The finest of soil, but rarely a peach, 
Plenty of all things, but seldom in reach; 
Plenty of rain, when it comes down at all, 
Enough and to spare, would it come at your call; 
Plenty of drouth, yet hardly a tank. 
Plenty of thorns, all rugged and rank; 
Bois d' Arc and Weesatehie, but never a hedge, 
Plenty of hogs, as thin as a wedge; 
Plenty of bacon, year before last, 
Plenty again wben comes a good mast; 
Plenty of stone, the cisterns to wall, 
But never the time to do it at all; 
Plenty of time, but a great lack of leisure, 
Plenty of young folks, too lazy for pleasure; 
Plenty of wind, no drawback on that, 
When old men get talking, no end to their chat; 
Plenty of stories, the half of them lies, 
With idlers anti braggarts, that needn't surprise. 
Oh! land of great promises, never fulfilled, 
What a country you might he, if people so willed. 
All teeming with plenty, with beauty and health, 
Every requisite ready for comfort and wealth. 
But with jerked beef and coffee, the men have enough, 
And women get happy—on a bottle of snuff. 
This picture of the indolence and improvidence of 
the Western Texan is very little overdrawn. Here 
and there a man has made some effort at developing 
the advantages of the country, and turning the rich 
materials around hlrn to account, but an isolated in¬ 
dividual, no matter what, his ability and energy, can 
do little against the vis inertia of the mass. The dis¬ 
advantage of acting alone can only be appreciated by 
one who tries to improve stock, where he can neither 
sell nor exchange a Hue animal that has been long 
enough in his herd, or by him who wishes to culti¬ 
vate fruit and has no further data thaD those afforded 
by his unassisted experiments. Nothing but the 
ruiu of the cotton interest, and the consequent de¬ 
pression in stock raising could have aroused the 
people to the advisability of trying to raise other 
crops, to make necessaries at home, and to make 
home agreeable and convenient. But we have had 
to swallow the sharp medicine necessary, and al¬ 
ready symptoms of a cure begiu to appear. 
Experiments in sundry crops have been made and 
the results are not only remunerative, but highly 
encouraging. Castor oil beans planted but not cul¬ 
tivated make 80 bushels to the acre, — well worked 
in a favorable season 50 to 70 bushels. Sorgho 
makes, from the same planting, two heavy crops — 
one cut in July and the other in October—each crop 
yielding with indifferent management 150 to 5100 gal¬ 
lons of sirup to the acre. Broom corn also yields 
two cuttings; ripening about the same time as Sor¬ 
gho,—from 750 pounds to 1,500 pounds of clean mer¬ 
chantable straw is the yield,— under very favorable 
conditions over 2,000 pounds to the acre have been 
secured. Cuban and Brazilian tobacco have been 
planted in small patches, and the very choicest leaf 
suitable for tine cigars made. Hemp has not been 
tried, but planters from Kentucky and Missouri are 
confident of its success. Hops in gardens do as well 
as possible, and so far seem subject to no disaster, 
and are not troubled by insects. Persons who have 
seen the Ramie plant in Mexico arc confident that in 
our climate it would afford three cuttings yearly. 
Wheat has hitherto been a very uncertain crop. Oc¬ 
casionally fine crops have been made, but the gen- 
The Turkey wools were the leading class of Carpet 
wools imported at Boston during the period speci¬ 
fied. We have not yet received the New York 
statistics in this particular, bat have strong reasons 
for believing that the Carpet wools imported there 
contained a higher per eeutage of the cleaner kinds, 
particularly of Donskoi. Now as the Carpet wools 
imported at New York and Boston for the period 
under consideration, averaged, as wc have heretofore 
shown, less than a cent per pound, at the appraised 
Custom House value, higher than the Clothing and 
Combing wools — and averaged nearly two cents 
lower at Boston aloue—the reader will be at no loss 
to see how much higher would have been both the 
appraised and market value of the Clothing wools 
had they been imported in equal condition with the 
Carpet wools. In one case U0 or 70 per cent, of dirt 
is paid for—in the other, say from i0 to 40 per cent. 
