TERMS, $3.00 PER YEAR.] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT/ 
YOL XVM. ‘NO l\ 
ROCHESTER, N. Y —FOR THE WEEK ENUING SATURDAY. JAN. 5,1807. 
[SINGLE NO. TEN CENTS. 
i WHOLE NO. 885, 
ESTABLISHED IN 1S50. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AS ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL. LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL, D., 
Editor of the Department of Sheep Husbandry. 
HON. T. O. PETERS, 
Late PreB’t N. Y. State Ag. Soo’y, Southern Cor. Editor. 
OLEZES F. WILCOX, Associate Editor. 
Tint Ritual New-Yorker la designed to be nnstir- 
paased tn Value, Purity, and Variety of Contents. Its 
Conductor earnestly labors to render the Rural a Reli¬ 
able Guide ou all the Important, Practical, Scientific and 
other Subjects connected with the business of those 
whose interests It zealously advocates. As a Family 
Joints al St ta eminently Instructive and Entertaining — 
being so conducted that it, can be safely taken to the 
Homes of people of intelligence, taste and discrimination. 
It embraces more Agricultural, Hortienltnrnl, Scientific, 
Educational, Literary and New* Matter, Interspersed 
with appropriate engravings, than any other journal,— 
rendering It by far the most complete AGRictrLTtmAL, 
Literary and Family Newspaper In America. 
MV For Terms and other particulars see last page. 
Newspaper —correct in its teachings on Prac¬ 
tical Subjects, instructive and entertaining to 
members of the Family Circle, of high moral 
tone, and entirely free from deception and 
qnackcry.” Such has bc6n our “platform” 
for the past seventeen years—brief, explicit and 
comprehensive; and if it pleases our readers as 
well in the future as It has in the past, we ought 
to be content,—for, in the language of the Louis¬ 
ville Journal, “ no newspaper In this or any 
other country has ever rim a more prosperous 
career than the Rural New-Yorker.” 
Entering upon a now year and volume under 
the most favorable auspices, we again teuder 
acknowledgments to each and all who have con¬ 
tributed to our success, and be-speak a continu¬ 
ance of their kind offices. Finally, with no 
desire to monopolize, and wishing well to every 
honorable contemporary—cheerfully conceding 
that each Agricultural Journal should be sup¬ 
ported by the people of its locality or State, in 
preference to any other—we shall continuously 
and earnestly strive to excel all others in efforts 
to furnish the best combined Rural, Literary 
and Famjlt Newspaper on the Continent, 
HINTS 
THE MONTH. 
OUR NEW YEAR AND VOLUME. 
The initial number of the Eighteenth Year 
and Volume ot the Rural New- Yorker is 
before the reader. Though gotten up in haste, 
amid the cares and perplexities of an unusually 
busy period, we trust it will be found worthy of 
approval, in style and contents, flud a fair indi¬ 
cation of the value of the fifty-tone succeeding 
issues of the volume. In sending it forth, we 
heartily wish all its readers a "Happy New 
Year,” and especially those who have been its 
long-time supporters. And we propose to do 
more than art*A—our aim being to interest, In¬ 
struct and benefit all who may peruse the pages 
ot this journal during the ensniag twelvemonth. 
Difficult as may be this task, it is entered upon 
in good faith, and with a firm and confident 
determination to accomplish the triple object. 
And, having a corps of Editors and Contributors 
who are conversant with the condition uud want* 
of the Industrial Classes of both America and 
Europe, why may not the Rural claim, without 
arrogance or pretension, to speak for and in the 
interest of the Rural Population of the whole 
Continent ? With subscribers in every populated 
section of our widely • extended Republic, (and 
also in the adjacent British Provinces, Europe, 
etc.,) it behooves ns to be well posted in regard 
to the best interests, and true " Progress and 
Improvement,” of all civilized countries, and wc 
trust the utterances of the Rural during the 
year 18*57 will demonstrate that our claims are 
not unfounded. 
