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TERMS, S 3.00 PER YEAR.] 
“ PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT." 
[SESTGrLE no. ten cents 
I WHOLE NO. 845. 
ESTABLISHED IN 1850. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AH ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, literary and famti.y newspaper. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With a Corps or Able Aiwlutnnts and Contributor*. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL, D., 
Editor of tbe Department of Sheep Husbandry, 
HON. T. C. PETERS, 
Late Pres't N. T. State Ag. Soo’y, Southern Cor. Editor, 
tWKos Terms and other particulars see last page. 
on the opposite 8ide ; clinch both ends, drawing 11 The average price ot land in Worcester 
the crack tight together. Then take a sharp county is, for good, $25 per acre; good wood 
pointed knife, run it through a soft piece of land, $50; worn out, $8 to $10. Size ot farms 
wood so that tiie point projects three-eighths *f about 300 acres each. Somerset, from $10 to 
an inch. Lift the hair witli the left hand from *80. Farms average from 1,500 to 40 or 50acres. 
VARIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED. 
Osage Orange Seed. 
Mil J. R. Smith, Fairfield, Ohio, tells us 
how to prepare it for planting“ Put the seed 
in a vessel, (an old wooden pail, I like best,) 
pour on hot water enough to cover the seed— 
the water boiling hot. Let it stand two or 
three hours; then pour oil' the water, and add 
about one quarter the bulk of seed of good, rich 
earth or mold. Mix it well with the seed, and 
let it stand where it will keep warm until the 
Eeed sprouts, which will bo in from five to seven 
days. Let It get well sprouted before putting 
in the eeed bed. Plant in rows fifteen inches 
apart, about as thick as you would black onion 
seed. After sowing, care should be taken to 
keep the earth loosened around the plants and 
the weeds shdued. 
Osage plants should be set for hedge on an 
angle of 45 degrees. 
I lost my seed three years in succession for 
want of a little light on the subject.” 
off the hoof, and just where tile hair and hoof 
intersect cut a gasli an inch or more long; be 
quick and the horse will not stir till it is over. 
It will then grow sound. 
Other correspondents advise the same remedies 
for over-reaching, and for hard hoofs we have 
the following recipes:—Black lead four ounces; 
beeswax and tallow eight ounces each; sweet oil 
and tar two ounces each; the yolks of six eggs. 
Boil all together over a slow tire, and apply the 
mixture to the hoof twice a day. Another 
advises a mixture ot salt and urine applied with 
a swab three or four times each day, where the 
hoof and hair join. 
We think the fool bath, which was illustrated 
and described In a former No. of the Rural, is 
an excellent remedy for hard hoof. 
LSouthern Editorial Correspondence of the Rural.] 
“MY MARYLANDITS RESOURCES, &c. 
NUMBER THREE. 
Before proceeding to a special notice of local¬ 
ities I will premise that the weather has thus 
far been pleasant, and that the plow has been 
in motion some nearly over the whole State for 
the last week. Outs will be sown, especially in 
the tide-water region, this and the coming week. 
Robins and blue birds are beginning to cheer the 
farmer with their old familiar songs. Honey 
bees are out seeking for some stray (lower. 
Gardens are being made to some extent, and 
everything betokens that Spring has come. 
I resume iny description of localities by com¬ 
mencing with tbe 
EASTERN SHORE. 
Peppermint Growing in Michigan. 
Young Farmer, of Kaluinazoo, Michigan, 
sends ns the following notes on peppermint 
growing in that State:—“A few weeks since I 
saw an Inquiry in the Rural, concerning the 
growing and manufacture of peppermint. This 
plant is grown quite extensively in St. Joseph 
county, Michigun. There it is planted la the 
spring, as soon as the ground can possibly be 
tilled, in drills two feet and a half apart. A 
furrow is made with a shovel-plow, and the vine 
placed therein and covered with the feet. It 
should be carefully hoed and cultivated, and all 
the runners kept off during the first summer. 
It is mowed in August or September, and cured 
like hay. After producing three crops, It must 
be transplanted to other ground. The ma¬ 
chinery for its manufacture is very simple, and 
the cost will probably be about the same as that 
of a thrashing machine. Persona wishing to 
enter into the cultivation of peppermint, would 
do well to visit St. Joseph county and learn the 
modus operaiuli of its culture for themselves. 
Hon. A. C. Putzman, of Three Rivers, Michigan, 
would undoubtedly give any Information desired 
upon the subject. Mr. P. is a thorough practical 
farmer, and well worthy the position he occupies 
as a member of tbe Michigan State Board of 
Agriculture.” 
