TWO DOLLARS Al YEAR.] 
“ PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGELE 3STO. mOTTH CENTS. 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1862, 
until these first seeds are ripened, the very process 
may cause the sowing of enough seeds to insure a 
future crop of the pest. Hence, then, the whole 
facts connected with the seeds lead to the conclu¬ 
sions that, when practicable, weeding should be 
done as early'as possible, even before the weeds 
may be in flower; and if delayed until the seeds be 
ripe, measures should be taken for the complete 
destruction of weeds, which is best done, where 
practicable, by fire.” 
Canada thistles are now coming into flower, and 
though some few may have taken the pains neces¬ 
sary for their destruction, still, from the abundance 
of these plants in the fields and the road-sides, we 
judge thi3 to be the exception and not the rule. 
There is yet time to prevent the spread of this per¬ 
nicious weed, but no time to lose. 
As regards exercise, the inflammatory stage re¬ 
quires rest; and in the chronic form, exercise will 
be indicated, provided, however, the horse is not 
lame. 
Dr. Jennings remarks:—Ef the curb arises from 
some recent injury, a little blood may advanta¬ 
geously be taken from the sephena vein, running 
up the inside of the thigh; cold water applications 
should be kept upon the parts; cloths wet with 
tincture of arnica, half a pint to a gallon of water, 
are very useful; or the following ointment will he 
found of service;—Dry iodinp, one drachm; iodide 
of potassa, one drachm; lard, one ounce; mix well 
together, and use once each day. 
required to accomplish the work designed. This 
mistake makes draining expensive, and prevents 
many from undertaking the work. 
The size of tile required depends as much upon 
the fall as upon the quantity of water which it is 
designed to carry. Of course the greater the fall 
the more rapidly water is carried off with file of 
the same capacity, and therefore, where the descent 
is considerable smaller, tile may be used And this 
is a matter, too, on which a great deal of unneces¬ 
sary anxiety is lelt Many would try draining, 
but they fear they cannot get sufficient fall. An 
inch of descent in one hundred, or even in a hundred 
and fifty feet, will answer, and afford good drainage. 
Our correspondent, has a little less than an inch to 
the hundred feet, and we will call it nine-tenths of 
an inch. With this fall a two-inch pipe will carry 
off’ 20,079 gallons in twenty-four hours, moving at a 
velocity of eighteen inches each second. Of the 
Bize proposed to be laid, five inches, 167,442 gallons 
in the same time. It i§ somewhat difficult tor per¬ 
sons to realize how easily water will run down hill. 
Smith, the great drainer, says that it has been found 
in practice that a water course thirty feet wide and 
six leet deep will discharge 300 cubic yards of water 
per minute, and flow at the rate of one mile per hour 
with a fall of no more than six inches to the mile. 
There are few situations where sufficient fall cannot 
be obtained if it is carefully sought. 
Where the water passes through pipes too slowly, 
the particles of earth settle and fill up the pipes 
instead of being carried off, as it would be if the 
water passed with more velocity. It is said that if 
the water moves at the rate of six inches to the 
second, it will carry off all detritus; hut. less than 
this, there will be danger of filling up from settling 
of the particles. According to Vincent, the fol¬ 
lowing shows the smallest amount of fall that should 
be given pipes of different size, for each 120 feet; 
For drains with tile of 1 inch caliber_2.33 inches fall 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE LEADING AMERICAN WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
Scarcity of Fodder. 
It seems to be acknowledged that the crop of hay 
in this section is much less than the average, though 
how much it will fall short it is somewhat difficult 
to determine. It may not be unprofitable to take a 
look at the price for which hay has sold in this city 
during the past ten years, as shown in the following 
table, taken from our market reports — the middle 
of July being the time selected: 
IS,S3 .. 10 00(Si12 00 
1854.1.-. 8 00(«>12 00 
K55 . 8 00f«6l4 00 
1856 .« 00 (a> 12 no 
1857 . a nO(ioi:i 00 
1808 . 6 OOful 9 no 
1S59. . .io onrstie no 
1860 .K 00(D)12 00 
1861 . 800®m 00 
1862 .10 00fci)U00 
The extreme rates of 1853 and 1855 were but tem¬ 
porary,— caused by the pressure of labor upon the 
farmers and their consequent non-appearance in 
market—and the close of the month witnessed a 
decline equal to two or three dollars per tun. In 
1859 the crop was short, and it will be seen that the 
prices were the same as at present, and this rate was 
not only maintained throughout the year, but ad¬ 
vanced steadily until it reached $22, our lowest 
quotations for the poorest quality being $15. With 
these figures before them, and a knowledge of the 
extent ot the deficiency, our readers may form some¬ 
thing of an opinion as the probable value of hay in 
our market the present year. 
