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ROCHESTER 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1868 
AMONG THE STUMPS—NEW SERIES-IV, 
MOOEE’S EUEAL NEW-YOKEER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
CHARCOAL. 
This substance, so modest and unpretending, is 
so remarkable in its properties, and so varied in its 
uses, as to challenge onr attention. It lias held a 
place in human nQairs from the clays of Aristotle 
to the days of Andrew .Johnson, Pliny describes 
the ancient manner of burning it. More than two 
thousand years ago the Greek* charred the posts or 
piles which they drove for the foundation of the 
temple of Ephesus, and about the same time the 
Britons drove charred stakes In the Thames to op- 
pose the progress of Julius OiESAn, some of which 
preservation, 
air or water, and Is ex- 
This circumstance, considered in 
— — power as nn absorb- 
CONDCCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With a Corps of Able Associates and Contributors, 
flON. HENP.Y S. RANDALL, LL. I>., 
Editor of the Department of Sheep Husbandry. 
G. F. WILCOX AND A. A. HOPKINS, Associate Editors, 
Db. DANIEL LEE AND HO.V THEO. C. PETERS, 
Southern Corresponding Editors. 
HIRAM BUMPHKET and REUBEN D. JONES, 
Assistant and Commercial Editors. 
Timber is gradually becoming scarce and more 
valuable in many localities, and farmers will be 
pleased to bear of any improvement iu the construc¬ 
tion of straight fence at leas cost, which is more 
durable and substantial than wooden fences usually 
are. The above illustration seems to have all the 
requisite qualifications to entitle it to a careful ex¬ 
amination and trial by practical farmers. 
Wires crossing and re-eroseing In the manner 
shown in the ent must necessarily make a very 
strong fence. Pickets suspended in this manner 
are less liable to decay, for there is no place where 
two pieces of. timber come In contact to retain 
moisture; for the same reason will not readily burn, 
as there is no place for fire to lodge. Small poles, 
pieces of boards or rails split to a reasonable degree 
of fineness, may be woven in, making a cheap, 
durable fence from material which would otherwise 
From our own observa- adjoining pickets may then be taken out at any 
eryjavorably considered subsequent time and replaced with others. When 
all the pickets are woven as far as the next post, a 
bracket and cap are used, which effectually prevent 
the wires from drawing endwise. The brace wire 
(M t is only used when the posts are set at long dis¬ 
tances apart, or in crossing streams. The usual 
distance between posts without the brace wire is 
from fourteen to sixteen feet. In building tem¬ 
porary fence, or upon ground filled with stoue, a 
still exist in a good state of 
Charcoal Is uninjured by 
empt from decay. ' 
connection with its wonderful 
ent, recommends it strongly as a fertiliser. It 
will take up ninety times its bulk of amoniacal 
gases, and what is equally remarkable, it will yield 
them to the demands of growing plants when 
brought in connection with them. In other words, 
it absorbs from the air and from rain water, essen¬ 
tial fertilizers, and retains them till needed by 
the vegetation to which it is applied; it then im¬ 
parts them, and lays in another stock, subject all the 
time to the demands of the growing crop. As the 
charcoal itself is mmtinlby indestructible, this process 
continues to be repeated. If there is no mistake 
about this, and I suppose there is not, why is not 
charcoal the most, durableand valuable of fertilizers ? 
It has been stated that a crop to which it had been 
liberally applied suffered far less from the drouth 
than other crops, adjoining to which it was not ap¬ 
plied. It not only imparted moisture, but other 
nutriment to tho shriveled vegetation. 
I should not be surprised if charcoal would correct 
many of the diseases to which fruits and other vege¬ 
tables are subject. 
Charcoal, says i’rof. Stlliman, is, after the dia¬ 
mond, the purest form of carbon. One hundred 
parts contain TO of carbon, 4.(51 of hydrogen, 25 of 
oxygen and nitrogen, and less than 1 per cent, of 
ash. These proportions vary in different woods, 
some giving 10 per cent, of ash. Although it crum¬ 
bles easily, it is harder than steel and will scratch 
glass. An inventory of its uses would be too long 
for these pages. Charcoal in the form of lampblack 
aucl plumbago, Is among the most enduring of 
paints, and forms ft firm body with oil. Letters paint¬ 
ed in this way on wood frenutmt.lv 
Special Contributors. 
P. BARRY, F. R. ELLIOTT, E. W. STEWART, 
H. T. BROOKS, JOHN E. SWEET, JAMBS VICK, 
MRS. MARY J. HOLMES, MRS. L. E. LYMAN. 
noticeable feature is that he proposes to print the 
specifications and claims in full, so that a person at 
all conversant with bnsiuess may thoroughly under¬ 
stand what protection is obtained under the patent. 
