sufficient extent to be called remedies. The by geese, or animals cropping down in the spring, beyond this surface work. Still, the weeding is wash is made substantially as follows;—One 
remedy is the Birds! However thoroughly other and where it has been mowed off, have often very important in the following results:—1. It peck of fine beach sand, three pecks of water 
remedies may have been used, this one, as yet, been observed to produce chess almost exclu- removes the weeds and prevents their taking lime, and four quarts of salt. These proportions 
remains to be tried. sively. Then why may not freezing, by destroy- properties from the soil that the plants need. 2. might vary without detriment— there should be 
While vast tracts of forests have been cleared, ing or deranging its vitality, have the same It prevents their seeding and extending their as much sand as can be conveniently applied 
and whole States of new prairie broken up for effect? There are various other plants, exhibit- kind through an indefinite number of years, 5 with a brush, a farm laborer applied this mix- 
grain, thereby giving almost boundless facilities 
for the increase of insects, clandestine, wanton 
and cruel boys and biped animals, (for they can¬ 
not in any sense be called men,) have been 
shooting, mangling, maiming, snaring, clubbing, 
stoning, and in every way possible, destroying the 
poor, innocent and useful birds, until the dispro¬ 
portion between birds and insects has become so 
great that it can only be estimated except by the 
crops laid waste. The stealing of the horse sends 
the offender to the State Prison; better by far 
send one there for Killing a bird. But, says one, 
“of what avail are birds when insects surround 
us like the atmosphere?” Of what avail were 
all the fire engines in New York city at the great 
fire of 1 855, or ten thousand times as many more 
w'ben fire leaped with forked tongues from block 
to block and street to street with a fury as re¬ 
morseless as the efforts to stay them were fruit¬ 
less?—when, had a single engine been at the 
right point to have doused the first spark, all 
would have been saved? But, asks another, 
"how can birds be increased?” Domestic birds 
can be increased; why not others? If. when our 
hens are seen in the vicinity of the corn-crib we 
Bend one boy to a neighbor to borrow a gun, 
another to the store for powder and shot, and 
when obtained creep up and blow the gizzards 
out of every one, our chickens would not increase 
very fast It is customary, if a bird is seen to 
ing aB palpable changes as those now under die- The succeeding labor upon the crop will only 
eussion, which would be too lengthy to refer to. be about half as much after the weeds are taken 
The cavil that wheat in the case of winter kill- away. There may be other advantages derived 
ing fails to obstruct the growth of the chess, in taking away weeds, but these three are enough 
allowing it to increase with great activity, can- to move every judicions farmer to exterminate 
not be tolerated, for iu many cases it stands as them as fast aa they appear, 
thick and strong as the wheat ought to do, and u There are, however, other important reasons 
no one will believe that the most careless farmer why crops should be hoed once or twice more 
sows as much chess as wheat, or one-hundredth than they usually are. In hoeing, we mean to 
part as much, and this often takes place on new include what generally precedes it, working the 
ground, where there was not a kernel of chess soil to some depth, either with plow or culti- 
within miles. vator. These operations give some valuable 
It is useless to prolong or again recur to this results. 1. If the soil is too wet, they loosen it 
subject, as it never can, nor never will, be settled and let in the sun and air to dry it and make it 
definitively. There are so many exceptions, more light and porous. 2. If too dry, loosening 
dodges and cavils that can betaken, that we may the soil admits the most air, and renders it capa- 
as well undertake to “account for the milk in ble of receiving and retaining any drop of dew 
the cocoa-nut,' or prove the origin of meteoric that falls upon it. When a slight rain-fall comes, 
stones in the atmosphere, as to agitato this ab- being light and open, it catches and holds every 
stnise question. l. drop that falls, while on a hard surface It rapidly 
Monroe Co., n. Y., July, 1863. flows off. 3. Every drop of water that goes into 
—-—- the soil carries a certain amount of heat with it; 
A HERESY ABOUT FLAX ROOTS. this is loft iu tl)0 soiJ > warni * the tender roots, 
- and gives them a rapid growth. 4. Rain water 
A farmer who glories in the experience of is charged with ammonia and other properties, 
forty years’ practical farming, writes to the which the plant greatly needs. When the eur- 
HtjRAL that the “roots of the flax plant won’t go ,ace is 111 suitable condition to receive what falls, 
deeper into the soil than about three inches;* and pass it along down the subsoil, every rain is 
hence he derides the notion of subsoiling and 0( l ual a manuring of the plant, so thal 
deep plowing, even a tenacious soil, “ that the the fanner who cultivates and hoes thoroughly 
roots may go down into it half the length hnds his crops dressed from the bounties of the 
light on a tree of cherries or bunch of berries in roots may go down into it half the length 
the garden, to tell John' to hang the tree full of of the straw.” How strange and how true it 
rags and effigies, and iu addition stand by with 
his double-barreled stub-and-twist to shoot any 
bird that would dare even to fly over the tree. 
