PftEUT 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
THS LEADING AMERICAN WEEKLY 
BUBAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
CONDUCTED BY D. D, T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
D. BRAGDON, Western Corresponding Editor. 
'RAL New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
rity. Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique 
afitl in Appearance. Its Conductor devote? his per- 
otion to the supervision of its various departments, 
Itly labors to render the Rcral an eminently Reliable 
all the important Practical, Scientific and other 
itimately connected with the business of those whose 
1 zealously advocates. As a Family Journal it is 
Instructive and Entertaining—being so conducted 
be safely taken to the Hearts and Homes of people 
'nee, taste and discrimination. It embraces more 
U. Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary 
. atter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful 
. than any other journal,—rendering it the most 
IGR1CULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
For Terms aod other particulars, see last page. 
NOTES IN THE COUNTRY. 
who are so fortunate as to live among the 
'ds, and whose business is with the growing 
nnot well appreciate the pleasure we de¬ 
even a brief sojourn in the country. With 
efforts to add rural pleasures to a city or 
residence, and to surround our homes 
3 and flowers, and vegetables, and grateful 
, .. a - make shift—pretty, tasteful, 
l Vale and stream, of sunshine and shade, 
be enjoyed only in the open country, 
ust returned from a short journey among 
and farmers of the south part of this 
d portions of Ontario, and perhaps a few 
not be uninteresting to our readers, 
neral thing,flamers are well satisfied with 
i of the present year. Wheat has been 
ly good in all respects, and in anticipation 
esult another year, every foot of land that 
't ready Jin being prepared for wheat this 
So great is the anxiety to put in a large 
f wheat, that we fear much of the land 
iis purpose will not be exactly suitable, 
d state of preparation as could be desired, 
•e likely to be the case from the unusual 
labor. Our young men are leaving the 
iis and adjoining counties, not by hun- 
oy thousands, and the effect of this loss 
n even by the careless observer. At no 
we had a surplus of farm labor; and 
sands might be taken from many of our 
iut being missed, the loss of a hundred, or 
re or two from many towns, is a serious 
•e are very few farms in this section of the 
which the labor is not greatly curtailed, 
nt, and but for the aid of machinery, farm 
not well be saved. There will now, how- 
little loss in this respect. As one effect of 
of help, we are growing a crop of weed 
ive never been equaled in this section 
y. One gentleman apologized for the 
learance of his farm — it was not his 
— and, indeed, was a great source 
t; but bis two hired men had enlisted- 
heir services—but patriotically yielded 
to the demands of the country. It took 
, from early to late, to secure the crops; 
aid be done only by “ doubling” with 
iat were in similar circumstances. Thus, 
ill the strength of two or three neighbors 
e crops were harvested as fast as ripe, 
■terial loss. Under such circumstances 
heartless to criticise very closely; and, 
have begun to look upon the tall, rank 
neglected fields, which have always been 
snee, as the highest evidence of disinter- 
jtism. 
irop is far better than we anticipated, and 
will be at least up to the average. Some 
being cut, while others will not be ready 
a- even weeks. A good many peas were 
the yield is quite indifferent in most of 
ve have observed. The spring was so dry 
ines became stunted and gave out at the 
nd latterly the mildew has proved quite 
We hardly know what to say of the corn; 
es are excellent, but a good deal is small, 
udge will prove almost a failure, Alto- 
iwever, there has been an improvement in 
aw weeks. 
ire becoming an important crop, and one 
?sent prices will pay extremely well. The 
this section is from $1.50 to $2.00 per 
id of course higher in the Eastern market, 
an unusual quantity is being grown, we 
Anticipate a decrease in price; for, as all are 
the demand is extraordinary. We never 
r fields of this crop than now greet us every- 
They are quite forward, and if favored with 
al fine weather this autumn, there will be no 
in curing well with proper care. Success, 
r, depends upon this almost entirely; for 
beans are easily ruined by a little mismanagement 
at harvesting. If allowed to remain wet or to lie in 
compact heaps, they became stained and almost 
worthless. Some means must be devised for drying 
quickly without chance for heating or molding. 