The first post should be braced, theu when the 
wires are properly strained tho pickets arc woven in 
by means of a double acting lever (J), which crosses 
the wires at the top and bottom by raising nod lower¬ 
ing the middle section of the lever. If the wires are 
strained tight enough and the pickets driven dose 
with an ax, they arc firmly held in place by the 
pressure of the wires upon the comers of the pick¬ 
ets. At regular intervals between the posts, clasps 
(L, K.) are used instead of crossing the wires; the 
ABOUT FARM BUILDINGS 
precision and completeness. Where material is 
cheap and easy of access farm buildings are uni¬ 
formly good. The timbered regions of New Eng¬ 
land and the Middle.States are not excelled by any 
country of equal extent in quality and quantity of 
farm buildings. Their value has been appreciated, 
and the ready and natural material of the forest de¬ 
voted to their construction. But the prairie States, 
lacking timber, lack also sufficient farm buildings; 
and the Southern States, though possessing much 
material, have hitherto been too devoted to special¬ 
ties in Agriculture to feel the need of ample accom¬ 
modations for a variety of farm products. Hence 
one of the most urgent wants of farmers throughout 
a very large pari, of the Union is suitable buildings 
to shelter the stock and secure the grain. 
The material most in use is wood, and It will so 
continue until scarcity and consequent large cost 
compel the adoption of some other. Brick and 
stone, more costly, but likewise more durable, will 
then be used. Already the need of some other ma¬ 
teria) than shingles for roofs is urgent, and efforts 
to adapt various plastic compositions, having for 
their base gas-tar and some stony substance, are 
persistently made. The material most generally 
in use in Europe is tile, but the great weight of 
such roofs necessitates very strong structures to 
support them; but they are ft re-proof and durable. 
The location of farm buildings in this country has 
resulted from the circumstances which influenced 
the first settlers. In the New England and Middle 
States the farms first carved from the wilderness 
were not overgrown, and the pioneers were the 
heads of families or young men seeking permanent 
homes. From social considerations the bulldlmrs 
I saw a statement in a Philadelphia paper, not long 
since, that a widow woman and two small daughters 
were reduced to live on three eggs per day. This, of 
1 course, would not support them. She sold the eggs 
for six cents and purchased one pint of beans. These 
boiled and made Into a soup were plenty for them for 
avo days, so that each alternate day she could buy 
a sixpenny loaf oi bread. Thus they lived comfort¬ 
ably on three eggs per day. 
S»il. — Any of our land, dm.<_*>.-• too much worn, is 
well adapted to beaus. Tne old saying “ that poor 
land 1st best for beans," is a grand mistake. To insure 
a large yield, land must be good, nay more, it should 
be made rich. It is doubtless true that poor, worn 
out land will produce more value in beans than in 
any other crop; while it is equally true that the yield 
is in proportion to the richness of the soil, other 
things being equal. Sandy or gravelly soils are doubt¬ 
less better than strong and tenacious clays. 
Varieties .-.'The principal kinds are the Medium, 
Blue Pod, Marrow and the late and early Pea Bean! 
Anew variety has lately made its appearance—the 
Whitcsborough. The Medium has always been a 
standard beau. In price it ranks with the Blue Pod; 
the Marrow and Pea Bean arc about alike in market 
value. The present price is, for Medium and Blue 
Pod, $4.00 to £125 per bushel; the others are 
from $4.25 to A4.5U per bushel. These prices are 
very high, but beans are still cheaper for food than 
wheat or potatoes, 
It is generally claimed that the Blue Pod will out 
yield any other variety. With good soil, good cul¬ 
ture and a favorable season, fifty bushels per acre 
have been raised of this kind, but it may be deemed 
as the extreme figure. The past season was so dry 
that only a small yield has been realized, say from 
eight to fifteen .bushels per acre. The quality was 
never better. B 
Ilindsbnrgh, Orleans Co., N. Y., Feb., 1888. 
Sroncboiit with Tomrne. 
A correspondent sends us a sketch and descrip¬ 
tion of a Stoneboat with a tongue attachment, which 
seems capable of easy construction and very useful 
on side hills where heavy loads are liable to slide 
on to the team. The length Of the boat is feet; 
width, 3 feet; raise of forward end, Cinches; leugth 
of raise, 20 inches. The bolt which holds the tongue 
in place goes between the front crosspiece and the 
plank. The engraving makes it plain. 
C'rlb-Bitinsr. 
'“A,” Slncluirviile, N. Y., writes:—“A few weeks 
ago an article appeared iu the Rural on the above 
subject, in which the writer ascribed the cause to a 
disordered condition of the stomach. Dr. Stewart, 
in his late work, takes the ground that Mt proceeds 
from a disordered condition of the teeth—probably 
some neuralgic affection. It is most likely that the 
sufferer has somehow discovered that by pressing 
his teeth upon some hard substance, or by biting 
and pulling with them, he can obtaiu relief. When 
one has been salivated, and is suffering tortures from 
sore teeth and gums, if a small chip or piece of stick 
be held between tho teeth, and they be closed forci¬ 
bly upon it, the abatement of pain will be instan¬ 
taneous and great. May not the crib-biting horse 
be merely resorting to the same expedient to secure 
temporary relief from suffering of a similar charac¬ 
ter? It is not difficult to understand how grateful 
such relief would be to an animal in that state, nor 
how pleasurable, a sensation it might be to cool the 
hot and feverish gums by drawing the air rapidly 
through the teeth. I strongly incline to the belief 
that the affection is a disease not only of the teeth 
and gums, but also embracing the membrane (the 
periosteum) covering the fangs of the former, and 
the nerves of the adjacent regions.’ ” 
Ground Feed for Stock. 
