ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1863 
f WHOLE NO. 685 
MOORE’S RURAL HEW-YORKEE, 
A.V ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
We are not aware that any fertile flax Boils 
have ever heen analyzed in America, but the 
following analyses of flax by Mr. Salisbury, 
showing the amount of the matters derived from 
the soil which are contained in one tun of flax, 
will show clearly what soils are best adapted to 
its growth, and the manures necessary to correct 
any deficiencies which may exist: 
Proportions in one Tun— 
1 tun dried Flax,. 100.00 grs. 
dry,.... ... 91.42 “ 
water, .... _ 8.58 “ 
straw is materially injured. The seed is then to 
be separated from the straw by means of a rip¬ 
pling machine. It, is very desirable that the seed 
should he completely separated from the straw, 
because if any of them are left on, they are 
crushed in the breaking machine; and where the 
oil comes in contact with Hie fiber it is almost 
impossible to separate it from the shone. It is 
very desirable that the connection between the 
farmer and the Max should terminate at this 
point, as the remaining process can he much 
more beneficially conducted by others. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With a Corps of Able Assistants and Contributors, 
43. I>. DKAG1HIN, Weaters Corrrspondlne I'd It or, 
Tbh Rural Nkw-Yokkkk is do.-igned to bo unsurpassed 
in Value, Purity awl Variety of Contents, and unique and 
beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
gonal attention to the supervision of its various depart¬ 
ment*, and earnestly labors to render the Rural an 
eminently Reliable Guide on all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with 
the business of those whose interests it zealously advo¬ 
cates. As e Family Journal it. is eminently Instructive 
and Kctertfdnlru! being so conducted that if can be safely 
taken to thn Homes of people of intelligence, taste and 
discrimination. It embraces more Agricultural, Horticul¬ 
tural, Scientific, Kduoatiomd, Literary and News Matter, 
interspersed with appropriate Engravings, than any other 
journal,— Tendering It thn most complete Agricultural, 
Literary and Family Newspaper in America. 
2 tuns flaxseed, . 100.00 grs. 
dry, . 92.72 “ 
water,. . _ 7.28 “ 
ash, .. .3.70, “ 
Analysis of Straw and Fibre. 
Silica—removed in a tun of straw 2.272 lbs. 
Earthy phosphates “ “ 7.037 “ 
Carbonate or lime 11 “ .... 7.096 " 
Magnesia 6.812 “ 
Potash ;. 7.838 “ 
Soda . _ 2 374 “ 
Sulphuric ndd . . 1.042 “ 
Chlorine ,. 0.133 " 
2&.204 lbs. 
Analysis of Flax Seed. 
Silica removed in every 100 lbs. of seed 0.660 lbs. 
Earthy phosphates “ “ “ 1.757 “ 
Carbonate of lime “ “ “ 0.007 “ 
Magnesia “ “ “ 0.003 “ 
Potash “ “ “ 0.669 “ 
Chloride of sodium “ “ “ 0.7411 “ 
Sulphuric acid “ n 11 0.279 “ 
4.124 lbs. 
The mamirial substances most likely to be re¬ 
quired by the soils of this State to lit them for 
profitably raising (lux will bo the Earthy Phos¬ 
phates. As each tun of straw bears ten bushels 
of seed, we see from the above table that seven¬ 
teen pounds of the earthy phosphate will be 
withdrawn from the soil by each crop. 
After all, the great majority of farmers will 
most easily understand the kind of soil best 
adapted for flax raising, when they are told that 
the soils best adapted for barley are the beHt also 
for flax; and where muxiuium crops of the former 
are found to grow, maximum crops of the latter 
may be certainly calculated on. 
THE CULTIVATION OF FLAX. 
The most essential condition lor the profitable 
growth of flax, is good drainage, either natural 
or artificial. It is a waste of labor and money to 
sow flax seed on land where water stagnates 
round the roots. The next is. to plow the land 
deeply, and to pulverize it thoroughly. The 
roots of the flax will, unless prevented by a hard 
subsoil, penetrate full half the length of the straw 
into the ground, and the length and size of the 
straw, other things being equal, will depend upon 
the length of the root. Hence, if the farmer fail 
to fulfill these conditions, ho will incur a heavy 
penalty. 
The seed should be of the growth of the pre¬ 
ceding year; plump, heavy glossy; of uniform 
size and color; of a clear brown hue. If there 
are many seeds of a light drab, chocolate color, 
the lot should be rejected. 
