6 nd none but sages?)—that on our roll are “pro- 
sJaveryites of the straigh test sect," (are such only 
found in connection with ignorance and farm 
life?)—that we are corn lovers, (its the stuff of 
life.) and pumpkin raters, (we are very fond of 
good pumpkin pies;) but please don't take from 
our ladder of ascent these two so very important 
©levators:- Agricultural writers and speakers at 
Agricultural fail-©; and above all, don’t sednee 
from us, (for that more satisfying (?) life,) the 
fondest of all our hopes, the little talent that may 
exist among us. Lravo ua our youths of genius, 
that we may have tnlightemd farmers to scatter 
here and there ovw the land, to be as leaven to 
the whole. Leave us the Agricultural Press un- 
instllled with the poisonous breath of discontent 
and seduction, and those* necessary incentors to 
associated effort tint hover around our Fairs, 
cheering us onwaid by telling us what other 
farmers have done, and what they enjoy are not 
hopelessly beyond the grasp of each and all.— 
Leave us these anl rest assured that, in time, 
the “disadvantage) of rural life,” (the most im¬ 
portant of which si-id article fails to enumerate,) 
will lie as mist before the wind. 
Manchester, Ohio, 1‘ec., 1862, A. N. 
ground surface of the shoe must be beveled, cup 
fashion, its outer edge, being prominent, corre¬ 
sponds to the lower and outer rim of the hoof; 
while the shoe being hollow, it resembles the 
natural concavity of the sole of the foot 
No matter what may be the form of the foot, 
whether it be high or low-heeled, contracted at 
the heels, lengthened or shortened at the toe, or 
having a concave or convex sole, the ground 
surface of the shoe must lx* concave. In every 
other part of the shoe alterations and deviations 
from any given rule or form are often needed in 
consequence of the over varying form of the foot, 
and the condition of the game, both as regards 
health and disease; but the sole of the foot being 
concave presents a pattern fur the ground sur¬ 
face of the shoe, which the smith with all his 
Bkill cannot improve on, and if all such crafts¬ 
men were to follow this pattern more closely 
than they do, there would be fewer accident? in 
falling, and a less number of lame horses. 
Experiment in Irrigation. 
Hon. T. C. Pktkrr contributes the following 
account of an experiment in irrigation, on Major 
Dickinson’s plan, to the Country Gentleman’. 
There is a little sink into which the serface 
water from perhaps ten acres is drained. When 
the field is plowed water Is usually carried from 
this sink down the slope of a slight hill, on one 
side of it, in a ditch; but when in meadow it is 
left to flow off without much let or hindrance. 
The field has been in meadow for some years, and 
portions have run out by reason of the worms 
and frost; and I have at times prepared to plow 
it, but other work being more urgent and other 
jjortion.s yielding a fair crop of gTa33, it has been 
left, and for the last two years the experiment 
tried of making it a pennament meadow. A 
year ago last spring 1 bethought me of my friend, 
the Major, and spending about an hour one day 
with a man and a spade, I turned the water flow¬ 
ing out of the sink round the face of the hill, as 
high up as I could make it flow, and let it out 
upon the grass. Last year a decided improve¬ 
ment was manifest wherever the water had flowed 
out upon the grass. Last fall I manured both 
above and below the little sluice that carried the 
water, and to-day I have mown the grass upon 
the groumd on each side. I think that upon 
which the water was conducted will give at least 
two and a half tuns to the acre — the man that 
mowed it says three tuns—while the other will 
not yield half a lun; and forth were in precisely 
the same condition before the experiment was 
begun, and, except tho water, have been treated 
in the same manner. The experiment cost me 
perhaps in all fifty cents, and a little jiersonal 
supervision which all together would not lx-equal 
to two hours. 1 get for it over five tuns of hay 
extra this year, and with a little more trouble 1 
shall cover nearly double the surface and make 
an increasing profit. 
Feeding Hens in Winter. 