If cherries will entice birds, why not set trees 
along the roadside and on the borders of the field, 
so as to supply the birds and ourselves too. 
Seventeen years ago I set an orchard on a place 
where there was uo fruit and but few birds. 1 
laid down as a rule to be rigidly followed not to 
shoot about the premises nor scare or in any way 
molest the l ords. As the trees began to grow the 
birds began to occupy them for their homes, and 
as they found us and the children to be their 
friends, they, in turn, manifested more confi¬ 
dence and intimacy, and did not hesitate to 
build their nests in trees near the house, even in 
those whose branches brushed the dwelling, 
regarding us as protectors from the hawks and 
their enemies; and now while I am writing a 
robin is picking up worms not twenty feet from 
my chair, three of which I saw him devour (two 
of them dug from the turf by thrusting in his 
bill)—all in less time thau I am writing it down. 
It is both pleasing and surprising to see how 
plenty and tame the birds bavo become. 
When my fruits first came into bearing I had 
but little tor several years, or very little more 
than to supply the insects, but now plentifully. 
Though 1 had twelve large aud thrifty Isabella 
and Catawba vines, the rose-bugs rnado a clean 
sweep for u number of years, but for the four last 
past years I have had plenty, and of my plums I 
can say the same. That the Insects have mate¬ 
rially diminished I am certain, but whether from 
the birds alone, or partly by them and partly by 
some other cause, 1 cannot say; yet, that a good 
share of their diminution is due to the birds, I 
have not the least doubt. W. L. Ccrtis. 
Near CJ.vde, Ohio., June, 1863 
equal to a slight manuring of the plant, so thal 
the farmer who cultivates and hoes thoroughly 
finds his crops dressed from the bounties of the 
skies, while neglodtod fields of hard surfaces find 
is, and pity ’tis ’tis true, that in farming few blessings in the shower, 
more than in any other calling, trade or pro- “Two rules should always bo observed in 
fession, the greatest heresies often come from regard to hoeing, viz;—1. Hoe whenever there 
those who have practiced it the longest. And are weeds, whether in June or October. 2. Hoe 
why is it so? —Because, instead of studying whenever the surface is compact and dry, 
Nature’s lessons, man looks on them as upon whether in June or September.” 
“trees walking.” As her laws are not really -- 
revealed to him, he becomes mystified by her Tlie u#e of Plaster. 
most simple combinations — confounding her Not much is yet known as to tbejwberefore 
whole modus operandi with occult mystery, of the effects caused by using this article on our 
wbeu a little patient investigation would reveal We clip the following from the Country 
much of it to him, to his delectation and instruc- Gentleman, being the observations of a corre- 
tion. Man may make laws that clash with each ^pondent who has used it for half a century, and 
other, but Nature has never made such blunders, give i t for what it is worth: 
If she permits the apple tree to run down its “As for its modus operandi, or theory of its 
roots eighteen feet into a friable soil, and the action, I presume I kuow as much about it as 
roots of the tiny clover plant occasionally to an y other man, and that is just nothing at all. 
extend as deeply, it would be a libel on her con- But from actual observation, I have had conclu- 
sisleucy to suppose that the herbaceous flax 8 >ons forced upon me so clearly that I venture to 
plant was restricted to three inches. Let your style them maxims. These are: 
correspondent only take the trouble to dig down “ 1- The best time for sowing plaster is in May 
and examine the roots of the flax plant with a or early in June. 
microscope, and be will find that the tiny root- “2- Gypsum produces its full effects on light, 
lets descend more than three times three inches d, 7 land ol loam mixed with a small amount of 
in a practicable soil, and probably much deeper. 8and - As the proportion of sand increases its 
But there is another great advantage in deeply cflects diminish, till on pure sandy soil it has no 
ture early last summer to two rough barns, one 
about 30 by 55 feet, the other 20 by 30, in three 
and a half days, consuming two bushels of water 
lime, which was nearly the whole cost of mate¬ 
rial. This coating, now nearly one year’s stand¬ 
ing, appears to be as good as the day it was put 
on. It will be perceived that the expense is 
only about one-tenth the cost of a coat of paint 
—Country Gentleman. 
