness. 
If they had been planted at different seasons, so that 
they would haye matured fit the same time, they 
would have been affected alike, notwithstanding the 
supposed tendency that some kinds have to be 
affected more than others. Upon another piece of 
well drained land upon which I had the four first 
named varieties planted at a much later season, the 
Prince Alberts and Peach Blows were not worth 
digging. 
“ In every other instance that has come under my 
notice this season, the vines have been checked just 
in proportion to the wetness of the soil, and the 
potatoes have resisted the attacks of decay in pro¬ 
portion to their maturity. Early planted potatoes 
that matured before the unfavorable weather, were 
good; so were later planted ones on sandy soil, and 
my experince is that the critical time for potatoes is, 
from the time they are coming into blossom until 
they are half grown.” 
CHINESE SUGAR CANE, 
.THE I.KADING AMERICAN WEEKLY 
RURAL. LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
Ens. Rural New-Yorker: —The cultivation and 
manufacture of the sugar canes of the North, for 
table and culinary purposes, is no longer considered 
as an experiment , but a decided success. Ohio, 
without over estimating, made over 3,000,000gallons 
of sirup the past season, which, where properly 
manufactured, rivals the. best golden sirups both in 
quality and price. 
Having been engaged in the growing and manu¬ 
facturing of Sorghum since first introduced by gov¬ 
ernment, and having kept a record for the past two 
seasons of tho different lots of cane worked for 
myself and others,—of tho character and quantity 
of ground planted, how planted and tended, how 
rich the juice when expressed, and how much sirup 
it made,— and comparing notes with those at the 
Ohio Sorghum Convention, who had kept similar 
records, the writer feels confident that the farmer 
growing the cane, and the manufacture of sirup for 
a neighborhood, by carrying out the following direc¬ 
tions, which I will give in as tew and plain words as 
possible,.can scarcely fail. 
Culture. —Select a rich piece of ground. A 
deep, sandy, limestone upland soil is the best. If 
you use cloy soil, manure it well. Bottom lands 
produce more stalks and juice, hut I think not quite 
so rich. 
Flow deep and pulverize well. Select pure seed, 
put it. in a milk strainer, and pour on hot water 
until the seed is wet. Roll the wet seed up in 
papers, place the packages where the seed will be 
kept warm, and keep the packages damp until 
sprouted. This will make your cane come up at 
least a week earlier, besides sprouted seed, it is 
thought by many, is not so liable to rot in the 
ground. 
Plant your canc the first thing, or just before you 
plant your com. If your ground is clean, plant in 
drills, the rows four feet apart, — some think on 
on account of winds it does belter marked out east 
and west. Put from one to two seeds in a place, and 
from twelve to eighteen inches apart. Should the 
ground be foul with weed seeds, for ease iu tending, 
plant iu check-rows, three and one-half feet each 
way. Leave from four to six main stalks in a hill. 
Do not sucker the cane, as it retards Us growth, 
until new suckers are formed; besides the suckers 
are as good for sirup as tho main stalks. Till the 
ground thoroughly, keeping it free from weeds and 
grass. Keep the ground nearly level, not hilling up 
too much around the canes. 
When your cane is about eighteen inches high, do 
not stir the ground any more (except to remove 
weeds,) as it keeps the cane green and retards the 
forming of saccharine matter too long. 
Harvesting.— About ten days before the cane is 
ready to work, strip off the leaves. This lets in the 
sun’s rays and ripens the stalk, besides it dries up 
the sheath or lower part of the leaf. AVhen the seed 
has formed a dough, or turned to a brown color, cut 
off the two upper joints. Cut up your cane and tie 
it in bundles, with a hand of leaves, both at the 
butts and tops. This saves the grower a great deal 
of labor in loading and unloading, saves the manu¬ 
facturer in handling, saves enough of your cane 
from wasting to pay for the extra labor, besides 
it looks much neater. If not ready to work, stand 
it on end in a barn or shed, where it may remain for 
several weeks without taking injury, hut rather 
found to improve. 
The past two seasons I found the cane richer, and 
yielding a better article of sirup the last of the sea¬ 
son than the first, excepting where it had been frozen. 
The leaves and seed, if thoroughly cured and tied 
in bundles, make the best of sheep and horse feed. 