The tens of thousands who have read this 
journal for years need no explanation of its char¬ 
acter or objects. They know that it is and ever 
has been an ardent and unflinching advocate of 
the Right, and condemnor of the Wrong_that 
it ever seeks to promote the welfare of the Rural 
and other Industrial Classes, never, for either 
pay or favor, playing the part of the snob or 
sycophant, but always speaking plainly and in¬ 
dependently. In brief, our earnest endeavor will 
be to make the Rural New-Yorker the moat 
entertaining and valuable, as it is the most popu¬ 
lar and widely circulated, journal of its class in 
the world—a journal that can neither be bought 
nor sold bj sharpers or swindlers, but which 
constantly strives to enhance the best interests 
of all engaged in Agriculture and kindred pur¬ 
suits. When it cannot be conducted “ on the 
square,” it will surrender the field to journals 
which endorse or commend humbugs, knowing 
them to be 6ucli, for a couside-tation. 
To those whom we now address for the first 
time—and the accessions to our subscription list 
indicate a myriad of such—we may say (as we 
have on several like occasions) that 14 Our object 
from the commencement of thv Rural New- 
Yorker has not been to furnish either an Agri¬ 
cultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Mechanical 
Educational, Literary, or News Jour>al,_i,-^ 
rather to combine all these, and tints piesent a 
paper unequaled in Value, Variety and Ceeful- 
ncse of Contents. Oar earnest desire has \ eeil 
to make it an honest, independent, reliable and 
eminently useful Rural, Literary and Family 
Accounts. — The fanner should now he able to 
show' ou his hooks exactly the profit and loss on 
last year’s operations. Many of the guminy 
kind of farmers would be surprised at the result 
which figures, those truth fit) exponents of facts, 
would exhibit. Take an inventory of stock, im¬ 
plements, and crops on the ground, so ns to 
know the amount of capital you employ, and 
next year, with the account of expenses and re¬ 
ceipts, yoil will have the data for accurately esti¬ 
mating your position. If figures show an 
absolute loss in growing certain crops you will 
probably abandon them, unless there is a fair 
chance for improvement. Thus, acounts will 
lend you to think about and practice better 
methods of cultivation. 
Farmer*' (Hubs. — Without doubt you have 
often learned very useful facts in conversation 
with other experienced fanners. Would it not 
pay well, theu, to have a weekly meeting of far¬ 
mers in the town to discuss things and relate 
diets pertaining to your vocation ? You would 
learn as much in one winter by this method as 
you have in five years by casual conversaion. 
Many others would also learn. You can form a 
club and hold meetings in the district school 
house, If not on a larger scale, with great profit 
and no cost to those engaging in the work. 
Fodder.— Feed the coarser kinds liberally. 
Poor hay, stalks and straw should be fed out 
mainly in the beginning and middle of winter. 
Reserve straw enough, however, for bedding and 
to Jitter the yards with in the spring. Study 
how to economize food; not by stinting, but by 
better preparation; it can be done by having com¬ 
fortable stables, by feeding regularly, by cutting 
fodder and mLxing bran or ground grain with it, 
by steaming, and by having properraeks,8othat 
stock can waste none by trampling on It. 
Ice. — Improve the first opportunity to till the 
ice-house. The best ice is that first frozen, if 
thick enough. Thawing and freezing are liable to 
render it porous. No matter ou what plan your 
house is built, be sure and put plenty of packing 
between the ice and walls, and also on the top 
of the ice. Ventilate from the top and admit no 
air below'. 
Cutting Timber .— Fence posts, lumber logs, 
and rail timber, should be cut early— the sooner 
the better now—before the sap starts, l’ost and 
rail timber may remain on the ground until the 
milder weather of early spring before splitting. 
Homs.— Turn them daily into the yards for 
exercise if you use them but seldom. Blanket 
in extreme cold weather. Break colts when 
there is no snow on the ground. Colts just 
weaned may require bruised oats to thrive. 