Weeds, which are well known to he injurious to 
all growing crops, are peculiarly so to flax. No 
pains therefore should be spared to purify the 
flax seed from all foreign admixtures, and with a 
view of burying the seeds which have lodged on 
the surface of the soil beyond the reach of ger¬ 
mination. the plowing should be done with a 
Michigan double plow, which more completely 
inverts the surface than any other. It is also de¬ 
sirable that the sowing should he suspended long 
enough after plowing to give the seeds of any 
weeds which way be in the Poll time to germinate; 
they are then to fie killed by (lie cultivator, when 
the seed should bo evenly sown and harrowed, 
once in the Hue of the furrows, and once angling 
with them, so as to diffuse the seed more equally. 
The field is then to he rolled smooth. 
Many good fanners think it is for their interest 
to weed the field by hand after the plants are 
from four to five inches high; this is done almost 
universally in Belgium. Where weeding is re¬ 
sorted to, care should be taken by the workmen 
to avoid any rotation of their feet; they should 
bo set down and taken up perpendicularly, and 
the weeding should he done facing the wind, 
which will then assist in raising the Lroddun- 
down plants. It is necessary that the land should 
be level, for if thrown between the ridges the 
straw matures unequally. It should be smooth, 
bo that the crop can be gathered with a reaping 
machine. 
Soon after the bolls are formed, the lower 
leaves begin to fall off, and the Btraw becomes 
yellow from the bottom, about half its length up¬ 
wards, when it should be pulled or cut with a 
reaping machine, very close to the ground. If it 
is suffered to stand much longer than this, the ! 
FARMER GARRULOUS TALKS 
“ Well, well. John, you do look as if you had 
seen hard times. Been chasing them cows, eh?— 
chasing them through the meadow ! What on 
earth are they in the meadow for when it is in 
this condition? I should like to know who let 
them outside the yard for any purpose, when we 
have bad almost three weeks continuous rain. 
You let'them down tin* lane to water? Well, I 
don't want my bines poached up and destroyed 
any more than vny meadows. There was pleniy 
of water here for the pumping, and you should 
have pumped it instead of letting the brutes air 
themselves outside the barn-yard fence. They 
have probably done fifty dollars worth of damage 
in the lane and the meadow. You didn’t know 
the gate was open into the meadow? You should, 
though. You drove a load of wood through it 
last and ought to have closed it. You knew there 
were no cattlo about ? That makes no difference. 
You see that if you had closed it, those meadows 
would have been safe to-day. It will not answer, 
John. In the first phwe, don't let any kind of 
stock out of the y aid until myself or Dio a orders 
it done. And, no matter what may he the cir¬ 
cumstances, you must remember it is one of the 
laws of this farm, that after you have passed 
through a gate, the next thing is to see (hat it is 
closed and securely fastened. 
“ But if Dick finds out that that stock has been 
tramping over liis new seeding, there will be a 
breeze sure. For, as they say in the play I heard 
the last time I was in the city, 1 if there is one 
thing more than another’ that he will not endure, 
it is thoughtlessness. And he is not ho much to 
blame for it either. I tell you it is this thought¬ 
lessness that is ruining the country. The think¬ 
ing rnen control the thoughtless. And if evil dis¬ 
posed and ambitious, those thinkers work great 
evil. t 
“But 1 say, John,—John ! here, you; take a 
hoe and go right around through that new .seed¬ 
ing where those cows Lave been, and see that the 
surface is made smooth before it freezes.. Be 
brisk now.” 
t3T~ For Tertus and other particulars, see last page, 
In the Rural of the l-lili insu, was an Inquiry 
for “ one or two plans for a snug, cheap, conven¬ 
ient cottage— not a in in house, exactly, but a 
small, cozy little house.' In reply we promised 
to tty to comply in a few weeks, and, meantime, 
asked if any of our renders could furnish a plan 
that would “III! the bill. 1 ’ As we have received 
nothing better than several plans given in early 
volumes of the Rural, we have concluded to re¬ 
publish the accompanying design, adapted to 
either Town or Country, which was furnished us 
many years ugo by tin artist of lids city, if will 
make a neat and cheap cottage, and prove 
attractive on account of its novelty and beauty. 
We have plans of two or three other cottages 
(costing from $150 to $050 each,) which may be 
given in future numbers. The plan herewith 
presented Is thus described by its originator: 
“The number and ubo of the rooms in this 
plan fora small Farm House, are of the most 
common description, to wit; a parlor, a living- 
room or kitchen, a pantry and a bed room, on the 
first floor; uud three bed-rooms, with closets, on 
the second. It is manifest that Ibis singularly 
odd, yet more than ordinarily con venien t arrange¬ 
ment, is adopted for Ibe Hake of the novelty of the 
external form- a form which will produce a 
very pleasing effect when finished in the most 
simple style, and which is particularly adapted 
to a high degree of ornamentation. 
