by one of our correspondents, is to feed the flock 
sulphur. His views are thus expressed“ When 
sheep are fed salt, (which they should have 
often.) mix common sulphur with it thoroughly, 
so as to give each sheep a common-sized tea¬ 
spoonful, and by the time you have given them 
three such portions, you will find the ticks have 
taken a furlough, and left for parts unknown. 
This is the cheapest remedy I have ever found, 
and 1 am satisfied that if sheep are fed sulphur 
once a month, in this manner, through the year, 
they will never l>e troubled with ticks, and it 
will conduce to keep sheep in healthy condition.” 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES. 
THE “LAMB EPIZOOTIC." 
Your correspondent “S. A. G.” is informed, 
that Daniel Kelly, Jr., did not “set out mis¬ 
understanding what particular disease Mr. Ran¬ 
dall described:” nor was he “ obviously under 
the impression that lie described goitre or 
swelled neck” any further than he did describe 
it For all the peculiarities of the disease 
described by Mr. RaxdAi.l, as obtaining among 
the New York flocks, are characteristics of the 
disease as it appeared in Mr. R.’s and other 
Western flocks. If “S. A. G." will read the arti¬ 
cle in the Rural of March 28th again, he will 
see that the “symptoms” given, so far as they 
do not obtain in lambs affected by goitre, are 
accounted for, and a remedy for lambs affected 
with lameness, or what, Randall calls “epi¬ 
zootic rheumatism,” is given. Your correspond¬ 
ent, “sets out" with the idea that an “epizootic" 
exists among lambs. Mr. Kki.lv finds no evi¬ 
dence, either in his own experience or in the 
article by Mr. Randall, that it does exist. 
Lambs diseased as Mr. Randall describes are 
cured by Mr. Kki.lv as described in the article 
above referred to. Mr. R. gives two sets of 
symptoms; Mr. K. gives a different cause and a 
different remedy in each case where these differ¬ 
ent symptoms obtain. And lie has learned the 
causes and the remedy in each case by observa¬ 
tion and practical experience. If the “epi¬ 
zootic'' is identical with goitre, then it is, not an 
“epizootic;” if it appears in healthy lambs soon 
after the ewe’s diet has been changed, in the 
shape of lameness, then it is not goitre nor an 
epizootic, but, is the result of too much and too 
rich food. 
Randall says:—“The lambs affected by the 
epizootic had the appearance of a general want 
ol' physical development at the time of their 
birth,' &o. Kelly finds that lambs having this 
appearance have swelled necks, and their moth¬ 
er's necks' ftre also swollen, in every case, in a 
greater or IcK' degree—that is, the thyroid glands 
arc; enlarged. In cases this is only per¬ 
ceptible by careful examination, by feeling of 
of the throat with the hand? in others it is per¬ 
ceptible to the eye. In every ease where lambs 
have been dropped in the condition described by 
Randall in the paragraph from which I have 
made the above extract, these glands have been 
found enlarged, and the glands of the mother 
also enlarged. If these symptoms are those of 
an “epizootic,” then it is not “goitre," unless 
thatbe an epizootic; if “goitre” iH not an “epi¬ 
zootic,” and these are the symptoms of “goitre,” 
then the disease is not an “epizootic.” In either 
case, Mr. Kkj.lv claims to have discovered a 
cure for both the ewe and the lamb so affected, 
and your correspondent, who evidently thinks 
he knows the difference between tweedle dnm 
and tweedle dee, ought not to hesitate to test the 
validity of this claim, if he is so unfortunate as 
to have occasion to do so. 
-- 
THE USE OF PLASTER. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:—A s the use of 
plaster is becoming very extensive, and as it 
costs much time and money to obtain and apply 
it to the land, would it not be well for those in¬ 
terested in the matter to compare notes, and. if 
possible, ascertain thereby whether it is a paying 
business or not, I contend it is not, excepting 
on the principle of robbing Peter to pay Pali,. 