Tun following is furnished the American 
Agriculturist by a correspondent: 
1 have twenty-oightchiekcns, large and small, 
several of them fall chickens. I obtained but a 
few eggs in the fore-part of the winter—not more 
than one or two a day. The feed was corn and 
oats. In January I tried tfacf experiment of hot 
feed once a day in the morning. As soon as the 
fire was started in the cook-stove I put a quart 
or so of small potatoes in an old dripping pan, 
and set them all in the oven. After breakfast 1 
took a quart or more ol’ wheat and buckwheat 
bran, mixed, put it in the swill-pail, and mixed 
into thin mush with boiliug water, then added 
about one quart of live coals from the stove, and 
put in the potatoes hot from tho oven, adding all 
the egg-shells on hand, and sometimes a little 
salt, and sometimes a little sulphur. These 
mashed together arc fed immediately in a trough 
prepared for that purpose, made about ten feet 
long, of two boards six inches wide, nailed to¬ 
gether, and two short pieces nailed on tho ends, 
with a narrow strip nailed lengthwise on the top 
and two bearers under. The object of this was 
to keep the hens out of the trough and leave 
room to eat each side of the narrow strip. At 
noon I fed six ears of com cut up in pieces on 
inch long, and in the evening oats and wheat 
screenings about a quart. Now for the result. 
In about a week the number of eggs increased 
six-fold, and in about two weeks, and since, they 
have ranged from twelve to twenty eggs porday. 
The coldest weather made no difference. When 
it was cold and stormy, 1 kept them in the hen¬ 
house all day, and generally until ten or twelve 
o’clock. Such singing over the corn at noon J 
never heard from lions before—a con cert of music 
that would have done any lover of eggs good to 
hear. 
How to make Ereachy Cattle. 
Wk are too apt to underrate the intelligenne 
of the domestic animals under our charge—and 
yet a moment’s reflection ehould teach every 
farmer that cows, horses, sheep and pigs are very 
apt pupils: and most formers' boys are quite 
proficient in teaching them to do mischief. Thus 
we find many persons, when turning stock into 
or out of pasture, instead of letting down ail thu 
bars, leaving two or three of the lower rails in 
their place; and then, by shouting, or beating 
perhaps, fora* the animals to leap over. This is 
capital training, the results of which are seen in 
the after disposi iion of animals to try their powers 
of jumping where a top rail happens to be off, 
and this accomplished, to set all fences at defi¬ 
ance, and make a descent upon the corn or grain 
field, as their inclination, ability or hunger may 
prompt them- Another good lesson is to open 
a gate but a little way, and then, as in the caao of 
the bars, force the cattle forward, and by threats 
and blows, compel them to pass through it The 
result of this teaching is shown in the determined 
spirit manifested by some cattle to make a forci¬ 
ble entry into the stable, yards, fields, or in fact, 
to almost eveiy place where a gate or door may, 
by accident, be left slightly open. So says the 
American Agriculturist. 
Why should the man who has a cow, without 
land, be compelled to pasture it in the highway— 
formerly a mere goose pasture, and these half 
starved—and bis family lx* deprived of a liberal 
supply of milk? Against such we protest. We 
do not believe a neighborhood can be found that 
would refuse such a person pasture at a reasona¬ 
ble rate; always cheaper than the poor street- 
pasture for nothing. 
The law is self-regulating. Each person is 
required to make just what fence is required to 
secure his own stock, and need not make a rod to 
fence against others, except it is an inside line 
fence. If, at any time, a person should have any 
tock he is tired of taking care of, he has only to 
turn it into the highway, and it will be taken up 
and sold to some one else; and likely it will here¬ 
after be understood, when stock is turned into 
the highway, that it is for the purpose of reliev¬ 
ing the owner of the care it requires, and that he 
wishes to shift it to other parties. If stock, owned 
by persons who are in the habit of taking care of 
it, should break out. it would be unkind and un- 
neighborly for any one to cause it to lie adver¬ 
tised before informing the owner, and giving him 
time to secure it. 
Wo infer that Rusticus believes the law is 
beneficial to all classes, and it ought to bo en¬ 
forced; but he does not wish to complain of Lis 
neighbor's stock and have it sold. If one sees 
another violating the law. by burning a building, 
or stealing a horse, or in any other way, and does 
not what he can to prevent it, ho is accessory. 
