\t J 
•8.00 PER YEAR. 
Single Copy, Six Cents. 
82 Buffalo St., Rochester. 
41 Park Row, New York. 
to swallow dry pieeeB of stalks without crushing 
them in mastication. This la all imaginary, and 
comes of theory, not fact. Again, ho says“ The 
stalks of Indian coni or Sorghum, should never be 
cut Ices thau two inches long. When the pieces are 
longer than the diameter of the stalk they will 
always rest, on their sides between the teeth of the 
animal. On the contrary, when the pieces arc cut 
shorter than the diameter of the stalks, the end ,s are 
presented to the teeth, and the Uinty scale will enter 
the gnms almost as readily as a scale of iron or glass. 1 ’ 
From this statement it appears that, he regards stalks 
as cut line when the pieces arc shorter than the diam¬ 
eter of the stalk, and this may explain the damage 
he anticipates to the gums of the animal by the 
sharp, lliiily scale; but when stalks are really cut 
Jbir, say one-eighth of an inch long, the hard (liuty 
scales are broken Into shreds and are much less 
likely to injure the animal’s mouth than when cut 
two iuchcB long. It la difficult to sec bow he pro¬ 
poses to make cutting pay the expense, when stalks 
are cut so long, for it would lessen the labor of mas¬ 
tication very little. The stalkB Bbould be shaved up 
into thin pieces, not more than one-eighth inch 
thick, and then they are easily macerated by the 
teeth of animals, and the expenditure Qf labor in 
mastication reduced ten-fold. 
Again he Bays : — “ There is really no advantage 
in chaffing prime hay for animals that chew the 
cud, while there is profit in cutting it one inch long 
for those animals that do not chew the cud, Bnch as 
horses and mules. The advantages arising from 
chaffing prime hay for home feed consist in this, 
that the nourishment is rendered more available by 
being partially prepared for the stomach by some 
more effective mechanical means than the teeth. 
IforBCB and mules masticate their food before it, is 
received Into their stomachs more than neat cattle 
or sheep; therefore, there is greater uecd of coarse 
fodder being chopped for horses. Neat cattle and 
sheep chew their fodder but little until it lias lain in 
the first stomach until the hard particles have be¬ 
come quite soft.” 
Let us examine this argument. 1st. Neat cattle 
“chew their food but little” until after passing into 
the first stomach; therefore, there is no advantage 
in chaffing liny for them. But if they chew their 
food very little, would it not be well to c ut it tine 
that it might pass into the Uret Btomach in finer con¬ 
dition, so as to be made still softer before final 
chewing ? It is well known that any dissolving or 
digesting fluid acts much more rapidly and effectu¬ 
ally upon nuy material In a fine state of division, 
than when coarse. But, perhaps, It will be said that 
if it be made very fine there will bo no use for this 
first, stomach, and the animal will have no cud to 
chew, ihia position may have some plausibility, If 
it be shown that hay when cut as fine as any ma¬ 
chine will do it, requires less mastication than 
nature’s perfect food — grass. But it is evident that 
Bucculent herbage, the only food provided for ani¬ 
mals in a state of nature, requires much lesB masti¬ 
cation than hay when cut and mashed as line as 
machinery can do it. if, then, grass requires pre¬ 
liminary mastication by neat cattle before passing 
Into the first stomach, is it not highly necessary 
that wo assist them in masticating the tough woody 
fibers of hay, Btraw and corn stalks, whiob by do¬ 
mesticating animals wo compel them to cat. 2d. 
Horses “ masticate their food more than neat cattle,” 
therefore, they require it to be “partially prepared 
for the stomach by machinery cutting it one inch 
long." Why one inch long? Why not cut as short, 
at least, as oats? If it is good to cut hay one inch 
long, why not still better to cut it one quarter inch ? 
As we have shown, it then requires more mastica¬ 
tion than grass, the natural food of thu home. To 
do our full duty to animals, we should not only 
cut but cook their food soft We have cut fodder 
through the whole scale, beginning at an inch and a 
half and coming down to one-eighth inch, and have 
found, practically, that the benefit is in proportion 
to the fineness of division. We have cut, during 
the last twelve years, at least four hundred tons of 
hay, straw, corn and sorghum stalks, and we know 
that there 1s a great advantage in cutting hay for 
neat cattle, and still more for horses, and that corn 
stalks, especially, should bo cut as tiuo as possible. 