It is, I believe, pretty generally admitted that 
plaster is not, iu and of itself, a fertilizer; but 
that it has the power of attracting from the at¬ 
mosphere gaseous matter, which is essential to 
the growth of vegetation. The earth is composed 
of many constituent parts, of which mankind can 
can neither add to nor diminish. Nature, to the 
extent required, fills the atmosphere with gas¬ 
eous substances which are indispensable to the 
growth of vegetation. Let Nature alone and she 
will, in her own wav. apply it to plants, and do 
it, too, on the principle of equity. 
1 believe the face of the earth yields a limited 
quantity of produce annually, no more nor no 
less. What that quantity falls short of a fair 
average crop in one section, will be made up in 
others. If it is not in grain or grass, or whatever 
mankind wishes to cultivate, it will be in noxious 
weeds, forest trees. Are. Hence, if the inhabitants 
of the State of New York, or any other State, if 
you please, should by skillful management, for a 
given time to come, cause the land in said State 
to yield double the quantity of produce annually 
to w hat it had been doing under their former sys¬ 
tem of management, there would be a falling off 
of produce in the surrounding States fur the same 
period of time. 
The above mentioned gases, arising from our 
barn-yards, and decaying substances of many 
kinds, are carried by the wind over the face of 
the earth in every direction. Now, if plaster has 
the power of attraction, which scientific men ad¬ 
mit it has, why am 1 not justified in saying the 
action ol it on plants is on the principle of rob¬ 
bing Peter to pay Paul. To illustrate. Sup¬ 
pose a field of clover to be sown with plaster in 
the following order:—Sow a strip of eight or ten 
feet in width across the field, then skip a strip of 
the same width, until the w hole field has been 
gone over, and the result therefrom at harvest- 
time should be, — as often has been the case 
where experiments of a similar kind have been 
tried,—near or quite double the quantity of grass 
on the land that had received a sprinkling of 
plaster compared with what there is on the land 
that received none. What inference would be 
likely to he drawn in such a ease? Would it not, 
be natural for the Inexperienced in this matter to 
infer that if the whole field had been sown with 
plaster that there would have been a gain by it 
of near or quite one-half? That, undoubtedly, 
would be the conclusion of very many. But, in 
my opinion, such is far from being the case. 
The plastered land not only received from the 
atmosphere its natural portion of gaseous matter, 
together with what was attracted by the plaster, 
but also drew from the atmosphere what nature 
intended for the non-plastered land. Conse¬ 
quently the former was benefited at an expense 
to the latter. Like difference will be seen by 
plastering one row and skipping the next of a 
field of com, Ac. Now, if results like the fore¬ 
going are produced on a small scale, why may 
they not apply to our country at large? If so, 
the use of plaster is a nuisance, and should be 
dispensed with at once, thereby saving labor, 
which is money, especially in time of war. I 
have used plaster for many years, and once 
thought a general use of it a paying business, 
but think the reverse of that now. I use it now, 
in one sense of the word, because 1 am compelled 
to do it. iu other words, because my neighbors 
use it I am not willing that they shall, by the 
use of it, get what nature intended for me. 
The above theory may be condemned, espe¬ 
cially by those who believe the atmosphere con¬ 
tains an inexhaustible supply of the above 
named fertilizers. But until it can be shown, 
conclusively, that such is the case, I shall hold 
good my argument. I would like to hear from 
some of the readers of the Rural in regard to 
this matter, G. P. Serviss. 
Glen Millpoint, 1863. 
-■ 
RURAL EXPERIENCES-No. X. 
It is a common saying “ Hint experience is a 
good but a dear teacher.” By observation, we 
learn that this does not always prove true; for 
a man may (arm it a lifetime and then cannot 
tell which is the most profitable crop to raise, or 
the most profitable stock to keep, or wliich is the 
most profit, grain or grass — unless he has put 
figures to the test and noted it down either on 
the brain or iu the book. The man who farms 
in a shiftless manner, will argue that the saying 
should read thus:— Experience is a poor book 
and a dear teacher while the man who observes 
and notes down the cost of raising a crop, or 
animal, and takes this from what it brings, and 
knows the profit, will tell you that “ Experience 
is a good and cheap teacher 
Ii is surprising to know how few farmers keep 
farm accounts. We were not aware of this fact 
to so great a degree until we were called upon to 
collect the Agricultural Statistics. Only one 
muu in the district brought forth his book, and 
could show the number of acres and number of 
bushels of each crop. Borne once fcnetc the num¬ 
ber of bushels, but had forgotten , while the 
remainder had to guess (with our assistance.) 