It is certainly the duty of every good citizen to 
prevent and arrest the violation of law in any 
and all caseB. Generally, whatever is a man’s 
privilege is also his duty; and certainly, a privi¬ 
lege always imposes duty. It is said. “God im¬ 
poses no burdens on men which they are unable 
to bear.” If Rusticus, or others, think the Legis¬ 
lature has done so. they should petition it to 
repeal the requirement. If Rttstkjcs should 
“swap locations with some of those highly 
favored.” as ho proposes, likely he will find that, 
the trees of “moral courage” and “obedience to 
law " had flourished on his new home. These 
Deferred.—S everal articles and notes intended for this 
number arc necessarily deferred. Also over three columns 
of new advertisements. Are doing the best we can for 
advertising friends, but must not infringe npon reading 
departments. Those writing us for lowest advertising 
terms con infer, from above, one reason why we have no 
occasion to give any rates different from those published 
in each number of Rleai.. 
tion, it lowers the temperature of that soil 10 
degrees. If the soil has the means of discharging 
that one pou nd I >y filtration, no effec t is produced 
beyond what is due to the relative temperature 
of the rain and of the soil. Mr. Dickenson. the 
eminent, paper-maker, who has several mills and 
a considerable landed estate in Hertfordshire, 
has deduced from a series of observations, which 
are, we believe, entitled to great confidence, that 
of an annual fall of twenty-six inchc* of rain, 
about eleven tee filtered through a porous soil. 
The whole of this eleven inches (and probably 
more.) must be got rid of by a retentive soil 
either by evaporation or by superficial discharge. 
The proportions in which each o' these means 
will operate will vary in every case, but this will 
be an universal feature, that these eleven inches 
will maintain in undraincd retentive soils, at all 
except some accidental periods of excessive 
drouth, a permanent supply of water of drainage, 
which'will be in constant course of evaporation, 
and will constantly produce the cold consequent 
thereon. Itelonti ve soils never can be so warm as 
porous, for a simple reason. Every one knows, or 
may know, that if into two flower-pots, with holes 
in the bottom, are put respectively equal portions 
of gravel and clay, equally heated to any point 
short of torrefaction. and if equal quantities of 
water are administered to the surface of each, 
water (water of drainage) will run from the 
gravel long before it begins to run from the clay. 
Gravel can hold by attraction much less water 
than clay can. At the time when'each is satu¬ 
rated by water Of attraction, and neither holds 
any water of drainage, evaporation will begin to 
act upon the water in each, and will act most 
strongly in the vegetative period of the year. 
The cold produced will be in proportion to the 
quantities of water evaporated respectively, and 
will of course be greatest in the retentive soil. 
We will reserve a further cause of coolness in 
retentive soil, w T hicb is also connected with evap¬ 
oration, till we have spoken of the depths of 
drains. 
8BAXoirA8U» Wkahibr. — After weeks of “open” 
weather, we have snow and a frigid temperature. A 
snow storm commenced on Thursday the 1.5th, and con¬ 
tinued some two days, though only 6 to 8 inches of snow 
fell in this region. This gave us the first sleighing of the 
season, which is being improved in both city and country. 
Tho mean temperature of the week ending January 17 
was 20.57. 
— The Ohio Farmer tells of a snow storm on 30th Dec., 
which it says 11 was a powerful and far reaching one,” 
but it did not reach this section nor New England— 
though there was a heavy storm some 40 miles south of 
Rochester, the snow detaining the trains on C. V. Rail 
rood in Steuben county The N. E. Farmer of the 17th 
says —“In the region of Boston there lias been but little 
snow. The weather has been very changeable — rain, 
sunshine, hail, then warm and foggy, snow, slosh and 
mud, alternating, and each striving for the mastery. We 
almost wish for a stiff 1 nor’-easter,’ a foot of snow, 
jingling of hells, and the merry laugh of the sleigh-riding 
boys and girls.” 
ABOUf SECURING TURNIPS, 
Ens. Rural Nkw-Yorreh:—I had a nice lot 
of turnips this year, and when pulled, I intended 
to haul them home and pit (as I have no cellar 
yet) in a convenient place to feed them to the 
stock. But one of my neighbors said to me it 
was best to throw them together in heaps in the 
field, cover them, and leave them there till 
sleighing; and as I thought his arguments some¬ 
what plausible, 1 did so. 
At last sleighing came, and I went to take 
home my turnips. By this time, as a matter of 
course, the earth was frozen hard, so I had to 
pick it off the pits; thin done, I hauled the tur¬ 
nips home, and pitted them where 1 intended at 
first. Next the covering, and the pick bail like¬ 
wise to Ire used before this desideratum could be 
accomplished. And. to sum the whole together, 
first throwing the turnips in heaps and covering 
them, then uncovering, hauling home, and cover¬ 
ing tiie second time, took double the work that 
putting all right at first would take; so I found 
out. that my neighbor’s modus operandi of busi¬ 
ness didn't pay. 