To our correspondent’s question about the use of 
India wools worth fifty cents a pound, in carpets, 
we reply that when we wrote we presumed very lit¬ 
tle was used. It would have been preposterous to 
suppose otherwise. But we gave the quotations of 
prices an we found them, in the Boston wool circulars 
mentioned. We know there were no other India 
wools than Carpet wools in our markets, nor had 
there been for years. Wc took the quoted market 
prices, giving our authority, simply to illustrate the 
extreme of our argument, but not believiug or ask¬ 
ing anybody else to believe that such very high 
priced Carpet wools were manufactured to any ex¬ 
tent. Bo far as our argument was concerned, we are 
quite willing to leave them out of view. And can¬ 
dor requires us to add that they probably ought to be 
left out of view, because, though we have not direct¬ 
ly investigated the accuracy of the wool circulars 
which we cited as our authority, facts incidentally 
received now incline us strongly to the belief that 
those circulars quoted throughout the season the Bos¬ 
ton market prices of a kind of wool whioh in reality 
vm not any of the time in the Boston market! 
-«-»»-- 
CARE OF WEAK BREEDING EWES AND 
TEGS IN MARCH. 
Experienced sheep breeders hardly need to be 
told that, in this climate, March is the trying 
month for their flocks, especially if not in good 
strong condition. Weak sheep are apt to fail rap¬ 
idly amidst the frequent changes of this blustering 
month; and even those in fair condition, after the 
strain, if we may so term it, on the system, caused 
by long continued cold and confinement to dry feed, 
suffer more from its storms than from severer ones 
in early winter. The teg, if feeble, is in especial 
danger. So, too, is the poor breeding ewe. The 
moment she shows reluctance to rise, or exhibits 
difficulty in rising on account of the weight of her 
unborn lamb, the chances become strong that she 
will not survive parturition, or if 6he does, that she 
cannot raise her lamb. Of course sheep should not 
be allowed to become thin and weak in winter. 
But if they are 60 on the first of March, what is to 
be done about it ? 
Shall they immediately receive a large iucrease of 
eral impression is that our climate is too warm for I nutritious food ? This generally accelerates the 
small grains. This notion must be discarded when 
we reflect that the finest wheat countries in the 
world are on the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black 
Seas,— that Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, aud the south¬ 
ern Russian provinces have brought wheat from 
time immemorial. When we procure seed from 
those regions and adopt their mode of cultivation, 
we will no doubt succeed. 
With the capacity to make all these crops and 
others still more profitable, the vine for example, 
and with an immense range of the finest grass in a 
country favorable to animal life, where botli the 
horse and his rider enjoy the highest condition of 
health aud vigor,—all that is required to produce 
prosperity is a little capital in money and a great 
deal in energetic, intelligent labor. We have 
little hope from the old Texans; they will saun¬ 
ter and loiter and croak to the last, discouraging and 
disparaging every effort at progress or improvement. 
But our young men, especially those who fought 
manfully through the war, are different; they have 
had a surfeit of strife, destruction and disorder, aud 
are heartily in earnest to bring about the reverse con¬ 
dition of things; but they have no knowledge or 
experience in making or producing anything; they 
have the intelligence, the will and the industry, hut 
they need Northern and Western men to show them 
how. Such men — real live, men, with their new in¬ 
vention in tools aud machinery, are badly needed, 
and will be heartily welcomed. No one will inquire 
whether they are Radicals, Copperheads, Conserva¬ 
tives or Democrats; all we want to know is, whether 
they understand work and will do it. Got West. 
catastrophe. Wc have seen this sudden plunging 
from one extreme to the other attended with the 
most fatal effects—flocks swept off as if by a pesti¬ 
lence. They should receive richer food, but the 
change should be gradual. Roots are excellent in 
the production of milk, aud they are a healthy and 
to some extent a restorative feed ; but they should 
be given only gradually at first, and not be relied on 
to sustain or restore- vigor, if the system exhibits 
I any degree of actual debility. If sheep are strong 
I and in good condition, they may suffice to keep up 
[ strength. Even then we would prefer a little grain 
with them, a few weeks before lambing, unless the 
ewes arc in high order. But the feeble ewe or teg 
should by all means have grain. 
What is the best grain to feed to them V Coni is 
too “hearty” aud stimulating—at least experience 
pronounces our small, hard, yellow corn in the East 
to be so, We make this qualification because we 
know that in the Western States corn is fed freely 
aud undor almost all circumstances to sheep, with 
| vague sneers and inuendos—than it is to venture 
out on the hard ground of facts and figures, where 
its misrepresentations can be effectually exposed '? 
