Thu? much for protection again?! skunks; and it 
is my opinion that should his skunksbip ever again 
undertake to invade the “sacred soil” of my bam 
bay. he will find his nasal organ and claws will be 
very much shortened before he gets safely ensconced 
in his old home. Harvey Haynes. 
Cold water. Mich., July, 1862. 
for seed, which will save the expense of transporta¬ 
tion, and will command fifty cents more per bushel 
than an ordinary article, and in proof of the above 
theory I will give you the result,of two fields treated 
as 1 have prescribed. From one acre and four rods, 
forty-three and one-baif bushels, sold for seed at 
two dollars per bushel. On the other field I sowed 
fourteen and one-half bushels, and harvested three 
hundred and fifteen bushels. 
lence and the kingdom of heaven first, then we may 
expect the blessing of heaven to abound in our 
harvests as well as in our hearts. "Where the 
Creator of all things is pleased, all things will work 
well. 
Here, then, are,due things to be attended to by 
fanners and others, in connection with their labors 
in the field. May neither one of them be omitted. 
er in the ground or to you clothing, the burdock. 
{Lappa major, G.trtn..) which is keeping pace 
with all other progressive things, whether “en¬ 
couraged to settle” in any particular locality or not. 
It will do any dyspeptic fanner good to dig roote 
enough daily to kpep him supplied with its “sooth¬ 
ing sirup” for his blood. 
There is one other noxious weed I will claim 
space to mention, because it has been recommended 
by some queer people because of the intrinsic value 
of its fruit for pies I I refer to the common elder 
(8ambucus Canadensis, j It is second only to ibe 
Canada thistle as a nuisance, and is equally as 
worthy general cultivation. It propagates from 
both the root and the seed. It produces the latter 
abundantly, aud ramifies all the adjoining country 
with the former. It is an unmitigated nuisance, 
and ought not to bo tolerated in a neighborhood, all 
gardeners to the contrary notwithstanding. 
To weed ! Why. my dear sir, there is a heap of it 
to do I The text has a practical^ physical, and 
moral application, as well as an agricultural and 
commercial importance. It will do you good to 
think upon the use and significance of weeds, while 
you bend over your hoe lo pluck them up or drive 
your plow to cover them. They teach important 
lessons, if we only read tlieir language. 
Tus Season anti Crops.— Since our last report, wc have 
had considerable wet weather in Western Mew York—yet 
though more than desired, no material damage has thus far 
ensued. Farmers are in the midst of clover having, and some 
have commenced cutting wheat In this immediate section 
the weather has been showery (and very wet) from Saturday 
to the time of writing (Tuesday noon}—preventing the curing 
of hay and gathering of grain cut the latter part of last week. 
Though very unfavorable for haying and harvesting, the wet 
weather has been highly advantageous to spring crops and 
newly stocked ground. No damage is anticipated, except to 
clove* hay. and if the weather becomes fair in two or three 
days, that crop will lie secured. With fair weather, consid- 
enable wheat will probably be harvested tile present week 
though the crop ts generally late. 
EASTERN NEBRASKA - PRODUCTS, &c 
[From the New York Argus.] 
We have diligently and conscientiously labored 
to obtain, in behalf of'the farmers of the United 
Stales, some information respecting the Commis¬ 
sioner placed at the head of the new Agricultural 
Department of the Government, and at last our 
efforts have been attended with some degree of 
success. The communication which we publish 
below affords the first gleam ot light upon this 
important question, and we know the farmers of 
the country will thank us for even so small a con¬ 
tribution to the general stock of knowledge. 
So far as Mr. Newton's qualifications appear 
from the communication below, they are of a prac¬ 
tical character and creditable to him. To know 
good butter, and especially to know how to make 
it. is an accomplishment of no small value. That 
fact we consider established, three Presidents hav¬ 
ing borne him testimony; now will somebody tell 
us what are the other qualifications of Commissioner 
Newton? 
This is a subject upon which the President has 
no right to trifle with the interests and feelings of 
the great body of farmers throughout the country. 