Hybridizing. — Be careful ihat there is not any¬ 
thing near your cane that will mix with it, as Broom 
or Chocolate corn. I have seen it growing with per 
feet Broom corn tops, excepting the center wisp was 
thick and woody to the top. The nature of the cane 
is so changed that it is not fit for either brooms or 
sirup. The seed ripens much earlier when hybrid¬ 
ized, and farmers not knowing the difference have 
procured and planted it all over the country. 
In 1800 I furnished ray neighbors with pure seed, 
and from 130 wagon loads of cane 1 made 1,738 
gallons of good, merchantable sirup. That season, 
as there was not much of the cane ripened before 
the frost, they procured their seed for the next year 
from other sources. The consequence was that the 
cane was much of it so badly mixed that from 207 
loads T only made 1,400 gallons, making an average 
of one-half less than the previous year. Iu some 
instances tho cane was so poor that it would not 
yield over a gallon of sirup to the load; but where 
persons were careful to have good seed, the yield in 
quantity and quality was good. 
Manufacturing of Sirup. — Place your mill on 
an elevation a little higher than your evaporator, 
so that you can run the juice from the mill to the 
juice tank through a spout. If you have no suitable 
location of this kind, make a cistern near the mill, 
and with a good pump attached to a gum or lead 
pipe you can take the juice where you want it. 
Place a coarse wire strainer under the mouth ot the 
mill, to remove tho pieces of stalks and loaves, and 
a fine Hour seive under tho mouth of the pump to 
remove tho small specks of stalks. 
As the object is to make good sirup, the two most 
necessary things for the operator to have are a good 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
CHAS. D. BRAG-DON. Western Correspond In g Editor, 
Cost of 
Manure, 
including 
cartage 
5)4 miles. 
Weight of 
potatoes 
per acre. 
Value of 
potatoes at 
4s. per ewt. 
The Rural Nbw-Yorkf.r 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 it* various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rural an eminently Reliable 
Guide on all the important Practical, Scientific aDd other 
Subjects intimately connected with the business of those whose 
interests it zealously advocates. As a Family Journal it is 
eminently Instructive and Entertaining—being so conducted 
that it can be safely taken to the Hearts and Homes of people of 
intelligence, taste and discrimination. It embraces more Agri¬ 
cultural. Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and 
News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful 
Engravings, than any other journal.—rendering it the most 
complete Agricultural. Literary and Family Newspaper 
in America. 
Manure applied 
per acre. 
45 tuns Town Manure 
7 cwt. Phosplio Peru¬ 
vian Guano_ 
fi cwt do. do...., 
11 cwt. Ritchie's Bone 
Manure_ 
Thu roots wore all sound, being of that variety 
called “Skerry Blues,’ but those grown on the town 
manure wore much inferior, both in size and quality, 
to those grown on either of the other manures. It 
appears a singular circumstance that the addition of 
one cwt. of guano should raise the produce more 
than 1 f tuns. This confirms an opinion I have held 
for some time—which is, that farmers apply a 
quantity of guano inadequate to grow a full crop, 
and leave a residue in the soil, and that therefore 
arise the many complaints we hear of the after 
crops being deficient when guano has been exclu¬ 
sively applied to the green crops. I have no doubt 
but that the addition of another cwt. would have 
raised the produce still higher. The crop was 
planted on the 20tli of April, 1861, and raised on the 
20th of October. The soil, a light clay loam on red¬ 
dish clay subsoil.” 
DISTANCE OF PLANTING, AC. 
Farmers, as a general rule, plant their potatoes too 
far apart to secure a maximum, crop. We would use 
a horse only one way, as we are satisfied that the 
extra crop will more than pay for the baud labor 
required. A variety with short haulms should be 
selected, other things being equal, in preference to 
those with long, straggling tops. Wo give the 
results of experiments made to test the effects of 
planting at different distances, cut and uncut seed, 
&c. Five rows, 60 feet long and 2 feet apart, with 
sets of two good eyes I foot apart in the rows, pro¬ 
duced 5 bushels 25 pounds, or at the rate of about 
400 bushels to the acre. Five rows of same lengt h 
and distance apart, planted with gets of one-tourth 
of a potato cut lengthwise, two feet apart in the 
rows, produced 3 bushels and 25 pounds, or at the 
rate of 230 bushels to the acre. Five rows the 
same, planted with whole potatoes, 1 foot apart, 
yielded 5 bushels 10 pounds, or about 370 bushels to 
the acre. Five rows with whole potatoes, 2 feet 
apart in the rows, gave 4 bushels 15 pounds, or 
about 300 bushels to the acre. 