Leached Ashes. 
Wood ashes always contain a considerable 
amount of carbonate of potash, lime, Ac., and 
are consequently very beneficial to such plants 
as require large quantities of these alkalies, such 
as Indian corn, turnips, beets and potatoes. 
Leached ashes have lost, much of the principal 
alkaline salts, and have been deprived of the 
greatest part of their most important soluble 
ingredients; still they must not be regarded as 
an unimportant fertilizer, and other matter which 
they contain is always more or less beneficial to 
the soil. Unless the land is well worked and 
contains sufficient organic matter, we should not 
consider ashes, whether leached or unleached, 
as alone adequate to the production of a good 
crop of wheat, turnips or corn. 
There is something about old leached ashes 
that we do not understand, though we have 
given the subject considerable attention. We 
have seen Instances where old leached ashes 
have had an excellent effect on wheat, while 
unleached ashes seemed to do no good. We 
have thought that perhaps the potash and soda 
which bad been washed out, were replaced by 
ammonia and nitric acid from the atmosphere. 
The subject is one worthy of investigation. At 
all events, it is certain that leached ashes fre- 
Rural Notes arti> Items. 
International Wheat Show.— in the Rural of j une 
6 r.h we stated that an efort was being made to hold a 
Wheat Show in connection with next Fair of Monroe Co 
Ag. Society, and named the premiums it was proposed to 
offer. Since then the arrangements have been consum¬ 
mated, and it is announced that a great International 
Wheat 8 how will be held at Rochester, N Y., September 
8 th, 9th and 10th, under the auspices of the Monroe Co 
Ag Society The following premiums are offered: 
Best 20 hu»he!s of "Winter Wheat_ St so 
Second best do do .._ . - r 
Bent 20 bushels Red Winter Wheat . 100 
Second best do do .. . 50 
Best 2 bushels White Winter Wheat. 50 
Second best do do .Ill"”** 25 
Beet 2 bushel* Red Winter Wheat... 40 
Second best do do _20 
Best 2 bushels Spring Wheat.. . 
Second best do do . 10 
Competitors for these Prizes will be required to furnish 
samples of the wheat in the ear, and with the straw 
attached, (say 60 ears of wheat and straw;) a'so to furnish 
a written statement of the nature of the soil on which the 
wheat grew, method of cultivation, time of sowing, quan¬ 
tity of seed sown, manures (If any used,) and mode and 
time of application; also the time of ripening and harvest¬ 
ing, and the yield per acre, with such other particulars as 
may be deemed of practical importance; also the name by 
which the variety is known in the locality where it i*s 
grown. The wheat must be one variety, pure and un- 
mixed. The prize to be awarded to the actual grower of 
the wheat, aud the wheat which takes a prize is to become 
the property of the Society. 
— From the use of the word “ International,” we sup¬ 
pose competition is open to. the world, though the fact 
is not officially announced. 
“ The Practical Shepherd.” —The announcement of 
this work continues to attract attention and favorable 
comment Among the many complimentary notices with 
which we have recently been favored is the following, 
written for a prominent New York paper by (If we mis 
take not) our long-time occasional and always sensible 
correspondent, 8 W “ A rare hook on Sheep Husband¬ 
ry, entitled ‘The Practical Shepherd,' by H 8 Randall, 
LL. I)., is now being puhllghed by D. D. T. Moore, of 
Rochester, and Lippincott A Co., Phlla Mr. Randall 
quently have a very beneficial effect; and if the ha * httd over ,hirt * >' ear * experience in Sheep Husbandry, 
above hypothesis is true, the older they are the 
belter.— Prof. Buckland. 
Plowing—Loss of Time in Turning. 