Possibly his appointee is “the right man iu the 
right place,’’ but thus far the tact has not been 
demonstrated. It would be an insult to the agri¬ 
culturists of the country, which we are sure Presi¬ 
dent Lincoln would not willingly offer, to place a 
man over their great interests, who does not, pos¬ 
sess the confidence of the farmers, or the qualifica¬ 
tions to sustain himself in the high position. 
If. as appears probable, a mistake has been made 
by the appointing power, either through a lack of 
acquaintance with Mr. Newton's qualifications, or a 
failure to apprehend the standard of fitness which 
the people will insist upon, the President should 
lose no time in repairing the error in the only mode 
left open to him. Of one thing we can most respect¬ 
fully assure the President—the farmers of the coun¬ 
try will not quietly submit to any such imputation 
upon their intelligence, as the appointment of a 
person to this high position who lacks the requisite 
qualifications for the duties devolving upon the 
head of the Agricultural Bureau at Washington. 
WHO IS ISAAC NEWTON? 
This inquiry, copied into your valnable journal 
from the Rural New-Yorker, has set on foot 
much investigation. I will contribute my mite to 
the general stock of knowledge to lie obtained, iu 
respect to the man who has so suddenly been ele¬ 
vated to be Government Chief among farmers. 
Newton (not Sir Isaac, but Vr. Isaac) first came 
into public life, as is believed, as a purveyor of 
Table Butter for the White House, during the Pres¬ 
idency of General Pierce. He was represented 
then to be a worthy man who had access, as owner 
or otherwise, to a small dairy farm near Philadel¬ 
phia, and thus to be able to supply an excellent 
product. During the Presidency of'Mr. Buchanan, 
Newton removed his butter vending establishment 
to Washington, and continued to furnish the occu¬ 
pants of the White House, atul other customers. 
On the accession of President Lincoln, Newton 
was. in bis business, useful and Convenient at the 
White House, as he waB to all his customers, and 
the end has been bis nomination to be Superintend¬ 
ent of the new Department of Agriculture 
Whether Mr. Newton is lilted for the very oner¬ 
ous aud novel duties of ’he post to which tim par¬ 
tiality of the President has assigned him, others can 
judge better than the writer of this. It does not, 
however, require much intelligence to perceive that 
the Superintendent of the Agricultural Bureau of 
the United Stales should at least be the equal in 
learning and agricultural experience to the majority 
of the intelligent farmers of the land. Mr. Newton 
may he a man whose mind is informed by much 
general reading, disciplined by critical examination 
of the science of agriculture.’enlarged by frequent 
communication with the best agriculturists of the 
United States, enriched by observation of agricultural 
industry in England and on the Continent, and more 
than a" 
| Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— As we now have a 
Homestead bill, granting land lo the landless, a 
brief description of this section of the wild West 
may be of interest to some of your readers. The 
eastern part of Nebraska furnishes a good oppor¬ 
tunity {or setting under the provisions of this bill. 
The soil here is of the best quality—producing, 
under a good state of cultivation, and in a favorable 
season, from twenty to thirty bushels of wheat, and 
filly to seventy-five bushels of corn per acre. Owing 
lo the late cold weal her of last Spring, the wheat har¬ 
vest this season will be light. Timber is scarce and 
of inferior quality,—about enough, perhaps, to fur¬ 
nish settlers with fuel and a little fencing till timber 
and hedge fences can be grown. Considerable tim¬ 
ber is being planted, and some who planted groves 
five years ago begin now to use of them for fuel. 
The country is well watered. Small creeks formed 
by springs are found coursing through the prairie in 
all directions, watering nearly every square mile 
of land. 
I see nothing to render the country otherwise than 
healthy, excepting, perhaps, along the river bottoms, 
where the ague may find a foothold. We have a 
long summer, with warm days and cool nights. The 
winter, though short, is rendered somewhat tedious 
by the high winds. 
Jt is thought that this will prove to be an excel¬ 
lent, fruit country, if sufficient care is taken in pro¬ 
tecting orchards by planting groves around them. 