Even had our contemporary learned all these 
tilings as plainly as other people have learned them 
by his example, policy—to say nothing of integrity 
—required him to retract errors which we have no 
doubt he is now fully conscious of, for we give him 
the credit of possessing common sense. Undoubt¬ 
edly “Mordecai the Jew” glared at him from the 
“ King’s gate” as he wrote, and his pen was tipped 
with its habitual virus towards the unlucky class 
of breeders we have mentioned; but we cannot 
suppose that he purposely made misstatements 
which he knew could be refuted so easily. Had 
he subsequently fraukly come forward and confess¬ 
ed his own ignorance, avowing that he had been 
misled by his informants, men might have smiled 
at his previous rasliuess, but they would at least 
have given him credit for manliness and honesty. 
But when the broken-down witness and convicted 
calumniator—with neither the courage to persist 
nor the magnanimity to retract—attempts to shel¬ 
ter himself in sullen silence, men of honor will not, 
we imagine, consider his position an enviable one. 
Some may doubt whether it is even respectable. 
We make these remarks with no pleasure. During 
the three years wc have conducted this Department, 
its columns will be sought in vain for a solitary cen¬ 
sorious word—even the faintest inuendo—against 
any other Agricultural journal, in any particular 
whatever, with the single exception of the Country 
Gentleman. And what we have not done under 
our own colors, we have not permitted correspond¬ 
ents to do. A long course of unprovoked and un¬ 
answered agression from the last named paper once 
before drew us into a controversy with it; and now 
monstrous misrepresentations concerning a measure 
which we had some part in framing, and direct per¬ 
sonal calumny and insult, a second time forces us 
most unwillingly into this distasteful field of jour¬ 
nalism. 
Note.— In printing our article on “Imports or Wool 
under the New Tariff” (Eeb. 15th,) the following trans¬ 
positions were made in the figures. Iil the table of im¬ 
ports into Boston the aggregate value of the Class 2 
wools is given as $830,985. The last two figures should 
have been 58. Immediately below in the same table the 
amount is given correctly. In the third and fourth lines 
of the succeeding paragraph, the total imports of Class 1 
and 2 wools at New York and Boston are given as 7,900,- 
974 lbs. The last three figures should have been 791, 
These unimportant errors in no way affect the succeed¬ 
ing statements, which were based on the correct figures. 
-»■< ♦« «»- 
WEST VA. WOOD GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The West Virginia State Wool Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion held its annual meeting at Wcllsburg, Feb. 6th. 
The following officers were elected for the ensuing 
year; President —Thomas Sweeney of Ohip count)’. 
Secretary—J. C. Palmer, Brooke Co. Treasurer— 
Thomas Buchanan, Brooke Co. Members of the 
Executive Committee of the National Wool Grow¬ 
ers’ Association— Samuel Archer of Hancock Co., 
on the part of the growers of fine wool, and J. G. 
Davis of Hampshire, on the part of the growers of 
coarse wool. S. Archer, J. C. Palmer, J. C. Gist, 
J. G. Jacob aud C. H. Beall wereappoiuted a com¬ 
mittee on resolutions. In the afternoon they report¬ 
ed the following, which were unanimously adopted ; 
Where us, Ii is the belief and conviction of this Associa¬ 
tion that the wool growing interests of this country re¬ 
quire stability amTpenr.auence in the Tariff, and that 
changes in legislation on that point are detrimental to the 
wool growing interest. 
Resolved. 1. That our Representatives in Congress are 
requested to oppose any changes in the present rates of 
duties on wool and woolon- 
2. That the interest or \V stern Manufacturers-nndWool 
Growers being recognizers identical, farther measures 
should be adopted to m&j.e each class familiar with the 
respective wants and necessities of the other. 
fcjnutucnt. 
and Manufacturers for a National Exposition of their re¬ 
spective industries at such time and place as may be 
agreed upon. 
4. That it is the desire of this Association that the pres¬ 
ent Wool Tariff' act passed by Congress March 2,1SG7, re¬ 
main as it now is 
5. That in regulating duties on imports Congress should 
just protect!. 
■ praeti- 
EDITED BT HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D. 
RELATIVE VALUE OF CARPET AND 
FINE WOOLS. 
