ESTABLISHED IN 1S50. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN OEIOINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D, T. MOORE, 
"With a Corps cf Able Assistants and Contributors. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL, D., 
Editor of the Department or Sheep Husbandry, 
HON. T. C. PETERS, 
Late Prea’t li. Y. State Ag. Soo’y, Southern Cor. Editor. 
TriE Rubai, Nkw-Yokker is designed to be unsur¬ 
passed in Value, Purity, and Variety ot Contents. Its 
Conductor earnestly labors to render the Rural a Reli¬ 
able Guide on all the important Practical, Scientific aud 
other Subjects connected rvltij the business of those 
whose Interests It sedulously advocates. As a Family 
Journal It Is eminently instructive and Entertaining — 
being bo conducted that it can be saicly taken to the 
Homesol people ol Intelligence, tfusU*.and discrimination. 
It embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural. Scientific, 
Educational, Literary aud News Matter, Interspersed 
with appropriate engravings, than any other Journal,— 
rendering it by far the most complete AomcULTUltAL, 
Litbeahv and Family Nkw&pai-rb In America. 
THE MARKETING OF PRODUCE. 
[Extract from the Address of Moj. H. T. Brook* nt 
the Annual Fair of the Monroe Co. Ag. Society 
in 1805.] 
After all the cares, labors and anxieties of 
raising a crop, comes the still greater trouble 
of selling it. When, where, and for how 
much shall we sell? is a puzzle and a per¬ 
plexity 1 We take what we can get—we ask for 
more—we are unanimous in t hat: so far so well. 
But do wo always get what we ought to have? 
Do we generally get what we ought to have? 
I answer emphatically, Wo. 
We ought to sell our produce lor enough to 
cover the expense of seed, all the labor of raising, 
harvesting, marketing, the interest on the vulue 
of the land, and enough betides (.0 purchase or 
provide manure sufficient to restore to the soil all 
it tuts lost in growing the crop. This suggests 
a consideration for which I suspect we are very 
poorly prepared. Who knows the amount of 
mineral aud other elements which a crop takes 
from the soil, and the cost of restoring them? 
This, however, we all do know, that if we should 
go into the markets to purchase guano, bone 
dust, lime, ashes, plaster, animal manure, and 
whatever U necessary to restore Impoverished 
laud to a high state of fertility, the expense would 
be enormous. As a body our farmers have made 
no estimate of their annual loss through the de¬ 
preciation of the soil. If they should now bring 
up their land to its original productiveness they 
would incur au expense which few Would be able 
to meet. It would probably cost to-day as much 
as our cultivated fields are worth to restore the 
mineral elements alonu that have been abstracted 
from them. Of course this remark applies to lauds 
that have been several years under cultivation. 
I should like to ask the farmers of Monroe, 
and all other farmers, how many crops within 
the last forty years have paid a profit, after re¬ 
storing to the soil all the elements abstracted, 
and paying all other expenses ? Not one crop 
in four, in my opinion. It results, then, that we 
have been farming at a loss. Farmers have 
worked hard, and much of the time they have 
worked for nothing. True, they fancy they have 
been growing rich—really, they have been grow¬ 
ing poor. The nominal value of their laud has 
greatly increased: — they bought it at a dollar 
and a quarter, live, ten, twenty, thirty dollars 
per acre; and can now sell it at forty, sixty, 
e >gLty, and a hundred dollars per acre. This 
is partly owing to the inflation of prices since 
the advent of paper money and bauking institu¬ 
tions, and partly to the increased demand for 
1 ml * Mr. the increase of nur population. While 
the price has been going up, the fertility, and 
consequently the intrinsic value, of the land has 
been going down. I would much rather have 
the lands of Western New York, as the benrs 
and Indians left them, thau to take them to-day 
with all your boasted “improvements. I do 
not hesitate to say, that if a majority of furmers 
who purchased land forty years ago and paid 
for it, had worked out for the board and cloth 
imz of themselves and families, and let their 
laud remain in the state of nature, they would 
be worth more to day than they are now. I 
tell you that while farmers have worked early 
and late, — while they have grown prematurely 
old through exhausting, nay, agonizing labors,— 
their returns have been meager and inadequate. 
High as prices are to the consumer of agricul¬ 
tural products, the farmers share has been in 
the main paltry indeed. Occasional high prices 
have been balanced by blights, insects, frosts, 
drouths and other contingencies that left him 
nothing to sell, while wholesale and retail deal¬ 
ers, shippers and bankers—particularly the lat¬ 
ter— absorb the profits, and leave the great ma¬ 
jority of farmers unable to improve their farms, 
their stock, educate their families, and indulge 
in the social pleasures that ought to reward their 
lives of toil. 