There was a good peach crop here last year, and 
there is a fine prospect for a crop this season. "Wild 
fruit, such as plums, grapes, gooseberries, cherries, 
ifcc., is abundant. 
Nebraska City, on the Missouri river, a town of 
about three thousand inhabitants, affords perhaps 
the best market in the Territory. A vast amount of 
produce and goods is taken from this point to supply 
the Pike’s Peak gold region. Fifteen miles west¬ 
ward from Nebraska City maybe found plenty of 
good government land, ottering itself to the settler 
gratis—saying, in generous words, come and accept 
my treasures, “ without money and without price.’’ 
But a Lome in the West is not found without some 
privations and disadvantages; and he who has a 
comfortable habitation of his own in the East, with 
no other attraction to the "West than to increase Ids 
wealth, had better be contented to remain in the 
enjoyment of his old possessions that he may have 
spent long years in rendering comfortable and at¬ 
tractive. But the young man of limited means, who 
six acres. By ditching. I have shortened the creeks 
and saved over twenty-three acres. This is now 
the best land on my farm—so rich that I have 
manured my garden from portions of it. We met 
with great opposition at first, from our “old and 
experienced” neighbors, who thought ditching a 
humbug. 
THE MONEY OAIN. 
Twenty three awes at $60,. £1 330 
Seventeen acre? (mined by digging stumps, straighten¬ 
ing roads, &c . _ ..... 1.020 
My lartn contains 400 acres, and these improvements 
have increased the value of my whole farm $20 per 
acre, which makes__.... 8,000 
Thus giving an increase in value, of...10.400 
The cose or' all this was__3,415 
Gail1 .....x_$0,985 
But this is only part of my gain; for I raised, on 
sixty acres of the bottom land, which, before ditching, 
could only bo plowed in patches, sixty bushels of 
coni to the acre, in 1853, which brought, me. in cash, 
$720; besides $100 worth of pumpkins, and $60 in 
pasture—in all, $880. The cost of raising the crop 
was $4 33d per acre, and as I did not have it to har¬ 
vest, the whole expense was $260. Thus, the clear 
gain on sixty acres, the first year that I could work 
it, was six hundred and twenty dollars. Indeed, 
all my ditching, and similar improvements, have 
already brought me back five limes their cost, so that 
all I get from them hereafter will be clear gain . 
I have, from time to time, widened and deepened 
the creek drains, with spade and plow, and they are 
now, by the help of the floods, eight to ten feet deep, 
and twenty-four feet wide, and rarely overflow. 
The wet spots I have underdrained with wood, 
much to my satisfaction; but I prefer tile, if I had 
them. I am about to get a tile machine, and when 
I get it in use, you shall hear from me again. 
numbers of the Rural, are generally first class, and must 
attract the notice and patronage of cultivators over a wide 
extent of country. Iu no July during the past twelve years 
have we advertised bo many valnable machines as in the 
present—a fact which indicates improvement and enterprise 
in the right direction and also an intelligent appreciation of 
this journal as a medium of communication with the Agricul¬ 
tural and Horticultural public, At a time when the harvest 
is plenty and laborers scarce—and especially when every man 
who can be spared is needed to defend and save tiie country- 
producers are in duty bound to avail themselves of the ad¬ 
vantages of labor-saving machinery as far as possible, and we 
are giad that manufacturers are so well prepared to supply 
what is wanted. Every improvement that wilt save time and 
muscle is worthy of serious attention at such a period ; and 
the speedy adoption of such as are within the reach and 
means of farmers and others, would enable them to at once 
spare the 300.000 men just called for to prosecute—and, God 
willing, successfully terminate — the War for the Union. 
Friends, now is the time for both thought and action on this 
important subject 1 
WHERE TO CUT PRAIRIE HAY. 
It is not generally known by new settlers in the 
West, that there is a great difference in the value of 
the wild prairie hay of the sloughs and that cut upon 
the uplands. The upland hay is much preferred by 
those who have had experience in feeding it. It is 
shorter and does not yield 30 much per acre, but it 
is much more nutritious and healthful for stock. 