An esteemed friend in Ontario Co., writes to us: 
“I am very much surprised to learn in the Rural that 
various kinds of Carpet wool bear a higher value at the 
original place of import, aud in onr markets, than Lrn 
ported fine wools; and it appears by your article of 15th, 
that even the average appraised value of the total Import 
of the former at New York, from the time the present 
tariff wont Into operation down to Jan. 1.1S63, was actu¬ 
ally higher (by ns-loot hr of a cent a pound) than the 
average appraised value at fine wools. What has produced 
this anomalous state of affairs V What kinds of carpets arc 
made of India woo) worth 50 cents per pound, and who 
buys such carpets ? ” 
Without entering upon those general causes which 
have for several years been bringing the prices of 
Carpet and Clothing wools nearer together, with 
which wool growers are tolerably familiar, we will 
cow give a direct and tangible reason which does 
not appear to be so well known, for the average ap¬ 
praised aud market value of the former equaling or 
exceeding that of the latter, according to the cir¬ 
cumstances heretofore stated by us (Feb. 1.) It 
grows out of the relative condition in which Carpet 
and Clothing wools are imported into the United 
States. The Clothing wools are imported, almost 
exclusively, m the grease . Eight-tenths or more of all 
the Carpet wools are imported washed. To show the 
effect of these circumstances on their appraised and 
market value, it is only necessary to state their rela¬ 
tive shrinkage in being prepared for manufacture. 
The imported Clothing wools shrink from sixty to 
seventy per cent. 
The imported Carpet wools shrink as follows :J 
Washed Donskoi.10 to 20 per cent. 
Do. Turkey..15 to 25 do. 
Do. Smyrna.15 to 30 do. 
Do. East India. .20 to 50 do. 
Do, Cordova, Santiago.28 to 50 do. 
We believe we have given the highest shrinkage 
on Carpet wools estimated by persons engaged hi 
the trade. The more prevalent opinion is that 40 
per cent, is about the maximum shrinkage, and we 
are inclined to think it is so, unless in occasional 
aud limited lots. 
the grain, to the Western sheep being accustomed 
to a free use of corn all its life, or to climatic causes, 
wc will uot undertake to say. Theoretically, oats 
pound for pound should contribute more to strength 
than corn, because the former contributes more to 
muscle and the latter to fat. We believe m 6hould 
prefer oats in the IWq, the price being the same per 
pound. We know we entirely prefer them in the 
East, especially to recruit the strength of poor tegs 
and breeding ewes. We doubt whether the inge¬ 
nuity of man could devise a safer and better feed for 
tegs, aud for thin ewes and their coming offspring, 
than an equal mixture of good, sound oats, heavy 
bran or shorts, and finely cut, fresh, succulent roots. 
Tegs could better dispense with the roots than preg¬ 
nant ewes, but their stomachs are kept in healthier 
tone, and they will go more safely from dry feed to 
grass (a dangerous time for weak tegs) with this 
preparatory introduction to green feed. 
The precise amount to feed should depend on 
circumstances. The weaker the sheep the less we 
would feed at first. We might commence at as 
small an amount as a gill of the mixture per head 
daily. We would slowly increase this to a pint a 
head daily. It would be well to add a larger quan¬ 
tity of roots for ewes as yeaning approaches. We 
speak of Merinos. Large English sheep would prop¬ 
erly consume more. 
Very weak sheep should be sorted out and put by 
themselves. All thin or weak sheep should be very 
carefully sheltered from storms, especially from rain 
storms. Filling the wool, it produces an insupport¬ 
able load. If followed by a severe freeze, the con¬ 
dition of the poor animal becomes deplorable. All 
other sanitary measures become in a great degree 
useless where such exposures are permitted. 
- » < »- 
THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 
To our exposures of its gross errors of fact and 
reasoning on the subject of “Imports of Wool 
under the New Tariff,” the Country Gentleman, 
down to date of Feb. 20Lh, replies- nothing! 
Has it learned that it is well to know something 
about a question, before attempting to discuss it V 
Has it learned that it will not do to rely on “ cor¬ 
respondents ”—whether rejected applicant# for the siiw- 
ilium of lobby agent at Washington of Uw National PFooi 
Growers' Association, or others of similar caliber and 
equally respectable motives —for information on 
which to overthrow the wool tariff, and convict 
those wool growers who assisted in framing it of 
fraud and corruption V Has it learned that in in¬ 
dulging its usual venom towards the breeders of 
by far the most numerous variety of fine wooled 
sheep in the United States, and towards every 
organization aud measure with which those breed¬ 
ers are specially connected, how much safer it is 
to confine itself to matters of opinion merely—to 
That the thanks of this Convention arc due to the offi¬ 
cers and agents of this Association for the prompt aud 
faithful discharge of their duties daring the preceding year. 
The Association then adjourned to meet in Wheel¬ 
ing on the second Tuesday of March, 1869. 