In short, according to my experience, it is 
mostly always best and cheapest to finish a job 
before leaving it. D. f. 
County Grey, O. W., Dec. 31, 1862. 
gMugsf of ^grimltural 3 orirttejsi 
Vrrjiost Statb Ao. Sooikty.— The annual meeting of 
this Society was held at Bellow* Falls on the 2d ingt The 
Treasurer’! report showed a balance of about $4,000 in the 
Treasury. The following board of officer* was elected for 
1863: President — Edwin Hammond, of Middlcbury, Vice 
Presidents —J W. Oolburn, Springfield ; Henry Keyes, 
Newbury; D. R. Potter, St. Albans, and II. G Root, Ben¬ 
nington. Corresponding and Recording Secretary — Dsn i el 
Needham, Hartford. Treasurer — J. W. Colburn, Spring 
field Inirrtore —Frederick Holbrook. E. B. Chase, Hifory 
S. Morse, Daniel Hill, John Gregory, Elijah Cleveland, 
Nathan Cushing, George Campbell and Henry Heywood. 
The following resolution wa* adopted: 
Rrsoixd, That the interest* of the wool growers of this 
State would be greatly a. I van red by the publication of a 
paper devoted exclusively to the -ubject of wool; that, as 
the production of stock, sheep and wool have become pre¬ 
eminently a leading feature in the agricultural industry of 
the State, some such medium of communication among 
our own people and with the people of our sister Staten is 
Imperiously demanded; that we pledge the influence of 
our Stan- organisuitlon to the sustaining of such a paper, 
whether established in onr own State or elsewhere; and 
that we request the Secretary of this Society, to corres¬ 
pond with the view of establishing a paper at as early a 
day as practicable. 
— Wouldn’t opr Vermont friends have been wise had 
they sustained 7 he Wool Grovi'T, established and ably ed 
ited by Hon. T. C. PktkkS,— or the American Stock Jour- 
mk of their own State, recently discontinued for viant. of 
tupjwrt ? 
Monroij Co. Ao. Society—A nnual meeting held at 
Rochester, 14th Lust. President Bakkr, in behalf of the 
Board of Managers, made an able and succinct report of 
the transactions and condition of the Society. The Trow 
urer reported collections and payments Pi the amount of 
$5,525 96, which had been mainly expended in buildings 
on the fair grounds, to accommodate the Fair Of the State 
Agricultural Society The Society owes only about $800 
on the improvements. It. M Ha kick was re-elected Pre» 
ident, but peremptorily declining on nreonnt of huslrx** 
engagements, other geD tie men wx-rn Dominated who also 
declined. The election resulted in the choice of the fol¬ 
lowing board of officers fur 1863: Piesidenl— H. G. War 
nkk, of Brighton. Vice Presidtedt —Stephen l.eggett, Hen¬ 
rietta; Volney P Brown. Wheatland; Hiram Wood, Roch¬ 
ester. Secretary— I. S. Hobble, Rochester. Treasurer — 
K. W Lav, Greece. Managing Director*— 1st Dist.—A. C. 
Hobble, Irondoqnoit; 3d Dist.— Ezra M. Paraons, Gates 
11. G. Wahykk, B. M. Bakkr and D. D. T. Mookk, were 
chosen as delegates to attend the meeting of thefltate Ag 
ricultural Society, which occurs at Albany on the 11th of 
February. 
Oneida Co. Ao. Society.—A t the annual meeting of 
this Society the following Board of Officers were chosen : 
President— GkCkok Bk.nkmot, of Verona. Vice I’resi 
ttent 4—Samuel Campbell, New York Mills; R. G. Savery, 
Blossville Executive Com. — R. W. Williams, Rome; L. 
Cone, Westmoreland ; M Cushman, Vernon ; William 
Cooper, AVIiiteatown; E. T. Mason, Morey; J. E. Morgan, 
Deerfield; P. Mattoon, Vienna; Thomas Iloltby, Western; 
Lorenzo House, Marshall; Henry Rhodes, Trenton. Treat 
urtr—H S. Armstrong, Rome. Secretary —Roderick Mor 
rison, Wcstmoreland The Treasurer’s report exhibited an 
indebtedness of $163 for premiums, with only $118 in the 
Treasury—a deficit of $45. 