If the bottoms contain a large proportion of blue 
joint and red lop, it is of course more valuable; but 
the red top is not always found in the sloughs, un¬ 
less it has been sown there. 
Prairie hay is more valuable if cut earlier than is 
This is experience given me by 
the practice. This is experience given me by men 
who put up and feed hundreds of tuns annually. 
It ought to be in the stack in July and August, 
But we see men cutting prairie hay in September 
and October, as often as in the former months. It 
is a good practice to seenre hay even in October, if 
the supply secured previously is inadequate; but it 
is not the best policy to wait until that time before 
providing for stock. 
opened. Of course we do not regret having suggested to pro¬ 
ducers that a delay in selling their wool would not be a losing 
business—though at that time the commercial papers were 
talking the other way. Wool growers who have not sold their 
clips are fortunate but whether it is wise to hold for a materi¬ 
al advance over present rates is a question which each must de¬ 
termine for himself 
— The Daily Democrat (this city), of the 22d inst., has the 
following logical paragraph on the prlee of wool, though we 
cannot indorse what is said to be ‘ thought by many," that the 
staple will reach u as high as seventy-five cents per pound’: 
“ The price of wool has steadily advanced since the opening 
of the market for the sale of this season’s clip, which opened at 
prices ranging from thirty to forty cents per pound. It has 
now reached, for extra fine lots, fitly cents per pound. There 
are a number of causes to produce this result, among which 
are the high price of cotton and the extraordinary demand for 
woolen fabrics for soldiers’ wear. Cotton was selling in New 
York on Saturday last at fifty cent9 per pound. There is a 
wide margin in the relative value of the two staples, and hith¬ 
erto the margin has been in favor of wool which has always 
commanded double the price of cotton. Itis thought by many 
that the standard of value of wool must bo raised by the natur¬ 
al laws of trade, and that the price of this article will have an 
upward tendency, reaching as high as seventy-five cents per 
pound. This theory may be incorrect, yet the clothing of an 
additional army of 300,000 almost entirely with woolen fabrics, 
must of necessity increase the demand for, and enhance the 
price of wool.” 
WHAT INCREASES THE PRODUCTIVENESS OF 
OUR FIELDS, 
1. Careful preparation of the ground. Draining 
when the soil is wet. Deep and careful plowing. 
The plowing of the Arabs in Palestine is not much 
better than our harrowing, aud their crops are iu 
proportion. A field near me was drained by tile, 
in the wet places, then well plowed, subsoiled and 
manured, and in three or four years it produced a 
remarkable growth of trees, and gave abundauce of 
fruit for the family. 
2. Careful selection of seed. Poor seed, as a 
general rule, produces its like. A little pains in 
the selection of the best seed, will often add mate¬ 
rially to the amount of the produce. 
3. Careful tillage. Hoeing, plowing, cultivating, 
all aid in the productiveness of the soil. “ In the 
sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread.” Doubtless 
the more labor a man bestows in this way, the more 
he will be rewarded in the harvest. 
4. Again, the amount of rain and heat from hea¬ 
ves has much to do with (he productiveness of the 
ground. A cold and frosty season, or a we! and 
damp one, may take away much from the natural 
fruitfulness of the ground; or where the heat is 
abundant and the rain plenty, and all things favor¬ 
able, they will sometimes add greatly to the yield of 
In other words, there are causes beyond 
Cultivation of Winter Wheat. 
From a prize essay iu the American Agricultur¬ 
ist, on this topic, we select the following paragraphs: 
Wheat, one of the greatest staples of the country, 
if rightly managed, may be made one of the most 
profitable of our cereals, upon almost any soil. 
