TERMS, 83.00 PER YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS .AJNTD IMPROVEMENT. 
tSINGrEE no. ten cents 
VOL. xvn. NO. 10 .! 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1866. 
{WHOLE NO. 842. 
ESTABLISHED IN 1S50. the soil or improper management. To secure 
-- it* delicate and aromatic flavor, the soil must 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, doubtless contain the proper food and warmth, 
AK original wmiY aild conditions can be ascertained by trial, 
RURAL, literary and pamily NEWSPAPER. and caeUy P r0Vldcd -_ 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, Breeding Sows. 
With a Corps of Able AwJ»t«int* and Contributor*. In the majority Of Cases IHOrC difficulty is 
-- experienced and disappointment met with, in 
HENRY S. RANDALL, I2L, D., rearing a litter of pigs up to the age of ten 
Editor of the Deportment of sheep Husbandry. days, than ever afterward. At present, when 
-the young “porkers” have a high prospective 
pr fob Terms and other particular see last page. Vftlue< ^ prop( , r care of the breeding sows be- 
—' comes a matter ol'some importance and anxiety 
MlKOTiM Mk to T “: r; r of^ 
~ moderately salt; abundant enough to keep them 
VARIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED. thriving, yet not sufficient to fatten. It is well 
.- to give them charcoal occasionally, and a trifle 
Growing Havana Tobacco. of 6ulphur. The slops of the house arc good 
It is well known that Northern grown tohac- feed. AU this tendB to keep the appetite in a 
co is chiefly valuable for wrappers of cigars, healthy state, and to destroy the tendency of the 
When well grown and skillfully cured and pack- swine to devour their young. They should not 
ed, it* fine, silky texture, large leaf, and hand- be closely confined; a small yard, at least, should 
Borne, even color, surpass all other varieties be attached to their sleeping pen* for them to 
in these Important requisites for this purpose, go into at will. Change of quarters, especially 
Hence the best grades of the most skillffil grow- when near the time of giving birth to their 
ers’eommand very remunerative prices. But the young, is apt to work injury, and should be 
inferior.'grade* of the “ Beed leaf, ” which con- carefully made if necessary. They should be 
stitnte probably nearly two-thirds of Northern supplied with a great abundance of straw or 
grown tobacco, not being suitable for wrappers, other suitable bedding, and allowed to work it 
must be sold at low and comparatively unre- down somewhat fine and compact, and Into 
munerativc prices to the grower, for the reason a bed of their own liking. In winter time 
that the quality for smoking or “ fillers” is very it requires a warm pen, and ample bedding and 
poor as compared with other varieties of South- care to raise the young pigs. If poles are placed 
should they do so generally, the greatest trouble, 
as is well understood, would be to famish cheap 
houses for their accommodation. But if farm 
tenant houses were common, the laboring poor 
in cities could readily enter the country, where 
their labor would command a comfortable living, 
and all classes and localities would be mutually 
benefited. 
Some pains should be taken to render the 
tenant homes attractive and convenient. A 
good well of water or a spring should be on the 
Grounds, and one or two ont-buildiugs. It would 
cost but little to plant a few fruit trees of the 
most useful kinds, for the family’s use, and 
they would likewise Bhado the dwelling, and by 
making the premises more ornamental and at¬ 
tractive, add enough to t.he intrinsic value of 
the place to pay the extra cost. 
LAND ROLLERS. 
It can be hnng by these plus between two post?, 
and turned round and worked down trno with 
the adz and plane. The pins form the shaft of 
the roller. No other Iron la absolutely required 
unless bolts for the tongue, but it is better to 
procure cast Iron boxes for the pins to turn in, 
and also to band the log at each end with 
wrought iron. This roller is huug in a peculiar 
but simple manner, which is amply shown by 
the engraving. The end pieces should be of hard 
wood, two-inch plank, six inches wide, where 
the pins turn In them, and twelve or fifteen 
inches where the bottom board Of the box is 
morticed through them. The tongue la bolted 
on to the bottom board of the box, the sides of 
which are flaring. 