The error of all these theorists on cutting fodder is, 
that they assume hay, straw and coarse fodder to bo 
the natural rood of animals, and thus conclude that 
cutting fine is a violation of the natural habits of 
animals. When they will start with first principles, 
they will see that cutting and mashing the fiber and 
cooking it soft, is ail and only in imitation of na¬ 
ture’s green food. B> w< Si 
Mixing AmIich nnd IMuster. 
“N. M. M.,” Oran, N. if., asks if mix¬ 
ing ashes and plaster destroys the effect of 
either. The lime and sulphuric acid com¬ 
posing the plaster have such affinity that 
tho alkali of the ashes has no effect on the 
acid. In other words, the llnve wont part 
with the acid to the alkali. Hence it is 
not injurious to mix them. Hon manure, 
ashes and plaster mixed form a good special 
fertilizer for com or clover. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
AX OHIO INAL WSKKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED IJV D. D. T. IWOORE, 
(PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR,) 
With a Corps of Able Associates and Contributors 
Terms. In Advance — Tubes Dollars a Ykab:— Five 
copies for |14; Seven, ana one Ilrue to Club Agent, Xor flu; 
Ten, unci one rreo, Tor fW — only f'4.50 per copy. A# we pre¬ 
pay American pastaff e, fj.70 is the lowest Club rate to Canada 
and *3.,vo to Europe, Tbc best way to remit Is by Draft or 
Poit-Oftlcc Money Order,—and all Drafts and Orders made 
payable to tlie Publisher may uk MAJLKd at iuh rihk. 
tar All Business Letters. Contributions, Ac., Bhould be 
addressed to Rochester until otherwise announced. 
Hungarian Grans. 
“R. C. R.,” GrecnBburgh, Ohio.—There 
is but one common variety of this grass. 
It is good as a soiling crop, and if well 
cared and fed judiciously ia excellent for 
stock In winter. It may be sown with 
success as late as the middle of .June or 
11 rat of .July on moist ground, thus giv¬ 
ing a chance of filling a deficiency in the 
ordinary grasB crop. Sow from three pecks 
to one bushel of seed per acre. 
MAKING THE MOST OF A FARM 
In every neighborhood a striking difference in the 
productiveness of farms may be noted ; and this 
variation, when acre is matched against acre, can¬ 
not, in most cases, justly be attributed to the 
diversity of the soil, but rather to the effect of the 
methods by which the farming is conducted, it is 
the difference of character in the fanners, and of the 
objects they aim at which are illustrated in their 
labor and its products. And various as are these 
methods and their result*, yet we have little doubt 
but every farmer flatters himself that, considering 
circumstances, lie is making tho most of bis farm. 
We will briefly sketch some of the various ways by 
which farmers strive to reach the same end. 
One adopts the skinning process; his cultiva¬ 
tion is shallow but spreads over a good deal of sur¬ 
face. In measuring laud he never considers depth 
but breadth only; so he sowb as many acres as pos¬ 
sible, but Blights the work and grndges the expendi¬ 
ture of every dollar in that direction. A rich farm 
and fine improvements are not so desirable in hla 
eyes as a iarye farm and money at interest. He 
farms at as little expense as possible, and makes 
his property,— if he is so fortunate with crops of 
wheat yielding ten bushels per acre, com twenty, 
and grass a ton,—by saving and pinching. If lie 
dies young he dies poor, but if he IIvcb to an old 
age by miserly economy he may amass considerable 
property. Another considers the farm a sort of a 
mine from which he may draw treasure, lie works 
with skill and patience, and spcndB freely for neces¬ 
sary or profitable labor. He keeps good breeds of 
stock, for there is the most profit in such, and 
builds barns and sheds to shelter them. He sees 
depth to the soil, as well us breadth, arid works 
accordingly. He underdrains and subsoils, culti¬ 
vates well and performs all labor in the best man¬ 
ner. His object is to get the most, from the soil, 
ami ho transforms its products into other forma of 
wealth. Such a course may answer for one man’s 
lifetime, but in the end his farm will resemble the 
“squeezed orange,” or the mine whence the ore 
has all been taken and the lodes run out. The 
majority of what are termed our best fanners in 
this country, are pursuing this plan. It is one that 
adds little real wealth to the aggregate, for it ia 
substantially but transforming the wealth of the 
soil into other forms, and as the soU is not inex¬ 
haustible the time must come when the supply 
from that source will diminish. A third, nod the 
smallest of all classes of farmers, adds to thorough 
and skillful cultivation the more important idea of 
constantly replenishing the soil with thu plant elo 
merits which crops have extracted from it. The 
coarse products are consumed on the farm, and 
more food Tor stock, or special fertilizers arc bought 
to replace the fertility carried away in the animals 
and cereals that are sold, 
(luuinit Seed Potatoes. 