Horses Over-reaching—Hard Hoofs, &c. 
We have several communications replying 
T. W. B.’s inquiries on the above subject. We 
will condense them into this article. 
One correspondent from St. Joseph, Mich., 
writes that the remedies we now possess to 
prevent over-rcachlDg in horses are very un¬ 
satisfactory; but the best he has found is to 
shoe the front feet with heavy shoes, heel calks 
high, toe calks low. Shoe the hind feet with 
light shoes, low keel calks and high toe calks. 
In several cases he has welded a thin lip on the 
toe of the hind shoe, extending half way up the 
hoof. This protects the hind hoof from being 
broken, but is detrimental to the forward shoe 
in winter by doubling the calks. 
For Interfering, turn the outside heel calk 
transversely, so as to rotate the ankle out; and 
put the toe calk a little to the inside. This plan 
never failed our correspondent but twice. 
For a quarter cracked hoof, put a calk for¬ 
ward of the crack the same as the toe calk, so 
the shoe will not bear on the heel, then take a 
small gimlet and commence boring three-quar¬ 
ters of an inch from the crack and bore towards 
it, not deep enough to reach the quick. When 
you reach the crack, take a nail and point it so 
that it will come out three-quarters of an inch 
I give below some of the statistics from the 
U. 8. Census of 1800, in regard to the Counties 
composing this region: 
Acres 
COUNTIES. lmpU 
Caroline. . (11,101 
Cecil,. 141,17(1 
Dorchester,_119,445 
Kent. 183,814 
Queen Ann, 153,113 
Somerset,. 118,873 
Talbot,. 110,183 
Worcester,. 155,009 
Total,.993,214 
Acres Bush. 
Unimp’d. Wheat. 
31,600 
65,480 
110,4*3 
30,014 
02,718 
150,822 
65,704 
160,479 
57,344 
823,096 
218,428 
841,(187 
291,660 
188,404 
409,003 
Bush. 
Corn. 
247,455 
588,725 
087,824 
686,843 
870,405 
(100,733 
079,571 
934,070 
Dorchester; value of lands depends upon quality 
and location. Farms are considered most valu¬ 
able if located on salt water, where they can 
have fine fish, oysters, terrapins, crabs, and wild 
fowl In their season. They are valued at $50 to 
$60 per acre; Inland from $5 to $15. Caroline, 
$10 to $25 per acre, and even below the lowest. 
Little or no land lies more than five miles from 
navigable water. The rivers and estuaries abound 
in lisb, oysters, crabs, ducks and other game, and 
there is uo season of the year hut brings some 
one of these choice dishes for the table. Talbot, 
lands vnry from $10, $70, to $100, depending 
upon improvements and location.” Queen 
Aun—same. Cecil, about the same. Great bar¬ 
gains are to be had In all these Counties, and arc 
well worth the attention of a Northern men 
who are looking t his way for a cheap farms. 
Nearly all tlus lands in this legion are good for 
peach trees, and immense crops are grown—one 
man marketing upwards of $40,000 worth last 
year. It Is also good for apples, pears uud cher¬ 
ries. Mclonsjuul sweet potatoes can also bo 
grown in the greatest profusion.— T. c. p. 
March 14,1800. 
DYER’S MADDER-No. II. 
We present our raiders, lu concluding our 
artlclo on the above subject, with an engraving 
of the Madder Root, which, as hs well understood, 
is the portion of the plant used for dyeing. The 
cultivation of madder is no “ new thing 
under the sun,” for the accompanying cut is 
copied from au English work on Horticulture 
and Agriculture in our possession, the date of 
which is 17511, and consequently over one hun¬ 
dred years old. Madder at that time, us at pres¬ 
ent, was an article of importance in commerce. 
DIGGING AND HARVESTING. 
This should be done between the 20th of 
August and the 20th of September. Take a 
sharp shovel, or shovels, and cut off and remove 
Total,. 993,214 (.79,005 2,024,385 5,347,120 
In addition to wheat and corn upwards of a 
million and a half of bushels of oats were also 
raised, making nearly ten millions of bushels of 
grain grown upon about one million of im¬ 
proved acres—an average of hbout 10 bushels to 
each improved acre. It would be safe to infer 
that the soil is not an ungenerous one. Its 
capacity for hay may be inferred from thu fact 
that of the 23,450 tuna of hay, 18,003 were grown 
In the County of Cecil, which really belongs to 
the upland or rolling region. 