By this plan a farmer can furnish himself with 
a good roller with but a slight outlay of rnoncy. 
em or foreign production. However skillful ai 
the grower may be, and in spite of the utmost tl 
labor and care expended in making his crop, he it 
is liable to fall In producing a large production oi 
of the first or “wrapper" grade. The grass- t< 
hoppers may swarm in bia field, or an August t< 
hail-storm beat upon it, or a tordado devastate 
it, and reduce the greater bulk of the crop to tl 
inferior grade*. It is obvlons then, that If North- 8 ; 
era growers could produce a tobacco, the quail- u 
ty of .which for “fillers” or ordinaryBmoking {) 
would approximate to the foreign kinds, they q 
would have a better chance in the market, and e 
he more certain of securing due compensation f 
for their labor. Hence, we advise more exten- t 
sive and patient trial, than has been mudo hither- (j 
to, of other varieties of tobacco—especially of j 
the genuine Havana. 
In undertaking to grow this variety, the first I 
step —and a very important one to secure ulti¬ 
mate success — is to procure the genuine 6eed < 
grown, in Cuba. The 6eed should be imported c 
every year, and not grown at homo, as under s 
the unfavorable influences of our climate the < 
quality would rapidly deteriorate, and if the 
process of sowing seed grown on our own plants ^ 
were continued, the variety would doubtless ^ 
ultimately become about worthless. The seed j 
should be sown early, and if possible a cold- 
frame used to hasten its germination and the 
growth of the plants. Transplanting to the 
field ought to be commenced as soon as no 
further danger from epring frosts is to be appre¬ 
hended. A sunny, sheltered location, and a 
warm, rich, dry, loamy soil ehould be chosen. 
The plants may be set much closer than those of 
the “seed leaf" variety, as its natural habit is 
not so rank and &talky. The stem is likewise 
smaller, and the leaves set further apart on it, 
and in all positions it will admit of more crowd¬ 
ing* than our Northern varieties. The general 
culture, of course, should not vary much from 
that bestowed on ordinary tobacco. In regard 
to curing we have seen reliable statements that 
the Cuban growers dampen their tobacco with 
a liquid composed of the fluest flavored tobacco 
leaves] rotted in water or rum. The operation 
is performed before the tobacco is packed for 
sweating, and the sprinkling must be delicately 
undertaken, as too much moisture would ruin it. 
This treatment is said to impart a better flavor, 
together with greater elasticity of leaf, and 
readiness of burning, to the tobacco. 
The writer of this has grown a little Cuban 
tobacco for experiment sake. There was no dif¬ 
ficulty in its management When submitted to I 
i skillful tobacconists, they pronounced the qual- 
6 ity but little Inferior to the 11 genuine Havana.” 
In cigars its fragrance was unexceptionable, 
k Judging from experience, we should not licsi- 
f tate, if sure of having the proper seed, to ptant 
L enough to raise a few case* of this variety, 
p Some have tried it and failed —not in growing 
n it, but in getting a superior quality. These 
failures might have been traced, perhaps, to 1m- 
e. pure or deteriorated seed, or to the unfitness ol 
around the Bides of the pen high enough from 
the floor to give room for the pigs underneath, 
it will frequently save them from being lain on 
and killed—as the sow cannot press close enough 
to the wall to injure them, and she la not so apt 
to kill them in other positions as in this one. 
During the first week in the ngeof the pigs, 
the mother should be disturbed as little os pos¬ 
sible. Especially strangers should notapproach 
her. Give her warm drink, aud but a small 
quantity of food. If -die Is doing well and is 
quiet, and takes care of her young, “ let well 
enough alone.” After a week’s time you can 
feed more, and when the pigs begin to come to 
the trough and eat, you will have ample Bpace to 
dispose of all the spare meal and buttermilk 
your premises will afford. 
