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[SINGLK NO. MVE CENTS 
‘ PROGRESS and improvement. 
TWO DOLLARS A. YEAR.] 
WHOLE NO. 715 
ROCHESTEB, N. Y.—FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1863 
VOL. XTV. NO. 39.1 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AX 0RIG1XAL WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With a Corps of Able Assistants anil Contributors. 
CHA9. D. BRAG DON. Western Corresponding Editor. 
Tnic Rural Nkw-Yorkkk is designed to be una-arpaBsed 
in Value. Purity and Variety of Contents, and unlqne 
and beautiful In Appearance. Ita Conductor devotes his 
personal attention to the supervision of Its various 
departments, and earnestly is bora to render the Rural an 
eminently He liable Guide on all the important Practical, 
Scientific and other Subjects intimately connected with tbu 
business of those whose Interests it jealously advocates. 
As a Family Journal it is eminently Instructive and 
Entertaining—being so conducted that it can bo safely 
taknn to the Homes of people of Intelligence, taste and 
discrimination, it embraces more Agricultural, Horticul¬ 
tural, Scientific, Educational, Literary and News Matter, 
interspersed with appropriate Engravings, than any other 
journal,—rendeting it the most complete Agricultural, 
Literary and Family Newspaper in America 
C3T For Terms and other ptirticulars, see last page. 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES. 
MIKFATORY. 
I have started to spend September among the 
people at the Fairs, on their farms, in their or¬ 
chards, gardens and homes. I am going to give 
your readers what 1 see, hear and tbiak, that may 
prove profitable and interesting to them. And I 
commence with the 
ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL FAIR 
At Rockford, one of the prettiest towns in the 
West, with the livest and most enthusiastic horti¬ 
cultural population I have ever met. I am here 
early the day before the fair, because I like to 
eee a thing grow from the beginning—and be¬ 
cause one has a bettor opportunity for quiet 
Chats with the working, thinking men, in which 
more interesting, suggestive and important facta 
are acquired. 
One thing more. No farmer should think hor¬ 
ticultural matter of little use to him—nor fail to 
read it because be may not regard himself a hor¬ 
ticulturist. Every farmer is, or should be, a 
horticulturist; at least he should learn the laws 
which govern the propagation of plants and 
their development into flowers and fruit And I 
shall write of horticulture, just as I would of any 
other brunch of agriculture, because I believe it 
of equal importance and interest to every one of 
your readers. I have learned something to-day 
—gathered some items which it is proper to make 
public. 
ABOUT THE WHITE WILLOW 
I’ve not much to say now, but shall have. There 
is, evidently, from the ominous sounds I hear, 
and tho gathering clouds I see, when the subject 
is broached, a storm brewing. The wonderful 
magic: screens and fences that wore to grow up 
so suddenly and change the whole character of 
tho prairie landscape have uot appeared. The 
cuttings have not sprouted. One man said to¬ 
day that not one hundredth part of the cuttings 
planted last spring are alive. And it is leaking 
out that certain Western (and perhaps Eastern) 
willow swamps have been cleaned out to supply 
the enormous demand for white willows. And 
farmers find that stock w ill browse them notwith¬ 
standing the representations of the peddlers. 
Ah ! I tell you there is a trembling in the boots 
of some of the parties who have entered into this 
speculation greedily—litigations to recover enor¬ 
mous damages are rumored, and the end is not 
yet Now, I’m giving you only what comes to 
me on the air. By and by I'll be able to put these 
things together in the shape of facts. I fear the 
reaction will commence before some men are 
prepared lbr it. 
THE HOLDEN CHASSELAS GRATE, OUT OK DOORS. 
Two days ago my pleasant friend Williams, 
gardener, plucked fine specimens of this grape 
from his vines in his cold grapery, and gave me 
to taste. They were just ripening. To-day I 
gathered ripe fruit of this variety from, a vioe 
which has been growing out of doors in the gar¬ 
den of Dr. Andrews, of ibis city, (Rockford,) 
seven years. Just as good fruit precisely—just 
as ripe as the Eame varieties in the graperies a 
quarter of a mile away ! 