Fkanki.in Co. Ao. Society.— The annual meeting of 
of the Franklin County Ag. Society was held at Malone on 
the 13th inst. An election of officers for the ensuing year 
was held, aud resulted as follows: President—C. C. 
Whittklsby. Fine President —Wade Smith. Secretary— 
Sidney Raymond. Treasurer —D- N Huntington. Direct 
or*—Vim. Lowe, T. R. Kane, 
Sk.nkca Co. Ao. Scisty.—T he annual meeting of this 
Society was held at Waterloo on the 15th inst., when the 
following officers were clocted for the ensuing year: Pres 
ident— B. W. Wilkinson. Vice president— Win. Dunlap. 
S'-crelary— Oharlea Scntell. Treasurer — John D. Coe. 
Directors —Oriu South w ick and James D. Rogers, for one 
y ear; Joseph Wright aud Michael Hotter, two years, and 
Ira Johnson and Lewis Tost, three years- The Treasurer 
reported the receipts, with cash on hand as per last annual 
report,?] 018 59; payments during the year, 1.166 30; leav¬ 
ing a balance of $452 29 in the treasury. The balance on 
hand lost year was $407 78.— John D. Co*, Hamulus, A '■ V. 
Wyoming Co. Ac. Socibt f.—A very full meeting of 
this Society was he’d recently, and the following officer* 
elected: President— Ekhiiajm Whkklbr, of Orangeville. 
Pice President— Thos. J. Patterson, Perry. Secretary— H. 
A. Dudley. Treasurer— X H. Buxton, Warsaw". Directors 
—Giieti Pettibone, Attica; Micliael Smallwood, Warsaw; 
Collister M. Ballard, Sheldon. 
TonawaMia VaLi.by Ao. Socikty.—A t the annual 
meeting of this Society on the 16th inst., the following of 
fieers were elected: I’rtsuicnt— Milks Wallis. Vice 
Presidents—V- W. Cap well, of Middlebury; Rufus Bowen, 
Attica. Corresponding Sec y —A 8. Stevens, Attica. Re 
cording Sx'y —C. Houghton. Treasurer— V. C. Barross. 
Librarian —Dr G. Dorranee. 
Clay Agkicultitral Club.— At the anneal meeting of 
the Clay (Onondaga Co,) Ag. Ctub, the following officers 
were elected for the ensuing year; President— Solomon 
Ovkkackk. 1st vice. President —P. X. Quackenbush. 2d 
Vice Prest.—lLjr ace Lawrence. Corresponding Secretary 
—C. C. Warner. Recording Sec'y —Randolph Phillips. 
Treasurer—J ames H. Barnes. Dirxtors— Geo. Augren, 
Hugh Meredith, John Lints, Wm. Anderson, Chas. Stearns, 
John,W. Plumber, Leri C. Potter, O. Barnes, J. Tasker. 
The Wilmington (Vt ) Ag. Society mode choice of 
the following officers at its recent annual meeting: Pres 
ident— J. Higlky Russell. Vice I*rtsideni- Oliver Prew 
ton. Secretary— D. Gilbert Dexter. Treasurer—K. Gor¬ 
ham, Jr. Directors —Horace L. Tanner, Seth B. Barnard, 
Orsemus B. Lawton, Israel Haynes, 8tillman Alvord 
WRITING FOR THE PRESS-THEORY AND 
PRACTICE, 
HIGHWAY LAW. 
In reply to the “What Shall I Do?” by Rus- 
ticcs. of West Sparta, we propose, by your 
permission, to give him a short, practical lesson, 
and shall hope that some “ventilation” of this 
“Highway Law” may be beneficial in other 
cases, and localities. 
When the public need a highway, it is laid out 
and used by the public only to pass over, for 
which privilege the owner is paid, the title to the 
soil remaining the same as before. It is then 
occupied jointly, by the owner and the public. 
The owner has no right to use it in any way to 
obstruct the right of way, neither has the public 
the right to use it for any purpose but to build 
and repair the road, and pass over it. The 
owner, if it is three rods wide, can plant a row ol' 
fruit or other trees on each side, or use whatever 
grows on the land; and if any other person picks 
or takes away the fruit, or anything else growing 
in the highway, he is liable to the owner for 
damages, as much as if it was taken from land 
not used as a highway. 