Of one thing we m^y rest assured, that all the 
fodder that can be obtained^rill be needed the com¬ 
ing winter, for we are muc^ nfetaken if we do not 
see evidence that the amount furnished by corn 
stalks will be less than ysual. The growth is small, 
and many farmers have 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
CHA3. D. BRAGDON, 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 iaboreto render the Rcral an eminently Reliable 
Guide on ail the important Practical. Scientific and other 
Subject* intimately connected with the business of those whose 
interests it zealously advocates. As ft Family Journal it is 
eminently Instructive and Entertaining —lieing so conducted 
that it can be safely taken to the Hearts and Homes of people 
of intelligence, taste and discrimination. It embraces more 
Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific. Educational, Literary 
and News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and heat!Iifill 
Engravings, than any other journal,—rendering it the most 
complete Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper 
in America. _ 
The Cash System is strictly adhered to in publishing the 
Rural —copies are never mailed to individual subscriber* until 
paid for, and always discontinued when the subscription term 
expires. Hence, we force the paper upon none, and keep no 
credit books, long experience having demonstrated that tho 
Cash Plan is the bent for both Subscriber and Publisher. 
17 “ For Terms and other particulars, see last page. 
Some op Fannie's Opinions.— I am a farmer’s 
wife, (and, by the way, I may as well say that he is a 
good farmer, and the bed of husbands, too,) in con¬ 
sideration whereof, perhaps you will allow me a 
spare corner in the pages of your interesting paper. 
I have indulged the thought, for a long time, that 
farmers’ wives do not have enough to say in the 
columns of the Rural. Why should not they take 
the pains to preserve and relate their experience as 
well as the other sex? I am quite sure that it 
would be fully as interesting, (to me it would be 
more so,) to peruse the statements of farmers’ wives 
and farmer’s daughters, with regard to their little 
undertakings, experiments, successes, and even 
failures, in farm and household experience, as to be 
confined entirely to the lucubrations of the farmers 
themselves. Indeed, 1 am not sure but it would 
tend to increase the circulation of the Rura l itself. 
John Jones, for instance, writes that he has fat¬ 
ted so many swine, which weighed so many pounds 
avoirdupois, and netted so much cash. But we never 
hear anything from poor little Mrs. Jones. But 
has not she her little experiments and triumphs, 
which might he told just as much to the edification 
of the reader? To be sure she has; and what true, 
earnest farmer’s wife has not? 
And while Mr. Sharp Scythe is telling great 
stories of how much clover hay ho has cut trorn the 
ten acre lot over the hill, oris sending in his account 
of how he exterminated that invincible couch grass 
from his cornfield, why can not Mrs. Scytub, or her 
daughter Fannie, (you see, Mr. Editor, I am partial 
to my own name.) put in a word concerning her 
triumphs in the dairy or kitchen, poultry yard or 
parlor, or relating tu some one of the thousand 
difficulties which she has met and conquered in the 
way of her every-day life? 
But I hope, Mr. Editor, you will not he offended 
because I have been so “ plain spoken.” I can only 
say, in apology, as my grandmother does when she 
has said what she thinks is a little out of the way, 
tk O, /oid// spoke — Mrs. F. I. Bell, JBdlrfrove, 
Weedsport , N. Y.. 1862. 
P. S.—If you publish the above, I do not know 
but I shall have to send you an account of my flock 
of sheep. By the way, I have practiced the piece of 
music, “Hail, Sacred Union,” &c., published in the 
Rural of July 5, and like it much.— Fannie Bell. 
[Yes, Fannie, tell us about your flock, by all 
means, —Eo.l _ 
Is Soiling the Remedy? —I desire to ask inform¬ 
ation through the columns of the Rural, upon a 
subject of great and increasing importance, particu¬ 
larly to farmers of the older Stales, where dairying 
is the staple business. I think I can safely assume 
that farming, as practiced by nine-tenths of our 
farmers, dops not pay the interest on the money 
invested. Let us see why this is. 1 11 the first place, 
the natural strength of the soil is mostly exhausted, 
and we have to rely upon what manure can be pro¬ 
duced upon the farm. Purchased fertilizers are 
prevalently considered far too expensive. In the 
second place, we cannot keep enough stock upon a 
given piece ol land to keep it from deteriorating. 