Twenty years’ experience Las demonstrated to me 
that we hardly need fail of success, if the following 
mode of proceeding be strictly followed: 
Selection of Seed, —Select none but the best seed 
of bearded wheat. The while chaff is preferable, it 
being worth some ten cents more per bushel in 
Eastern markets. Prepare a strong brine — do not 
depend upon old beef or pork brine—and wash as 
long as any filth or immature grain rises to the sur¬ 
face. By this process we shall expel from two to 
three quarts of foul seed and shrunken grain per 
bushel, from what would be calied an “ extra” arti¬ 
cle. Seed prepared in this manner will send up 
none but the most hardy and vigorous plants, con¬ 
sequently will be less liable to winter-kill; and as 
like produces like, we may look for an article in the 
increase equal if not superior to that which was 
sown. Add three quarts of dry, fresh-slaked lime 
to every bushel of wheat; mix up thoroughly two 
days, or two weeks, previous to sowing. This is 
important—neglect the lime , and nine times out of 
ten you will have more or less smut, which will de¬ 
preciate the value of the wheat. 
Preparation of Ground. Seeding, dr.—The ground, 
if rich and strong enough, may lie sown after peas, 
otherwise, after summer fallow. In either case, ma¬ 
nure on the surface, and plow or drag in with the 
wheat. I prefer to use about fifteen loads to the 
acre thus prepared; then, after sowing thinly, to 
plow it in. The seed, by coming in immediate con¬ 
tact with the manure, receives a thrifty and vigor¬ 
ous start, which it otherwise would not attain. This 
I think is highly important to insure success. I have 
never used the drill, but in its stead Ide’s culivator, 
which answers a good purpose. If you harrow in the 
seed, in no case roll afterwards, as the inequalities 
of the surface will prevent the snow from blowing 
off, and the plants will be less liable to be affected 
by frost. But if covered with a drill or cultivator, 
this precaution is unnecessary, the seed being so 
much deeper, and the roots less exposed. When 
the ground is settled in spring, go over with a 
heavy roller; it covers many exposed roots and 
often adds five to seven bushels per acre. 
Have the ground well pulverized for sowing; it is 
useless to sow on lumpy and badly prepared soil. 
In case there is no manure to be had, cover the sur¬ 
face immediately after sowing and before the wheat 
starts, with a light layer of straw; the wheat in a 
short time will come through, and prevent it from 
blowing off. The straw will act as a mulch, and the 
ground being shaded will retain the moisture; and 
if the soil is not very poor, you may expect a good 
paying crop. Two and-a-bulf bushels salt per acre 
tends to prevent rust, makes the straw strong and 
bright, and gives the young wheat a dark color. If 
any one doubts the truth of this statement, I hope 
he will make the experiment, and my word for it, 
he will at once adopt the practice. I know of no 
better mode to prevent the ravages of the midge 
than early sowing, and even this sometimes fails 
The last week in August, or the first in September. 
I would prefer, but this depends upon circum¬ 
stances; if the weather is dry and not, 1 would 
rather wait until O.ctober. Some years since I made 
an experiment to test early and late sowing. One 
piece was sowed the last week in August ; one the 
last week in September, and one the middle of Octo¬ 
ber, on the same kind of Soil and treated in every 
respect alike. There was 110 difference iu the time 
of ripening or in the qnaliiy of the grain, but the 
earliest sowed produced the longest heads, conse¬ 
quently yielded more per acre. 
I do not sow plaster on wheat, as it tends to rust, 
and increases the bulk of straw but not of grain. 
The Closing Sale op Joyas Wturn's South-Down Flock, 
wbicll took place at Babraham, on the 18th ult., was attended 
by President Cornell and Secretary Johnson, of the N. Y. 
