EDITED BY HENRY S. RANDALL, I jL. D. 
RULES FOR BUYING WOOL. 
The Rochester Wool Buyers’ Resolutions, alluded 
to by our correspondent below, were passed by a 
Convention of Buyers held at Rochester, N. Y., 
April 19th, 1867, and published in this paper May 
25th, 1867. They were, as far as they went, essen¬ 
tially the same with thoseof “The Woolen Manufac¬ 
turers’ Association of the Northwest,” published by 
us last week,—that is to say, they required a deduc¬ 
tion or shrlukagc of onc-third on unwashed eweB’ 
fleeces, and one-half on unwashed rams’ fleeces, with¬ 
out respect to the breed or treatment of the sheep. 
The Rochester resolutions did not, however, in so 
many words, require an additional shrinkage of one- 
third on washed rams’ fleeces. Either they were 
intended practically to have tills effect by their 
application to what they termed “unconditional 
wool,” —or else the last named resolutions are a 
new encroachment on the rights of the grower. 
The writer of the following letter, in a very dis¬ 
creet and temperately-worded communication, pub¬ 
lished by us June 22d, 1867, gave the good and valid 
reasons which had induced him not to wash his 
sheep the previous year. The result of his estimates 
was that washing was “equivalent to a tax of from 
eight to twelve cents per head on the wool grower, 
without any real corresponding benefit to the manu¬ 
facturer.” His wool was very clean. The sheep 
had been well tagged in the spring. They were of 
that type of fine MerinoB which preceded, in our 
country, the present heavier and yolkier fleeced Me¬ 
rinos. They had not been summer-housed. Their 
wool probably was about as clean uuwaelied as 
heavy-fleeced Merino wool washed In the way com¬ 
mon among multitudes of growers who sell their 
wool as washed, i. e., without being required to sub¬ 
mit to any shrinkage. Yet on puttiug his wool in 
the Boston market, “ instead of its being sold on its 
merits, as he had reason to suppose it would be,” 
the one-third shrinkage rule was rigidly insisted on! 
Hence, he concluded it would be necessary to return 
to washing. Acting on the advice of a Boston wool 
broker, he went beyond this, and caused bis wool to 
be scoured and put into market in that condition. 
Here is the result: 
Conesus Center, N. Y.. March, 1868. 
Hon. IISNiir S. Randall:-— I have continued to ex¬ 
periment on my unwashed wool (clip of I860) by having it 
scoured -fitted for the cards. The shrinkage was 55 4-5th 
per cent. 1 understand from a manufacturer that the av¬ 
erage shrinkage of Merino wool washed on the sheep is 40 
per ceut., so that my unwashed wool actually deserved a 
deduction of the difference, viz.,IS 4 5thper ceut. But In 
my lot of 2,730lbs. of unwashed wool I had about 150 lbs. 
of rams' fleeces from which the Rochester Convention 
Resolutions would have deducted 50 per cent., or 75 ]be., 
and their one-third deduction from the remaining 2,655 
lbs., would make a total deduction of 960 lbs., or over 36 
per c ent, of the whole lot. Take t he deserved deduction 
(43 lbs.) from the deduction Insistedou by the Rochester 
Wool Buyers’ Resolution, Viit., IKK) I hr., and it would 
leave 6510 lbs. of wool unjustly taken from roe, which at 
50 cents per lb., (the price my last clip of wool cleared 
me.) would amount to $265. 
Now, 1 have no doubt but what there are lots of un¬ 
washed wool from sheep bred tor the greatest umount of 
yolk, highly fed, and kept sheltered from storms, that de¬ 
serve a one-third deduct Ion, and perhaps more, hut why 
take $265 from me because others choose to grow that 
kind of wool ? 
Most of the rams’ fleeces above referred to were from 
tegs, and so free from yolk that they could not have been 
distinguished from wethers" fleeces. But their good con¬ 
dition could not help them under this uniform rate of de¬ 
duction. 
Many farmers have seen wheat come from the thrashing 
machine in merchantable order, and they have also seen 
it come from the machine In such foul condition that it 
would be necessary to take away one-third of its weight 
to make the remainder merchantable. Now. what would 
be thought If the millers should meet, and resolve that 
they would make a uniform deduction of ona-thtrd on all 
wheat that had nut, been run through a fanning roll! after 
it came from the thrashing machineAnd wherein 
would this differ in principle from the Rochester Wool 
Buyers" Resolutions t Wilt not the wool buyers see the 
inconsistency of their position and reform it l 
Solomon Hitchcock. 