What is the remedy ? It would take a good 
while to answer that question. A partial remedy 
I will suggest. Orop less! If prices are not 
satisfactory, diminish the supply; that will never 
fail to raise prices. I speak with confidence 
when I say tbut if farmers had grown less wheat, 
corn and pork, they would have received more 
money for what they did raise. They seem to 
assume that their profits are measured by the 
amount produced, and so they will crop, and 
crop, till crops will grow no longer; — they wll 
crop from the mere force of habit when crop¬ 
ping is a dead loss. They will crop when pro¬ 
duce Is high, they will crop when they don’t get 
pay for their labor in Bowing and harvesting. 
Resolve on this, — that you will never put. in a 
crop for sale, unless you can do it in good time, 
in a good munner, with a fair prospect of good 
returns every way. If you must be poor, don’t 
make your land poor for nothing. Work out 
by the month, take job:- on the public works, 
adopt rigid economy, and never sell produce 
unless you can get pay for your labor and price 
enough to purchase manure for another crop. 
-■» 
THE CORN CROP-EARLY FROST. 
The cold weather of August put a damper on 
the growing corn, setting it buck at least two 
weeks. In consequence of this, it is feared by 
some that the autumnal frosts will do much in¬ 
jury, should they occur earlier or at about the 
customary period. There is ground for appre¬ 
hension ou this account, and farmers with com¬ 
paratively small corn fields should be on the 
lookout when the temperature indicates the oc¬ 
currence of frost, in order that its effects maybe 
partially, if not wholly counteracted, by prompt 
action on their part. 
The observant farmer can generally tell over¬ 
night, by the state of the atmosphere, whether 
a frost Is imminent or not. If he apprehends 
the occurrence of one severe enough to kill the 
corn, he should have his scythes in order for 
use; should inspect his corn field during the 
short, hours of the morning, and if he finds a 
severe frost making, let the scythe be set to 
work and prostrate the corn before the morning 
sun has a chance to strike it. By being thus 
prostrated upon the ground the warmth from it 
will dissipate the frost, leaving the stalks fresh 
and green, not burnt, and shriveled #$, they 
would be were the sun allowed to strike them 
while in a standing position. 
When the leaves are somewhat wilted by the 
action of the sun, and the moisture exhaled, 
gather up the stalks and bind them into bundles 
and shock them on the field or along the mar¬ 
gin of it, as circumstances may require. Thus 
cut and shocked, the corn will go on maturing 
and come out bright and plump when husking 
time comes round; whereas, if lek standing 
after being struck by a severe frost, little if any 
sound corn will be harvested. This prompt cut¬ 
ting subserves a double purpose: It preserves 
the com fodder bright and clean, while impart¬ 
ing sustenance to aud maturing the ears at the 
same time. 
FALL WORK ON THE FARM. 
Those farmers who have got their fall seed¬ 
ing done will have something of a breathing 
time before the season for the com and notato 
harvest comes round. During this brief period, 
of comparative leisure, there will be time to as¬ 
certain what ueeds present attention —as well 
as to attend the Agricultural Fairs. Perhaps 
you have a field of poiatoes in which the weeds 
exhibit a rank growth. They have drawn about 
all the sustenance from the soil which they are 
likely to do, still they are in the way of harvest¬ 
ing the crop, and where the soil is damp and heavy 
and the growtli of weeds strong, they intercept 
the ruys of the sun from the potato vines, retard 
the maturing of the crop and promote the rot. 
In such esses it will pay well to pull up these 
weeds and remove them from the ground, or, 
where this is not readily practicable, place them 
in heaps where they will decompose atld leave 
the potato field clean for the harvesting opera¬ 
tion when the time for it arrives. There is little 
farm labor that will pay better than this. 
This Is a good time to clean out ditches and 
drains which will have become more or less 
clogged up by the growth of weeds aud the ac¬ 
cumulation of refuse stuff during the summer 
months. Much damage sometimes results to 
fall crops on low lands in consequence of the 
clogging up of ditches whereby an uudue por¬ 
tion of water is thrown upon ©r retained in the 
soli. The debris from these drains, if properly 
composted with refuse stuff from the farm and 
yards, will largely repay the farmer for the labor 
bestowed in this direction. 