Cyrus Wade, Eliston, Ky., auks:—“Is 
it a good plan to cut Irish potatoes in 
f 1 Jd small pieces before planting, or Is It better 
to plant the whole potatoes?” 
We consider it best to use seed of fair 
average Bize, cut In pieces having, as near as possible, 
two eyes each. One piece, or two eyes, in the hill, 
is sufficient seed of the majority of varieties. 
SHORT-HORN 
Our illustration portrays a very handsome cow of 
the “Cream Pot” family of Short-Horns, the prop¬ 
erty of W. H. Slingerland, Albany, N. Y, It is a 
prevalent idea in this country that Short-Horns are, 
in general, much better for size and beanty, and for 
fattening qualities, than for milking. This is proba¬ 
bly true of most families of that race, but some, likB 
the “Cream Pot,” have long been bred for dairy 
purposes, and are distinguished for their good quali¬ 
ties in this respect, and we think this. Is a point lo 
which breeders should pay more attS r ‘lion. If milk¬ 
ing and fattening quail v .is can : - "Y-Mi.od, to a 
high degree, in one race, their value wVuid thereby 
be greatly enhanced. Of the “Cream Pot” family 
Mr. S. says: — “This peculiar family of stock had 
been bred exclusively for milk, long before their im¬ 
portation ; also since their introduction into this 
country, (which was about the year 1820;) ami great 
caution has been exercised in selecting milking 
stock throughout all their line of descent The 
cow 1 first purchased of this breed, gave, by actual 
measurement, from seventy-three to seventy-five 
pounds of milk per day when fed on grass alone, 
from which was made twenty-three pounds and 
twelve ounces of butter in ten days. She was 
awarded the first prize at, the Fair of the N. Y. Agri¬ 
cultural Society in 1859, as the best milk and butter 
cow of any breed, and each of her descendants has 
taken the same prize in succession. It has taken 
nearly a century to get the milking qualities of the 
“ Cream Pot” breed, and at the same time they are 
quickly prepared for the shambles. Their general 
appearance is ok follows: —The hful short and fine, 
broad across the eyes, but gradually tapering to the 
nose; the nostrils fall and prominent; the noecof 
a rich llesh color; eyes bright and placid; ears small 
and thin; horns Binall and thin, and very ranch 
curved ; the head is well set on a thin and somewhat 
drooping neck; the chest not very extensive; shoul¬ 
ders high, fine and well formed ; fore legs short and 
Very thin; barrel round, broad and very deep, with 
WESTERN RURAL MEMORANDA, 
GOVERNMENT PUULISUINO HOUSE. 
Col. Capron and Common Sense! Iv’e just got 
the February report of the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture. And 1 find Col. Capkon ia not so stupid as 
not to see the line where public utility infringes 
upon private rights, lie does^not propose to pay 
for long, elaborate essays and compilations out of 
the people’s purse and distribute them among only 
a portion of the public interested In them. The 
reports hereafter are to bo simply rejurtfx, not text¬ 
books and manuals of Agriculture. 
Another tiling, “right here, and in this connec¬ 
tion,” as preachers who overflow with words often 
say:—Why Bhould not these lumbering volumes 
called “ Transactions ” of State Societies, be made 
to contain simple “transactions?” For instance, 
the people of the StutCB of New York, Ohio, Illinois, 
Wisconsin, vt «!., are taxed to pay for the publication 
ofthese “transactions.” And a portion of these pay¬ 
ing people get an annual or biennial of great profit— 
to government printers! 
“ But,” says Beautieul Bim, Secretary, Ac., Ac., 
“you don’t pretend to say that these ‘transactions’ 
do not contain matter of great public Interest ?” 