“ The soil is generally sandyI quote from 
a report of a select committee of the legislature 
on the “Resources oi'Maryland.” “A variety 
of soil denominated ‘white bali’ may bo dis¬ 
tinguished by the color of its sand which is 
white, very fine, feeling but slightly gritty, of 
a compact texture with great retentiveuess of 
moisture. It is usually good corn land. The 
Boils, except the sand plains, were originally 
among the mo6t fertile in the country. A long 
course of improvident agriculture sadly imparred 
their productive value.” 
Improved BysteniB of farming are working a 
great ebaoge. The kinds of crops are more or 
less affected by the proximity to market. Where 
water or land carriage is of easy access “truck” 
is the great business of tbe farm. Further in. 
I land wheat and corn are the staple crops. In 
the lower counties cotton has been cultivated to 
a limited extent, and might at present prices be 
made profitable. Melons and sweet potatoes are 
raised in great perfection in the saudy portions 
—where those sands have been enriched by the 
abundant marls of the same region. 
Of the health ol' this region — indeed of the 
whole tide-water region — no fear need be in¬ 
dulged by Northern people, if they hut adopt 
the most common precautions. The system 
which carried a man and his family for years 
through the most malarious region of New York, 
(the Cayuga marshes,) will most abundantly pro¬ 
tect one here. He used to keep out of the night 
and morning air, and build a fire in his house 
woodruff’s universal 
PLANTER. 
the bottom of the furrow; then plow another 
furrow beam deep, as before, and (tick over and 
remove the earth in the same manner; thus r 
proceeding until the whole is completed. j 
WASHING ANT> DRYING. 
As soon as possible after digging, take the j 
roots to some running stream to be washed. If 
there is no running stream convenient, it can be 
done at a pump. Take large, round sieves, two 
and a half or three feet in diameter, with the wire ' 
about as line as wheat sieves; or If these cannot 
he had, get from a hardware store sufficient 
Bcrcen wire of the right fineness, and make 
frames or boxes about two and a half feet long 
and the width of the wire, on thu bottom of 
which uail the wire. In thcBC sieves or boxes, 
put half a bushel of roots at, a time and stir them 
about In the water, pulling the bunches apart so 
os to wash them clean ; then, having a platform 
at hand, lay them on it to dry. (To make the 
platform, take two or three common hoards, so 
as to be about four feet in width, and nail elects 
across the under side.) On these spread the 
roots about two inches thick for drying in the 
sun. Carry the platfonnB to a convenient place, 
not far from the house, and place them side by 
side in rows east and west, and with their ends 
north and south, leaving room to walk between 
the rows. Elevate the south ends of the plat¬ 
forms about eighteen inches, and the north ends 
about six inches from the ground, putting poles 
or sticks to support them—this will greatly facili¬ 
tate drying. Alter the second or third day dry¬ 
ing, the madder must be protected from the dews 
at night,, and from rain, placing the platforms 
one npon another to a convenient height, and 
covering the uppermost one with boards. Spread 
them out again in the morning, or as soon as the 
danger Is over. Five or six days of ordinary fine 
weather will dry the madder sufficiently, when 
it may he put away till it is convenient to kiln- 
dry and grind it. 
kiln - drying. 
The size and mode of constructing the kiln 
may be varied to suit circumstances. The fol¬ 
lowing is a very cheap plan, and sufficient to dry 
one tun of roots at a time. Place lour strong 
posts in the ground, twelve feet apart, one way, 
and eighteen the other; the front two fourteen 
feet high, and the others eighteen; put girts 
across the bottom, middle and top; and nail 
boards perpendicularly on the outside as for a 
common barn. The boards must be well sea¬ 
soned, and all cracks or holes should be plas¬ 
tered or otherwise stopped up. Make a Bhed 
roof of common boards. In the Inside put up¬ 
right standards about five feet apart, with cross¬ 
pieces, to support the scaffolding. The first, 
croes-picccs to be four feet from the floor; the 
next two feet higher, and so on to the top. On 
these cross-pieces, lay Email poles about six feet 
long and two inches thick, four or five inches 
apart. On these scaffolds the madder is to be 
spread nine inches thick. A floor Is laid at the 
bottom, to keep all dry and clean. When the 
kiln Is filled, take six or eight small kettles or 
hand furnaces, and place them, four or five feet 
apart on the floor, (first securing It from fire 
with bricks or stones,) and make fires in them 
BREAKING AND GRINDING. 
