ESTABLISHED IN 1850. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A* ORIGINAL WERKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps or Assistants and Contributors. 
Ho*. HENRY 8. RANDALL, LL. D., Editor of the De¬ 
partment or Bliuep Husbandry. 
Ho*. T. C. PETERS, late President N. Y. State AgT 
Society, Southern Corresponding Editor. 
6 LEZEN F. WILCOX, Associate Editor. 
Th* Rural Nbw-Yobkxr Is designed to be unsur¬ 
passed in Valne, Purity, and Variety of Contents. Its 
Conductor earnestly labors to render the Reral a Reli¬ 
able Guide on all the Important Practical, Scientific and 
ether 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 solely tBkeu to the 
Homes of people orintelllgence, taste and discrimination. 
It embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural,Scientific, 
Educational, Literary and News Matter. Interspersed 
with appropriate engravings, than any other journal,— 
rendering It by far the most complete Aobtcclti'ilal, 
LITERARY AND F.VMILT NkWKI’APKR ID ADtCfiCa. 
IF" Fob Terms and other particulars see last page. 
AGRICULTURAL NOTES 
FROM FBANCE AND SWITZERLAND-No. II. 
BT H. D. L. SWEET. 
Paris. August, 1867. 
The valley of the Aur, that was now reached, 
was most thoroughly cultivated wherever a naan 
could gain a foothold to plant a vine or cut a hand¬ 
ful of grass. On the slopes of the mottntains 
with a southern aspect, every available Bpot up 
to the region of eternal snow is called upon to 
contribute its rnite to the support of the popu¬ 
lation. For the first five hundred feet, or such a 
matter, tlAe vine seems to take precedence, after 
which potatoes, turnips and cabbages flourish; 
then comes the meadows, and last the pastures 
up to six, seven, or eight thousand feet above 
tide. After a height of 4,000 feet is reached, the 
grass is scanty and only lasts a few weeks, and 
above that only In peculiarly sheltered places, 
and of peculiar geological formation, grass grow¬ 
ing the highest on clay slates, and next to that 
limestone. The alluvial and diluvial flats are 
especially reserved for grain, fruit and early veg¬ 
etables, to supply the vast number of travelers 
that make Interlacken their head quarters for 
various excursions around. The almost entire 
absence of stone in tbe flelds, where the moon, 
tains on every hand are vast masses of it, struck 
me as very singular. If there were miles and 
miles of stone wall, in an old country, the ab¬ 
sence of stone in the field could be easily ac¬ 
counted for, but such is not the case, and the 
original owners of the soil were lucky in not hav¬ 
ing that nuisance to contend with. 
The exceedingly careful manner with which 
every crop is cultivated here, can only be done 
in a country like this, where labor is cheap, and 
the women have nothing to do but labor in the 
field, like the beasts of burden. In passing over 
the Wengern Alp on foot, from Lautorbrunnen 
to Griudelwnld, the manner of gathering hay in 
high altitudes was witnessed in all of its? worst 
features. The mower, with a scythe about 
thirty inches in length and four in breadth at, 
the heel, fastened to a straight stick, with one 
thole set at right angles, stood upon one knee and 
one foot, on a very steep side hill, and kind o’ 
scraped from the face of Nature a little luzz, 
about six to ten inches high, thin and wiry at 
that. He might cut possibly five hundred 
pounds in a day on the side of a mountain on 
which the 6un did not rise till eight o’clock a 
thousand feet above him, and on which it proba¬ 
bly set by four o’clock. This grass so cut, has 
got to be cured with this little sunshine and the 
aid of women and girls, who stir it and turn It 
and rake it, tie it up in blankets, and carry it in 
many instances half a mile to a barn, on their 
heads, remember, on this steep mountain side. 
And in winter time some poor fellow has got to 
climb this mountain side in snow and storm, to 
feed the cows; so it has been for many hundred 
years, and always will be, probably. 