State Ag. Society, and several other Americans now in Eng¬ 
land. Iu a letter to the Society's Journal, Col. JOHNSON says : 
—" We found n remarkably fine lot of yearling lambs, the last 
of the Babraham stock. A large company of intelligent farm¬ 
ers and others were present not only from England nnd Scot¬ 
land. but also from France, Austria, Hungary, and, I think, 
Silesia, who were among the purchasers, There were 149 
bucks. 58 pens of ewes of five each, sold, aud the work was 
most admirably done. The sale was rapidly earned on; not a 
controversy arose as to bids, and every thing was in complete 
order. An interregnum of an hour for a lunch, such as we do 
not often see in America, enabled us to stand the fatigue of the 
day The sale was a capital one. Mr. Cornell bid otf nine 
bucks and three pens of ewes, and the animals will do credit 
to his judgment when they reach our shores. The highest 
price buck was 140 guineas, and the highest pen of ewes, I 
think, 20>e guineas each- The whole amount of the sales last 
year, 967 sheep, ..... . £10,026 6 6 
This year, rams 148, ewes 289—437 - - 6,720 8 0 
harvests, 
the reach of human ingenuity and skill which are 
affecting our crops. The best prepared ground and 
the most careful cultivation, cannot always insure 
abundance. A frost, a drouth, or an unpropitious 
heaven, may frustrate all one's labors. This leads 
to another cause, which enters largely into the pro¬ 
ductiveness of the ground, and which we are in 
danger of overlooking. 
5. He that created the earth has a specific object 
for it to accomplish. Nothing was made in vain, 
or to be abused or misused. An all-wise God 
has a design for every thing to accomplish. If 
men work in harmony with that design, they 
can of course produce larger results than if 
they work against it. If you plant and sow at 
the right seasons, you can do much better than 
if you run contrary to nature in that respect,— 
that is, contrary to the wishes ol the Creator. 
If any one undertakes to accomplish the same 
object which God has iu view, it requires no proof 
to believe that he will be successful. Where men 
work with the divine working, a bettor result is of 
cour.se to be obtained. One cannot raise corn in 
winter, nor make ice in summer. To .succeed, he 
must obey the laws of the Creator. And further, 
the more of these laws he takes into consideration, 
and the more of them he observes, the greater of 
course will he his chances of success. If in all 
things we could work with God, doubtless the 
divine blessing would work wonderfully in our 
favor. In a certain case, He told the Israelites, 
“I will command my blessing upon you iu the 
sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three 
years.’’' —Lev. 25: 21. It were surely irrational to 
believe that lie who created all things cannot, if 
He choose, make them produce more at one time 
thau another. Canuot He show Ills divine pleasure 
in the productiveness of the fields as well as by 
His grace and spirit? He promised His people that 
if they would keep His commandments, He would 
bless the fruit of their land, their corn, their wine, 
and their oil, the increase of their kine, and the 
flocks of their sheep.—Deut. 
HOW TO HEAD THE SKUNKS, 
Eds. Dural New-Yorker:—I n the Rural of 
the 5th inst. there is an extract from the American 
Agriculturist, showing up the beauties and useful¬ 
ness of that nocturnal visitor the skunk. My expe¬ 
rience lias not impressed me very favorably toward 
him. Many have been the times, iu the earlier set¬ 
tlement of this country, when 1 have been aroused 
from my quiet slumbers, in the small hours of dark 
and stormy nights, to go forth with lantern aud 
bludgeon or musket in hand, at the earnest solicita¬ 
tion of poor biddy, who, in her little coop beside the 
kitchen door, with all materual kindness, was rear¬ 
ing her little family ol chicks until they were large 
enough for 
Ills past life may be such as to develop 
high executive facilities; if he is such a man. then 
probably no motive but the public good inspired his 
nomination to the Senate. My belief is. however, 
that if some of the great farmers of New York or 
New England were to meet Newton and converse 
with him five minutes on 3 ny subject, they would 
have very distinct notions ot nis fitness for the po i- 
tion to which he has been assigned. Chemung. 
The largest amount ever realized for a s;ile stock by one indi¬ 
vidual, I believe, to be found on record.” 
Grain Tradb op. the North-West.— According to tables 
in tbo Chicago Tribune , the total receipts of grain in Chicago 
and Milwaukee during the past six months have been; 
Chicago. Milwaukee, 
bushels. bushels. 