A person owning land through which a high¬ 
way is laid, is not required, by law, to build any 
fence along the lino of the road, and need not do 
so, unless he wishes it to fence in Ins own stock. 
If a person wishes to move or drive one horse, or 
one ox. or a thousand of either, over the high¬ 
way—the only lawful purpose of putting stock in 
it—it is his business to keep them ’within its 
bounds, and the owner of tho land is no more 
required to fence to keep such stock in the high¬ 
way, than the public is to build a fence to prevent 
the land-owner's stock from passing out of his 
own fields. 
Suppose one wishes to move his outside fence 
to grow a live one in its place, and forego pastur¬ 
ing until the new one will turn stock: lie cer¬ 
tainly 1ms that privilege. Should farmers adopt 
a system of soiling, of yarding and stabling stock 
the year round, as some now consider most prof¬ 
itable, such need not keep up the road fence, nor 
a line fence either, if they notify those with whom 
they join land, that they wish to let their's lay 
open. Noije of these rights were changed by the 
passage of the Cattle Law; it only provides a 
summary way to prevent stock from trespassing 
on the highway and other places. 
Is it suggested that the present law would 
leave the man who has a cow and no land to pas¬ 
ture it, or cut hay for winte* feeding, in a loss 
favorable situation? We think not; but that it is 
best calculated for his benefit. 
In passing through a portion ol' the State of 
Massachusetts, last summer, we noticed that, the 
highway, outside the beaten track, was a perfect 
meadow, covered with stout grass, as no cattle 
are allowed to run in the highway. We inquired. 
“Is this grass mowed?” “Certainly,” was the 
reply. “And by whom?” “Generally by per¬ 
sons in tho neighborhood who keep a cow and 
have no land of their own to mow.” “Do they 
ask the privilege of the owners of the land?” 
“ Yes.” was tho reply, “ and that privilege is gen¬ 
erally granted." 
We believe, if the highway is not pastured, a 
sufficient quantity of hay could be cut on it, in 
all the rural counties of the State, to win ter every 
cowin such counties owned by those who have 
no laud of their own to mow. We have some, 
land over which the highway passes, and any 
one, thus situated, can have the privilege of cut¬ 
ting the grass for Lay that grows on it- and we 
will try to prevent our own stock, as well ns 
others, from eating it before it is fit to mow; and, 
we believe, every other person owning land will 
grant the like privilege. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: — You have re¬ 
cently expressed the wish that writers for the 
Rural should be more practical in their writ¬ 
ings This I regard aa a step in the right direc¬ 
tion. A great difficulty with most of our Agri¬ 
cultural writers is this: they soar so far above 
the circumstances or ability of common fanners, 
in Michigan at least, that we get discouraged 
before we attempt to follow the advice of such 
eminent counselors, More than this, there would 
1)0 an actual loss In this part of the moral vino- 
jard, in “ trying to swell up to equal the ox.” 
Let me illustrate. A few years since 1 pur¬ 
chased a sandy form, that had been badly run 
without manuring, and was covered with a splen¬ 
did coat of sorrel. I wrote to R. F. Johnstone, 
editor of the Michigan Farmer, for the boat 
method of reclaiming the soil, so as to tit it for 
seeding. He advised me to draw on so many 
loads of muck aud lime, to Spread over the sur¬ 
face; then sow it to turnips, buckwheat, Ac., for 
a time; by and by. he thought, the soil would 
begin to pick up its crumbs, so that I could seed 
it with success. Well, now. did not that look a 
little gloomy for a poor man? Why, the manur¬ 
ing stlonu would cost, according to his direction, 
$4.00 per acre, when tho land only cost $20.00 
per aero. The result was that 1 plowed under 
the sorrel before the seed ripened; then culti¬ 
vated occasionally until seeding time, when it 
was sown to wheat, Tho next spring I put on, 
during the month of March, twelve pounds of 
clover seed to the acre. The wheat crop aver¬ 
aged about twenty bushels per acre, and the 
clover caught beautifully. So much lor expen¬ 
sive manuring. 1 am pleased to see lately, in 
response to your call, a class of more practical 
writers enter the field. Were 1 capable of inter¬ 
esting you or your readers, 1 would like to con¬ 
tribute an article occasionally. In the next, 1 
would say something on tho subject of manures. 
North Irving, Berry Co, Mich., 1863. M. C. C. 
On Keeping Accounts. 
