TERMS, $3.00 PER YEAR.] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT 
[SINGLE NO. TEN CENTS 
MG SATURDAY, SEPT. 7,18(57 
I WHOLE NO. 8X0 
ESTABLISHED IN 1850 
a great nuisance, and that of an out-hnilding is 
scarcely less so. A shingle or a hoard timely 
applied, will prevent much annoyance and 
damage. 
Get your pig pens and hen houses in order — 
especially the former, as now is the. time to com¬ 
mence preparing the hogs lor their winter des¬ 
tiny. The poultry house, too, should be put 
in condition for comfortable occupancy during 
the impending storms of autumn and winter. 
Turn swine into the orchard and let them eat 
the fallen fruit, and thus destroy its enemies 
that harbor in it. 
WEEDING POTATOES 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A3J ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
agricultural, literary and family newspaper, 
No post-harvest labor on a farm will pay bet¬ 
ter than that devoted to weeding the potato 
field. This Is Important, whether tho potatoes 
are to be dug with the hoe, fork or machine dig¬ 
ger, but especially if the latter implement is to 
be used. Besides facilitating the digging pro¬ 
cess, pulling uml removing the weeds rfids in 
giving a more perfect development to the tubers 
and checks the tendency to rot, noticeable where 
the weeds arc allowed to overtop and choke the 
vines, 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors 
Hon. HENRY 8 . RANDALL, LL. D., Editor of toe De- 
panmeat, of Sheep Husbandry. 
HON. T. C. I’ETERR, late President N. Y. State Ag’l 
Society, Southern Corresponding Editor. 
GLEZEN F. WILCOX, Associate Editor. 
But. the principal advantage gained by 
weeding is the celerity imparted thereby to the 
digging process, especially if a machine is used. 
This of itself is sullieient to justify tho expense 
incurred, though this is by no means all the ad¬ 
vantage derived from the operation. It serves 
to destroy a large portion of the weeds before 
I hey have time to ripen their seeds for a suc¬ 
ceeding crop—no small consideration to the far¬ 
mer who understands his business and appreci¬ 
ates, at its full value, tho advantage of clean 
culture. 
The Rural Nbw-Yobkkr is designed to be ur„jnr- 
passed la Value, Purity, and Variety of Contents. Its 
Conductor earnestly labors to render the Rural a Reli¬ 
able Guide on all the Important Practical, Scientific and 
other Subjects connected with the business of those 
whose Interests It zealously advocates. As a Family 
Journal it Is eminently Instructive and Entertaining— 
being so conducted that It can be safely taken to the 
Homes of people of Intelligence, t .me and discrimination. 
It embraces more AyHijulturabHorUcoltural.Soleutiflc, 
Educational, Literary and News Matter, Interspersed 
with appropriate engravings, than any other journal,— 
rendering It by far the most complete Agricultural, 
Literary and Family Newspaper In America. 
AGRICULTURAL NOTES 
FROM FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND.-No. I 
A PAIR OF OLD PLUGS.” 
Z2T For Terms and other particulars see last page, 
HINTS FOR THE MONTH, 
Our engraving portrays the English Clydesdale 
Stallion, “Sir Walter Scott,” ydght years old, 
owned by the Duke of Hamilton; This is one of 
the lending breeds of British dcaft-horsea—less 
bulky than the old black et rt orctul; quicker of 
motion, and hence generally preferred lor agri¬ 
cultural purpose-!. These horses take their name 
from the vale of the Clyde, but are extensively 
bred in the western counties of Scotland. Their 
color is chiefly bay and black, the former rather 
predominating. Their general height islti hands, 
and, in weight, they range from 1,700 to 3,000 
pounds. They are generally symmetrical and 
walk easily and quite rapidly. They have good 
constitutions, are cheaply kept, and, for heavy 
farm work, are favorites. 
Septemurii is an important month tu the far¬ 
mer— especially to the wheat grower. It is the 
favorite one for seeding, and is usually a busy 
one. The plow, the harrow and the seeding 
drill should be in order and timely used. The 
preparation of the soil for the reception of the 
seed should be carefully attended to, and the 
work well done. Neglect, or parsimony at seed¬ 
ing time, will be punished at the succeeding 
harvest, in a diminished yield and an inferior 
product. 
The potato fields have probably become con¬ 
siderably choked with weeds, with matured or 
maturing seeds upon them, it will pay well to 
pull these up and pile them away so that the 
digger may have a clean run when the potato 
harvest arrives. Borne use these weeds in a 
compost heap. The practice is of doubtful 
utility, as it tends to seed the ground to weeds 
when the manure of such compost is applied to 
the soil. A better disposition would probably 
be made of them, were they to undergo a purifi¬ 
cation by fire. 
As the oat and pea harvest is over such imple¬ 
ments as have been used in connection with 
them should be gathered up and placed under 
cover. It is miserably poor farm policy to leave 
farm implements lying around loose, exposed to 
the corroding influence of autumnal rains. Have 
a place for every implement under shelter, and 
when not in use, see that it occupies it. If re¬ 
pairs are needed make note oi the fact in order 
that they may be attended to before the season 
for using them comes round again. 
If the harvesting season has disclosed impedi¬ 
ments to the scythe, mower or reaper, in tho 
shape of stones, stumps, and the like, remove 
them while the surface is clear and the ground 
compact, as less Injury will be done to a meadow 
at this season than in the spring when the turf 
is spongy and yielding to the tread of a team. 