Dr. Andrews ordered from an agent of Eli,- 
waxger & Barry some vines for planting In a 
cold grapery. By mistake they were sent too 
soon—in the fall before bis grapery was complete. 
lie put them in the ground, in his garden, cov- l 
ered them in winter and they have grown there t 
since. * 
This Golden Chasselas fruited the second year 
after planting and has borne fruit ever since. It 
was planted seven years ago. He lays it dowu 
in winter precisely as he does his Isabellas. The 
eyes of the latter are sometimes injured by freez¬ 
ing, but he has not discovered a single case of 
injury to the eyes of the Golden Chasselas. Ot 
sixty varieties this is the earliest on his place. t 
He always has ripe fruit from it in August He , 
is planting a vineyard of it. Says it is a good f 
bearer, and of course profitable. Tho fruit from | 
a single vine last year sold (or would have sold, f 
1 am not positive which,) for $5, he asserted. « 
The Concords, Clintons and Dianas growing 
near by are not ripe yet. 
The soil and treatment are not the cause of 
this peculiarity. The soil is a clayey loam on ( 
the west hank of the Rock River. There is no , 
artificial drainage. The vine was tied up to a ( 
stake—had been cut severely and layered the ( 
past season, and Dr. A. said, thoroughly neg- ( 
lected. • , 
HOW TO HAT CLINTONS. 
This famous little grape gave the tongue agood 
deal of acid after tasting the Chasselas. The 
Doctor remarked that it would be sweeter in a 
week or two; and added that it was, in its pres¬ 
ent condition, an excellent table fruit, if people 
only knew how to use it 
I asked “how?” of course. 
Ho replied, “ If you wish to enjoy them, in 
their present Condition, pick them, break the 
skins, put them in a dish and add sugar, serving 
them in this condition. You will not soon get 
tired of Clintons in this way. 
ABOUT THE CONCORD. 
“ What do you think of it?” I asked. 
“ Ob, it is a good grower, and a good grape 
about a week in its season, and thereafter it is 
no better than the commonest fox grape—at least, 
it is so with me. Perhaps on a different soil and 
location it may ho otherwise.’’ 
I have heard growers make a similar statement 
concerning it before. 
THE CAROLINA RED JUNE. 
•• Mr. B., you cannot Bay too much concerning 
this apple, it. is a beautiful, hardy tree, produc¬ 
ing young and hearing abundautly every sea¬ 
son.” Other gentlemen confirmed this state¬ 
ment. There seemed to ho an unanimous 
enthusiasm about the apple. Let Western men 
who want an early, productive and profitable 
fruit, make a note of it. 
Since writing tho above there has been talk 
about this apple by gentlemen giving brief 
verbal reports of the condition of the apple crop 
in different localities. President Mister stated 
that he had learned that this tree is a gross 
feeder, no gives a large amount ot food with 
wonderful success in the developement of a 
superior fruit, as regards both size and quality. 
This characteristic was confirmed by both C. R. 
Overman and II. P. Kimball. 
THE ANT, THE APHIS AND FRUIT TREES. 
Mr. Cook, of Whiteside Co., complains that 
his apple trees have suffered a good deal from 
the depredations of ants. They destroy foliage. 
He destroyed them by pouring chamber ley on 
the body of the tree near its base. 
Dr. Long, of Madison Co., said be had dis¬ 
covered no bad effect from tho presence of the 
ant about apple trees. The mole destroys the 
ant He had dissected many, and frequently 
found them full of ante. 
G. W. MiNiER,ofTazwell Co., had paid consider¬ 
able attention to the ants on trees, and bad never 
found them on a tree when they were not follow¬ 
ing up some bug or insect with asbarp stick. He 
believes they are useful about trees. 
Mr. Woodward, of McHenry Co., said the 
aphis has been numerous on our trees, aud the 
ant seems to follow the aphis, but he could not 
say that they destroy the latter. 
, 0. B. Galusha, of Grundy Co., doeg not be- 
s lieve that the ant injures trees. They seem to be 
i after the aphis. 1 have watched them closely. 
Thought them an injury at first, but now regard 
: them as friends. 
C. R. Overman, of McLean Co., says he be- 
) lieves the ant to be neither a benefit nor an 
L injury to the horticulturist. The ancient poets 
i have given us some clue to the relations of the 
ant and aphis. lie believes the ant herds the 
- aphis and milks it. He drives the aphis in herds 
v on to the tree to feed, and follows and milks them. 
i Dr. Andrews, of Winnebago Co., has paid a 
u good deal of attention to this subject. He be¬ 
lieves the ant transports the aphis to and from 
the tree—that the latter are herded by the ante. 