Brother Farmers, now is the time to begin a 
new order of things. Buy a small pass-book 
that you can carry in your side pocket, and then 
you will not be so apt to forget, and put down 
each item of cost, anil when you have time draw 
it off on a larger book, 01 ‘ even a few sheets of 
paper fastened together in good order, and then 
you will know whether experience is a dear or a 
cheap teacher. 
An observing man will learn as much from 
observation as from experience, lie will ob¬ 
serve liis own crops and the crops of his neigh¬ 
bors; he will observe how they raise such nice 
stock and crops, how they build their fences, 
barns and 1 muses, so that they will prove sub¬ 
stantial ; in short, he observes almost everything, 
from the fading flower to the gigantic oak; he 
learns from the appearance of the sky the pros¬ 
pects of the weather; from the honey bee indus¬ 
try. and each day something new from the Great 
Book of Nature. 
Therefore, let each and all experiment and 
observe, and note down both experience and ob¬ 
servation for the benefit of yourselves and future 
generations. Observation. 
Near Brewerton, Onon. Co., N. Y., 1S63. 
■ ■ - 
SHEEP AND COWS. 
Friend Moore:— Though I have for many 
years been a subscriber and constant reader of 
the Rural, L have never yet deemed it my duty 
to speak out on any subject, however wide we 
might differ iu our views and notions of things, 
but as I wish to be brief I will come to the point 
at once. 
I think our friend T. C. P. made quite a mis¬ 
take in his calculations, (see Rural, April 4th.) 
which I fear might have a tendency to lead some 
into error, as we are not all so situated that wo 
can sell milk, but must convert it into butter or 
cheese. I shall assume that one cow is equal to 
eight sheep, iu capital invested, and in expense 
Of keeping, and I should rather keep the sheep 
than the cow. unless they were uncommon great 
eaters. Now for the figures. Wool, at T. C. P ’s 
price and quantity, at 40 cts. per pound, allowing 
5 lbs. per head and one lamb to two sheep, that 
is worth $1.75 per head, which is as low as they 
have been sold for years post, if fit for market, 
(and they should be. ) We have then the pro¬ 
duce of 8 sheep and 4 lambs—$23.00. We will 
take his figures also on the cow—550 gallons of 
milk. Allowing three gallons to a pound of 
butter, we have 183 lbs. at 15 cts. per lb., which 1 
consider high, on an average, amounts to $27.45. 
Deduct $5. he stated, for the trouble of making, 
and we have $22.45 profit. If made into cheese, 
we have 411 lbs-, at 8 cts. per lb—$32.88; deduct 
$5 for trouble and we have $27.88 profit. 
In the first case we have profit in favor of the 
sheep of 55 cts.; in the last case in favor of the 
cow, $4.88. This, to my mind, shows clearly 
what disposition should be made of milk, if not 
sold immediately from the cow. Now where is 
the balance of $24.75 our friend claimed in favor 
of the cow ? No doubt he has cows to sell. 
These figures might lx* altered 6ome. perhaps, 
but if we wish to get at the true merits of any¬ 
thing, we must carry it out in it? true light, and 
look the matter over carefully and impartially. 
Then iu the end our figures and expectations will 
shake hands heartily; but too frequently they are 
not within hailing distance of each other, which 
has a tendency to give us the blues, and a desire 
to blame some one for our failure. 
Sennctt, N. Y., 1863. D. F. B. 
CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE. 
Secession—Inquiry about Muck.— Perhaps 
when you see the caption of this piece you will 
say it is a subject which has been written about 
bo much, that my remarks are uncalled for. All 
I have to say to that is, read this and judge after¬ 
wards I am a secessionist, eh? Hold—don’t 
act. so mad; sit down again, and I will explain. 