This is the season too for preparing the corn 
crib for the autumnal stores it is to receive; to 
make the hog pen ready for the animals designed 
to be fattened, so that when the time lor shut¬ 
ting arrives every thing may be In readiness for 
the occasion. The stables for cows, oxen and 
horses should be put in good condition — tloors 
properly prepared lu order that, when cold 
storms occur, the stock may he placed under 
shelter at once without a fear that a leg may be 
lamed or broken in consequence of a defect in 
the stable floor. These, and sundry matters of 
a kindred character, should claim the particular 
attention of the farmer at this season of the 
year. 
-- ■■ -- 
RENOVATING OLD COTTON LANDS. 
It appears that many cotton planters are desi¬ 
rous to be informed how to renovate their worn 
out. lauds. We will try and give them the bene¬ 
fit of our experience and observation. We have 
the same object and desire in view, and for years 
past have been keen to attain. We had not the 
means to obtain manures, and had to use what 
we found within our line fences. To planters of 
like circumstances we hope to give profitable 
information. An exhausted soil cun he restored 
to fertility, but it requires patience, perseve¬ 
rance and a determination to succeed. 
Worn out lands lack humus, the remains of 
decomposed organic matter. This humus is an 
essential element of fertility in any soil, for 
without it there appears to he no power In the 
soil to produce vegetation. This humus has to 
be returned to the soil in the shape of green 
manures. Though exhausted land “ cannot be 
brought up to a fair standard of fertility In a 
year by any means generally within reach of the 
farmers, 1 ’ yet it is not so expensive and difficult 
as many at first sight would suppose. A great 
deal depends upon the tact and judgment ot the 
superintendent. 
It does not require a great deal of vegetable 
matter in the soil to make a fair crop of cotton. 
Land sown down to oats and wood ashes, and 
the oats turned in when in full bloom, would 
give a good start. At the time of turning in the 
oats, the pink-eye pea should be sown —about a 
bushel to the acre. About the latter part of 
July these peas will be maturing, when they 
should be again turned in. From these a second 
crop of peas will come. We would prefer to 
have this second crop well matured, and then 
turn on the hogs. When the pea6 were gone we 
would bed up the land for cotton. 
Green manure is undoubtedly the most eco¬ 
nomical and natural method of renovating soil. 
We agree with Zenophon, that it “ enriches the 
soil as much as dung.’’ It appears to be an open 
question at what time green manure should be 
turned in. While I agree with Davy—“A il 
green, succulent plants contain saccharine or mu¬ 
cilaginous matter, with woody fibei^ and readily 
ferment; they cannot, therefore, if Intended for 
manure, be used too soon after their death-,"— 
yet I confidently concur with Dr. Dana, that 
death or decay should more or hiss first take 
place before the vegetable manure Is plowed iu. 
Here is the Doctor's reason why—“ If we plow 
in green plants we put them in a temperature 
favorable to the commencement of vinous fer¬ 
mentation; we bury them full of sap, the requi¬ 
site moisture for vinons fermentation. The su¬ 
gar and starch of the plant, fermented by its 
gluten and albumen, are converted into gases 
and alcohol; the former are lost in air, and the 
last washes away, or is changed to vinegar. All 
that remains for the farmer is the altered gluten 
and albumen, which soon putrlfy und form 
geine. All the sugar aud 6tach of the plant is 
lost" 
For want of space we must defer further re¬ 
mark to a future article. Geo. F. A. Speller. 
West Tennessee, Sept., 1S66. 
A. SUFFOLK STALLION. 
In accordance with our promise some time 
ago, wc present Rural readers the portrait of a 
representative animal of another breed of draft 
horses—that of the Suffolk, or “ Suffolk Funch,” 
a breed very popular and highly prized in some 
districts of England. I 11 Norfolk and Suffolk, 
two of the finest agricultural districts in the 
“ fast anchored isle, 1 ’ the “Suffolk Punch” has 
long been celebrated for power, performance, 
and endurance. Those farmers who are cogni¬ 
zant of their qualities, maintain that they pos¬ 
sess the combination of strength, compactness, 
and activity, more highly than any other breed. 
It is impossible to trace the origin ol’ this breed 
of horses; but they have been cultivated in Suf¬ 
folk for very many years, and were probably 
once employed for other purposes than those of 
agriculture. These horses are, for the most 
purt, of a chestnut color, though sometimes 
sorrel and bay, which uniformly shows That the 
breed has been kept tolerably pure. They aro 
VARIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED. 
Corn Stook Jack. 