Condensed Correspondence, Items, &c. 
Raising Lambs.—Wc have received an earnest applica¬ 
tion from several gentlemen to republish eutire three arti¬ 
cles which appeared in this department March Bib, 16th 
and 23d, 1367, in which is given the respective treatment 
of some sixteen then living* eminent American shepherds 
in every important process and detail of lamb raising. 
We should be very glad to do so, were it properly practi¬ 
cable. We considered the articles very valuable, not ouly 
to new beginners but to the most experienced Hock mas¬ 
ters. They brought forward both the latest discoveries 
and improvements on every point, and a diversity of pro¬ 
cesses which adapted some of them to every region. It 
cost ns no little labor to obtain, compare, and group 
them together. But their republication would mostly fill 
the space allotted to this department for three weeks. 
The times have brought new and pressing subjects of at¬ 
tention. We cannot in justice to these, make the desired 
republication. Those who wish to obtain the articles can 
do so by ordering the vol. of the Rural containing them. 
* Victor Wright, one of the number, is since dead. 
New Remedy for Hoof Rot.—J. E. Ficklin, Raccoon 
Ford, Culpepper Co., Va M writes us:—“I do not know 
whether your people have ever tried nitrate of copper for 
foot rot. I have, and found it the beet thing I ever used. 
I take the crude acid, aquafortis, aud put in it as many 
bits of copper as the acid will eat up. It is then ready 
for use. 1 apply with a little stick after the foot has been 
properly prepared. I have never failed with it to cure the 
worst cases, generally by one application, though it is 
sometimes necessary to apply it twice. I cured several 
hundred last summer for Hugo T. Peters.” 
FOX RIVER VALLEY DAIRY CLUB. 
A friend sends us the published proceedings of a 
meeting of this Club, held at Elgin (111.) on the 7th 
of January. The attendance was good, and a free in¬ 
terchange of opinions on dairy subjects was had, 
resulting in a cheering addition to the membership 
of the Association. The management of dairy stock 
was freely canvassed. Milking, while the cows were 
feeding, seemed to find favor with the members 
generally. Besides good hay feeding, bran in sum¬ 
mer aud meal and bran in winter —one part of the 
former and three of the latter — were the favorite 
proportions. Some preferred the food scalded, es¬ 
pecially in the winter. The average per cow, as 
reported by the members, was $75 per annum. 
The subject of garget was discussed. Dr. Tefft 
said it was the result of inflammation induced by a 
too free flow of milk or external injury, and recom¬ 
mended cooling treatment to reduce and remove 
the inflammation as far as possible. He did not re¬ 
gard a perfect cure possible, though others thought 
differently. The subject of manuriug lands was 
freely canvassed, and top-dressing of meadows in¬ 
stead of breaking them up generally concurred in, A 
member said he had visited the cheese factories in 
the State of New York, and was happy to say that 
the West was not behind the East iu this branch of 
farming. The shipments of milk from eight facto¬ 
ries amounted to 1,224,653 gallons. Receipts, $160,- 
504.89. Cheese produced, 646,5S3 pounds. 
-- 
WINTER FEED FOR COWS. 
The author of “Milch Cows and Dairy Farming” 
assumes that diminution or increase in the flow of 
milk of cows is in proportion to the nourishment 
given, without much regard to the particular form 
of the substauee administered. It is added ; Let 
cows receive through winter nearly as large a pro¬ 
portion of nutritive matter as is contained in the 
clover, lucern aud fresh grasses which they eat in 
summer, and, no matter iu what precise substance 
or mixture that matter may be contained, they will 
yield a winter’s produce of milk quite as rich iu 
casein aud butyraccous ingredients as the summer 
produce, and far more ample iu quantity than 
almost any dairyman, with old-fashioned notions, 
would imagine to bo possible.” 
Cows often show a diminution in the flow of 
milk, though amply supplied with food, in conse¬ 
quence of neglect iu watering them. This is im¬ 
portant. It is good policy, too, during the milder 
days of winter, to let cows take a ramble in the 
woods, if any are at hand, as they enjoy the young 
twig.-> of the beech, maple and basswood which 
come within their reach,—repaying the indulgence 
in improved health and increased flow of milk. 
Rigid confinement and thirst rapidly diminish the 
lacteal secretions in the cow, hence the importance 
of seeing that the animals do not sorter from these 
causes. 
-- 
WINTER CHURNING. 