As I remarked, I am a secessionist, hut not one 
of the “ South- Down ” breed. No! As far as 
that is concerned, 1 go for the Union, (although 
I am an unmarried man.) and shall do all I can 
to perfect it. What 1 mean by being a seces¬ 
sionist is this;—I have seceded from poor farm¬ 
ing. Father owns a farm of 135 acres up here 
on the hill, where the bard pan reaches the 
second rail iu the fence, and by not being pro¬ 
perly cared for the land is pretty well worn out. 
I am twenty-one years of age, and as father has 
found another business, which he thinks will pay 
better than fanning, 1 am going to “run the 
machine” myself. Father is a little old-fash¬ 
ioned in his ways of farming, notwithstanding he 
has taken the Rural since the year 1857, and 
has had most of the volumes bound. Whenever 
I want to know any thing, I go to them, refer to 
the index, and am pretty sure to find just what 
I want- I want to renovate the old farm with 
muck, and wish you to inform me through the 
Rural, — if you can find space to do so,—the 
best time for getting it out, and also the most 
approved plan of applying it to grass grounds.— 
Eugene Hokmandlk, Snow J/iU, N. Y., 1863. 
Will some reader who has had experience in 
using muck answer Mr. Hoehandle?—Ed. 
Feeding Rotten Potatoes.—I have often 
heard it said that, rotten potatoes were Injurious 
for cattle to feed upon. Perhaps it is so with 
some kinds of rot; but I have been feeding to 
my cattle, all winter thus fur, potatoes more or 
less diseased, and have not as yet discovered any 
injurious effects, either upon oxen, cows or 
calves, and I am led to inquire whether it is not 
probable that more cattlo have been injured 
from want Of rotten potatoes to eat, than from 
having them to eat. Tn explanation, 1 would 
say that the season was very wet last fall in this 
part, of the country, about the time of digging 
potatoes, and mine consequently lay in the ground 
through nioFt of the heavy rains. They were 
picked and housed in the afternoon of the same 
day in which they were dug—were housed in a 
warm cellar, and have been the prey of disease 
all winter -so much so that 1 have kept sorting 
them over, in order to save some; and those 
showing disease I have fed to the cattle, at the 
rate of from four to six quarts each.—J, C. Pat- 
tee, Saratoga . TFfo, March 8,1863. 
Tar Your Seed Corn. —if you do the crows 
will not pull your corn, nor squirrels dig it up 
much, because they do not like tarred corn. If 
you put up scare-crows, they only advertise to 
the crows t hat you have a corn-field, and there 
are but few scaie-crows that, they are very shy 
of. Cover your corn with water, as warm as 
you can possibly bear your hand in fur a minute 
without flinching; then drop ill a little tar at a 
time, and stir with a stick until it is all thinly 
coated. Pour off the water and put on plaster, 
and stir again until all the kernels have become 
separated, or will not 6tick to one another, and 
it is ready for planting. I never have used a 
corn-planter at all, but I think corn prepared iu 
this way can be planted with a corn-planter, if it 
is spread out and thoroughly dried, so that the 
plaster will all drop off, except what adheres tu 
the tar.—R. T. F., Prattsturgh, Steuben Co., 
N. T., 1863. _ 
Letter from Indiana. — Crop Prospects, 
Weather, Prices, rf-c.—The wheat in timber land 
is good; also early sown wheat; but late wheat, 
especially in the prairie, is win ter killed. Wages 
are high and labor scarce. Feed is Bcarce. Cat¬ 
tle and other stock plenty. Farming prospects 
are very good, reaches not killed. There will 
lie a good deal of cam planted for molasses, and 
some flax sown, mostly tor the seed. The cane 
cropiHM/s,and the molasses is better each year. We 
have had a mild winter, and so far an early spring. 
Prices of produce:—Wheat, $1.25; corn, 50 cento; 
oats. GO cents; potatoes, $1.00; hay, $12 to $15. 
Laud is generally cheap—from $4 to $40 per 
acre. Good land (improved) at $25 per aere.— 
Alison C. Harvey, Lake Farm, Lafayette, 
Did,, MarcJi 18, 1863. 