Kill the ant and you destroy the aphis. 
Mr. Woodward, of Whiteside Co., asks, why 
it is, then, if ante are no injury, that after destroy¬ 
ing them, as he did, his trees began to thrive, 
while before they looked as if dying? He be¬ 
lieves he has evidence that the ant is au injury 
to the tree. 
Dr. Warder, of Cincinnati, said;—Gentle¬ 
men, this friend from Whiteside Co. may be 
right. The ant he refers to is a large one; he 
says, There is a large ant that preys upon tim¬ 
ber. It’makes a bill about the tree, and bores 
and lives upon tho timber of the tree. It is not 
safe to assert that, the ant in Whiteside Co. is no 
injury to the tree. 
On this subject of the relations of the ant 
and the aphis, I remember Harris says some¬ 
thing. On pages 230 and 237, ho says:— 
“Plant-lice (aphides) seem to love society, 
and often herd together in dense masses, e:vch 
one remaining fixed to the plant by means 
of a long, tubular beak; and they rarely 
change their places till they have exhausted 
the part first attacked. The attitudes and 
manners of these little creatures are exceed¬ 
ingly amusing. When disturbed, like restive 
horses, they begin to kick and sprawl in the 
most ludicrous manner. They may be seen at 
times suspended by their beaks alone, and 
throwing up their legs as if' in high frolic, but 
too much engaged in sucking to withdraw their 
beaks. As they take in great quantities of sap, 
they would soon become gorged if they did not 
get rid of the superabundant fluid through the 
two little tubes or pores at the extremity of then- 
bodies. When one of them gets running over- 
- 
O -V - . - 
... - . . . 
SHROPSHIRE DOWN RAM, “LION.” 
“When these subterranean lice are disturbed, I 
the ants are thrown into the greatest confusion 
and alarm; they carefully take up tho lice which 
have fallen from the roots, ami convey them in 
their jaws into the deep recesses of their nests; 
and hero tho lice still contrive to live upon Iho 
fragments of roots left in the soil. 
“It is stated that tho ants bestow tho saino 
care and attention upon tho root lice as upon 
their own offspring; that they defend them from 
the attacks of other insects, and carry them 
about in their mouths to change their pasture; 
full, it seems to communicate Us uneasy sensa- and that they pay particular attention to tho eggs 
tions, by a kind of animal magnetism, to the of tho lice, frequently moistening them with 
f ' * J ... .. .. ... it. . • i...i "a?..1.. * »u.,..v 
whole flock, upon which they all, with one 
accord, jerk up their bodies, and eject a shower 
of the honeyed fluid. Tho leaves and bark of 
plants much infested by these insects, are often 
completely sprinkled over with drops of this 
sticky fluid, which, on drying, become dark col¬ 
ored, and greatly disfigures tho foliage. This 
appearance has boon denominated honey-dew; 
but there is another somewhat similar produc¬ 
tion observable on plants, after very dry weather, 
which has received the same name, and consists 
of an extravasation or oozing of the sap from the 
leaves. 
“We are often apprized of the presence of 
plant-lice on plants growing in the open air, by 
the ants ascending and descending tho stems. 
By observing the motions of tho latter, we soon 
ascertain that the sweet fluid discharged by tho 
lice, is the occasion of these visits. The stems 
swarm with slim and hungry ants running up¬ 
wards, and others lazily descending with their 
bellies swelled almost to bursting. When ar¬ 
rived in the immediate vicinity of the plant-lice, 
they greedily wipe up the sweet fluid which has 
distilled from them, and when this fails, they 
station themselves among the lice, and catch the 
drops as they fall. 
“The lice do not not seem to be in the least 
annoyed by the ante, hut live on the best possi¬ 
ble terms with them; and, on the other hand, the 
ante, though unsparing of other insects weaker 
than themselves, upon which they frequently 
prey, treat the plant-lice with the utmost gentle¬ 
ness, caressing them with their antenme, and 
apparently inviting them to give out the fluid by 
patting their aides. Nor are tho lice inattentive 
to these solicitations, when in a state to gratify 
the ants, lor whose sake they not only seem to 
shorten tho periods of discharge, but actually 
yield the fluid when thus pressed. A single 
louse has been known to give it drop by drop, 
successively, to a number of ante that were 
wailing anxiously to receive it. When the 
plant-lice cast their skins the ants instantly re¬ 
move the latter, nor will they allow any dirt or 
rubbish to remain upon or about, them. They 
even protect them from their enemies, and run 
about them in the hot sunshine to drive away 
the liltlo ichneumon flies that are forever hover¬ 
ing pear to deposit their eggs in the bodies of 
the lice.” 