Wheat and Hour reduced. 8,282,579 7,096.220 
Com. 10.142.475 108,289 
Rve. 689,813 135,912 
Oats.. 449,618 83,970 
Barley. 423,594 51,569 
Total._■.20,284,579 7,479,900 
The following table shows the comparative receipts of flour 
and gnuu in Cldcago during the first six months of the past 
four years: 
Bushels. 
1862. 20,284,579 
1861 . 17.536.763 
I860. 12.399.300 
1859. 5,386,169 
The receipts of wheat (and flour reduced) ut Milwaukee 
and Chicago alone, have been over 15,000,000 bushels; and 
the Tribune estimates that hi add those of Racine, Kenosha, 
Waukegan, &c., the total for Lake Michigan ports would 
reach 20,000,000 bushels. 
good pot-pie — which every farmer’s 
good housewife knows so well how to make. Under 
such circumstances, biddy never makes a false 
alarm; and if you bear her earnest entreaties on a 
dark night, you may be sure his skunksbip is on 
hand for the lion’s share of her little brood. 
For several years past, in the fall of the year, 
when my barn has been full of hay. straw, Ac., one 
or more ol the “varmints” have taken possession of 
the bay, where they have staid all winter, or until 
the bay became emptied of its contents, when they 
have retreated in “ good order” to some neighboring 
field, there to quietly wait until the barn was re¬ 
filled, when they have returned to take undisturbed 
possession of their old quarters. My barn, like 
most others built at an early day in a new country, 
was not underpinned with a stone wall, but stone 
placed only under the corners and posts, the boards 
reaching to the ground; hence Mr. Skunk had little 
trouble in taking possession. Many cold wintry 
mornings, in going forth at early dawn to feed the 
bleating lambs, the lowing cow, or neighing horse, 
has my nasal organ been saluted with his unmis¬ 
takable presence, although no quadruped was to be 
seen except by the eye of faith. 
Finally, feeling as an eminent statesman is re¬ 
puted to have said, that “our sufferings is intoler¬ 
able,” I firmly resolved that no more skunks should 
ever again winter around ray buildings. Accord¬ 
ingly, when the barn was emptied the past spring. 
1 had it raised to the desired height, and a trench 
dug under the sills and filled with small stones. A 
strong stone wall was then laid under the sills all 
around, also under the cross sills. Particular di¬ 
rections were given to the mason to spare no pains 
In making the wall rat and skunk tight. When 
this was done, I felt that the job was only half ac¬ 
complished. Having a quantity of small stones at 
hand, which, like Paddy’s milk, had been “lying 
around loose” until they had become an eye-sore, I 
resolved to put them in the bottom of the hay, and 
thus kill two birds with one stone. Team and hands 
were therefore set at work, aud small stones enough 
were drawn to cover the bottom about one foot thick. 
Then two loads of smaller stones, varying in size 
from quails’ to hens’ eggs, were drawn and thrown 
evenly over the top. Coarse sand, stone, and water 
lime were then procured in suitable proportions, 
and made into thin mortar and spread evenly over 
the surface, making a floor almost as solid as rock. 
Self-Fastening JJooi-Oatcli. 
My plan for a self-fastening door-catch, says a 
correspondent of the American Agriculturist, 1 will 
give you, which is cheap and not liable to get out of 
order. My stable door fastens with an outside 
catch, in the jamb or door post. When the door is 
opened and swung back to the side of the barn, the 
latch drops into a similar catch 1 'astened to the 
weather boards, which holds it firmly. It will cost 
but a tew cents to fasten doors in this way. 1 find 
this simple contrivance of very great service, as it 
enables stock to go in and out in safety. 
Breeding from Young Sows. 
Tue Maine Farmer says “it is quite common to 
breed from young sows, say fall pigs, to come in 
with a litter of pigs when one year old, a practice 
to be utterly condemned, and if continued iii the 
6 ame family for a few generations of tne swine, they 
will be found to dwindle down from three or four 
hundred hogs to two or three hundred. It is much 
better to keep the sow three or lour years, or even 
much longer. They have been kept some fifteen 
years to advantage. The hog is some years in his 
natural state in maturing. It is a fact well known, 
at least to every Irishman in the “ould” country, 
that pigs from old sows will grow into hogs some 
thirty or forty pounds heavier than those from young 
ones.” _ 
Harvesting Wheat. 