Farm Tenant Houses. 
TnE length of our correspondent’s article 
on the above subject in the preceding number 
of the Roral, excluded some remarks we de¬ 
sired to make with reference to the advantages 
of haviug tenant houses on farms. 
There is not enough importance attached to 
this class of farm buildings, add they arc not so 
plentiful throughout the country, as we believe 
it would be to the advantage of farmers to have 
them. Every farm, largo enough to require the 
constant labor of hired help, should have a com¬ 
fortable tenant house. At least a quarter of an 
acre of land should be enclosed for a garden 
spot, and the whole establishment should be 
laid out so as to rent a* low as twenty or thirty 
dollars per year, this sum paying the interest on 
the capital invested. It is obvious that a labor¬ 
ing man could not well afford to pay more than 
this amount of rent, and it would likewise be to 
the interest of the farmer to give him as low 
rent as possible, as increased expenses would 
In the present state of farming a good land 
roller is an essential implement. It Is required 
for smoothing the Btirfaoe of the fields over c 
which the mower and reaper are destined to sl 
puss—it. flattens the little hummocks of turf, the a 
edge* of furrows, and presses the small, rolling t- 
stone into the earth. Thus on newly seeded ' 
meadows it is a great labor-saving implement 
If the frost baa lifted the roots of the grasses or * 
winter grain, its use In tho spring has, likewise, 
a beneficial effect. After spring grain has been ' 
gown, the roller puts the finishing touch to tliel 
work by mashing the lumps, smoothing the sur¬ 
face, and compacting the earth about the seed, 1 
causing it to germinate mere quickly. If grass 
Reed is sown with these crops the roller gives it 1 
just the proper amount of covering. After 
potatoes or corn are planted use the roller, and 
on the former the harrow as soon as the sprouts 
begin to pick through the surface. Winter 
grain, however, we should not roll m the 
autumn, but leave the little ridges made by the 
drill for protection to the roots of the plants. 
Lumpy day soils are benefited by using a heavy 
roller to pulverize them, and light, saudy soils 
are improved by being compacted. There Is, 
indeed, scarcely a field on the furtn, or a crop 
grown, on which the roller may not at. some 
time, or period of growth, be usefully brought 
into requisition. 
Good rollers are constructed of various dimen¬ 
sions and weights. The larger the bnrrcl the 
easier the draft, but this is not a very important 
feature, as it is not a hard implement on horses 
in any shape. 
The weight of a roller is of more importance; 
in some places a light one is of little use—as on 
clay lumps or stony laud—in ot hers a heavy one 
would do more injury than good. So we would 
have our roller made rather light, but a box 
built on the top of it into which stone or earth 
might be put to give the desired weight. This 
construction make*, likewise, a very convenient 
vehicle for removing stone from meadows or j 
fields ready to sow with grain. 
Iron rollers are doubtless the best on account 
of their superior durability, aud the smooth, 
' unyielding surface they present to the earth. 
" As the barrel La made in two or more sections, a 
i team can turn one round somewhat easier than 
■ if constructed wholly of one piece. Ifunimplc- 
1 ment is desired expressly for crushing day 
> lumps, Ckossiull’s clod*crusher, a kind of 
r roller first brought out in England, is the best 
1 machine we know of. It is heavy and expen- 
likely result In higher wages. Such help as the 8 i ve? an d good for none of the more ordinary 
farmer could then obtain would be more reliable .purposes of a roller, 
and permanent than the transient class of un- . _ 
married men usually employed. In many instan¬ 
ces it would be found very convenient to have 
the laborer board himself; this would relieve 
farmers wives of a great deal of hard and 
disagreeable work. And it does not seem 
that this method would be more expensive 
than hoarding the help in the farmer’s house. 