Don’t Feed Timothy Hay to Young 
Lambs.—P lease publish this item for the benefit 
of those of your readers who are keeping sheep, 
and who make a practice of raising early lambs. 
Timothy hay should be kept away from young 
lambs that are old enough to eat hay. They pre¬ 
fer the heads of the timothy to other parts of it; 
and therefore pick out the heads, which will 
prove fatal to the life of the lambs. This is 
founded upon my men experience, strengthened 
by observation. F. G. Knowles, Camdke , 
N. Y., 1863. _ 
Early Shearing of Sheep—I t has been my 
custom for several years to shear sheep early, 
and my experience is that sheep thrive better, 
and will clip a little more wool annually than 
when shorn late.— H. K. F., Genesee Co., Mich. 
fmjuiwjs ml 
W JLl the Srr.AH Bpkt Rot ?— I* it a characteristic of 
the sugar beet to rot when grown loo large on rieh land 1 
Year before last I planted a email patch, mannred strong, 
and toward spring they rotted badly. Last tear I planted 
A larger piece of ground, but the beet* were -mailer, and 
have kept good; while a neighbor had a patch the same 
season which grew' to n large nix-, ami tbov have rotted 
badly. We raise them for feeding tnilch cows, and want 
them to keep well into spring. Would like to raise a large 
piece and manure strong thi< year. Can von, or any of 
your correspondent*; tell whether it Is common for them 
to rot ax with me i —or i* it a. •’ whim of the ground or the 
weather,' 1 «- my neighbors say of mv French turnips that 
were dark and streaked I oxide, and not sweet and good for 
the table as formerly, although ax handsome and fair A 
reliable answer from some one well posted, will creatlv 
oblige an— Eastern Milkman, Wood!,ridge, Conn. ~ 
Tiikrk is u a happy medium " which should he aimed 
at in the culture of all vegetables and fruits. It is a fact 
generally known that an over grown animal is not long 
lived Neither i„ an overgrown vegetable. And the far 
mer makes a great mistake who labors to secure size by 
stimulating the growth of a plant inordinately. Instead 
of increasing his resources he diminishes them. Especial 
ly in the culture of the sugar beet, long experience has 
demonstrated that what is gained iu size by high manur 
ing, is lost in quality, It is with the beet as with a potato; 
if over stimulated it is watery, tasteless and decays quick 
ly. It lacks nutrition. Where the sugar beet Ls cultlvated 
for manufacturing purposes, high manuring i* Interdicted, 
especially on compact soils. Indeed, it is found more 
profitable not to manure at all except by a rotation of 
crops. Then the fertility of the soil may be retie wed by- 
manuring with the alternating crop. There is another 
cause which may have produced the rot. The beet 
is almost sure to rot if at all bitten by frost, It will not 
bear freezing The French turnips our correspondent 
speaks of were doubtless dark and streaked from the same 
cause—being grown on too rich soil. It will not pay. 
White Willow for a Livk Fk.yub.— Tell me by mail, 
or answer iu your paper, whether the White Willow is 
worth trying for a live fence — S W. Randall. 
An article on this subject, written last December by 
our Western Editor, who is posted, was lost or mislaid, or 
this question would, long ago, have been answered. In 
reply to the above inquiry wc answer No .'- not if intend¬ 
ed for an ordinary hedge. It should only be planted 
where ufeuee, a shelter and limber combined is desirable. 