This is a subject worthy of special attention; and if 
any of our readers know of an easy and excellent 
way of accomplishing this work, we will most cheer¬ 
fully give the information to our readers. A gen¬ 
tleman gives the following as the very best plan for 
drying, and for which he acknowledges himself 
much indebted to the Rural, in which it was given 
l>y a correspondent several years since:—Cut good, 
stiff poles, about eight feet long, so as to have one or 
more limbs two feet and a half from the lower end. 
Cut the limbs off to six inches—in lieu of the limbs 
one aDd a half inch pins might he used—these will 
keep the beans off the ground. Set the poles firmly 
in the earth, and they are ready for use. Place a 
handful of beans across the snag, and one across 
that on each side of the pole: wind the tops around 
so that they will not fall apart, and build right up 
with the tops out, and so that the stack shall not be 
over two feet and a half through. At the top of the 
stack the roots should be turned up and tied to the 
pole, to bold them in place and turn off the rain, or 
a little straw can be used for a covering. If well 
put up after this plan, the rain will never soak into 
them, while the air can circulate under and through 
the stack. 
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 
New Land Hay r«. Old. 
This subject has been treated of in the Rural 
to a slight extent, and exhibited here, as it has in 
Europe, a diversity of opinion. A correspondent 
of the London Agricultural Gazette argues in favor 
I know I am treading on debatable ground when 
I state that new land hay is of less value for feeding 
horses than old land; almost every farmer I have 
spoken to on the subject has expressed his opinion 
in favor of new land hay, and up to the year 18541 
agreed with them. That year we bought about 150 
tuns of new land hay, and, a9 an experiment, 
stacked it separately from the old land. Our aver¬ 
age for three months with the latter .was nine 
stones per week for each horse. We then consumed 
the new land, and continued it for three months, 
when the average was eleven stones per horse per 
week. Great care was taken to ascertain that the 
animals’ work was as nearly equal as possible, and 
precisely the same quantity of corn was given to 
each animal when eating seed hay as when living 
upon old land hay. Nor could 1 distinguish the 
slightest difference in condition in the under-ground 
horses, and at bank three of them were weighed, 
before and after living on the new land hay, but no 
important difference could be detected in their 
weight. Having been always in favor of seed hay 
up to this time, I was anxious, if possible, to ascer¬ 
tain the cause of this enormous difference, and 
arrived at the following conclusions:—First, seed 
hay contains a very much larger proportion of 
insoluble matter than old land, as evidenced by the 
great increase in bulk of the fieces of horses when 
fed upon it; secondly, the large quantity of stubble 
always mixed with it, which is not only useless mat¬ 
ter in itself, but is the means of much waste of good 
hay by the animal in attempting to separate the hay 
from the stubble, and the loss of a large proportion 
of the Beeds, which are by far the most nutritions 
part. Our experience, then, is entirely in favor of 
old land grasses as an economical provender; but 
as an alterative and change of food, I would re¬ 
commend the occasional use of new land hay, on 
the same principles as I would a variety of mixed 
diet. At the collieries in this county, little else than 
seed hay is used, the consumption averaging nearly 
twelve stones per horse per week; but in all cases 
the consumption of hay is, to a great extent, gov¬ 
erned by the quantity of corn given; but to show 
what little store is set upon the seed by some men, I 
may mention that, at two large establishment?, the 
horse-keeper used to well shake the hay before giv¬ 
ing it to the horses, and sell the seeds to cow- 
keepers by the load, who used to steam them, and, 
doubtless, gained a good profit from their use, iu the 
shape of new milk; for certainly one hundred 
weight of the seed-vessels of new land hay would 
contain more feeding properties than three hundred 
weight of the hay from which they were taken; and 
yet these men informed me they had done this for * 1 
upwards of twelve years, and were excessively an- ! 
noyed at the loss of so rich .a perquisite. The same 1 
principles which govern the amount of flesh-form¬ 
ing substances in all kinds of grasses is also appli- ’ 
cable to straw, which is very beautifully illustrated ( 
by the fact that the top of the straw, which is least ! 
ripe, is nearly three-fold more nutritious than the ! 
inferior part, which is first ripe. 
English ami American l'lows. 