Generally the laborer could afford to board 
himBelf for loss than it costs the farmer to 
do it, for the house labor costs him nothing, 
and the money he would get for boarding him¬ 
self would go far towards supplying his whole 
family with food. 
There is another and a weighty argument to 
induce farmers to build tenant houses. If cheap 
and comfortable homes were furnished, in local¬ 
ities where a family could easily earn a generous 
living, as they can anywhere among farmers, it 
would be a strong inducement for the poor in 
cities to emigrate into the country. At present 
a city-bred family, though on the verge of star¬ 
vation, can scarcely be induced to go into the 
country and seek for work and food. And 
A CHEAP LAND-ROLLER. 
AMONG THE STUMPS.—NO. II. 
COT TREES LOW AND MAKE SHORT STOMPS. 
Much may, and upon moral and economical ^ 
considerations, much ought to be said about 5jr 
stumps. I suppose, without knowing much l 
about such matters, that they are the reverse of 
pictures'fut; at. any rate, they nre long or short, 
which Is a noticeable consideration. There are 
twice forty cords of wood ou the forty aercB of 
stumps that have been made on my premises In 
Southern New York the present winter. “Men 
of high aims,” are these wood-choppers, when 
they strike tho first blows at a tree. “ Higher, 
still higher should be their motto on some other 
occasion. These tall stumps, would they not 
warm many a disconsolate family ?—would they 
not bring good returns If sold ? 
There is no apology for cutting any tree over ^ 
two feet from tho ground, and ull under six , 
inches through should be cut within six inches j 
of the ground. More than one •!' the command- ] 
ments are In danger of being broken when uu , 
irreverent teamster gets his sleigh fast on a , 
stump a foot high, and covered with snow. This 
kind of Impediment Ib responsible for many a 
broken sled, wbitfletree, or harness. And when , 
you come to dragging your ground for a crop, 
you might as well undertake to get through it 
“sea of difficulties,” dry shod;—you are caught 
at every turn, and fifty times before you turn. 
The extra trouble of cutting a small tree low 
Is nothing compared with the advantage of hav¬ 
ing It low, and the timber of a valuable tree 
saved will pay ten times over for the cost of low 
cutting. One loot of such a tree that will square 
two feet is worth a dollar, and I have often seen 
two dollars’ worth Of timber left on the stump 
that might have been saved for twenty-five cts. 
The best of the timber Ik nearest the ground. 
As evidence of the spirit of Improvement, 
many of our thriving farmers in Southern New 
L York have pulled their stumps .with machines. 
L About all things on earth are perishable except 
■ pine stilinps. In five or six years maple, beech, 
- and basswood stumps may be pulled out with ft 
good team, aud a little digging; elm, oak, and 
t hemlock are mortal, like ourselves, but pine 
waits the bidding of an earthquake or an lm- 
. racnBe screw or lever power, 
i In general land should be well cleaned and 
i burned the first spring or (which is easier) the 
- first August after being cut over, and then seeded 
y down to timothy and red-top, with rye or wheat, 
f and remain unplowed till most of the roots are 
t rotten. Plowing among the stumps requires 
. more cash and more grace than most of us are 
y masters of. 
I might have mentioned above that dry stumps 
may be burned out in a dry time. If we are not 
more careful with our matches I would not be 
surprised to see a good Share of the world on 
fire some day, but what stumps we should get 
rid of would not pay the damages. If i were 
writing about matches, I would insist that they 
should be kept in a tight tin box, both in bed¬ 
rooms and elsewhere, and never lie round loose 
— but I never digress. Kindle a lire about a 
stump and partially cover it In a dry time with 
(1 earth, and you may burn out your stumps and 
JACOB 8TRAWN, 
THE GREAT 1LLINO.TS FARMER. 
Ot'tt engraving portrays tbe late Jacob 
Stkawn, of Jacksonville, Illinois, a notice of 
whose death has already tiecn given in tho 
Rural. Mr. Btrawn was in many respects a 
remarkable man, and widely known as an ox- 
tensive and most successfo l fanner and land- 
owner -one whose career is worthy ol record. 