In some experiments made by the Earl of 
Mar, it appears that the loss of time, in a day of 
ten hours, in plowing a field 274 yardRlong, with 
a furrow 10 inches wide, was 1 hour and 22 min¬ 
is thoroughly acquainted with all the popular breeds of 
sheep—their summer and winter management, diseases, 
and the remedies. As he has already written more fully 
and better on this subject than any American writer, his 
book cannot fail to be a great desideratum to all flock- 
masters. It is pleasant at this time, after King Cotton 
has done so much to decrease the consumption of all oth¬ 
er textile materials, to see sturdy practical advocates for 
for these old time fibers come to the rescue, not only for 
utes; in plowing a field 200 yards long, a loss of tUe h,tT ”“ su ttnJ improvement of Sheep and Wool, but 
2 hours and 1 minute: in a field 149 yards lorn? al§0 ° f Fla5t and F)ax c, -’ tton H ‘ e not nfiw predict 
* a » * * tint? the* Pro cnrti>m/w> intollinnnA.* __i_ j *i __ • 
plowing a tenacious soil. You thus give it more 
power to retain or hold water by capillary attrac¬ 
tion. I always find that garden plants stand a 
drouth much better in a soil that was deeply 
spaded in the fall, than on that which was hur¬ 
riedly spaded in the spring. A neighbor asked 
effect The same is true of argillaceous or clayey 
soils. The more clay and water in the laud, the 
less will be the effect of the plaster until, on low, 
wet and clayey land, all its effects cease. 
“3. Like grass or grain, a certain amount of 
rain is necessary to bring out its full beneficial 
a loss of 2 hours and 44 minutes; and in a field !!‘ ut P*? n,ul * ,t ® d thron * h 
7 R utirda linirr « i noo frl . the-medium of books aud pamphlets, from tho heat expe- 
t ^ ‘ . °" S U J hours and 11 minutes, rienced source*, is at hand, to again divide the kingdom 
Ill Other words, in plowing a field only 7,8 yards between cotton and the other agricultural textiles, all for 
long, 5 hours and 11 minutes are occupied in the advancement of man and free labor, both North and 
turning, and only 4 hours and 49 minutes in 8outhr ” 
actual plowing—a loss of more than one-half. . 1V „ Pi ~ 
Of rmirse the Inse »f rirwa .. j , A Sake and Patriotic Investment.T he Secretary 
m ,nh nn M VU ?® P “ d ^ ° f tU “ T "« a, '- V decided to Continue the rale of the 
much on the skill and activity of the plowman United states “ Five-Twcnty’• rix per cent bond*, at par, 
in turning; but even if the horses never stop at fora »hort time longer. Coming j this announcement 
all in turning, the loss is greater than is gen- ,3oe * upon the heel.* of the glorious victories that 
erally imagined .—Mark Lane Express. 
Depth of Plowing, 
A writer in the Agricultural Review says: 
“Deep cultivation Is inapplicable in the case of 
gladdening all loyal heart* throughout tho nation, and 
demonstrating more than over the inherent and imperish 
able power and stability of our institutions, it i* sure to 
be responded to by a more eager investment in the bonds 
titan has taken place at auy former period. Messrs, Fisk 
& Hatch, No. :>S Wall St., New York, the popular and 
me, the other day, why my corn aud cabbages effects; but these effects arc more deterred by 
grew so much faster than his. “ Because,” said drouth lhan they are in grains. 
sandy soils, except when they rest upon a stiff 
Cl i Yizr\l n-hi.-ib 1. ..... ^.. _1 il «n 
I ? “you hired Patrick to spade your garden by 
the job; but I spaded mine myself” s. tv. 