Here is a valuable and seasonable little 
Implement, before described iu the Rural. It 
has been used by hundreds, and is declared by 
many to save one-third the time annually em¬ 
ployed in cutting up and stooking corn. In its 
construction is used a pole of about 12 feet in 
length, being 4 inches in diameter at the large 
end, in which is placed two legs, wide enough 
apart at the bottom to bo admitted between the 
rows*of corn, and In length according to the 
height of the corn, say three or four feet, while 
the other end rests on the ground. About three 
feet hack of the legs is a 1 }£ Inch hole, through 
which is placed a rod four or five feet long, that 
is easily admitted and removed, and Is horizon¬ 
tal when the horse is standing, as shown lo the 
engraving: 
The horse is placed in the center of the num¬ 
ber of rows desired to be cut, the corn is placed 
in the four corners around the rod, the shock Is 
then tied, the horizontal rod removed, and the 
horse drawn ahead. The rod Is then replaced, 
when It Is ready lor forming another shock. 
Rotting Flax. 
This is about the season to put out flax to 
rot. If properly tied up, when pulled, the seed 
cun be readiiy whipped out by hand by striking 
across some solid substance, If a machine for 
the purpose is not readily accessible. The bun¬ 
dles should then be taken to a smooth piece of 
meadow land and be evenly spread upon the 
grass. In commencing the rows, room Bhould 
be left, along the margin of the first one, to turn 
it over after it la partially rotted. It will be 
ready to turn In from ten to twelve days, if the 
ordinary alternations of sunshine and rain for 
the season have occurred. When the upper sur- 
distinguished by vonndness of barrel and com¬ 
pactness of form, generally combined with great 
activity. They are exceedingly staunch to the 
collar, free from any redundancy of hair on the 
legs, aud arc by no meaus coarse about the head. 
They are rarely of a large size, but usually range 
from fifteen to sixteen hands. The most Inferi¬ 
or kinds have ragged hips, and goose rumps. It 
speaks highly In favor of this breed, that, at 
some meetings of the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England, they have carried away the majority 
of prizes. As these horses are inclined to be 
small, sizeshonld be attended to and encouraged 
as much as possible. It should be observed that 
they arc rather more Ruble to strains of the 
sinews and the joints than most, oilier breed*. 
The animal from which our engraving was 
taken won the first prize at the meeting of the 
Royal Agricultural Society at Windsor, in 1«51, 
and was the property of Mr. Thomas (Ja.tlin, 
of Bentley, Suffolk. 
face is well browned by exposure, take a long, 
smooth pole, like a fishing rod, run it under a 
row of flax near the top or seed end of the 
straw, and turn it over—the root portion act¬ 
ing as a pivot in'the operation. It can be rap¬ 
idly done, leaving the rows about as even as 
when first spread out. A week or so will ordi¬ 
narily suffice to complete the rotting process 
after the flax has beeu thus turned. If the fiber 
breaks readily on being rubbed or tried with the 
hands, sothatthe woody portion freely detaches 
Itself, the rot may be regarded as accomplished. 
Take up the flax carefully, If it is to be brokeu 
and skutebod by hand, so that suitable portions 
may be readily separated from thu bundles for 
the “ brake.” These sheaves may be much 
larger than they were before Spreading t.o rot, if 
desirable, but be careful and not tungle. the 
straw, 11 s it greatly retards the business of break¬ 
ing. These remarks have special reference to 
flax grown in small quantities and wholly pre¬ 
pared for use without the aid of machinery. 
Seed Wheat from Colder Regions. 
It is stated that experiment has proved that 
wheat brought from elevated mountain districts, 
or the cold latitudes of the North, and sown in 
more geneial climes, will mature the first crop 
several days earlier than The same variety which 
has been grown for years in the locality. If this 
is true it is an Important fact. Growers of the 
best varieties of white wheat, in the Middle 
Btutes, might draw their supplies of seed bom 
Canada, and by gaining a few days in time of 
ripening, the midge would be avoided. Such 
change of seed would be beneficial iu mauy 
re&pectB; a stockier growth of plants would re¬ 
sult, and that alone would promise a superior 
crop. 
Grain—Tall Figures.—I n remarking on the 
grain harvest in California, the Farmer says that 
the product of wheat there this year will range 
from ten to fifteen millions of bushelsThat 
the yield per acre, on the best fields of wheat, 
will be from 40 to 00 bushels, aud barley from (10 
to 100. Wo should like to see those wheat and 
barley fieldB, and witness the measuring of their 
products. 
■tarn. 
TERMS, 83.00 PER YEAR.] 
“PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. TEN CENTS 
[WHOLE NO. 870. 
VOL. XVII, NO. 38.1 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1S66. 