His biographer sayB of Mr. '8., that he started in 
fanning and cattle buying o t an early age, with 
a capital of only fifty cenbi in silver, yet came 
to be the king fanner of the West,—widely and 
favorably known for his great energy, Industry 
and enterprise. 
Mr. Stkawn’r acres spread over almost whole 
counties, and it was no unreal thing for him to 
sow a field of wheat or plant corn over a spacq 
twice the size of a German kingdom. He had 
sheep and klnc upon a thousand hills—or would 
have had, if the hills had been there. lie built 
pretty much the whole of tbe village of Jack¬ 
sonville; he represented his district In the 
Legislature, where he was noted for direct and 
available good sense, nnd in all positions filled 
the Ideas of a good (Atizen. nis “ little garden 
patch,” at the tlxno of his death, embraced 
nearly J&,000 acres, worth at least $1,000,000, 
without Improvements. He was twice married, 
and leaves seven sons aud one daughter. In 
person lie was a Daniel Lammekt, weighing 
about U50 pounds. During the war ho waa an 
active and liberal friend and supporter of the 
Union cause. 
Many interesting incidents have been related 
respecting Mr. Stkawn, among which are the 
following: — He began life for himself by raising 
l(i acres of wheat, which he traded for 1G steers, 
which be sold el a profit. After this he dealt 
mainly in cattle. He was a rapid talker, and a 
keen judge of hnman nature —a prompt actor, 
knew how to drive a bargain, and always made 
money. He seldom went to towu, was busy 
■ every moment, and was always in the field or in 
- the saddle, going from place to place. Until 
! within a few years he was his own accountant 
i and his own banker; and, strange as it may 
seem, kept no books, trusting entirely to his 
: memory, which never lailed him. In physical 
• labor he excelled in every department. With a 
- common band sickle he |ias been know to reap, 
5 bind and shock GO dozen bundles of wheat in a 
i day, Farmers will understand thiB to be what 
i not .more than one man in a thousand could 
l perform. In earlier days he carried large sums 
We present an engraving of a simple and carlo, ana you may uum uui jour sun.,** aim peraorw. earner 
cheap, but efficient land-roller. .Any farmer can get some good ashes and burnt soil to manure of money upon his person, and on several occa- 
make a roller after that pattern in a short time 
if he has the few materials required at hand, and 
have It for use the coming season. It is con¬ 
structed almost wholly of wood, but if kept 
uuder shelter and off from the ground when not 
in use, It will last many years. The barrel Is 
made of a solid, bard wood log not less than 
twenty inches in diameter. A round iron pin an 
inch and a half in diameter and twelve inches 
long is driven eight inches Into the center of 
i each end of the log. Then strike a circle 
around the pins as large a* the log will allow. 
your laud. 
We are poorly supplied with a good quality of 
sled crooks. If the young men, to say nothing, 
ol the old, liked hard work a little better, more 
oak, red-beech, birch, and soft-maple trees would 
he dug up and sawed into sled crooks, aud then 
no dumps would be there to bother. I had 
rather have one gate post made by digging up a 
tree and setting the roots and enough of tho body 
to hang the gate to, thsn two posts higher up. 
Go to grubbing, gentlemen, for your posts.— 
h. T. b. 
dons bis life was attempted as he rode alone 
through the country. At one time, near Alton, 
ho was attacked by three robbers, whom he 
thrashed aud put to flight with hiB cattle whip. 
He was a man of wonderful muscle and activity, 
ne could spring over the highest fence by merely 
placing one hand on the top rail, and on one 
occasion he caught an infuriated bull by the 
horns, who was charging on him in an open 
field, and, throwing him down by mere force, 
completely subdued the apparently vicious and 
uncontrollable animal. 