J. Franklin Spaulding contributes the fol¬ 
lowing sensible article to the N. E. Farmer: 
Can the importance of keeping accounts be too 
often or too strongly urged? I think not. It is 
related of Dr. Franklin, that, whenever he took 
any subject tmd©t serious contemplation, he was 
In the habit olchi using two shoots of paper, upon 
one writing the arguments for, and upon the 
other the arguments against tho subject. Fol¬ 
lowing his example, 1 will first, see what can be 
said in favor ol keeping accounts. 
1. We should be enabled to determine with 
exactness the profit or loss u]K>n any crop. 
2 . It would settle what crop is most profitable. 
;j. We could tell what crop is best adapted to 
particular soils, for although com can bo made to 
grow upon soils not naturally suited to that 
grain, yet if the extra expense exceed the profit, 
it is well to know it 
4. We know what our produce cost, and know¬ 
ing what it cost, we know what we can afford to 
sell for. 
5. It would save much ill feeling among neigh¬ 
bors, and prevent many law suits, as there would 
be a record of many accounts now entrusted to 
memory. 
(i. It would, if adopted throughout the land, 
be a source of much useful information that we 
stand sadly in need of. 
7 . It would settle many disputed points in 
agriculture. 
8 . It would be a source of much satisfaction 
at the end of the year, and in yearn to come, to 
be able to recur to the various transactions of 
the year, and tell in what you gained, and in 
what you lost. 
Now, what do we find upon the other sheet? 
Nothing; we have searched for something to say 
in its favor, but the sheet is blank, and we fear 
must remain so. D', as you peruse these lines, 
you feel convinced that benefits would arise from 
the system, wll you not determine to commence 
this year a new era. which shall ever remain 
upon the pages ol history a bright example of 
progress in the nineteenth century ? Do not be 
deferred by the seeming difficulties of the task ; 
they will vanish aa you approach them. 
About Shoeing Hones. 
The following are extracts from a letter in 
the Frairie Farmer by G. II. Dadd, veterinary 
surgeon. He says: 
One of the principal objects in applying a shoe 
is to protect the foot; next, we must aim to pre¬ 
serve the natural action and tread of the foot. 
With this object in view the shoe should lie made 
concave on tho ground surface. An unshod 
horse, or one in an aboriginal condition, has a 
concave sole surface to the loot, aud wisely is it 
so ordainod; were it otherwise, the animal would 
be unable to secure foothold wheu climbing emi¬ 
nences or traveling over level surfaces. The 
action of concave feet may be compared to the 
claws of a cat, or the nails on the fingers and toes 
of mau ; the nails aud toes are the fulcrums; 
they grasp, as it were, the bodies with which 
they come in contact, and thus they Eecure a 
fulcrum of resistance when traveling or grasping. 
Now, in order to preserve the natural mechani¬ 
cal actions of the horn and sole, the ground surface 
of the shoe must correspond exactly with the 
ground surface of the foot; that is to say, the 
RURAL LIFE, AGAIN. 
The simple recounting of the disadvantages of 
this or that occupation is of little importance to 
the sufferer, unless accompanied by a specific 
remedy. If a doctor calls to see a patient, and, 
informing him that lie has the cholera, typhus 
fever, or some other dangerous disease, bids him 
the time of day and returns to his office; or a 
minister of the Gospel informs his congregation 
that they are sinners, and steering for that most 
undesirable of ports, without making any attempt 
whatever to put tho ship aright; any one would 
nothesitate to affirm that said physician and divine 
were sadly out Of place. But not further out of 
place are they than the individual who attempts 
to hold forth to a community the real or imagi¬ 
nary disadvantages of Rural Life, without, at the 
same time, suggesting the remedy by which the 
obstacles may be overcome or alleviated. 
Probably no one subject lias been canted over, 
in this manner, more than farm life, and an arti¬ 
cle of that class in a late number of our favorite 
starts the wound to bleeding afresh, beside ma¬ 
king a thrust at cutting off tho supply of the only 
efficient remedies that have suggested themselves 
to the afflicted. The former can yet be )>orne a 
little longer, but the latter is asking too much of 
suffering humanity. We caa endure to be 
informed?—that wo labor hard, yea even some¬ 
times do “dirty ” work, (who, that labors at all, 
either mentally or physically, is entirely free 
from disagreeable work?)—that we have igno¬ 
rance among ua, (in what occupation will you 