I do pretend to say that they contain a great deal 
of matter of no public Interest and value whatever, 
at the time the volumes arc issued I And wlmt they do 
contain of interest the State ought never to pay for 
printing. 
And, Moore, you and 1 know, and bo does every 
man who has half the sense and experience we have 
had in such matters, (“how wc apples swim!”) 
that, as a rule, these “ transactions ” are the worst 
edited volumes published. Did you ever see a com¬ 
prehensive index to one ? Did you ever see one that 
did not contain just about as much chaff as wheat? 
Now, there are some good people who may feel 
hurt at whut 1 say; 1 don’t mean to hurt them, 
but I do believe in protecting private publishing 
houses — in Bhort, 1 am a protectionist on general 
principles. 
YOUNG MEN OP THE EAST 
Who may be looking Westward for a field to occupy. 
We have plenty of prairie room here for you if you 
have muscle, brawn, manhood and are not above (or 
degenerated below) hard labor. The prairies need 
you for their development. The towns and cities of 
the West are tilled to overflowing with just such as 
you, if you are of tho class who prefer counter¬ 
jumping, or book-keeping, or subscription soliciting, 
or patent right vending, or any other of these more 
make-shift employments. 1 pray yon if yon propose 
to curse the West with your distinguished talents 
employed in this direction, do not do it l You are 
not wanted. Thero are thousands here already as 
good, or better, than you who have to lie and steal, 
or starve, in order to eke out the paltry pittance 
they get iu these “genteel" pursuits. Stay at home 
with “daddy,” if you have not got vim and man¬ 
hood enough to do us your sire did in his early days, 
and carve out a homestead for yourself where there 
is good soil and a good God to return you a harvest 
for the seed you sow. We do not care, out here 
how many men with ambitions above an artificial 
life make homes on our prairies and plant orchards 
and groves, and com, and grow stock and grain; 
nor indeed how many such who have skill in manu¬ 
facture, come here. But no gosling, green from the 
ohl goose’s wing, who fancies himself sharp, and 
who proposes to go it on his shape or live by his 
wits, is wanted in the West. We have plenty of 
such for export, and no market now. 
Moore, if yon hear of any silly fools who think 
they are too smart to stay at home, and smart 
enough to get a living without work in the West, 
send them this article, won’t you ? Incog. 
ing, hut then the crop matures early, and the loss is 
made up in harvesting time; you can also get the 
hoeing done before haying and grain harvest muBt 
be attended to. But these are minor considerations; 
the main tiling is to so manage the crop us to obtain 
the largest yield and greatest profits, and I think if 
any farmer will carefully note for a series of years 
the results of early and late planted potatoes, he 
cannot help being convinced that early planting Is 
by far the most Successful. I could give many in¬ 
stances iBustrating this, but any farmer can supply 
them from his own observation. Late crops some¬ 
times do well, I grant, but such I deem exceptions 
and not the rule.” 
ments; and yet more difficult is it to judge how far 
the experience of one cultivator may safely guide 
another with varying soil, climate and other circum¬ 
stances. Special crops which produce great profitB 
from an acre, often remunerate largely Investments 
in high-priced fertilizers, but we consider the class 
of commercial manures too costly, in this country, 
for general application to ordinary farm crops. The 
safe way iB to try several kinds, and learn from care¬ 
ful experiments what is best. Manure, to benefit 
coru, must be within reach of its roots; the best 
way, though the most laborious, is to deposit it 
under the hill, eoveriug with some earth before 
planting the seed. 
Weeds.-The Wild Pen. 
“A Subscriber,” Ithaca, N. Y., writes: — “Can 
you give me any information that will enable me 
to destroy a certain weed known as Wild Pea ? It 
grows from one to two feet In height, has a vine 
very small but strong, and when mature is covered 
with small black pods. It proves very troublesome 
where it grows thick, causing tho grain to lodge be¬ 
fore it gets ripe. 1 have tried summer fallowing, 
but it does not destroy it. Tho seed wiU take root 
and grow if thrown on still' sod. I now propose to 
seed with small clover and mow twice.” 
The only practical way to extirpate an annual 
plant is to prevent its seeding. Do tills and it will 
soon cease from troubling. Seeding with clover 
and mowing twice is a good idea. Our correspond¬ 
ent will fiud his other queries answered elsewhere. 