Above the meadows came the pastures, where 
huudreds^of cows were grazing. The grass short, 
and very green, forming a tough sward, is watered 
by the condensation of the clouds ten times 
as often as in the valley below, and from this 
cause and the naturally fertile soil, day from 
decomposed shale, gives no doubt an abundant 
growth, for the short time that the season 
allows. The first herds and cowb that gave 
milk, and temporary house or houses that were 
only used in summer, were near where the milk 
was converted into butter and eliecse. These 
families were moved up as the pastures afforded 
grass, till September, and then gradually recede 
with the parting grass. Above the herds that 
gave milk were those apparently fattening, and 
this pusture attained the summit, certain, and 
how much above on the mountain, to the north, 
I cannot say. At tlio summit 1 would call it, 
pretty good for young cattle, excellent for sheep, 
and at an elevation of 6,703 feet above the sea. 
Ou the opposite side of the valley to the south, 
aud within a mile, was the evcrlastiug snow, and 
glaciers that reached hundreds of feet below 
these pastures. The Juugfrau rises about 8,000 
l'cetabove, aud several times during the walk the 
immense avalanches came down with a voice of 
thunder that, echoing among the neighboring 
mountains, gave the only sign of life in the pre¬ 
vailing solitude except the distant tinkling of a 
bell. The valley of Grindelwald looked lovely 
after this scene of snowy desolation, but the 
charm, the poetry of agriculture, is all dispelled 
when you can Bee so much hard labor accom¬ 
plishes bo little, where life is prolonged by sucb 
sacrifices, and barely the necessaries of life are 
obtaiued; and none of its luxuries, or even edu¬ 
cation, comes in compensation for so much toil. 
Nothing worthy of note passed iu review till 
the city of Berne was reached, when, It being 
market day, a fine opportunity was given to view 
tbe. productions of the country, its inhabitants 
in their holiday attire, as well as the city at the 
same time. There were from 50 to 75 small. «itm. 
colored cows on sale, of pretty good form, re¬ 
sembling Ayrshires, but with rather shorter 
horns, and invariably black. They had not the 
silky hair of the Devons or Durhams, and so far 
as quantity is concerned should not consider 
them very gTeat milkers. They were rather 
handsome, looked intelligent, with a keen, 
bright uye, thin neck, and heads rather large 
for my fancy. The horses, as a usual thing, 
were not very large, and in no instance did I see 
two hitched to the same vehicle; neither was 
there one that would have carried twenty bushels 
of wheat. 
Everybody seemed to come to market and to 
bring what they had, from a dozen eggs to a cow. 
Many of the little stocks in trade in early morn¬ 
ing would uot amount to one dollar’s worth with 
us : two or three roils of butter, a small cheese, 
a few heads of lettuce, a peek of new potatoes, 
two or three skeins of linen thread, a fleece of 
coarse black wool, a few beans, a few pens, two 
or three bushels of old wheat or barley, usually 
comprehended the whole lot. There were prob¬ 
ably 30 sficep und lambs, nearly all black, long- 
legged lellows, with coarse, harsh wool, and 
about the Barae number of pigs that I have before 
spoken of Aside from the cattle no man had 
ten dollars’ worth of anything,—yes, I will ex¬ 
cept his wife and children, who were also there. 
Of the grain itself I will not speak contemptu¬ 
ously ; it was flue berry and clean, with hardly 
an exception. The grain appeared in all in¬ 
stances to be old, probably the surplus after get¬ 
ting in the new. There were some things for 
sale in the implement line that we should have 
in our museum as relics of a barbarous age—no¬ 
where to be found iu U3o with us except in Scho¬ 
harie, und I hope not e ven there. Of coarse, our 
mowing machines, reapers, thrashers, winnow¬ 
ers, and all such things, are absolutely unknown 
to the great muss, but some few who will visit 
Paris this season must see something beside their 
own that will open their eyes to the improve¬ 
ments of the age they live in. 
ABOUT WEEDS-No. HI. , 
The extermination of weeds is the most inter¬ 
esting aud practical part of our subject. But 
the cultivator may uot hope tu subdue useless 
plants so thoroughly at to lay aside his weapons 
of offense, and let the rust gather on them with 
impunity. Total eradication of weeds may not 
be hoped for, aud the farm is yet to be 8hown 
on which this condition has been attained. 