The Utica Herald is of opinion that feeding 
horses ground food in a wet state is not advisable. 
It says“In feeding ground food wet to the horse 
it will be swallowed too rapidly and with much less 
saliva than it would if the food had been fed un- 
ground. A certain amount of saliva appears to be 
required in the stomach to aid digestion, and hence 
when food is taken without sufficient mastication 
the salivary glands are not stimulated to secrets 
their fluid in the quantity demanded by nature. In 
a short time the horse will show evident signs of 
indigestion, acidity of the stomach, belching of 
wind, dullness and inability to stand hard work.’’ 
If ground food is used it is proposed to use it in a 
dry state, mingled with a portion of whole grain, 
cut hay or straw, by which a longer time is necessi¬ 
tated in eating and sufficient mastication secured. 
For neat stock ground feed is deemed beneficial and 
economical. 
A Cheap Farm Gate. 
E. W. Downer, Chautauqua Co., N. Y,, sends us 
.— a sketch of a gate “ which has been used 
I—_ in many places on my farm, where the 
* occasion to pass through comes but sel¬ 
dom. It is all made of inch boards, 
WESTERN RURAL MEMORANDA, 
Since the weevil has prevented the raising of 
wheat in Orleans county, farmers have turned their 
attention to growing beans. It is, perhaps, all 
things considered, the most paying crop ever culti¬ 
vated in the county. Many a fine farm has been 
purchased by paying a small portion down, and 
beans have helped the purchaser out in five years. 
I have a neighbor who has, within eight years, paid 
nearly all Die purchase money for a farm of one hun¬ 
dred and forty acres by raising beans, and one year 
ago Dec. 1st, 1807, he purchased an adjoining fifty 
acres. Last year he planted forty acres to the i’ea 
bean, which, with his other crops, nearly lets him 
out again. He has just purchased another farm of 
one hundred and thirty acres, and the coming season 
intends to plant one hundred acres of beans. 11c 
will come out ail right. 
Bums as Food. —For either man or beast, there is 
no crop grown in our elimate containing so much 
nutriment. For fattening hogs or sheep tlieyaro far 
superior to corn. For hogs they must be cooked,— 
but for sheep are best fed raw. 
A GOAT FEVER. 
It is raging iu the West. And there arc peddlers 
of goats as there were of white willows. And these 
men have an equal amount of impudence, an equal 
number of lies ready-made for the man who will 
nibble at one when the naked truth would repulse 
him. I know a man who went into this Cashmere 
goat business some years ago as a speculation. He 
got good breeders to look after them. He based 
prospective wealth upon the reputed value of the 
wool. The goats would climb barns, scale fences, 
perform antics on the lop of a small cedar post, and 
play the d—1 generally. All this would have been 
amusing and tolerative had the four-legged caperers 
only sheared gold as was expected. But they didn’t. 
And now one Diehl has been to Asia and is publish¬ 
ing his manifestos in papers that helped the white 
willow swindle for the same consideration. And so 
silly people who like to be humbugged are going 
crazy for Cashmere wool! And they will get it 
pulled so thickly over their eyes! But they will 
Osnsrc Orange Plants. 
A correspondent asks if it is advisable to pro¬ 
cure Osage plants grown on the rich soil of the West, 
for the purpose of making a hedge on laud of medium 
strength in Wayne Co., N. 1'. The obvious objection 
may be avoided by making the hedge row as rich as 
the Illinois prairies. However, we don’t think the 
difference ill the quality of the soil will have a bad 
inlluenee on the well-doing of the plants, if other 
circumstances favor them. 
Sowing Grass Sol’d with Buckwheut. 
J. li, F., Angola, Iud,, writes, in answer to one ot 
our correspondents, that last summer he sowed a 
bushel and a half of timothy seed, about the 25th of 
June, with buckwheat, ami although it sprouted 
finely, it killed out completely. 
Another correspondent from Union Co., Ind., 
writes : — “I sowed buckwheat about the 25th of 
June, and, after the ground had been harrowed both 
ways, sowed the grass seed broadcast and had a fair 
yield of lray the following year. I knew of three 
lots treated in the same manner, and wherever the 
ground was rich enough to cause the buckwheat to 
fall down, it rather killed the tender grass which 
otherwise did rv well.” 
Market lor Osier Willow. 
T. J. T. Stafford wishes for information through 
this Club, respecting the growing and marketing of 
the Osier Willow. How should it be planted, culti¬ 
vated and prepared for market — how is it peeled— 
where is the market— what are the prices— how does 
it yield per acre ? Who will respond ? 