See that your corn cribs arc in order and your 
cellars in a suitable condition to receive their 
winter stores. It is money saved to have things 
ready when wanted. 
If you have hay or grain out in stacks ex¬ 
amine them carefully. If found defective to¬ 
wards the apex as they sometimes are from the 
hurried manner of topping off, supply the de¬ 
fect by a thatch of straw. The labor is easily 
and quickly done, and will pay ten fold tire 
cost of it. 
This month is one of the best of the twelve 
for ditching and uuderdruining. There is no 
labor about most farms that pays so liberally as 
this. If farmers will keep up the productive 
power of their lands they must plow deeper and 
underdrain more, and the latter, on most lands, 
is essential to the success of the former. 
The^harn yards should not he neglected at this 
6 eason. Gather the refuse matter scattered over 
them into compost heaps. They will make a 
rich fall application to waning meadows, causing 
them to double their products the ensuing 
summer. 
Now is the time to remedy any defects in the 
roofs of the farm buildings which may have been 
detected during the prevalence of the heat and 
showers of summer. A leaky roof to a house is 
MANURES AND THEIR APPLICATION 
Tub Utica Herald publishes a long report of 
a discussion, on manures and their application, 
before the Herkimer Co. Farmers’ Club, at a re¬ 
cent meeting. 
Mr. Wuitman said it was important to that de¬ 
termine what legitimately constituted manure. 
If the terra represented matter, used by plants, 
it was questionable whether fresh excrement 
from cattle could or ought to be so denomi¬ 
nated, It could not supply plunt food, in a 
crude state, but required fermentation to give 
it value. This would explain why the results 
expected, from manorial applications, so-called, 
were often not obtained. Fermentation and de¬ 
composition were essential to the production of 
legitimate plant food. The materials, for the 
supply of tins food, were abundant and varied, 
but the trouble was many of the most valuable 
were thrown away a3 valueless. Among these 
were the Hocks or waste of refuse wool,—a valu¬ 
able manure; coal ashes, an excellent solvent on 
clay lands; lime from paper mills and gas works. 
These arc excellent for renovating meadows, if 
judiciously spread upon them in the spring. 
The application should not tie a heavy one, as 
this kills the plants, while a light one imparts 
vigor and greatly increases production. A judi¬ 
cious application of wool flocks, plowed under, 
promotes the grow'th of plants and fruit trees. 
A thin distribution is much better than a heavy 
one. Refuse hair from tanneries is also a good 
fertilizer, as are also the washings from bleach- 
ing and kindred establishments. Hair, for tur¬ 
nips, cabbages, cucumbers and the like, is deem¬ 
ed an excellent application. 
Judge Karl spoke about top-dressing mead¬ 
ows. It was a disputed point whether this 
should be done in the fall or the spring. The 
prevalent opinion Bccmed to be in favor of fall 
application. Some favored top-dressing imme¬ 
diately after haying—bushing in well-rotted ma¬ 
nure, followed by an application of plaster to 
fix the ammonia in the manure and prevent its 
escape. Thus applied, the manure seemed to 
shield the grass roots from tho effects of the 
sun, while promoting an autumnal growth of 
grass. It was all-important to have the top¬ 
dressing well rotted, us Us effect was more im¬ 
mediate while waste was prevented. The pou- 
dretto of commerce was denounced as a humbug, 
but that properly prepared—that is, night soil, 
with 8 U Infusion of copperas, charcoal and muck 
—made a valuable fertilizer. 
The subject of wire-worms was discussed. 
Judge Owen said he had tried many things to 
kill them off Ineffectually. Finally he let a field 
go fallow one year, plowing it three or four 
times. The worms got starved and left the 
premises and have not got back yet. 
DOGS-AGAIN 
Noticing an article in the Rural of 27th ult. 
on the taxation of dogs, I would add that if the 
law of the State in relation to the collection of 
the tax now ordered to be levied on dogs was 
so revised as t.o amount to something, a pretty 
largq sum might be realized. There has been, 
for many years, a law taxing dogs fifty cents 
and a dollar each (male and female ,) and making 
it tliG duty of thu assessors to enumerate them, 
but without providing any pay for such labor. 
Two years ago the law was so revised as to allow 
the assessors ten per cent, on all sums collected. 
Then the Solons at Albany tfiought they had the 
thing all right, but they forgot to provide any 
means for the collection of the tax. Assisting 
the assessors, last fall, in making the assessment 
In seven of the wards, I found about twelve hun¬ 
dred dogs or dog kind—indicating about 2,400 in 
the city, the tax on which, if collected, would 
amount to over 81,200,—a fact for the Super¬ 
visors to consider,—but as there is no way pro¬ 
vided for the collection of the tax, I am out 
about two months’ labor, aud hence feel inter¬ 
ested in having this dog business stirred up a 
bit. Yoriok. 
Cotton Seed Meal for Cows.—Tho Massa- 
chusetts Plowman says the meal of cotton seed hjtf. 
is proving of great advantage to tbose engaged 
i:i tho dairy business. Feeding It to cows adds 
largely to their flow of milk, while the quality tPj 
is correspondingly improved. Several farmers 
in Hampshire county have used the meal with 
most gratifying results. It is sold in the East- L® 1 
era States at about 845 per ton. 