Useless plants—weeds—will ever infest the soil, 
and increase the sweat of the brow whereby man 
eats his bread. “ Thoms also and thistles shall 
it bring forth,” was the early and ominous warn¬ 
ing uttered to man when the gates of the Garden 
closed behind him forever. But no one will 
question but that weeds may he subdued to such 
an extent as to he of no perceptible detriment to 
AUTOMATIC WATTiR ELEVATOR. 
All over this broad, fertile country of ours 
there are lands destitute of those surface springs 
and living streams of water, so necessary to the 
life and comfort of every living thiug. In these 
places wells must be sunk, oftentimes to great 
depths, und all the water for the uso of a large 
Btoek must be raised to tbe surface by laborious 
manual labor. 
Various plans have be.cn proposed for attain¬ 
ing tula uoject, by dispersing with manual labor, 
in the use of windmills, &c., all of them how¬ 
ever possessing such inherent defects as to ren¬ 
der them of little practical use. The plan which 
I here present is one in which the animal is made 
its own servant, it being so arranged that in ap¬ 
proaching the well it elevates the water and 
deposites it in the trough for its use. The 
method by which this result is attained will be 
easily understood by the aid of the accompany¬ 
ing drawing. A is a suspended platform, formed 
of two side timbers, mortised intoacross timber 
B, across which side timbers are spiked a series 
of planks, extending nearly to the trough C. 
To the further ends of each of these side tim- 
is inclosed by a strong fence, except at the low¬ 
er end of the platform. 
The operation Is doubtless already understood. 
The bucket K, by its own gravity, will descend 
to the bottom of the well, (where it remains 
filled with water,) thus unwinding the rope 11 
from the pulley E, and winding up the rope I) 
upon the axle, thus elevating the platform A 
into tbe nosit,ion of a slightly inclined plane. 
Now, when an animal, 'approaching the well, 
steps upon the platform, in walking forward Its 
weight will gradually depress the same, which 
unwinding the rope D from the axle, will at the 
same time wind up the rope II upon the pulley 
E, thus elevating the bucket, until it reaches the 
hook 1’, which engaging therewith, will cause 
its contents to be deposited in the trough, 
VVheu the animal retires, the apparatus will re¬ 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.—No. HI. 
farmers’ clubs. 
Although the farmer has hitherto paid but 
little attention to education, yet the present in¬ 
dications are very encouraging. A spirit of in¬ 
quiry and rivalry has sprung up all over the 
country. Fairs are more generally attended, 
clubs lor discussion and experiment are formed, 
and agricultural papers much bettor sustained. 
One of the most important means of exciting 
the interest of farmers iu improvements in agri- 
cultnre Is In the formation of farmers’ clubs. 
They have uniformly had a good effect. Wher¬ 
ever clubs have been formed by a few persever¬ 
ing individuals, who would see that the meetings 
were always held at the Appointed time, a gener¬ 
al Interest has soon been awakened iu them. 
And these club discussions are admirably calcu¬ 
lated t.o correct erroneous ideas of those taking 
part in them. One comes with some pet theory, 
which he supposes hiuiBolf abundantly able to 
maintain, but soon discovers, when subjected to 
sharp criticism, that lie has built upon the 
“ baseless fabric of a vision.” 
Another comes with Moruo innovation upon 
Immemorial custom, and he finds himself besot 
by conservative ideas on every side, but having 
experimented and become familiar with the ques¬ 
tion, he is able to parry all their Lhrusts, cx- 
plttiu all their objections, aud, although not 
perhaps able to convert them at once to its prac 
tlee, yet he has made an impression which will 
have its effect in the end. 
The principal reason that farmers make such 
slow progress lu their business—are so slow to 
adopt improvements—is to be found Iu their iso¬ 
lated situation, their want of social intercourse. 