Immediately after being dried, the madder 
must be taken to the barn and throsbed with 
Hails, or broken by machinery, (a mill might 
easily be constructed for this purpose;) so that 
it will feed in a common grist-mill. If it is uot 
broken and ground Immediately, It will gather 
dampness so as to prevent its grinding freely. 
Any common grist-mill can grind madder prop¬ 
erly. When ground finely it is fit for use, and 
may he packed in barrels like flour for murket.” 
WOODRUFF’S UNIVERSAL SEED PLANTER. 
We present our readers with a cut and descrip¬ 
tion of Woodruff’s Universal Seed Planter, 
which, from Its Importance as a labor-saving 
implement well adapted to the work it is in¬ 
tended to perform, will be of interest, we 
believe, to agriculturists. 
The Inventor of this planter claims that it is 
superior to others in use in the following several 
important points: 
1st. In preparing the ground in the line of each 
row in a thorough manner at tbe time of plant¬ 
ing, so that, the grain is certain to be covered 
with fine moist earth. This Is accomplished by 
means of the small, triangular drags, behind 
which the apparatus is to he. attached to perform 
the work of covering. 2d. The grain is deposited 
in the hill at four 
points in the clrcum- 
mS# France of a circle, 
' . $ equidistant from each 
other — as shown in 
the accompanying 11- 
lustration. This dis- 
position of the seed 
gives the plant a bet¬ 
ter chance, at least in 
the start. By means of an extremely simple 
and adjustable arrangement of arms, an accu¬ 
rate check-row can be planted, without pre¬ 
vious marking of the field. 5th. An attachment 
lor depositing maun re in each hill can be easily 
. made to the planter. 
f This machine is drawn by two horses and 
; plants two rows at once. It can likewise be 
adjusted to plant in drills. It has a seat for the 
I driver, which is not shown in the engraving. 
3 It has received high commendations from practi- 
1 cal and competent judges, and we sec no reason 
i why it is not destined to ultimately supersede 
- the hoe and the hand system of planting corn, 
. beans, or any seed desirable to grow in hills. 
THE MADDER ROOT. 
inuu v/i viwuv.1 niDv 
roof of common boards. Iu the inside put up- Feed for Chickens.— Mrs. II. recommends 
right standards about five feet apart, with cross- “cracked com fed dry, and an occasional ieed- 
pieees, to support the scaffolding. The first ing of wheat is called the best. I have raised 
cross-pieces to be four feet from the floor; the large broods of chickens lor two years and not 
next two feet higher, and so on to the top. On lost one by leeding com meal mixed with sour 
these cross-pieces, lay Email poles about six feet loppered milk or rich buttormilk. It has rained 
long and two inches thick, four or five inches almost constantly the two past seasons, bat I 
apart. On these scaffolds the madder is to be fed ray chickens three or four times a day and 
spread nine inches thick. A floor is laid at the let them rou. Feed chickens early iu the morn- 
bottom to keep all dry and clean. When the ing all they can eat, and it is not necessary to 
kiln Is filled, take six or eight small kettles or coop them up, for they will not be disposed to 
hand furnaces, and place them four or five feet go out in the ralu or dew to get something to 
apart on the floor, (first securing It from fire eat, unless they are hungry. Manage in the 
with bricks or stones,) and make fires in them above manner and your hens will he one third 
with charcoal, being careful not to make any of larger than if treated otherwise; and the pullets 
the fires so large as to scorch the madder over frequently lay all winter. By keeping sour milk 
them. A person must be in constant attendance where your hens can have access to It during tho 
to watch and replenish the fires. The heat will summer, you will not have to confine your hens 
ascend through ti.° whole, and in ten or twelve to keep them out of mischief, and will have 
hours it will all be sufficiently dried, which is plenty of eggs as long as you give plenty of 
bnnwn v,v Its becoming brittle like pine stems, milk. 
(the Cayuga marshes,) will most abundantly pro- the tops with half an inch of the surface of the the fires so large as to scorch the madder over 
tect one here. He used to keep out of the night earth; then take a plow of the largest size, with them. A person must be in constant attendance 
and morning air, and build a fire in his house a sharp coulter and a double team, and plow a to watch and replenish the fires. 1 he heat will 
every night, no matter how hot the weather farrow outward, beam deep, around tho edge of ascend through the whole, and in ten or twelve 
might be. These simple precautions will insure the bed; stir the earth with forks, and carefully hours it will all be sufficiently dried, which is 
complete immunity from chills and fevers. pick out all the roots, removing the earth from known by its becoming brittle like pipe stems. 
VOL. XVII. NO. 13. i 
ROCHESTER, N. Y. - FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1866. 