Stables — Use gypsum in these to absorb the 
liquids and increase the value of the manure 
pile. Light and ventilate well, but not by means 
of crevices in the walls or broken doora, Strong 
currents of air should be avoided. 
Cellars.— Pick over the garden vege [aides, pota- 1 
toes, apples, &c., on stormy days, and remove 1 
all that are decaying. This is essential on the 
score of health aa well aa economy. A trifle of i 
quick lime scattered among roots is beneficial, t 
Keep the potatoes in the dark. } 
THE RURAL’S FARMERS’ CLUB; 
1 OR, TALKS WITH AND BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS. 
| - 
1 Effect of Ashes and Plaster. 
Mr. N, N. Martin sends tn the following 
l account of the produce of a seven-acre lot for a 
i period of eight years. When he bought the 
l field it, had been plowed continually for seven- 
- teen years. Soil, stiff clay loaui. He seeded 
r with clover, and sowed, the first year, half a ton 
i of plaster, and harvested four bushels of clover 
seed per acre; the second year he used halt a ton 
. of plaster and the same amount of unleached 
. ashes, and got five bushel* of seed per acre; the 
third year he used half a ton, equal parts ashes 
. aud plaster, and the yield was four bushels per 
, acre. The sod was then turned over in the fall, 
, and the fourth year planted with corn and pota- 
, toes, ou which ashes and plaster were used and a 
’ good crop realized. The fifth year forty-eight 
, bushels of oats per acre were taken from the 
r field without using any fertilizer; the sixth year 
( twenty-one bushel* of wheat per aero without 
. any rnanuriul application. It was then seeded 
with clover, which, after the wheat, came off, was 
top-dressed with ashes, and the result was a very 
heavy crop of clover the two succeeding year*. 
Mr. M. wishes to know if he has been throwing 
away money and time in buying and usiug ashes 
1 and plaster, us one correspondent of the Rural 
1 sayB it is a bad practice to mix these fertilizers. 
He also thinks his land has become so rich that 
‘ the small variety of clover must be sown. 
Wc think our correspondent may be well sat¬ 
isfied that he has not thrown ■ mey away in 
purchasing and using ashes and pfiater; but we 
venture the’ prediction that his field will not 
produce as largely during the eight years to 
come a* it 1ms in the past, if the management 
is similar. 
Answer to a Bee Question. 
E. Tucker, Genesee Co., N. Y., thus answers 
a question about bees, recently asked in the 
Rural: — "The Black bees require a hive of 
3,000 cubic inches capacity; about the 16th of 
June they begin to build their cells, and on the 
34th the first swarm maybe looked for; about 
the fid of July the second appears, being nine 
days after the first; so their manner of swarming 
is different from that of the Italian bees. The 
latter have a yellow band on the upper part of 
the abdomen, and the whole body Is light iu 
color; if not thus marked they are not pure. 
As the Italians do not build queen cells before 
swarming, this operation will take place earlier 
than with the Blacks, and the swarm requires a 
larger hive. The second swarm ol‘ the Italians 
issues sixteen days after the first, and the swarms 
are usually much larger than those of the Blacks. 
The advantages of the Italian bees oyer the 
others are these: — They are not so much in¬ 
clined to rob other bees, aud no Black bees can 
rob them. They breed faster and will gather 
more honey. I do not think they w ill stand the 
winter any better than tbe Black bees, but full 
as well.” 
Food for Cows. 
Austin B. Culver, Chaut. Co., N. Y., recom¬ 
mends “ equal quantities of corn and cats ground 
together as the grain food for cows; feed clear 
or mix with chopped hay as deemed best. Clear 
com meal is too heating for cows before drop¬ 
ping their calves ; their udder* are apt to cake, 
iu which case the meal mixed with old water 
and applied to their udders is an excellent rem¬ 
edy. Hens should not be permitted to roost in 
the mangers, as their manure is very offensive 
to cattle, and will foul their mangers so as to 
spoil their appetites. The eating rucks should 
be cleaned and sprinkled with bnne occasion¬ 
ally, and some of the latter put i on hay well 
shook up is a good appetizer.” 