“C. S. L.” inquires “Why in winter are we obliged 
to spend a half or whole day churning cream before 
it will turn to butter? Is it owing to improper 
temperature when churning is commenced, or to 
improper handling of cream when rising ?” 
Temperature has much to do with the process of 
butter-making. That portion which forms butter 
exists iu the. milk or cream in small globules, coated 
or held together by the, casein or cheesey matter. 
To enable these to separate, a certain degree of sour¬ 
ness is essential, which forms lactic acid (acid of 
milk) partially dissolving or separating the casein, 
or cheese, and setting free the particles of butter 1 
which are brought together by the action of the 
dasher, aud adhere, when the butter is said to have 
“come.” To induce this chemical action cream must 
be of a temperature of 5* to 00 degrees; and if very 
much colder than this, long churning in a warm 
room may be necessary to induce a temperature that 
will form the lactic acid and bring butter. Injudi¬ 
cious handling of milk in cold weather often injures 
cream, leaving it bitter aud unfit for use, To rem¬ 
edy this, warm the milk by setting on the stove or 
over hot water iu shallow pans, that the cream may 
rise in the least possible time, and then, though the 
quantity be small, churn often, and much of the 
difficulty of butter-making in winter will be obviated. 
-- 
DAIRYING.-LOSSES, &c. 
At a recent meeting at Little Falls several exhibits 
of dairy business for the past season were made, all 
of which, with a single exception, showed a loss to 
the dairyman. Mr. Myers of German Flats, led off 
with 45 cows and a cheese product of 400 pounds per 
cow—IS,000pounds—sold at an average of *14.30 per 
100 pounds, $2,574.00. The expenses were $2,076.00, 
showing a loss of $10.2. 
Josiah Shull of Mohawk, showed a loss on 
twenty cows of $84.33. Mr. E. Rice had 50 cows, 
and came out with $256 profits. Another farm car¬ 
rying 20 cows, footed a loss of $39.00. 
In these statements, labor, cows and everything 
else, are rated at high figures, but not higher than 
facts warranted. The Utica Herald closes its notice 
of the meeting by saying:—“Whether the farmer can 
continue to pay these rates remains to be seen. 
Many say they shall not do it. Again, taxation is 
excessively high, and mast continue so for many 
years. From this there is no escape. But one thing 
is evident, a more rigid system of economy must 
needs be practiced, or higher prices for cheese main¬ 
tained, to make dairy farming the prosperous busi¬ 
ness it was previous to the war, if the above exhibits 
are to be relied upon as the basis of profits.” 
Philadelphia (Pa .) Ag. Society.—Pres'V— Craig Biddle. 
Yice-Pres'ts—C. W. Harrison, C. R. King. Cor. Sec’y— 
Sidney G. Fisher. Rec. Sec’y —A. L. Kennedy. Ass’t 
Sec’y—Thomas M. Coleman. Treas’r—George Blight. 
Kankakee Co. (IB.) Ag. Society,— Pres’t—Wilson Pottin- 
ger. Vice-Pres't—R. B. Hawkins. Treas’r—Chari es F. 
Foster. Sec’y—Enoch Nickerson. 
Alamakee Co. (Iowa) Ag. Society.— Pres't—J. Haney, Jr. 
Vico -Pres’t—John I'iank, Sr. Sec’y —D. W. Adams. 
Treas’r—Charles Panl. 
Middlesex (Mass.) Ag. Society.— Pres’t—Addison Gage. 
Vice-Prest’9—John Cummings, H. M. Clark. Sec’y—John 
B. Morse, Richard Barrett. 
Essex Co. (FA) Ag. Society.— Pres’t—Levi Howe. Vice- 
Prest’s—A. W. Houghton, L. W. Pratt. Secretaries — G. 
A. Hilberts, O. F. Harvey. Treas.—Harvey Judevine. 
Galen (Wayne Co.) Ag. Society. —Pres’t—Dan’l Jenison. 
Vice-Pres’r — Mathew Maekie. Sec’y —Joseph Watson. 
Treas’r—Seth Smith. 
Williams Co. (O.) Ag. Society.— Pres’t—D. C. Morrow, 
Bryan. Vice-Pres’t—Jacob Dillman. 