Five rows of hills, 60 feet long and 3 feet apart 
each way, with two sets containing two good eyes iu 
each hill, produced 4 bushels 45 pounds, or at the 
rate of 230 bushels to the acre. Five rows of hills, 
same as before, planted with 3 sets in a hill, made 
by cutting a medium-sized potato into three parts, 
5 bushels 25 pounds, or about at the rate of 260 
bushels to the acre. Five rows of hills, with two 
half potatoes in the hill, yioldedh bushels 11 pounds, 
about 248 bushels to the acre. Five rows of hills 
with one set in each hill, containing three good 
eyes, gave 3 bushels 7 pounds, or about 150 bushels 
to the acre. 
Occasionally dug up sets to examine them, and 
found that from a whole potato, as a general rule, 
only from two to four of the strongest eyes grew, the 
others remaining dormant, the eyes obtaining the 
first start appearing to have exhausted the nutri¬ 
ment in the potato before those slower in growing 
had got ready to claim their share. The same 
potato cut in two, three, or even four pieces, would 
give about the same number of shoots to each set, 
though the smaller the sets the weaker were the 
shoots. To these rules there were some exceptions; 
for occasionally most of the eyes in a whole potato 
would commence growth about the same time, and 
a good many small shoots would he the result, while 
sometimes a very small set would give one or 
two strong shoots. 
The soil on which these experiments were con¬ 
ducted is a yellowish chestnut loam, rather poor 
from constant cropping, and 350 pounds of Peruvian 
Guano to the acre were used. Davis 7 Seedling was 
Ihe’variety. 
liability of Potatoes to rot. 
In selecting varieties of potatoes for planting, 
early maturity is a point of no small importance. 
Several varieties that we now cultivate require the 
whole of a favorable season and a warm soil to 
bring them to perfection. This is the case with the 
Feacb Blow, and for this reason we have never 
recommended it very highly. Late ripening pota¬ 
toes will always he found more subject to rot than 
those that mature early. Wo find the following 
experiment, by one of the most successful market 
gardeners near Chicago, reported in the Prairie 
Farmer, and it accords with our experience: 
“ Last season I planted five varieties of potatoes 
for experiment, viz., Mercer, Early York, Prince 
Albert, Peach Blow, and Rohan. Nothing critical 
was expected except to establish the succession in 
which they ripened, and their comparative yield. 
They wore planted on lauds two rods wide and 
t3T For Terms and other particulars, Bee last page. 
THE POTATO CHOP, 
TnE potato is an important crop in this section of 
the country, and the leading one with many farmers 
who cultivate light lands, which, since the preva¬ 
lence of the rot, has been found peculiarly adapted 
to the growth of this esculent As such lands are 
not usually rich and will not give a good yield 
without manure, and after a crop or two become so 
much exhausted as to render their further culture 
unprofitable without the use of some fertilizer, it 
becomes a question of no small interest what 
manure can he used most economically. The 
cheapest and most available of all manures for the 
potato in such lands is a good clover sod turned 
under; and if a crop of potatoes is grown only once 
in three or four years, land by this system will keep 
in very good heart for a long time. Those who 
have, however, hut little land, are tempted to grow 
a crop of potatoes oftener than this, and hence we 
have reports of thirty, fifty, seventy-five, and a hun¬ 
dred bushels to the acre, while no one should be 
satisfied with less than two hundred bushels, and 
double this amount may he grown with good cul¬ 
ture. Uufermeuled mauurc, if applied iu large 
quantities, is apt to produce rot. Ashes are excel¬ 
lent for the potato, and a handful scattered at the 
time of planting around each set will give a good 
account at harvest, as any one may ascertain who 
will take the trouble to try the experiment. But, 
potato growers need more manure than they can 
readily obtain in the ordinary course of farming, 
and in seme sections guano of different kinds has 
been used pretty freely. Wishing to ascertain 
whether this manure could be used profitably in 
growing potatoes, and if so, the best variety, we 
instituted a series of experiments, which for two 
years were conducted with all possible care, to 
insure a correct result. 
EFFECTS of guano. 