It must be done, in part at least, with tho plow, and 
plowing inv Ives the necessity of raising grain, 
which, with the great West to compete with, does 
not pay; besides.it exhausts the soil. From what 
I have read, I am led to believe that soiling is the 
means whereby we may make our farms fertile and 
remunerative. A practical treatise upon this sub¬ 
ject, in all its minute bearings, as well as its main 
points, would he profitable to a large class of agri¬ 
culturists. Any information upon the above sub¬ 
ject would be thankfully received, as I intend to put 
it iu practice as soou os I can gain sufficient, inform¬ 
ation to do so successfully.— Chas. Hillmer, Ham¬ 
ilton, N. Y, July. 1SG2. 
[ A little work entitled “ Essays on the Soiling of 
Cattle, Illustrated from Experience; and an Address 
containing Suggestions which may be useful to 
Farmers,” by Josiah Quincy, will aid onr corre¬ 
spondent and others who wish information on the 
subject of soiling. R is published by A. K Poking, 
of Boston, Mass., and can be obtalued at the Rural 
office—price 50 cents. We shall be glad to publish 
the experience and conclusions of those who have 
thoroughly tested soiling, especially in this State, 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, or the West— Ed.] 
Chots, Ac., in Oakland County, Mich.—H ear 
Rural:— We are in the midst of one of the best 
wheat harvests for years. So far the weather has 
been favorable, and if it continues so for a few days 
WHAT IS A CUBB?- REMEDIES 
There is no subject connected with his profession 
of more importance to the American farmer than 
that of drainage. It is not strange, therefore, that it 
is now exciting almost universal attention, and that 
a great desire is evinced to obtain all the informa¬ 
tion necessary to the most economical yet thorough 
drainage of farming lands. Among the many in¬ 
quiries received within the past week or two we 
select the following for a few remarks, because in 
answering this we shall give the. knowledge desired 
by many, and perhaps all who have asked informa¬ 
tion on the subject. 
Editors Rural New-Yorker:—I would like to ask a few 
questions for the benefit, of at least tme Rural reader. I have 
long watched with deep interest every article in jour paper 
on manuring and draining land, and at the same time have 
kept my eyes and ears open, to learn the effects of the surne; 
and have come to the conclusion that manuring land that is 
soaking with water one-half of the year, is manure and Ialior 
thrown away. Also, that the only true vray of draining land 
is in underground drains. This I have been slowly doing for 
the last two or three years, and have been so well pleased 
with the result, that I intend to go into draining more exten¬ 
sively. My mode of making drain, is to have timber sawed 
in the form of joists the size t want my drain; lay this in for 
the drain, and cover with a board or plank. This makes an 
expensive drain where hemlock lumber is worth $8,50 per 
1,000 feet at the mill. 1 have long waited, in hopes that the 
time might arrive when ruy Rcral brethren or myself might 
discover some cheap material of which we can construct 
good and durable drains; and seeing an advertisement, in your 
paper of u tile machine that would make one hundred rods 
of tile in an hour for ten hours in the day, I thought tho long 
wished-fur time had arrived This led me to inquire the price 
of tile. 1 went to Syracuse, and found five-inch, tile (the size 
I thought I should want), and was to 1,1 1 could have them at 
eight cents apiece; but on learning that I wanted two thou¬ 
sand or more, was told I could have them at $65 per 1,000. 
Now, I want to know if this is the cheap or common price for 
tile; if so, tile draining must necessarily go on slowly, espe¬ 
cially with men of limited means like myself l caii drain 
cheaper than this with timber. I would like to build a drain 
one hundred :md fifty rods, long, and by laying it as deep) as I 
would like, which Is three feet, I can get only eighteen or 
twenty inches fall. Will it do to lay it as level as that? You 
see the upper end is three feet, and in the spring tin- water is 
eighteen or twenty inches above the top) of the ground, and 
there will be numerous branches to run from the main drain 
at the upper end. These all will have sufficient fall, if I can 
get the main drain three feet. If you or some one who has 
liad experience, will answer the above, it will oblige at least 
one Rural reader—W. I). II., Sullivan , July , 1862, 
Those who have not given tho subject some 
thought and study, are very apt to think they require 
much larger tile than is actually necessary, and in 
consequence put down that which costs fifty dollars 
or more per thousand, while a smaller size at about 
one-fourth the cost would answer as good a purpose. 