Rule for Purchasing Cows. —In a recent ad¬ 
dress before the Herkimer Farmers’ Club, Charles 
Van Valkenburgh gave his rule for purchasing 
cows before prices were inflated and no premium on 
gold. This was to make a cow bear a certain rela¬ 
tion to the price of cheese. If the last was worth 
but six cents per pound, a good cow was worth no 
more than $30. At seven cents for cheese $5 is ad¬ 
ded to the price of the cow, or multiply the price of 
cheese by five and call it dollars and that will show 
the relative value of the cow. If cows cannot be 
purchased at this rate Mr. V. V. is of opinion that 
farmers had better not purchase, but go to raising 
their own stock, and also grow enough wheat for 
their own consumption if not a surplus for market. 
--»« «- » ♦ <■»- 
Curd Mills. —Among the claimed improvements, 
in cheese-making, are curd mills. Some grind the 
curd, others tear it in pieces, while a third one is 
armed with knives, with which the curd is cut up. 
Cutting curd is an old practice, but performing the 
operation by machinery is a new feature in curd 
preparation. 
[oral dflotes anir Stotts. 
To Correspondents and Would be Contributors.— 
We beg to remind all interested of our rules relative to 
, correspondence intended for publication. No article 
from a stranger will receive attention unless accompanied 
by the real name and address of the writer. We require 
this as a guaranty of good faith, even if only the initials 
or a nom de plume are given to the public. As a rule 
articles from anonymous sources go to the waste basket 
unread: hence those who wish to save their brains, time 
and stationery, should give their names or forego the 
labor of writing for the Rural, We cannot become 
responsible for the safety or return of rejected manu¬ 
scripts,—certainly not unless real names are given and 
stamps furnished for return postage. 
Would-be contributors—especially on literary and mis¬ 
cellaneous subjects—are again advised that we do\mt wish 
to rrpnloy persons who are iu their teens, or other inex¬ 
perienced people, to write for this journal, nor anybody 
else at present, unless something useful, novel or brilliant 
is offered. II anything we want is offered at a stipulated 
price, we wifi pay that price if the contribution is accept¬ 
ed,—but out corps of Editors and Contributors is so large 
and expensive that we have no occasion to add thereto, 
aud hence are daily constrained to decline propositions 
from those wishing to become paid contributors, 
-- 
Printers “At Home."— Ye gallant knights of the 
"chase” and "shooting stick” appreciate a good time. 
The “ Express Mutual Benefit Association,” comprising 
“all hands” in the Printing and Publishing Establish¬ 
ment of the Rochester Evening Express, had one of the 
jolliest festivals ever enjoyed by the craft, on the nighTof 
the 21st lust. Employers and employes, — editors, typos, 
pressmen, folders, &c. —unitedin giving an entertainment 
for themselves, their wives, and a few friends, in Compos¬ 
itors' Hall. It was in every respect typical of the "Art 
Preservative.” The literary and humorous portion of the 
entertainment was supplemented by a genuine feast made 
up of nearly ail kinds of good edibles. Verily, printers 
can do some things as well as others 1 
— The Rural was represented on the occasion afore¬ 
said by one of our associates, Prof. Hopkins, who is re¬ 
ported to have delivered an appropriate poem, in his 
usual felicitous style, which elicited a measure of ap¬ 
plause indicating high appreciation. 
-*-*-♦- 
Sowing Salt.— A Subscriber, West Bloomfield, N. Y., 
writes;—“I wish some information about the advantages 
or otherwise of sowing salt. First, is it advisable to sow 
it on winter wheat in the spring—one barrel per acre; 
second, on grass which has been seeded some time; 
third, would it injure an old orchard—not seeded—to sow 
one barrel per acre ? I can get one qnality of salt at Syra¬ 
cuse for $1.30 per barrel and another at home for $3.25. 
Which is preferable?” Salt would be of little benefit to 
the wheat unless the soil was already rich; on poor or 
sandy soil it is worthless. It would probably benefit the 
old grass field and the orchard to some extent, but 
whether the application would pay or not can only bo de¬ 
termined by careful experiment. We advise that on a 
limited scale, ami would, like to hear of the results of 
similar ones. 
-■*-»-*- 
The Agricultural Department.— The new G'ommis 
sioner of Agriculture, Col. Caprnn, asks Congress jito 
legislate more explicitly than it has hitherto done in rela¬ 
tion to the Agricultural Department. He wants to be 
instructed as to what and how much is proposed to bo 
done on and with the experimental farm, which is an 
appendage to the Department of which he has been made 
the head. His estimate of the means necessary to keep 
it. up for the year is $277,286. Another year wifi probably 
determine whether the Department, as now constituted, 
shall be coutiuued or not. 