The guano was weighed out at the rate of 350 
pounds to the acre, and applied in rows, the potatoes 
being planted in rows 60 feet tong, two feet apart, 
with sets of two or three eyes one foot apart in the 
rows. The result was as follows: 
10 rows without guano._.7 bush. 45 lbs. 
10 Sombrero guano_ 8 “ 00 “ 
10 11 American guano_8 “ 30 “ 
10 •* Peruvian guano.. 9 “ 40 “ 
10 “ without guano „. 8 “ OO “ 
The ground was very uniform, a light loam, but 
at one corner of the piece, occupied by the last ten 
rows, there had been an old drain to carry off the 
waste water from an adjoining house, and here the 
crop was better. 
The experiment was repeated with about the 
same result: 
10 rows no guano..7 bush. 45 lbs. 
10 “ American guano.8 “ 35 “ 
10 “ Sombrero guano____8 “ OO “ 
10 “ Peruvian guano...9 “ 63 “ 
The increase by tho Sombrero Guano over that 
unmanured, is at the rate of 9 bushels to the acre, 
while the cost of the guano, at $30 per tun, would 
be little less than $5; not a very cheap w r ay of making 
lug potatoes, as they w ould cost 55 cents a bushel, 
besides all extra trouble. The increase by the use 
Of American Guano was 30 bushels to the acre, 
While the guano which produced this increase, at 
$40 per tun, would cost about $7, or some 23 cents 
per bushel. Wo paid higher than this for what we 
used, and cannot state, its present price; therefore 
we take the lowest figure iu our estimate. The 
increase where the Peruvian Guano was used over 
the unmanured lots was at the rate of 72 bushels to 
the acre. For the guano we paid $60 per tun, and 
the quantity used to produce this result would cost 
$10, or about 14 cents per bushel. This is, of course, 
without adding cost of transportation, applying, dig¬ 
ging, marketing, Ac. From these figures our read¬ 
ers may learn somewhat of the advantages to be 
gained by the use of the different guanos > and gov¬ 
ern themselves accordingly. 
In the last number of the Irish Farmer's Gazette, 
we find the following experiment reported by a 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES 
There have been two arrivals on my table the 
past week, which I deem it my duty, as a Western 
man, to notice. The fiust is the first number of 
THE JOURNAL OF THE ILLINOIS STATE AGRICUL¬ 
TURAL SOCIETY. 
Since the announcement that the Society had de¬ 
termined upon such a publication, there have been 
ominous shakes of the head ill certain quarters, 
concerning tho policy, propriety, and legitimate 
character of such an enterpise. There have been 
somo pretty frank expressions of disapproval. It 
has been urged that it would injure the interests of 
the agricultural press of the State; ami with this 
belief, much righteous iudigation has been ex¬ 
pressed. But 
1. The State Society has a right to publish such a 
Journal it it chooses—just as much as to offer 
premiums for big bombs and great guns — for fast 
nags and coffee and cotton. The “object” of the 
Society being “ the promotion of Agriculture, Hor- 
tieultur, Manufactures, Mechanic and Household 
Arts,” why is not the publication of such a journal 
“ legitimate?” 
2. If, enjoying better facilities for procuring infor¬ 
mation of great value to the agricultural public, it 
makes a better paper than can be done by private 
enterprise, it, ought to he sustained, as should all 
enterprises giving the greatest good to the greatest 
number. 
3. If it is not more valuable than papers pub¬ 
lished by private enterprise, it will not injure them. 
4. It occupies infield of its own, and if judiciously 
conducted, with the dignity and courtesy which 
characterizes this first issue, it cannot fail to acquire 
and dispense a class of information ot great value 
and interest It cannot fail to ho useful. 
The more I think of it, the more 1 regard it as the 
most judicious and timely act of the present 
administration! 
GLEANINGS FROM THE JOURNAL. 
A farmer’s CONVENTION. 
A proposition to call “ A Farmer's Convention,” 
in 1862, was reported upon lavorably by a commit¬ 
tee to whom it was referred; hut the committee 
asked further time, and will report finally the 25th 
of February, when the Board meets -to determine 
the location of the next Fair. What the especial 
object of this proposed Convention is I am uot 
advised — or whether it has any especial object. 
But such a Convention, convened with the right 
spirit, and set at work systematically, may effect 
needed reforms—may become a power in the State. 
SOMETHING TO SCOLD ABOUT. 
The Board has otfered a series of prizes for Essays 
on different subjects connected with agriculture— a 