Asa tree for fence under such conditions, the Uiinois 
State Horticultural Society has rccornmeudcd it. But 
some of the oldest and most sagacious members doubt if 
it will bo durable and reliable ax such a fence. It is a rap- 
id growing tree and will shade a large area when planted 
for fence It cannot, therefore, he recommended for small 
inclosures, and only for large ones where) Wind breaks are 
desirable, and a quick growth of timber 1* wanted. Nob 
withstanding Other representation* by the peddlers who 
are flooding the West with it, cattle, sheep and horses 
will eat it greedily ; and a thousand other stories of its 
great growing qualities, &c , place it among the modern 
humbugs, so far as the realization of a tithe of these rep¬ 
resentations arc concerned. The Golden, and oilier Wil¬ 
lows grow as rapidly, and arc quite a* well adapted for 
hedging. The White Pine is l’ar more valuable, both for 
timber and as a screen, and if a annill proportion of the 
money expended in the White Willow were invested In 
planting belts of White Pine instead, the satisfaction re¬ 
sulting would bo ten-fold greater than it is likely to be 
Diseased Lamb.*.— Can you give us through your col ' 
umns any information respecting the remedy for a disease 1 
in sheep "of which th" following may serve as n de-crip 
tton: About the middle of winter I noticed among my 
lambs- -which I had in a yard separate from old sheep,- ii 
few with matter excreting from their eyes, which soon 
became so bad us to stick their eyelids together Upon 
the application of lar to their noses the matter run* pro¬ 
fusely from their nostrils. After a time they become 1 
weak, and will not. eat, but will continue to drink milk, i 
When they beeome so weak as not to be ahlc to stand, , 
they will lie prostrate for days With scarce a motion ex , 
eep't that caused by breuthing.— John KnOWLBS, Ontario, 
A'. Y.f March, ’03. i 
Our curretjiondent very accurately describes the syjnp- 1 
touts of a large majority of the lambs which perish every 
winter. Some- get into this condition by entering the 
winter in too poor condition, others from taking cold. The 
discharge from the nose indicates catarrhal affection. 
There is generally no cure fur Iambs or even for old sheep, 
thus affected, when they have become weak enough to be 
unable to rise, or when they refuse to cat. Pouring milk ' 
down them daily—especially if an egg be broken into It— 
will keep them along a few days, but they will not recover 
jn one case in u hundred. The sheet anchor of lamb rais¬ 
ing is to have them enter the winter/ot, and then to keep 
tbcm/tU There is no danger then of their taking cold if 
only decently sheltered, and there i- no danger of their 
falling into that slow decline, attended by waxy eyes, 
which, at an advanced stage, is almost certainly fatal. 
Scours in Sheep.— What is an effectual cure for the 
scours in sheep ? 1 have examined the Wool Grower, and 
many Doctor and Agricultural works, and tried the vai i 
ou* things recommended l'or sheep, cattle and horses, but 
of no avail 1 hove even boiled up white oak hark, ivory 
strong, I which is very astringent, and given it to them, 
which seemed 10 (ncretue rather than retard the complaint, 
and they would die in three or four days from the attack. 
I have lost $.'><) worth of sheep perhaps from it, and I dare 
say in the county tt would amount to thousands, and an 
effectual remedy would bo worth » min, to wool growers 
at this time. I would give $26 myself for it. Is that 
remedy /mow*?— Job. L. North itur, Ml. Morris, A' I'. 
A tablcspoonful of pulverized chalk, given in half a tea- 
cupful of milk once or twice a day, is a good remedy for 
scours when light. When severe, there are no remedies 
which are certain to hit c-very ease. The regular pro- i 
oedure is first to remove the cause by administering a ea. I 
thartic—eay melted lard; and then use something moder¬ 
ately astringent. Pains should be taken to see if there is 
any thing improper in the food of the animal. Certain 
kind6 of food, such as bran, tend to check diarrhoea. But 
violent astringents, such as strong decoctions of “ white 
oak bark,” are out of place, and particularly 60 in the first 
instance. They forcibly dam up a current which will 
soon necessarily break loose, and which will flow with 
greater violence for its detention. 
W bat Aim thi. Lambs? —1 wish to inquire through 
your paper for a remedy lor a disease among my lambs. 
The present winter I have lost some 20 lambs. They bloat, 
become still' in the hind parts, froth at the month, refuse 
to eat, and only live from one to two days. 1 never have 
found any thing that would help them. —A New Subscrib¬ 
er, Boston Kane Co., 111 . 
We arc unable to state what disease produces these 
symptoms, unaccompanied by others, which could not 
have eluded the notice of our correspondent. 