-- 
Nitrate of Soda. —Manure is getting to be king in 
New England with its farming interest, and the subject 
occupies a large space in the Agricultural press. Nitrate 
of soda is recommended as a special fertilizer. It ought 
to be cheap, as there are extensive beds of it in South 
America, where it is mined. It sometimes largely in¬ 
creases the yield of wheat. We can't say whether it will 
"pay " to use it; that depends on the price and product, 
-- 
Fowler & Wells have in press, and will soon issue, a 
volume of sketches by N. C. Meeker, Esq., Ag'l Editor 
N. Y. Tribnne, entitled " Life in the West; Or. Stories of 
the Mississippi Valley." The sketches are mainly de¬ 
scriptive of the struggles of settlers in making homes and 
pushing on civilization, and we doubt not will be full of 
interest to the great mass of Rural readers. 
-*-*--•- 
Boiled Oats for Stock.— If the farmer has any stock 
which need special strengthening there is nothing better 
than boiled oats—fed cold—to do it with. They are good 
for weak colts, milch cows, ewes with winter lambs, and 
any aud all stock. Hens will "shell out” better if fed 
with this grain. 
-» ♦♦- 
Value of Different Manures.— H. G. asks for the 
ideas of some of our well posted readers and correspond¬ 
ents on the relative value of different manures, and espe¬ 
cially on the value of that made from a ton of hay fed to 
horses as compared with guano, bone-dust or poudrette, 
-- 
Wintering Bees.—W. F. B., Castleton, Vt., writes: 
"I tried wintering bees last winter in the cellar, aud the 
result was bad. The cellar was dry, but their breath 
seemed to dampen the comb aud it became mouldy. I 
think a dark, cool room is the best place to winter bees.” 
- +---+■ - 
Shipping Hop Roots.— D. B. asks “ How should hop 
roots be put up for transportation by railroad ?” So they 
will keep cool and moist; they may be packed in bar¬ 
rels or boxes with damp moss. 
-■ » ■ >♦»♦» •- 
RURAL BRIEF-MENT10NINGS. 
A Mass, farmer has a matched pair of cattle that weigh 
a little over 5,600 pounds. 
The Columbia (Tenu.) Herald is jubilautover the estab¬ 
lishment of a plow factory in that town. 
The average per cow of a dairy of 11. for the last year, 
on Spring Farm, New Castle, Delaware, was $ 114 , 35 . 
A farmer in Delaware Co., N. Y.. considers winter 
shelter for stock a better investment than seven-thirties. 
A marked decline is noted in the price of hops in Ot¬ 
sego Co. Hop growing in the West is charged w ith this, 
Robert Roskvelt and Seth Green have been appointed 
commissioners for re-stocking the streams of New York 
with fish. 
The Turf, Field and Farm ridicules the frequent sensa¬ 
tional reports of the prevalence of rinderpest in various 
localities. 
Common smart weed, boiled and applied hot to the 
wethers of a horse, is recommended for fistula. Apply 
before the tumor breaks, 
A Fp.ench professor asserts that there is no such thing 
as firmly set land. All reposes on boiling lava, aud keeps 
time with its ebullitions. 
A statistician has figured out the arable land in the 
United States. It amounts to 52,000,000 of farms of 160 
acres each, or 8,320.000,000 acres. 
Chloroform is said to be a cure for bots in horses. 
Give a tablespoon i ni with twice the quantity of gum ara- 
bic. It is equally effective for colic. 
When the inoth canker w’orm commences going up the 
apple trees the slaughter should begin. Every- miller 
laued will wipe out from 75 to 100 worms. 
A correspondent of an exchange says that feeding 
wheat fields down close after tbo ground freezes in the 
fall and winter is certain death to the lly. 
Wm. J. Watson, near Battle Creek, Mich., raised 10,000 
bushels of corn last season. Some 50 acres of the best 
land averaged 130 bushelsof eras to the acre. 
As the last run of sledding Is approaching, it is well to 
examine the wool pile. It cau bo replenished now at less 
expense than during the season of harvest. — 
Remember in making maple sugar that clean sap clean 
boilers and good cleansiug of the syrup are essential to 
the production ot due sugar. A slow fire for sugaring off. 
If rain or snow storms occur during the sumir season" ' 
invert your buckets or sap troughs till they are over’ i 
boiling down snow with sap is not a paying business. 
As the season for the dropping of calves and early larnils i 
is at hand, extra vigilance will be required to prevent o 
loss. A little timely attention to these matters pays well, j 