A writer in the Irish Farmer's Gazette, who i 
seems to think that the plow has not attained per- . 
fection in shape and utility, says: 
hen the Railroad Company thought of crossing ] 
the Menai Strait, they laid by £5,000 for experi- i 
ments, and their engineer said money never was ; 
better laid out. Could not something of the kind i 
be done for the plow? A subscription from a small 
portion of those interested would defray expenses, 
and an engineer and farmer, who knew their busi¬ 
ness, might hit on an improvement that might be 
made known to all. 
England was slow in following the American plan 
of ship building, and I suspect the new Holyhead 
boats owe their speed as much to shape as power. 
Now, if the sharp bow, the more gradual wedge of 
the boat, displaces the water with greater ease, 
should not the same principle hold good in dis¬ 
placing the earth with the plow. The new English 
plows are sixty-three inches long from point of shear 
to end of mould-board, the Scotch only forty-five; 
then what, should they he made of? The beam and 
handles ot Lord Tweeddale’s are of wood; the 
American mould-boards of steel—sheet steel pressed 
to the desired shape; while it is said there are im¬ 
provements in American steel plows exhibited in 
New York, made of cast steel, cast in iron moulds, 
thicker where most liable to wear, and thinner 
where they do not wear, and that they are cheaper, 
lighter, and better than other plows. * * ’ In a 
word, I tbink|the prize system, at as present con¬ 
ducted, fails in giving farmers the information they 
require, and that a report something like that of' the 
Times’ Commission on the subject of plows would 
be worth paying for. 
Yield of Grain in England. 
The Mark Lane Express gives a table compris¬ 
ing the average yield per acre, of wheat, barley, 
oats, beans, and peas, for thirty-eight counties, in 
England, prepared from returns received from cor¬ 
respondents of that paper. The average of the 
cereal grains mentioned are as follows: 
■Whent,----29 bushels. 
Barley,...--37M “ 
Aue lowest average ot'wheat L .., . j 
turned, is 22f bushelB per acre, in Devonshire, and 
the highest 34f bushels in Lancashire. The lowest 
average of barley is 29 bushels per acre, in Shrop¬ 
shire, and the highest 44 bushels, in Northampton. 
The lowest average of oats is 341 bushels, in 'West¬ 
moreland, and the highest, 594, in Cambridgeshire. 
The beans mentioned are a kind not much culti¬ 
vated in this country. The average yield is 324 
bushels per acre. The average yield of peas is 30 
bushels per acre. 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES. 
WILLOW FOB HEDGES. 
The best of things are often made the biggest 
humbugs. How ? By recommending them for im¬ 
proper uses; by seeking to create a great demand 
for them by improper representations; by baseless 
stories of their utility. There is a place for every 
thing, and every thing should be kept in its place. 
The inquiry of your correspondent from Kane Co., 
Ill., relative to the Gray AVillow, is evidence how 
eagerly, and often unscrupulously, the thing recom¬ 
mended as good in one place is made to appear a 
good thing in another place for which it is entirely 
unsuited. 
At the meetings of the Illinois State Horticultural 
Society, during the past two years, this Gray or 
Powder Willow has been introduced by gentlemen 
having a high reputation, professionally, as horti¬ 
culturists and as men of integrity. It has been 
recommended as a rapid-growing tree—as making 
a large amount of timber in a short space of time. 
The timber is valuable because it is easily split into 
rails, which are light, and last a long time. For 
timber belts and shade, where a rapid-growing tree 
is desired, it can safely be recommended; but for 
live fences I would not urge its introduction. It 
may be as good for that purpose as the Golden AVil¬ 
low; and it may not. Its habit is not dwarfed, like 
the latter; it will make wood more rapidly; but for 
a live fence against stock, there is no plant so well 
suited as the Osage Orange, No AVillow will prove 
a substitute, I believe. I should uot be willing to 
recommend it, exclusively, as a shade tree. Planted 
with other trees on a lawn, it would contribute to 
produce a fine effect Where beautiful screens and 
rapid-growing timber belts are desired, the Gray 
AVillow will be found the thing. AVhere fencing 
rails are needed, they can be grown rapidly by 
planting this tree. 
THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 
AVhat do Western farmers think of the Jerusalem 
artichoke as a better crop than corn—better where 
corn is fed to hogs and cattle? It is asserted by an 
intelligent farmer that it is. And he practices wha* 
he preaches. Charles Dement, near Dixon, IU., 
called my attention to eight acres covered by an 
enormous growth of these vegetables. This is the 
second year since ttiey were planted, and they 
occupy the ground completely. They were planted 
in drills, as potatoes are ordinarily planted. The 
second year, without culture of any kind, they fill 
the entire area with their tubers, and mulch it with 
their tops. Mr. Dement says he thinks them a 
better crop than corn. They are a sure crop, grow 
any how, and require no culture. He estimates the 
crop at from 1,500 to 2,000 bushels per acre. He 
has 100 breediug sows he is using to produce proge¬ 
ny to eat his artichokes. These sows are Irish Gra¬ 
ziers mostly, and are served by a Suffolk boar, pro¬ 
ducing a rooting and fattening stock combined. He 
AVHITTE MORE’S NATIONAL, FEED CUTTER. 
Our engraving represents the National Feed 
Cutter, for hay, straw, and stalks, and for fine and 
coarse cut It is a recent invention, having been 
patented as late as April 29, 1S62, by Mr. D. H. 
Whittemore, of Worcester, Mass. This cutter was, 
we are informed, thoroughly tested last winter, and 
— ""to -'^i.uicir in where 
\\ e have not seen it in operation, yet are inclined to 
beiieve it a very valuable machine—beiug well con¬ 
structed, and furnished at a reasonable price. The 
“National” is evidently worthy the attention of 
parties interested, especially as it is “warranted 
satisfactory and every way as recommended.” The 
inventor thus describes its construction, operation, 
and advantages: 
This cutter is upon an entirely new principle of 
cutting and feeding, and also of varying the length of 
the feed cut. It is shear-cutting and self-feeding, 
but without the expense and complication of feed 
is going to plant a quarter of a section (100 acres) 
of land with artichokes — evidence enough of bis 
faith in their profit He does not pretend, however, 
that the same quantity of artichokes is equal in 
value to the same number of bushels of corn, ab¬ 
stractly; but if the cost of production is considered, 
the relative value of the product of an acre in arti¬ 
chokes is much greater than that of the product of 
the same area in corn. 
It is no injury to any kind of stock to be fed alter¬ 
nately with grain and vegetables. And here I ihink 
is where the great value of the artichoke for the 
Western farmer lies —not in the fact that it may be 
substituted for corn, but because it is a root crop 
easily grown, without the laborious care involved 
in the production of other root crops. It requires 
no care; its production involves no culture; it prop¬ 
agates itself; and no expense need be incurred to 
harvest it for swine. The plow will provide a sup¬ 
ply for cattle, sheep, and horses. The foliage is 
excellent for soiling. All kinds of stock eat it with 
great relish green; and cured in autumn, it is equal 
to the best clover hay as a forage. It will yield sev¬ 
eral tons of good, nutritious hay or forage per acre. 
As before said, the artichoke needs no culture, 
requires no digging and storing on account of frost, 
may be planted in the fall as well as in the spring, 
is invulnerable to all known diseases and insects, 
and produces roots and foliage relished by all do¬ 
mestic farm animals. The tubers, pickled or not, 
are good for humans also, and there are lew persons 
who do not relish them in spring. Mr. Dement 
asserts that they produce lull three times as much 
feed per acre, without work, as any man can pro¬ 
duce with any other crop with all the labor and 
manures he can bestow. It is certainly worthy the 
attention of Western farmers. 
NATURALIZED PLANTS AND WEEDS IN ILLINOIS. 
I send you the following paper, read before the 
Illinois Natural History Society, at its recent anni¬ 
versary at Bloomington. It is from the pen of Dr, 
Geo. Vasey, of McHenry Co., an industrious and 
accomplished botanist, who has contributed largely 
to the proper appreciation of both useful and nox¬ 
ious plant*. I believe this paper will interest Illi¬ 
nois readers. 1 call attention to the botanical view 
of the chess question. 1 am told, that this reference 
to it created quite an interesting discussion, during 
which an eminent agricultural philosopher an¬ 
nounced that he was in no wise convinced that 
transmutation does not actually take place, as is 
insisted on by hundreds of Sucker farmers. This 
eminent gentleman is Prof. J. B. Turner. I ex¬ 
ceedingly regret that I was not present at that dis¬ 
cussion. that I might have given your readers the 
benefit of Prof. Turner’s base for bis doubts. If 
he has anything new, that will help to settle this 
vexed question, (if it is not settled,) let us have it 
pro hono publico. 