OTHER THINGS, AND BIG CATTLE, CROPS, &c. 
tisements have from time to time appeared in our col- 
uwu*. continue to receive orders and forwaid the Bonds 
to any address desired. The money thus invested through 
them goes directly aud immediately to the support of the 
National Treasury. Many individuals and banking insti- 
Friend Moore;— My only excuse for addross- 
CHESS QUESTION NOT SETTLED. ing you in the present instance is, that the spirit 
-n r, , T ~~Z . moved and I seized the pen. A general feelinir 
„ns. Rural New-Iorreb:—A s you have of joy seems to pervade our entire community 
allowed one of your correspondents to broach WheQ the news of (Jen. Meade’s success, and 
that uover-to-be-settled question, the changing the capture of Vicksburg, was received, the roar 
of wheat into chess, which I had supposed of thc 
cannon or the anvil could be heard in 
qiufltly inurned in tie ‘ tomb of the Cap.,Iota,? meiy direction, and every village bad it., bon- 
you must permit me to state a few eireumetancea, 0res „ , 0 „ „ tLc und d rJ . goo4s 
which may render the subject uet as well settled b0I( , cmiM found to supply tho fuel We 
*X“ f"” e V . , , are especially rejoicin e in our tamedinte vicin- 
Pbilosopb call, reasontng on Ibtspomt, under ily , u consequence ot the stroup probability o 
e o nica Fys em o class, order, genus and the snort of the iron-horse being heard befbrt 
species, ns no,,' settled, 1 have been unmllmg to m0 „ lbs in our qatot , HUag J Tb( . 8 
allow ha one species can be translated or „ J w Wog ,* from our vi 
transmitted nto another, and yet I hare seen , , 0 C0MMl wMl .. Michi Cootra ,., 1 
such "belly inexplicable cases, that they would w , dtea nce 0l 0 „, y mile! . ^ * 
stagger the faith of the most earnest reasoners, ,t . • , , , ,, . 7 
and I am quite sure that three-quarters of our 1S S COmp1 ^ ,° Ur " V< rf ^V 01- * 
most observing wheat growers thoroughly Z <*r yer) can wdl exclaim that« Othello’s occu- 
lieve In the doctrine of transmutation. pad0n 8 £°^ e ’ ^ 
There seems to be a strong affinity among all r , 7 “ jnSt C . a f 1 - to , , . wc 'l v ? ? ea<i oi 
the grass and grain plants—so strong that they a ? a . * ia W< ( '. re raised ln tbls vlcinit Yi and 
can with difficulty be distinguished from each are be > n g dr ^en through our town. The twelve 
other by the leaf, until they show the seed stem, ^ ^ “J a ^ T sucb as would 
anditmaybe possible that they all originated P are fa^abiy with the New England “reds.” 
from a single germ, or vZZfg S They were purchased by Mr. B. F. Wither, of 
changing during the unimaginable period since tbt ^ ? f " f L1 f & ^ HEE ! 01 Ontario Co., 
the beginning- which, for ought we know mav y °' ir State ’ ?’ ho liavc dnven , man -T hne cattle 
be as remote as Eternity, and that botanists may tf0m our sectl p a - The crops bid fair to be an 
be in error in classing ‘ them, as they now do as average m yield, and our State seems to be 
different species, and that transmutation is only faV ° red W1 . th general P r08 Pf ^ The pockets 
a tendency to recur to the original type. Be °* 0 U f. Cltlzens are weP lined with “green- 
tbis as it may, there are a great number of well- backs ’ and ba PP iness and J 0 ? ?( ‘ ems to hcam 
authenticated cases going to show thal there are ”° m eve . r ^ countenance, save here and there 
many things not accounted for in our philosophy. ° n ° tbat is moundng tbe ol a relative in this 
Dr. Wkisenborn. an eminent naturalist as- unhol y war * W. D. Whalen. 
serfs, in the Magazine of Natural History Avl ^ Jn,y 10 > 1863 ’ 
1, pp. 574,) that whenever oats are sown at the 
usual time, and kept cropped down during sum- gUtral Spirit of the 
mer and autumn, and allowed to remain over _ 
the winter, a thin crop of rye is the invariable Late Hoeing of Corn and Other Crops, 
result, which has been verified by repeated Brother Brown, of the W. E. Farmer 
experiments. Dr. Lindlet, the most learned thus discourses on this topic:—“Silent assent 
and best authority extant on botanical subjects, seems to be given to an old rule, that the crops 
states “that at the request of the Marquis of must be hoed three times, whether they are 
Biistol, the Rev. Lord Arthur Hervet sowed weedy or not, and no more, though the ground 
the snort of the iron-horse being heard before 
many months in our quiet village. The survey 
is now being made for a railroad from our vil¬ 
lage to connect with the “ Michigan Central ” at 
Wayne, a distance of only twelve miles. When 
that is completed, our old stage coach (or its 
driver) can well exclaim that “ Othello’s occu¬ 
pation’s gone.” 