Not mucy.men adopt new things aioue. The* 
fear the unfavorable opinion of neighbors. Men 
prefer to be in magnetic equilibrium witli the 
“rest of mankind.” They go with the crowd- 
move iu musses and are carried along by soeia 1 
contagion. They seem to be excited only by 
social contact, und to progress only with the 
current. This law of our natures shows the 
great Importance of these clubs to the farmer. 
sumc its natural position by the gravitation of A man who would be very timid to udopt an im 
11. . L.. I . .1 i > . ... . * 
ing drawing, a is asuspenueu piuuorra, lormetl the bucket, and all the parts will be in readiness provement urged upon him alone, would enter 
of two side timbers, mortised intoacross timber for a repetition of the operation. The bucket luto it with zeal when adopted by the club_ 
B, across which side timbers are spiked a scries should be provided with a valve in the bottom when he had the countenance aud encourage- 
of planks, extending nearly to the trough C. opening upwards to facilitate its filling, meat of his neighbors. Mechanics are com«Te- 
To the further ends ol each of these side t,im- The sizes of the wheel and axle and fall of the gated in cities—have frequeut intercourse with 
hers is attached ft strong rope or chain D, which platform must be proportioned to the depth of each other—and are swift to adopt a labor-saving 
takes a couple of turns about the axle of the the well. With the axle six inches iu diameter, invention In their business, 
large wheel or pulley E, which is hung so as to and the pulley I six feet, by a lull of the end of But farmers are scattered over the country 
revolve freely between two upright timbers F, the platform of eighteen inches—producing one and occupy themselves too constantly with 
having bearings therein. Upon these upright revolution of the pulley, the bucket would be physical labor ou the farm. Too much muscular 
timbers is also constructed the roof G, to pro- elevated eighteen feet. Thirty-two inches fall— exercise wearies the body and indisposes the 
tcct the working parts from Bnow and rain, producing two revolutions—thirty-two feet, &c. mind to exertion. The farmer has loo loug rc- 
About the pulley E, is wound another rope H, in perfecting this invention simplicity has garded his calling us a physical mission, requir- 
to the free end of Which is attached the bucket been my chief study. I have therefore reduced ln g little or uo effort of the mind, but a constant 
K, shown suspended in a section of the well M. it to the smallest possible number of parts, so tension of muscle. Anything which should 
lhe bearing part of the platform is formed by that it may be constructed by any farmer ol'or- induce them to congregate together sociafly 
rounding to a half circle the lower side of the diuary mechanical ability. To the free use of would ho a great blessing, hut still moresowben 
cross piece B, which fits in a corresponding do- all such the inventor hereby presents It. this meeting is for the purpose of comparing 
pression iu the sleeper N. The whole apparatus Dream Lake, Aug. 20th, ’67 Wm It. Brooks. notes upon their occupation. 
revolve freely between two upright timbers F, 
having bearings therein. Upon these upright 
timbers is also constructed the roof G, to pro¬ 
tect the working parts from Bnow and rain. 
About the pulley E, is wound another rope H, 
to the free end of which is attached the bucket 
K, shown suspended in a Bection of the well M. 
The bearing part of the platform is formed by 
rounding to a half circle the lower side of the 
cross piece B, which flLs in a corresponding de¬ 
pression iu the sleeper N. The whole apparatus 
the crops, and to cause but a trifling expense t,o 
the cultivator. The one thing most needful in 
this warfare on w T eed& is united and systemized 
effort among farmers. The warfare should be 
offensive,—some progress should be made every 
year towards ultimate subjugatlnu of the enemy. 
Annuals may be eradicated simply by taking care 
that they do uot ripen any seed; perennials must 
be smothered—subjected to repeated cutting, 
until their stores of nutriment in the under¬ 
ground stems are exhausted by repeated attempts 
to renew their tops. 
Mauy weeds that infest our cultivated crops 
do not make their appearance iu the grass lands. 
In fields that tre covered with a thick turf but 
few annuals flourish so as to be of much detri¬ 
ment. The facility with which these may be cut 
so as to prevent their seeding, insures their 
speedy destruction. The perennial^ weeds, as 
impossible to weed out these by hand labor. 