rolls to feed it, or a change of gear to vary the 
length of the feed. It haB all the advantages of the 
‘feed roll,’ or fine cut machine, and will supersede 
it, as it costs one-third less money, and works easier, 
because it has greater lever power and less ma¬ 
chinery to move. It dispenses with all hide rolls, 
nr 80 f(, metiii to cut against, and uses hard¬ 
ened t’.VCT m linirau, nun i., uny 
other Cutter in style and finish. The • shear ’ cut Is 
produced by the edge of the knife passing the steel- 
faced flange of the smaller cylinder above, while 
both are in motion. It cuts from one-quarter to two 
inches in length, as desired, simply by varying the 
position of the lower cylinder. When this shear cut¬ 
ting cylinder is directly under the other it cuts long, 
but. by simply loosening the thumb screws (seen at 
the side) and throwing it out in front, (as in the en¬ 
graving,) it cuts shorter, and the further it is thrown 
out the shorter it cuts.” See advertisement. 
Remark's on some of the Naturalized Plants 
and Weeds of the State of Illinois.— With the 
settlement of every new country by civilized people, 
not only are new plants introduced into that coun¬ 
try for the purpose, of cultivation as materials for 
food, clothing, medicine, ornament, .or other pur¬ 
pose; but, following in the wake of civilization, 
there come in, unbidden, a host of pernicious plants 
and weeds, which rapidly take possession of the 
road-sides and waste grounds, and in some cases so 
overspread the country as to seriously interfere with 
the progress of agriculture. 
The Stale of Illinois, although new and rapidly 
settled, has received a fair share of these vegetable 
immigrants. Of the 1,400 species of flowering plants 
recorded as growing in Illinois, over 100 species are 
introduced, some of which have barely escaped 
from gardens and cultivated grounds, and are so 
scarce as to hold a doubtful claim of citizenship. 
Numerous other kinds have become widely diffused, 
and are becoming serious agricultural pests; and 
unfortnnately there are no black laws to control this 
kind of immigration. 
Although many foreign trees have been intro¬ 
duced and cultivated in the State, it is yet doubtful 
whether any of them may be said to be naturalized. 
The Salto Babylonica, or Weeping AVillow, is en¬ 
tered in the catalogue of Illinois plants, but I appre¬ 
hend it has a doubtful claim to that distinction. 
The common Locust ( Robinia pseudacacia) is un¬ 
doubtedly naturalized over the larger part ot the 
State, and the Cutalpa (Catalpa bighonioidesj in 
the southern part, of the State; and there has been 
some doubt entertained as to whether they are 
really native in the extreme southern portion; but, 
from examinations in that locality, and the testi¬ 
mony ot' intelligent residents there, I am convinced 
that both species are sparingly native in that part 
of the State. 
Of the Natural Order Raxiw'culace.e, the Gar¬ 
den Larkspur (Delphinium consolidaJ has been 
entered as naturalized; but this can only be in the 
vicinity of gardens where it is in constant cultiva¬ 
tion. Another plant of this Order, the Ranunculus 
acris, commonly called Meadow Crowfoot or But¬ 
tercup. or sometimes Yellow Daisy, has perhaps 
been introduced in a few places; but we may con¬ 
gratulate ourselves that it has not here overspread 
the country as it has in the Eastern States, render¬ 
ing many fields quite worthless. 
Wo have a few naturalized plants of the Natural 
Order Cruuifkr.k or Cress Family. Persons who 
in Europe have been accustomed to the Water-cress 
('Nasturtium officinale) may be interested to know 
that it has been introduced and become naturalized 
in a few places in this State. It grows luxuriantly, 
and I know no reason why it may not be raised for 
market purposes, as well as in the old country. 
The common Mustard (S map is nigra J is now fre¬ 
quent in nearly all waste and neglected grounds 
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. FOUR CENTS. 
VOL xm. NO. 34.1 
ROCHESTEE, N. Y.-E0R THE AYEEK ENDING SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1862. 
I WHOLE NO. 658. 