My attention is just called to twelve head of 
fat cattle that were raised in this vicinity, and 
are being driven through our town. The twelve 
:|l 
!fr 
euuuuj: pub mese enect« art* mora <i<Mf»rfWf i. . , - * .«.. bwm, wuwsb huvw- 
drouth than they are in m ains * ‘ 18 ran ‘ ly th ° Ca?e ’ lf tUemeuts '“’ e «PP™*d in our col 
“4. Any land <mitabte for ’<»*««,. m l . ther ® simply a Ibin stratum of Stiff clay be- umn*, continue to receive orders and forward the Bonds 
’ y .*. . g ^P im ! "kether ueath the sandy soil, it should not always be to any address desired. The money thus invested through 
wild or cultivated, seeded or un seeded, will broken through, as. it may prevent the moisture goes dirc cdj aud immediately to the support of the 
a ways teepond to the one first coatol plaster, passing away too rapidly as drainage. When • N ’ lti ' >,lal Treasury. Many individuals and banking insti- 
and produce its full effects. The richer the land friable soil rests on chalk, gravel or sand deep tUti ° na virinitJ have iMVe '' t, ' ,i largely in the “Five- 
18 and the i niore lligh >y manured and seeded, the plowing should not be performed. We' have Twcntie *’’ aud t heloftni8 desi n ble. 
greali inil! iietLvn.‘-nits. often known manure to be plowed iu so deeply more heavy fleeces— Mr. it h Bennett ofCot 
Bllbseauent m J l • ! T "° that ite deCOlfl P 0siUon t00k l jlaC « only after the ta*e Grove, Minn., writes to the Rural in this wise:- 
... . 1 , / ’ '. ‘ ' W1 pioduce auy lapse of several years. Manure, to be efficient, “Seeing a statement in tho American Stock Journal, of 
' ^ 11 'W'l; all hough a dozen coats be sown, must be as close to the surface as possible in the bearing of six bucks in Vermont, i send to you for 
iiutil the ground is again tilled and seeded, order that ihe nourishment afforded by it may P ublic!ltioa an Account of the shearing of three that I 
Hence sowing coat after coat as the summers be within easy access of the rootlets of the P urcljH8e ' 1 Mr m '.'*ckr, a neighbor of mine, viz,: 
roll by, on the same land, iB all labor and money plants ” } twojear old buck,..... 24 lbs. 
greater will be the results. 
“ 5. After the effect of the first coat ceases, uo 
subsequent coat of plaster will produce auy 
effect whatever, although a dozen coats be sown, 
until the ground is again tilled and seeded! 
Hence sowing coat after coat as the summers 
roll by, on the same land, is all labor and money 
thrown away. 
“6. Plaster produces its most striking effect on 
clover, red and white. After the red has gone 
through its developments and died out, the white 
ity iu consequence of the strong probability of lollows »n the train of effects. On Timothy and 
the grasses generalfy, it is useless. On wheat, 
rye and oats it is worthless. On potatoes it is of 
little or no use. 
“7. Two bushels sown on an acre will produce 
as much effect as a dozen, or any quantity. A 
half bushel will produce as good results on clo¬ 
ver for one season as more, but its effects cease 
with the seasoq,” 
Spreading Manure from the Cart 
In the application of manure as a top-dress- 
inA. r__• v a 444.- _ 
gttQUiMjsi anti gtows. 
How ro Make Home Brewed Ale—I n answer to the 
inquiry in your highly valued paper of June 27, I submit 
the following on this aubjeet: 
The art of brewing is very easy to be understood, for it 
is exactly similar to the procets of making tea. Put a 
handful of malt into a teapot; then fill it with water—the 
first time rather under boiling heat After it has stood 
some time pour oft’ the liquor just as yon would tea, and 
fill up the pot again with boiling water. In a similar 
manmier pour that off, and so go on filling up and pour¬ 
ing off till the malt in the pot is tasteless, which will be 
the case when all its virtue is extracted. The liquor or 
m ait tea ill lit extracted must then be boiled with a few 
hop 9 in it, and when it become! cool enough—that is 
1 two year old buck,.. 24 lbs 
1 “ “ “ . 17t«t “ 
1 yearling t( ____ 13 ' <1 
The wool was less than one year’s growth, and the two 
two-year olds were clipped as close last year as this. They 
run with the balance of the flock, and had no extra care. 