Harris also describes a species of lice that 
live in the ground, and derive their nourishment 
from the roots of plants, and gays:—“These 
little lice are attended by ants which generally 
make their nests near the roots of the plants, so 
as to have their milch kine, us the plant lice 
have been called, within their own habitations; 
and in consequence of the combined operations 
of the lice and the ante, the plants wither aud 
prematurely perish. 
their tongues, and, in fine weather, bring them 
to the surface of the nests to give them the ad¬ 
vantage of the sun. On the other hand, the 
sweet fluid, supplied in abundance by these lice, 
forms the chief nutriment both of the ants and 
their young, which is sufficient to account, for 
their solicitude and care for their valuable 
herds.” 
SHROPSHIRE DOWN SHEEP. 
[The annexed account.of ihe Shropshire Down 
breed of sheep is from advance sheets of The 
Practical Shepherd, by Hon. II. S. Randall, 
now in course of publication and nearly com¬ 
pleted. Tho engravings portray animals belong¬ 
ing to tho Hock of Judge Chaffee, of Ashtabula 
Co., Ohio.) 
The Shropshire Downs, — Shropshire or 
Sbropa, as they are variously called, are thus 
described by Prof. Wn.sox: — “In our early 
records of sheep farming, Shropshire is de¬ 
scribed as possessing a peculiar and distinct 
variety of sheep, to which the name of ‘ Mode 
Common ’ sheep was given, from the locality to 
which the breed was principally confined. * * 
native breed —are black-faced or brown, or a 
spotted faced, horned sheep, little subject to 
either rot or scab—weighing, the wethers from 
II to 14 lbs, and tho ewes from 9 to 11 lbs. per 
quarter, alter being fed with clover and turnips; 
and clipping nearly 2 lbs. per fleece, exclusive of 
the breeching, which may bo token at one- 
seventh or one-eighth part of the whole.’ * * 
This appears to have been tho original stock 
from which tho present breed of Shropshire 
Downs has sprung. As the county advanced, 
and the breeds became valuable for iheir car¬ 
casses as well os for their wool, the Morfe Com¬ 
mon sheep were crossed with other breeds, but 
more particularly with the long-woeled I.eices- 
ters and Cotswolds, or the short-wooted South 
Downs. Tho admixture of such different blood 
has produced a corresponding variation in the 
characters of the present breed of Shropshire 
Downs, and has tended materially to sustain the 
hesitation which still exists to allow them a place 
as a distinct breed* Where, however, tho origi¬ 
nal cross was with the South Dowu, and the 
breed has been continued unmixed with the 
long-wooled sheep, they present the characteris¬ 
tics of a short-wooled breed, and as such uro 
already recognized in tho Yorkshire and other 
markets. * * * These sheep are without 
horns, with faces and legs of a gray or spotted 
gray color; tli* neck is thick with excellent 
scrag; the head well shaped, rather small than 
large, with ears well Bet on; breast broad and 
deep; back straight, with good carcass; hind 
quarters hardly so wide as tho South Down, and 
the legs cleau with stronger bone. They are 
very hardy, thrive well on moderate keep, and 
are rapidly prepared for market as fogs, [be¬ 
tween weaning and shearing.] weighing on the 
average RO lbs. to 100 lbs. each. The incut is of 
excellent quality, and commands the beet prices. 
L 
SHROPSHIRE DOWN EWE, “NANCY. 
In 1792, when the Bristol Wool Society procured 
as muoh information as possible regarding sheep 
in England, they reported as follows in reference 
to the Morfe Common breed:—‘On Morfe Com¬ 
mon, near Bridgenortb, which contains about 
GOO,000 acres, there are about 10,000 sheep kept 
during the summer moothu, which produce wool ‘ 
of superior quality. They are considered a 
The ewes are prolific, arul good mothers. The 
fleece, which is heavier than tho South Down, is 
longer and more glossy in the staple than the 
other short wools, and weighs on the average 
7 lbs.” 
Mr. Spooner says of them that they were first 
* This was written tn 1866. 