From a prize essay upon this topic in the Amer¬ 
ican Agriculturist, we clip the following paragraph: 
Cut wheat as soon as the straw presents a golden 
appearauce below the head to the first joint. The 
grain will be somewhat soft, but there need be no 
fear of shrinkage; it will produce more and better 
flour per bushel than if let stand until it becomes 
thoroughly dry. Bind iu small sheaves; put them 
in a stook capped with two sheaves securely bound 
on. Put up in this manner, wheat will stand 
through a long spell of wet weather without any 
fear of growing. If possible, thrash with a machine, 
as it is drawn to the barn: it will save once handling 
and it may then at once be secured from all kinds of 
vermin and will be free from filth, which will en¬ 
hance its value. Of course if the above directions 
are followed, your wheat will be of such a superior 
quality that it will be marketed at your own door 
Moris Good Draining Tilk.— The tile makers are waking 
up—improving every week. The enterprise and competition 
among inventors and makers of tile machines, and manufac¬ 
turers of tile, will soon accomplish two long-sought deside¬ 
rata—produce a superior article, and furnish it at a reasonable 
price. These remarks are suggested on receiviug some very 
smooth and well finished specimens of both pipe and horse¬ 
shoe tile from the yard of Mr. L. BcOKIJ.Nl), near this city. 
They were made hv La Tourrette’s Tile Machine, hereto¬ 
fore highly commended to our readers. The testimony given 
iu our Special Notice column is corroborative of what has 
already been published concerning the value of this machine. 
7:13. And so, in cer¬ 
tain seasons they had abundance; and again, when 
the people displeased Him, they had famine, bad 
harvests, aDd trouble. This is not an old and for¬ 
gotten truth only. A slight effort of reason will 
convince any one that God has as specific a purpose 
to work out now as ever. He wants to use the 
creation and the works of His hands to accomplish 
His designs as much at the present moment as at 
the beginning. And He will accomplish those 
designs. If men will aid Him in performing His 
will on earth, doubtless they will obtain much 
larger results than in any other way. God wants 
men to be social, benevolent, doing good to each 
other. He wants all His gifts to be used lor the 
benefit of the world. But if men take and use them 
for selfish purposes, for sin, for crime and shame, can 
we expect things to go on as smoothly as when used 
for the good of men? If men pervertthe productions 
of the harvest, can they expect them to be as abund¬ 
ant as when they are made to benefit the people 
and cause of God? In other words, when we put 
goodness aud righteousness and truth and benevo- 
A Good Wool Clip —Mr. C L. Hayden, of Wyoming, 
N. Y., has a flock of 244 Spanish Meriuo sheep from which 
he has this season sheared 1,624lbs. of-wool—all the sheep 
being well washed except the first seventeen enumerated 
below. The flock consists of 1 five year old buck; 8 yearling 
bucks; S yearling ewes; 110 breeding ewes, which raised 96 
lambs; 68 yearling and two year old ewes, 39 yearling and 
two year old wethers. An average weight of 6 lbs. 10k 
ounces shows that Mr. II. must have a superior flock. How 
many Western New York wool growers can equal tliis clip? 
Unpins and 
The Tcrkkys in Trouble —Will some of the numerous 
readers of the Rubai, give through its columns a remedy for a 
disease which Is quite prevalent amoug youug turkeys m this 
vicinity? It seems to be contagious. as it never subsides when 
it gets in a brood until all arc killod by it. The first symptom 
is a fiirtiug of the bead aud gaping, as if the throat were much 
afflicted. Their voice? become hoarse, tongues turn black, 
they puff up, and die. Wc have tried many tilings for a cure, 
but nothing does any goud. If any friends can give us any 
information, they will confer a favor on many readers.—J. S. 
D., Rome , OAfo,’lS62. 