E. B., Femberton, N. J.—The disease you refer to lias 
been very prevalent among the dairies of Otsego, Herki¬ 
mer and Oneida, it is abortion, and is yet not well un¬ 
derstood among cattle men. Isolation of the cow, mid an 
avoidance of the use of a bull for a few months, has beeu 
found of great use in checking the disease. You will do 
well to consult “ Youatt on Catttlft.” 
II. F., Medina, N. Y.—We do not know where Alaike 
clover can be found, but presume at the large seed stores 
in some of the cities. 
A 1 st i.s ian Wklls. —J. A. H., Buffalo.—The men you 
inquire for would be found in the oil regions we should 
suppose. Mr. Sylvester Kinnear, of your town, may 
be able to give you some information on the subject. 
The Reaper for California. — I want to send a friend 
in California a reaper that will be best for cutting wheat in 
that country. Does the reaper that ties its own vrmin work 
will ? If not, what kind would yon recommend f—J ohn 
Brigham. 
At the recent trial in Illinois, Benson's Binder, attach¬ 
ed to a J. H. Manny Reaper, worked by tho inventor, did 
good work, tying the gram in bundles before it left the 
platform. Its capacity, it is claimed, has been in reised 
fifty per cent., and the inventors say it can be applied with 
less cost to the above named machine than any other. In 
using this binder, three men are required on the reaper_ 
One to drive, one to hand the grain to the binder, and a 
third to work the binder. With this help it binds the 
grain as fast as it can be cut by a machine that cuts six 
feet wide. 
After a machine to which a binder can bo attached, we 
should choose a self raker. Of this class, the best with 
which we are acquainted, is Seymour & Morgan's, made 
at Brockport, New York, and Wood's self raker, manu¬ 
factured at Uoosic Falls, N. Y. And in naming these, we 
have no disposition to make invidious distinctions. After 
the self rakers there arc a dozen, more or less, good ma¬ 
chines; and an intelligent farmer can hardly go amis* in 
making a selection. 
Fink Posts-Sai.t to Preserve.— I am just opening a 
farm, and inteod to use pine posts. I have heard it said 
that if a hole is bored in the posts, just at the top of the 
ground, salt put in, ami the hole plugged up, it will pre 
vent their decay. Will yon, or some or your readers that 
have tried the experiment, please inform me. or suggest 
something better than salt Y—J, W. N., Hudson, ff’ix. 
We have never dosed oar fence posts with aalt nor any 
other drug. Have seen such thing* recommended, but 
eannot indorse anything of the kind until we try it; if oar 
readers have any experience and can answer the question, 
will be glad to have them do so. 
New England Reaper and Mower. — We continue to 
receive inquiries concerning the merits of this machine. 
We know nothing about it at all, ami we advise those 
who want machines to hny only those which have an 
established reputation. If new ones are offered that ap¬ 
pear meritorious, take them on tidal, prove them first, and 
If not found wanting, pay for them promptly. 
Rural Notes ani) Items. 
Spring has Arrived at Last, and soil cultivators all 
over the land must now open the campaign in earnest. 
Like Nature, they should change from a state of hiber¬ 
nation to one of great activity and usefulness—for the sun 
shines warmly, the air is balmy, and the soil fit for culti¬ 
vation and the reception of seed. The prospect of ample 
pecuniary reward is flattering, while every lover of his 
country should do hi* utmost In the way Of production on 
the ground of patriotism If you cannot “ plant one aero 
more ” than usual, endeavor to have the acres you do cul¬ 
tivate produce Above the average. Let us all aim to do 
the very best, and work to accomplish the object. 
■ --- - 
Samples of Wool —At. the recent. Wool Growers’ Con¬ 
vention, in this city, Mr Lewis K, Heston, of Alabama, 
Genesee county, handed us nome extra line wool—samples 
from liis flock of Spanish Merino*. After seeing these 
samples we are not surprised that Mr. H. last season 
sold his clip Of wool from 125 sheep for J427, as stated 
in the Rural of January 3d.-Wc arc indebted to 
John Thompson, Jr., Esq , of thi* city, for samples of 
wool grown in Canada and California. There is * great 
contrast In the staple of the two samples. That from 
California is about eight inches long, resembling hair, 
while that from Canada is short. 