It is difficult lor those who have been familiar with 
old fashioned stone, plank, and brush drains, to 
imagine that a small pipe tile of two inches in disin¬ 
ter can be of much service, and yet for everything 
hut main drains, into which the sido drains carry 
their water, with a good lall, a two-inch pipe is as 
effective as one four times this size. Mecht, the 
great London farmer, found that English agricul¬ 
turists made the same mistake. He says — “I sel¬ 
dom use any larger than one-ineh bore, except for 
large springs. I am practically convinced they are 
as large as are required. \Ye make some sad mis¬ 
takes as to water; a rope of water one inch thick, 
spread eight inches wide, forms a broad looking 
stream one-eighth of an iDch thick. It is perfectly 
ludicrous to see immense six, nine, and twelve-inch 
bore pipes, put, in many cases, to carry an insignifi¬ 
cant stream that would fold up into a one, two, or 
three-inch coil. We must bear in mind that a two- 
inch pipe will carry as much as four one-ineh; a 
three-inch is equal to nine one-inch. Although, in 
consequence of our heavy rain storms, we require 
larger tile than in England, we are satisfied that 
much ol the tile laid down are double the size 
istituted beaus for corn. 
It is now too late to do muLh to increase the quan¬ 
tity of fodder, but we can take good care of all that 
is produced. White turnips, if sown at once, will 
give a good crop, and there is no farm on which 
hundreds of bushels might not be grown with very 
little expense, and great profit. 
The soil should be well prepared for turnips, 
being made as fine as possible, and this should be 
done immediately before sowing. If the surface is 
allowed to become dry, the seed being small and 
but lightly covered, it will remain in the ground a 
long time, and perhaps until the next shower, before 
germinating; but if sown immediately after the soil 
is prepared, it will have the benefit of the moisture, 
and very soon germinate, A quick growth is im¬ 
portant for the,turnip, for it is then soon out of the 
reach of the fly, and there is no further danger to be 
apprehended. The quickest way of sowing is broad¬ 
cast,—a pound or more of seed to the acre,—but the 
best way is to sow in drills, when less seed will be 
required and the work of thinning and cleaning far 
less troublesome. As soon as the plants appear, if 
you wish make sure of a good yield, sow a little 
plaster or dry leached ashes early in the morning, 
every day or two, until the rough leaves appear, 
and keep the ground light and clear of weeds. 
After danger from the fly is over, thin out with the 
hoe, giving each plant sufficient room to mature 
itself. 
the wish of its superior. It enters into the desires 
of its dictator, without a thought of prudence, or a 
care for its personal safety. Iu hunting or in racing, 
the simple horse more than shares the excitement of 
its rider, and often encounters the severest acci¬ 
dents iu consequence of these amusements." 
Curb may be reckoned among the least of the 
sufferings of the horse, yet the mark of the affection 
rarely disappears, and sometimes the animal is 
totally disabled thereby. The disease consists of 
an enlargement, or bulging out at the posterior of 
the hock, and is mainly caused by wrenching the 
limb on uneven ground; by galloping at full speed; 
by prancing when mounted; leaping fences, ditches, 
etc. Horses following hountlR in the chase are 
peculiarly subject to curb, and the authority already 
quoted stales that in districts where packs are kept, 
more of this disease is to be seen than in any other 
part of the country. 
A certain class of veterinarians blister the instant 
a curb appears, but most writers consider the cus¬ 
tom very injurious. Harm results in every respect. 
Mayhew would put on a high-heeled shoe imme¬ 
diately, and thus ease the overstrained tendon. 
The part ought then be kept constantly wet with 
cold water, so as to lower or disperse the inflamma¬ 
tion. A cloth doubled two or three times tnay be 
easily kept upon the hock, and this cloth kept 
always moist. Continuing this treatment, let the 
horse remaiu quiet in his stall, being moved as little 
as possible until the beat and swelling are dimin¬ 
ished. and the leg almost sound. When the part 
has become cool, rub a blister all over the joint, and 
in the great majority of cases this will end the 
treatment. 
The practice of firing the hock for the removal of 
a curb should never be resorted to. as the testimony 
of our modern veterinarians is to the effect that they 
have never yet known of any good resulting there¬ 
from. In addition to the agony endured by the 
horse so unfortunate as to be submitted to this bar¬ 
barism, the appearance of the animal is ever after 
seriously affected. 
The form of treatment prescribed by Dr. Dadd 
may be thus stated: 
A curb is an enlargement which makes its ap¬ 
pearance on the hind legs, about two inches below 
the hock. It is sometimes occasioned by a blow, 
but the most frequent cause is strain of the sheath 
through which tho flexor tendons pass. 11’ seen in 
its early stage, it would, in all probability, yield to 
rest and cold water bandages. But if neglected 
until effusion takes place, or the surrounding tissues 
become injected and thickened, and the horse be¬ 
comes lame, then a different course of treatment 
must be adopted. Our usual remedy is, acetic acid, 
lour ounces; powdered bloodroot, one ounce; tur¬ 
pentine, one ounce; to be applied to the part night 
and morning for at least a week; afterward to be 
bathed daily with common vinegar. 