As to heft of carcass, the three sheared, of wool, one-fifth 
of their total gross weight before shearing. Let Vermont 
speak again.” 
The Season and Crops in Maine— Under date of Ox¬ 
ford, Me., June 24, 1863, 8. Tennkt writes to the Rcral 
New-Yorker;— » The season in this section is quite back¬ 
ward and dry Corn came up poorly in many cases, so 
much so as to need replanting. Potatoes are looking well; 
now Just beginning to be big enough to hoe. Peas and 
beans look well The growing crop is varied—some good 
and some poor, l'ouug grass in many instances has been 
killed by the drouth; it haring been cool and dry w ith high 
winds, and an occasional hot day. Fanners iu this vicin- 
- 0 -" *« * “V ‘ It VI * t 1 . _ . I-1 i 1 , J , . . . w - --- XU mw ’ l'. AAA 
weigh twelve tun, and are such as would com- [ or rnowiD ^ lands, William Bacon writes to about blood-heat— add a little yeast to ferment it, and the ity are doing what they can to produce the necessaries of 
| pare favorably with the Now England “ reds.” 
They were purchased by Mr. B. F. Wither, of 
the firm of Wells & Wjthee, of Ontario Co., 
yonr State, who have driven many fine cattle 
from our section. The crops bid fair to be an 
average in yield, and our State seems to be 
favored with general prosperity. The pockets 
of our citizens are well lined with “green¬ 
backs,” and happiness and joy seems to beam 
from every countenance, save here and there 
one that is mourning the fall of a relative in this 
unholy war. W. D. Whalen. 
Northville, Mich., July 10,1863. 
---- 
Ihtral Spirit of the gress, 
the Country Gentleman that he had much trouble thing is donc Thi8 is the whole art au,J P r ' t,c6ss of bre "’’ 
in getting it spread evenly and seasonably so ’”»• And to brew alarge quantity requires just the same 
tonrras ha inode of proceeding as it would to make a tea breakfast 
.? 1 L . 1 tlu ‘ u d plaD 0f dumping it for a regiment of soldiers. A peck of malt and 4 ounces 
. mispleading the heaps afterwards. He now of hops will produce ten quarts of ale, ami of bettor qual- 
epreads it directly from the cart, and thus states ’D than any that can usually be purchased—G., Benton. 
the advantages of that mode“ We get. it on the - 
surface more evenly, and in the aggregate in a . I “ Pl ASTKR x Pkwilizer is piaster strictly a fertll- 
less amount of time, and for the third we claim if "' / aW f ^ npi,lion that ft ls - fr0ra the fart that 1 
that the sooner it is spread the sooner the and Z* ' 7 , 1 , tlmt w " sown the 8pring foIlowin e 
. .. . ... . * , , uut I lDe tana after corn stubble growing verT rank where the kilh were 
ge e^benefit of it The only drawback thal I plastered. Precisely where the hill* were, the wheat could 
know ol IS, that the team must Stand still a little be distinguished as being of a darker color and taller. I 
longer while spreading than dumping, but as the hav e noticed it in two or three different fields. Soil is 
team is kept for the benefit of the farm, there is oa ^ °P en i , *(f s — White clay loam. Can you or your corres- 
probably no loss of time in that.” pondenta explain it otherwise ?—O. B , Empire, Fond du 
a handful of oats, and treated them in the man¬ 
ner recommended, by continually stopping the 
flowering stems, and the produce was, for the 
most part, ears of a slender barley, having much 
the appearance of rye, with a little wheat and 
some oats.” 
Other case 8 of Drolonoed pestnHnn in tho 
be covered with weeds. Three, times is enough, 
and the soil ought to know better than to throw 
Wash for Barns. 
There is no cheap substitute for oil paint. 
All the different kinds of whitewashing are inca¬ 
pable of shutting out moisture. The sides of 
buildings especially exposed to rains, will lose a 
portion of auy kind of wash by the combined 
action of frost and moisture. Oil paint obviates 
this difficulty. 