In this design the parlor is 13 $ feet square, 
inside measure; the kitchen 13 * by itij; the bed¬ 
room, which has a small closet, I 3 .J by 9; the 
pantry (ij by 81 ; the hall or entrance 7 i by 71; 
the passage 2 feet .8 inches wide, and the stairs 2 
feet 4 inches. The bed-rooms in the second story 
are of the same size as the three lower rooms, and 
directly over them. The space over the pantry 
affords room for two good-sized closets. The 
parlor chimney ascends only to tho chamber 
floor, and a pipe runs from it across the passage 
to the main chimney. The rear gable is of the 
same height as the two front ones, but the roof 
is less steep, inasmuch as I he back part is wider 
than the front parts. The wood-house should 
stand 20 feet, in the; rear of the building. 
FLAX.-SOIL AND CULTURE. 
At the recent Annual Mooting of the New 
York State Agricultural Society, the Hon. . 1 . 
Stanton Gould, of Columbia county, read a 
very interesting Report from the Committee (con¬ 
sisting of Samuel CAMFBKi.t.of New York Mills, 
A, Wild of Cohoes, and himself,) previously 
appointed for the purpose of ascertaining as to 
the processes of manufacturing Flax Cotton in 
this State. The report describes tho processes in 
operation at Penn Yan and Lockport, the success 
thus far attained, and what is sought to be accom¬ 
plished. But the most important portions of tile 
report to our readers are those which speak of 
the I lax Plant, the Soils best adapted to it, and 
its Cultivation. At a time when so much atten¬ 
tion is given to the subject of Flax Culture—aud 
when thou sands are about commencing it — we 
are confident that the following abstract of the 
report must prove very acceptable to all seeking 
information on the points discussed: 
THE FLAX PLANT AND SOILS ADAPTED TO IT. 
The Flax of Commerce is known to botanists 
as tho Linutn ■uritatissimmn, which is the typical 
plant of a small family known as the Linaceai. 
There are several varieties of it, but that most 
commonly used, as in Europe, is the blue flow¬ 
ered variety. It can be raised with more or less 
success on a wide range of soils and climates, 
but it is moBt profitably grown on light, dry 
loams, with a subsoil ho constituted as not to per¬ 
mit the water to stagnate round the roots, while 
it is sufficiently tenacious to prevent too rapid 
drainage. 
We subjoin the following analyses of two soils 
in the district where the best Flax of Belgium is 
grown: 
By washing 100 ports were found to consist of 
No 1. No. 2. 
Cluj 9.00 8.00 
Fine Band 91.00 92.00 
100.00 100.00 
By analysis 100 pails was found to consist of 
Water 3.80 1.85 
Organic matters.. 4.48 3.25 
BUicioua matters. . 87.04 91.80 
Peroxide of iron 1.96 1.16 
Alumina. 1 62 1 22 
Oarbonatc of Lime. 0.96 0.05 
tJarboaata of Magnesia. 0.27 Trace. 
Alkaline salts . . .... 0.20 0.14 
The excellence of this Belgian soil must, how¬ 
ever, result mainly from its mechanical proper¬ 
ties, as it is deficient in some of the most import¬ 
ant elements which enter into the composition of 
the Flax plant The Belgian farmer, however, 
is well known to he liberal in the application of 
manures, and skillful in their adaptation to the 
specific wants of soils and plants. The soil is 
thus supplied with any missing element by the 
art of the farmer. 
The composition of the soils upon which the 
best Irish flax is raised is thus stated by Sir Rob¬ 
ert Kane. They were light clay loams: 
No 1. No. 2 No. 3. 
Milica and silUaoas wind 73.72 69.42 64.93 
Oxide of iron . 5.61 5.29 5.64 
Alumina.. 6.65 5.70 8.97 
Phosphate of iron. .06 .25 .31 
C&rbonaie of lime. 1,09 . 53 1 67 
Magnesia and alkalies 
with traces of muriatic 
aiid sulphuric acids. .32 .25 .45 
O-gaaie matters_ 4.86 6.67 9.41 
Water. 7.67 11.48 8.73 
These soils, though containing a larger pro¬ 
portion of the elements of flax than the Bel¬ 
gian, are deficient in the phosphates. 
GROUND PLAN. 
H, Hall, or entrance, P, Parlor. L, Living-room, or 
Kitchen. B, Bed-room. P, Pantry, with shelves. /, 
Principal chimney. A, Parlor chimney. 
The cost of materials and labor varies so 
much in different locations that it seems need¬ 
less to attempt giving an estimate of the expense. 
It can be readily ascertained in any given place, 
when tho style of architecture is determined on.” 