Generally, too, they are annuals, and they ma¬ 
ture seed enough to stock the land densely with 
their species. Witli our present system of culti¬ 
vating grain crops, we have no efficient protec¬ 
tion against these intruders. Fighting them by 
hand is out of the question. We must devise 
some means of cultivation which can be applied 
to tbe growing crop. The Byatcrn of drilling 
grain crops in rows having wide intermediate 
spaces, so as to admit of cultivation between, is 
one worthy of adoption, if for no other consid¬ 
eration at least for the facilities it affords for de¬ 
stroying weeds. Let us drill our grain in rows 
one foot apart and cultivate between, and we 
shall secure as great a yield if not greater, than 
under the present system, and bo enabled to 
fight the weeds with success. Fail plowing 
induce them to congregate together sociafly 
would ho a great blessing, hut still more so when 
this meeting is lor the purpose of comparing 
notes upon their occupation. 
It would surprise a body of fanners, who had 
never tried it, to find how much knowledge 
could be gained upon almost any subject con¬ 
nected with agriculture, from twenty-live aver¬ 
age fiirmers, who should each contribute the 
facte he knew relating to It. Perhaps no one of 
the twenty-five would be able to give more than 
a few facts concerning the topic, yet when each 
hud contributed what he knew, the subject 
might bo thoroughly elucidated and easily un¬ 
derstood. When they come together no one 
fully understands the subject, but when the dis¬ 
cussion is over every oue might carry away a full 
knowledge of it. 
And this leads us to speak of the proper meth¬ 
od ol conducting these Farmers' Chibs. First, 
there Bhould be as little formality and as few 
rules as possible, consistent with good order. 
Select a man of prompt decision aud few words 
as chairman, aud the most ready-writer for sec- 
speedy destruction. The perennial^ weeds, as will sometimes start into growth the seeds of iia cuairmau, aim mo most ready-writer lor scc- 
Canada thistles and couch grass, are far more annuals, and is then a good practice; spring cul- reta ry. Avoid set speeches and prepared disser- 
diflicult to manage. There is hut one course to tivation will destroy them. Gardens, especially tu tioriH. 11 wu como together to communicate 
be adopted with auy promise of success, and that those infested with chlckweed, should be treated u,!l ' not display rhetoric. Any one who 
is such injury to the top of the plantas will cause in this way. Summer fallowing, which allows of ,ias 41 £ ive 8,loul d be welcome. It should 
the destruction of its roots. This may be ac- such frequent plowing as to keep down pereu- * )( ” a ,uet d' n g lor a free and informal interchange 
eomplished by repeated cutting, or smothering niul plants, as the Canada thistle, is an effective ol icleuB in ,he conversational way. This will be 
by the liberal application of coarse rnauure, straw, means of destroying them if the work is thor- bjund much better and more profitable than do¬ 
or any substance which will answer the purpose, ougbly done; sometimes good cultivation early bate - V ou ca,mot well debate a question with 
'The liberal application of salt alter cutting the in the season, followed by a crop of buckwheat, out ^e disputants becoming interested for tri¬ 
weeds lias sometimes been found successful in will clean the soil of weeds. But the main roll- um P 1) lu argument-for the success of a aide- 
destroying their vitality. ance in the struggle to master the weeds should an d tills is not the object of discussoin. The 
When the farmer plows his fields and sows his be placed on the thorough cultivation of every Object should be to gain knowledge, to acctima- 
grain, innumerable Beeds of weeds which have crop, and work so planned and executed as will * ac ^ on which to base a right decisiou, and 
lain dormant under the sod, spring to life and surely lessen their strength and number each no ^ display ability in argument, to triuup i 
grow along with the crop. In most eases it is year on the farm. “ disputation. Suppose the question were the 
bate. Yon cannot well debate a question with¬ 
out the disputants becomlug interested for tri¬ 
umph lu argument-for the success of a side— 
and tills is not the object of discussoin. The 
object should be to gain knowledge, to accumu¬ 
late facts on which to base a right decisiou, and 
not to display ability in argument, to triuu pi 
in disputation. Suppose the question were the 
TERMS, $3.00 PER YEAR.] 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
[SINGLE NO. TEN CEN^ I. 
YOL XYIII. NO. 37 .} ROCHESTER, N. Y.-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPT. U, 1867. iWHOLE NO. 9Ei 