There are cases, however, in which coagulable 
lymph will form, aud may thus leave the parts in a 
state of callosity for some time, which only patience, 
constant friction, or the application of some stimu¬ 
lant, can overcome. Among the various applica¬ 
tions in use, we prefer the following:—One ounce 
each of oil of cedar, oil of sassafras, oil of marjoram; 
one pint of soft soap, to be used daily, always nib¬ 
bing in a downward direction. 
As to the cost of tile, the price charged here will be 
found in our advertising columns. One thousand 
pieces of two-inch, making, when laid, eighty rods, 
costs $10—three-inch, $15; four-inch, $30; five-inch. 
$50. But, as the demand increases, we shall have 
more competition, doubtless more economical modes 
Of manufacture, and cheaper tile. Drain tile is a 
necessity, and as we have the raw material in 
abundance in every hillside and valley, almost 
without money or price, tile must be bad for the 
cost of making, which, with the improved system of 
manufacture, will, ere long, be low enough to satisfy 
the most enthusiastic as well as the most economical 
advocates of thorough drainage. 
Perhaps we could not better answer the call for 
a cheap level, than by publishing the following, for 
which we were indebted to Rouekt E. Mi-Math, of 
Chili, N. Y.. who furnished the description: 
“ The accompanying engravings show the instru¬ 
ment in two forms—that in the shape of the letter 
A is used to secure uniformity of grade—the other 
form is of more general utility, and will, if carefully 
made and ingeniously used, make a very good sub¬ 
stitute for the spirit level. 
Troublesome Weeds. 
The present seasou has been peculiarly (avoid¬ 
able to the growth of weeds, while the work of 
destroying them has been much retarded, especially 
in heavy land, by tho constant showers of tho past 
few weeks. It seems to us we have never before 
seen a more rampant growth of everything in the 
form of weeds, and as it is now late in the season 
and work is behind, there is a very fair chance of 
ripening an unusually large crop of foul seeds. 
With the greatest care and plenty of time many 
will escape, but under present circumstances ihe 
number we fear will be far greater than usual. 
When we take into consideration the fact that the 
whole economy of a weed plant, so tar as its indi¬ 
vidual existence is concerned, is devoted to its re¬ 
production, the causes for their wonderful tenacity 
of lile and excessive fruitfulness of their kind, are 
apparent. Weeds, by nature annuals, if maimed 
and bruised, will oftentimes preserve their vitality 
through a second year and complete therein the 
design of nature. The increase of a weed plant is 
so enormous as to almost stagger belief. From a 
series of experiments instituted by James Buck- 
man, Professor of Natural History in the Royal 
Agricultural College, Cirencester, Euglaud, we 
obtain the following table relaiive to this peculi¬ 
arity, as exhibited by several specimens considered 
only as medium in their reproductive powers: 
No. of flowers to No. of seeds to Total for a 
each plant. each flower. plant 
Common groundsel,. 80 10 300 
.Corn-cockle,_ 10 40 400 
Corn sow-thistle,.... 25 20 500 
Fool's parsley,......300 2 600 
Wild carrot..._600 2 1200 
Red poppy,._ 25 50 1250 
The Professor further says:—“In most plants the 
perfecting of the seeds does not occur simultane¬ 
ously; there is usually one set of seeds developed 
from the primary or first flower, the which, if it be 
perfected and sown, may increase groundsel ten¬ 
fold; corn-cockle, forty-fold; red poppy, fifty-fold. 
And this show's us that in dealing with seeds, we 
cannot be too careful of observing their natural his¬ 
tory ; for if our hoeing, for instance, be delayed 
“ The legs of the A level, if joined at a right 
angle, and measuring 7 feet 1 inch on the inner 
edge, w ill cover the space of 10 feet. The plummet 
is suspended from the vertex. The distances on 
the crossbar, corresponding to differences of level, 
are easily determined by trial, and marked on the 
bar. 
“ The only difficulty in making the other form, is 
the adjustment of the sights. The means of doing 
this are furnished by screws driven from the under 
side of the bar, which fasten the sights in any 
desired position. The method of adjustment is the 
same as given in the books on engineering. The 
whole can be made and operated by any boy who 
has owned a jack knife.” 