We said there are few 
farmers of this class, few that have matured and 
practice a system of farming by which the maxi¬ 
mum of products may be produced from tho soil, 
and yet maintain It as fertile and productive for a 
century. 
But we have not yet arrived to the condition 
where American farmers will work for the Future. 
The American Farmer is not permanent enough In 
his location ; the abundance of land in proportion 
to the population, the fertility of the soil, the rapid 
advance in prices, stimulate the restless element In 
his nature, and render him too migratory to become 
a scientific agriculturist. It needs an ordinary life¬ 
time to develop, with legitimate means, scientific 
agriculture on American farms; and not nutil tho 
young farmer shall come to look upon his domain 
as his future home can we hope for its attainment. 
X Patent Barley Fork. 
Quit engraving represente an Improved Malleable 
Head Barley Fork, patented by Mr. M C. REMINGTON 
of Weeds port, N. Y,, and now being manufactured 
extensively at that place. Wo have examined this 
fork and consider it a valuable improvement. It is 
thus described by the inventor -. — “ The principal 
improvements made on the ordinary barley forks are, 
First, tho malleable head is so constructed as to ad¬ 
mit of using a straight stale or handle, which is less 
liable to break than a bent one, and more easily 
replaced if broken. Second, the wire bow can be 
readily detatched whenever it may be more con¬ 
veniently used without it,—and as easily replaced. 
Third, the haudlo socket is elevated and forms of 
itself a stoppage of the grain, thus dispensing often¬ 
times with the bow. As shown in the engraving to 
not the full length.” 
Time of Pluming Potatoc*. 
A correspondent writing us from Monroe Co., 
N. Y., thinks we should urge upon farmers the ben¬ 
efits arising from the early planting of potatoes. He 
says:—In my opinion potatoes of all varieties should 
be among the earliest crops we put In the ground. 
Uurly varieties, us Dykrnan, Goodrich, Buckeye, Ac., 
should certainly be planted early. They are then 
benefited by spring ruins and get a strong growth, 
shading the ground in the hot months, and thus 
mitigating, in a measure, the effects of drouth. 
Borne say “ plant late, so that when the tubere ‘ set’ 
the dronth of summer will be passed,” but 1 have 
observed that it to rather an uncertain calculation, 
trying to make a “ wet spell ” and ihe setting time 
of a potato crop meet. Plant the crop e:*-ly and 
trust luck for the rest; the “wet spell” Is just as 
apt to come In July as September. The only disud- 
HOW FINE SHALL FODDER BE CUT? 
Special Munures. 
“R.,” Mercer Co., Pa., asks:—“Will you or some 
of your numerous readers who have tried 4 Baugl’h 
Superphosphate of Lime,’ please inform me through 
the columns of the Rural whether it will pay to use 
said manure in the country as a top-dressiug for 
wheat in sprint) ' To use it on Meld turuips, on oats 
and coni ? If so, pleuee give the amount per acre, 
together with the method of applying it. in the 
county in which I live we must resoit to some 
highly concentrated manure, and 1 am at a loss to 
know what kind to begin with. Will it answer as 
well to apply special manure on the hill of corn as to 
apply it m the hill ?” 
It is easy enough to get numerous and strong 
recommendations In favo,r or any commercial fertili¬ 
zer, but it ia not always so easy to know to what 
extent certain self-intcreBte may influence such state- 
In the Report of the Department of Agriculture 
for 1806 is a valuable article upon “ Improved Farm 
Implmumls" by S. Edwards Todd. Although an 
able writer, yet he seems to entertain very errone¬ 
ous ideas upon cutting fodder, lie says; —“In 
chaffing coarse fodder it to not necessary to cut the 
K stalks us line as lias been sometimes recommended, 
ft Fodder digests much better after being macerated 
by tho teeth of animals than when it to reduced so 
jj fine by a straw cutter that the stock swallow it witb- 
L out first crushing it between their teeth.” 
S* We should like to know when and where stalks 
) Have been cut “bo fine by a straw cutter that 
stock swallow without first crashing” them? If 
•A cattle crush eveu green succulent grass before swal- 
lowing it, it is difficult to see how they will be able 
A company for breeding and importing Btock has 
been formed in St. Louis, with a capital of $50,000. 
Some 500 acres of land are to be devoted to the 
objects of the association. 