There are many different kinds of wash recom¬ 
mended; but with a single exception, we have 
up weeds alter such a scarification, say some; we never found anything better than a mixture of 
cannot afford to hoe any more, and so the crop is good lime with water. This exception we have 
lelt to try its powers with the weeds, and gen- made a thorough trial with. A rough barn, 
dally comes out second best. A part, of the which receivcri a enatiniv fm IT U£lQro aMA nn.t. 
iug: and to brew a large quantity requires just the same 
inode of proceeding as it would to make a tea breakfast 
for a regiment of soldiers. A peck of inalt and 4 ounces 
of hops will produce ten quarts of ale, and of better qual¬ 
ity than any that can usually be purchased—G., Benton. 
Is Plaster a Fertilizer ?—Is plaster strictly a fertil¬ 
izer ? I am of the opinion that it is, from the fact that I 
have observed wheat that was sown the spring following 
after corn stubble growing very rank where the hills were 
plastered. Precisely where the hills were, the wheat could 
be distinguished as being of a darker color and taller. I 
have noticed it in two or three difiereut fields. Soil is 
oak openings—white clay loam. Can you or your corres¬ 
pondents explain it otherwise ?—O. B , Empire, Fond du 
Lac Co., HYs. 
The Heaves, Rosin Weed, &o. —In the Rural of the 
27th ult., J. H. Baker inquires about the rosin weed a« a 
cure for heaves in horses. We heard of it before, and 
perhaps it may be all that is claimed for it—but we believe 
Illinois and other parts of the great West are also free 
from consumption and cough among the bipeds. This 
we think cannot be from eating rosin weed. Perhaps the 
atmosphere has something to do with them also—S. C. 
Hamilton, P M , Buel A‘. F. 
What Ailed thb Sheep P—About one year ago mv 
sheep commenced going blind. When first discovered 
they would he totally blind in one or both eyes, and re¬ 
main so tor two or three days, and then partially but not 
entirely recover. There was but one affected at a time, 
and but two that entirely lost their eyes. I could not dis- 
rln. , , eralIy C0mes 0ut 8eCOnd be8t ' A part Of the which received a coating four vears La nnw- the - v " ere in their general health, or 
i; th : obJ T f, h ,r ag -’ to mdiadr a< ^ a iz 
plant (familiar to most farmers) produced weeds , but there is a principle involved in it far tion is scaled off on the most exposed side. This Ctrcs^Goss * “ d ^ est a reujedy 
life; help is scarce and high, however, and will necessari¬ 
ly cut short farm operations to some extent. But still we 
look for fair returns from mother earth. Grass is badly 
winter killed, and promises hut a light crop on old fields. 
We had a fine shower yesterday, the first for some time.” 
—" »♦» - - 
Wheat, Cors and Soroo in Indiana.—A letter from 
A. S. Bkals, of Noble Co., J rid. 7 dated July 1st, says:— 
“We are ln the midst of wheat harvest now, and the 
crop never was better, both for quantity aud quality. 
Corn is very good, considering the extreme dry weather 
we have had since it was planted. Sago is going to be 
quite an article of produce in this county the present 
season; nearly every farmer has enough growing to make 
his own sirup and pay the manufacturer.” 
The following communication, addressed to the Editor 
of the Rcral New-Yorker by the Commissioner of 
Agriculture, explains itself: 
Post Opeice Department, / 
Washington, D C , July 6 th, 1863. j 
Sir: — The fifth sub division of the 42d instruction 
under the new Post Oflioe law, U hereby amended by 
striking out the word twelve and inserting thirty-two 
before the word “ounces,” so that it shall readaifol¬ 
lows:—“The weight of packages of seeds, cuttings, roots 
and scions to be franked, is limited to thirty-two ounces.” 
By order of the Post master-General. 
Alex. W. Randall, 1st Asst. P. M. Gen’l. 
Department or Aoriccltcrb, ( 
Washington, D C., July 7th, 1863. ) 
At the suggestion of the Post Office Department that 
the above order be puhliahed as extensively a- possible, 
you will confer a favor on this Department and on the 
Farmers of the Country by giving it a place in jour 
paper It will be seen that the right to send the usual 
weight of seeds, cuttings, Ac., under the frank of this 
Department, has not been abridged. 
Very respectfully, your ob’t serv’t, 
Isaac Newton, Commissioner. 