Horses —Protrusion of the Tongue. 
Two correspondents have auBwerfd the query 
how to cure the very disagreeable ht bit in horses 
of carrying the tongue over the bit. ; ‘H. K. W.,” 
Wayne county, N. Y., writes that he has pre¬ 
vented it by using straight bits ant roughening 
the upper aide with a cold chisel, sj that it will 
chafe his tongue; he will soon learn to keep 
that member under the bit. 
Mr. John Cassel, Crestline, Chio, advises 
the use of a straight or stiff bit, will a piece of 
sole-leather riveted to it so that it will project 
nearly two inches on the upper side. The leather 
novel design of farm house — elevation. 
PLAN OF FARM HOUSE. 
BY JOHN E. SWEET, ARCHITECT, SYRACUSE, N. Y. 
Architects, like other people, have to “ take 
the bitter with the sweet.” The bitter part to 
the man who attempts to carry out or combine 
other people’s ideas, is to be employed by per¬ 
son* who acknowledge that they know nothing 
of building, and employ him because he docs, 
and then at the outset tell him how they want 
everything, even to the details, and finally decide 
on all matters of taatc as peremptorily a* if they 
were J ojin Kcskin i 1 1 propria person <n. Dividing 
society into three great classes, the rich, the 
poor and the middle class, the latter is by far the 
hardest to satisfy. The rich cun have what they 
want, and pay for it; the poor arc contented to 
get what they can and make the best of it; but 
the man of moderate menus, who wants the rich 
man’B house for the poor man’s money, gets 
badly "mixed.” A large, nice house, well built and 
cheap , is one of the things that cannot be made 
— and yet this is the substance of the specified 
requirements when the man of moderate means 
first consults his architect about bis proposed 
new house. The architect of course proceeds 
with the work in its natural order and attempts 
to curry out the instructions. It is easy to 
make the plans for a “large, nice house,” — in 
lact, much easier than to economize every inch 
of space and make the most of every foot of 
lumber. The specifications say (when do they 
fail to say It?) that “the work is to be done Iu a 
good, substantial, durable and workmanlike 
manner,” and the architect (where it is pos¬ 
sible) has the work done accordingly. The 
result may be a large, nice house, well-built, and 
perhaps cheap, too, for the money, but it has 
cost twice as much as the proprietor expected to 
pay, and twice as much or more as he could afford 
to invest in a house. 
The very best tiling those about to build could 
do would be to employ the most competent man 
they could get who would take an interest iu the 
mutter, give him full information as to the site, 
amount of money to he expended, size, condi¬ 
tion aud social position of the family, and the 
requirements of the farm, and then let him make 
tlie plan;—but most people cannot see the 
matter In this light, and those who payjmust 
have things as they want them, even though the 
result is an Inferior article for the money. 
The foregoing remarks have been suggested 
by the Architect’s experience in designing the ele¬ 
vation of the accompanying plan, which belongs 
to that class of houses most frequently adopted 
Water. — Sheep often suffer greatly for want of should be placed in the center of the bit, and two 
this in winter time; so with other stock. Don’t 1111(1 a half or three Inches are sufficient In width, j 
lorce any stock to turn to a snow bank for this —Several interesting Club items, intended for I 
great necessary ot life and health. this number, are necessarily deferred. 
PRINCIPAL STOUT. 
A. Parlor, 15 + 18. B, Hall, 7*18. C\ Sitting Room, 
15+18. D, Living Hoorn, l'#+111%. E, Family 
Bod Room, 12+18. F, Closet, 5 + 8. G, Bath Room, 
5 + 0>f. H, Kitchen, 12(18. I, Pantry, 8+12. J, 
Wood Room. K, Veranda. L, Portico. 
SECOND STORY. 
A, A, Chambers. B, B, B, B, Bed Rooms. C, C, C, 
C, Closets. D, D, Store Rooms. E, Balcony. 