The Samples of Maple Sugar and Sirup recently sent 
u* by Mr, J. D. F. Wooi.ston, of Preble, Cortland coun¬ 
ty, were duly tested and appreciated by our pair of stairs 
of little folk, and've are in duty bound to acknowledge 
the kindness of one who impart* so much sweetness.— 
The opinion of the juniors as to quality was most decided 
and unanimous, and the seniors, who joined the “tasting 
committee,” concur In the verdict. 
— ■■■ -« ---— 
The “ Excelsior ” noiisK Pitchfork, advertised in 
this paper, is a new and apparently very valuable inven¬ 
tion for unloading hay. We saw it on exhibition at the 
recent W inter Show of the State Ag. Society, where it at¬ 
tracted the attention and commendation of many practi¬ 
cal farmers. It was also shown at the last State Fair and 
awarded the first premium It is worthy the attention of 
farmers who wish to save time, labor and back ache iu 
haying time. 
Rural Brief Mentions. — The Culture of Tobacco, says 
the Attica (N. Y.) Atlas, will receive a pretty large trial in 
this vicinity the coming reason. Public discussions of the 
flax and tobacco questions are being held in tills region. 
-- Pork-making has become n feature of Chicago, for 
no less than 7'<K),2(>4 hogs were packed in that city during 
the past season. The number at Cincinnati, hitherto the 
Porkopolis of the Union, was but u!i2,5S2- Ola Product¬ 
iveness of Illinois is thus alluded to in the late message of 
Gov. Yates:— “ She now pioduecs twice as much coni as 
any other State; almost twice as much wheat; in meat cat 
tie, the first; in hog*, but little behind Ohio; olid in the 
value of live stock of all kinds, she is already the second 
State in the Union.”- Spring Work, says the Chicago 
Journal, hiv* been prosecuted by the Illinois farmers with 
vigor; broad breadths of land have been sowed with wheat, 
and much ground is made ready for the sugar cane.- 
A good Cow is owned by Mr. Lyman Hive, of Shalerviile, 
Portage Co.J Ohio, the product from which, as perfollow- 
ing statement, l* most extraordinary. From March 12, 
1862, to March 8,'1803, butter made, four hundred and. 
thirty Jive pounds, wliicli was sold for $01.15—besides the 
family used butter and milk from the same cow, as much 
as they needed. 
- « ♦ »- - 
The Flax Maxua l.—A mong the many orders we have 
received tor thi* work is the following from a prominent 
farmer of "Wayne Co., N Y.: 
Mr. Moore:— lam happy to learn that you are about 
to give us tho right book in the [rigid time upon ‘Flax Cul¬ 
ture.'’ I note by returns of Agricultural Statistics that 
only two persons in this town raised tlax in 1862, which tc 
those lucky two is a success, as tlieir wed brings them $5 
per bushel, and they will soon appear iu “fine linen, in¬ 
dependent-while others who have depended upon “ King 
Cotton,’’ will be compelled to submit to his dictation, as 
do the subjects of Other kiugs. Many fanners are wisely 
securing seed to make their first effort in flax raising, and 
no doubt there will be a rush for your book, which will 
he worth years of experiment, and without which best suc¬ 
cess will be an uncertainty. Therefore, having the fullest 
confidence in the value of this timely instructor, I inclose 
the needful for a copy, and shall look for the first issue, 
wet from the press.—Jos. Watson, Clyde, A'. Y-, April 
11, 1863. _ 
Sheet Shearing begun in the West.—T he N. Y. Post 
says that “ dealers are already purchasing the new clip in 
the West, and already have shorn sheep appeared in 
market” If the weather in the West at all resembles 
, that with which we are favored, we think the sheep will 
( miss their jacket* very much. 
--- 
Implements, Patent Rights, &o., at Auction —The 
; Assignee’s Sale of Agricultural Implements, Patent Rights, 
l &e., to take place at No. 68 South St. Paul St., this city, on 
the 18th inst., is worthy the special attention of farmers 
and manufacturers of farm implements and machinery. 