DRAINING-No. Ill 
The system of saucer-watering is reprobated by 
every intelligent gardener; it is found by experi¬ 
ence to chill vegetation; besides which scarcely 
any cultivated plant can dip its roots info stagmut- 
water with impunity. Exactly the process which 
we have described iu the flower-pot is constantly 
in operation on an undraioed retentive soil; the 
water-table may not be within nine inches of tho 
surface, but in very many instances it is within a 
foot or eighteen inches, at w hich level the cold 
surplu • oozes into some ditch or other superficial 
outlet. A: eighteen inches attraction will, on the 
average of noils, act whh considerable power. 
Here, then, you have two obnoxious principles at 
work, both producing cold, and the one adminis¬ 
tering to Lb* other. The obvious remedy is to 
destroy their united action; to break through 
their line of communication. Remove your wa¬ 
ter of attraction to such a depth that evaporation 
cannot act upon it, or but feebly. What is that 
depth? In ascertaining this point we are not al¬ 
together without data. No doubt depth dimin¬ 
ishes the power of evaporation rapidly. Still, us 
water taken from a thirty inch drain is almost 
invariably two or three degrees colder than water 
taken front four feet, aud as this latter is generally 
one or two degrees colder than water front a con¬ 
tiguous well several feet below, we can hardly 
avoid drawing the conclusion that the cold of 
evaporation has considerable influence at thirty 
inches, a much diminished influence at four feet, 
aud little or none below that depth, if tho water- 
table is removed to the depth of four feet, when 
we have allowed eighteen inches of attraction, 
we shall still have thirty inches of defense against 
evaporation; and wo are inclined to believe that 
any prejudicial combined action of attraction aud 
evaporation is thereby well guarded against 
The facts stated seem to prove that less will not 
suffice. 
So much on the score of temperature, but this 
is not all. Do the roots of esculents wish to 
penetrate into the earth —at least to the depth 
of some feet? We believe that they do. We are 
sure of the brusslca tribe, grass, and clover. All 
our experience and observation deny the doc¬ 
trine that roots only ramble when they are stinted 
of food; that six inches well manured in quite 
enough, better than more. Ask tbcJersyman; 
he will show you a parsnip as thick as your thigh, 
and as (png as your leg, and will tell you of the 
advantages of fourteen feet of dry soil. You 
will hear of parsnips whose roots descend to un¬ 
searchable depths. We will not appeal to the Ken¬ 
tucky carrot, which was drawn out by its roots at 
the antipodes; but Mr. M kchi’h, if we remember 
right, was a dozen feet or more. Three years ago* 
in a midland county, a field of good land, in good 
cultivation, and richly manured, produced a 
heavy crop of cabbages. In November of that 
year wo saw that field broken into in several 
places, and at the depth of four feet the soil (a 
tenacious marl, fully stiff enough for brick-earth) 
was occupied by the roots of cabbage, not spar¬ 
ingly— not mere capilhe — But fibres of the size 
of small packthread. A farmer manures a field 
of four or five inches of free soil reposing on a 
retentive clay, and sows It with wheat. It comes 
up and between the kernel and the manure it 
looks well for a time, but anon it sickens. An 
Irish child looks well for five or six years, but 
after that time potato feeding, and filth, and hard¬ 
ship begin lo tell. You ask what is amiss with 
the wheat, and you are told that when its roots 
reach the clay they are poisoned. This field is 
then thorough-drained, deep, at least four feet. 
It receives again from the cultivator the previous 
treatment; the wheat, comes up well, maintains 
throughout a healthy aspect, and gives a good re¬ 
turn. What has become of tho poison? We have 
been told that the rain-water filtered through the 
soil has taken it into solution or supsension, and 
has carried it off through the drains, and men 
who assume to be of authority, put forward this 
as one of the advantages of draining. If we be¬ 
lieve it we couhl not advocate draining. We 
really should not have the face to tell our readers 
that water passing through soils containing ele¬ 
ments prejudicial to vegetation, would carry them 
off, but would leave those which are beneficial 
behind. Wo cannot make our water so discrim¬ 
inating; the general merit of water of deep drain¬ 
age is that it contains very little. Its perfection 
would be that it should contain nothing. W’e un¬ 
derstand that experiments are in progress which 
have ascertained that water charged with matteiS 
which are known to stimulate vegetation, when 
filtered through four feet of retentive soil comes 
out pure. But to return to our wheat. In the 
first place it shrinks before the cold evaporation 
and the cold of water of attraction, and it sickens 
because its feet are never dry; it suffers the usual 
maladies of cold and wet. In the second case, 
the excess of cold by evaporation is withdrawn; 
tho cold water of attraction is removed out of Us 
way; the warm air from the surface, rushing iu 
to supply the place of (lie water which the drains 
remove, aud the warm summer rains, bearing 
down with them the temperature which they 
have acquired from the upper soil, carry a gonial 
heat lo its lowest roots. Health, vigorous growth, 
early maturity are the natural consequences. 
We think we have established that all soils will 
he lienefiled by the removal of the water-table to 
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