In a private letter, enclosing bills of sale, which 
give the prices sold at, Mr. Hitchcock shows very 
decidedly that his scouring experiment “was not a 
success.” The grower, in fact, appears to be in the 
condition of the flying-fish. Whether he takes to 
air or water his enemies have the advantage, and they 
use it to the utmost! 
We deeply regret to say that we think the time 
has at length come to inquire specifically who those 
enemies arc, to the eDd that retaliatory measures 
may be adopted. The growers have hitherto pur 
sued a most patient and conciliatory course in re¬ 
gard to these detestable shrinkage rules. They have 
sought bjttfacts aud arguments to convince buyers 
of their manifest injustice and inexpediency—and 
that is all. On the other band, the buyers have 
openly resorted to combination to enforce them—in 
some cases resolving in favor of obtaining a list of 
such purchasing agents as disregarded them, “to 
the end that they may be discountenanced and thus 
thrown out of business." 
We return to the question: who are the parties, 
who seek by such means to impose rules which they 
dare not attempt to give the reasons for? Has a 
single convention of buyers or others which has 
sustained these rules, either in resolutions or by 
address, olllcially explained the grounds on which 
they thought them necessary or proper ? We have 
never heard of such an instance. We do not now 
remember even to have seen a published argument 
in their favor, in any of our public journals. Who, 
then, are those mighty personages whose mere will, 
or mere greediness for gain, is a sufficient reason for 
imposing arbitrary and uufair conditions on the sale 
of a great staple—conditions, too, as exceptional as 
arbitrary and unfair, because nobody dreams of im¬ 
posing similar ones on the sale of other staples. 
One of the very objects for which the National 
Convention of Wool Growers and Manufacturers 
was culled at Syracuse, Dec. 18th, 1865, was to abate 
the shrinkage rule nuisance. It was the third topic 
reported for the action of the Convention by the 
business committee. When it came up for discus¬ 
sion, Mr. Kellogg of Conn., “said that, he had been 
a manufacturer for more than forty years, and had 
never known that the one-third shrinkage rule had 
been generally adopted by manufacturers. When¬ 
ever small lots of unwashed wool came mixed with 
washed, one-third deduction was a convenient and 
appropriate rule to follow.” Mr. Kingsbury, an 
extensive manufacturer of Conn., said: “that this 
rule was not adopted by the manufacturers, who 
aimed to estimate rather the quantity of clean wool. 
He thought they Bhould not be responsible for lies 
told of them by middlemen and buyers. ” Mr. 
Hazard, a leading manufacturer of Rhode Island, 
6aid:—“ He thought if it (wool) was to be retained 
for any considerable period, it kept better and re- 
5 ceived dyes better when used” (if kept in the 
' grease.) * * * “ Unwashed wools ought not to 
be objected to in the market, or any arbitrary and 
. fixed rule of deduction imposed on them.” Mr. 
t Blanchard, Treasurer of the Home Woolen Co., 
1 Hartford, Conn., “ denied that he knew of any one- 
, third shrinkage rule generally acted on by munufac- 
L tltrers. * * * He said the wool of the country 
5 _ was bought up by intermediate buyers—not by the 
manufacturers. lie said country merchants, me¬ 
chanics and speculators of every description, got 
possession of the wool clip, aud that consequently 
manufacturers could not control the mode of hand 
ling.” Mr. G. W. Bond, woof broker, of Boston, 
“ understood the facts differently from the previous 
speakers in regard to the prevalence of the one- 
third shrinkage rule. He understood that rule com¬ 
monly prevailed among the buyers and sellers of 
American unwashed wool—so much bo that, in the 
absence of a contract, the rule would be understood 
to prevail as a matter of course.”* 
The above were all the speakers to the question 
who were either manufacturers or wool dealers— 
and though both the principle and practical effects 
of the rule were vigorously assailed on the floor by 
various growers, not a person—not Mr. Bond him¬ 
self—bad a word to utter in their defence. We con¬ 
versed with other eminent manufacturers present. 
and factory-made cheese at from 13 cents to 15 cents, 
the larger amounts going off at the lower quotations. 
At the same time butter is Held at war prices with 
very little good at that. This disproportion between 
prominent agricultural art ides shows that a proper 
and healthful equilibrium bos not been maintained, 
and that its restoration is alike desirable and neces¬ 
sary to all concerned. 
-- 
A CHEESE FACTORY IN ALLEGANY CO. 
A friend sends us the following interesting ac¬ 
count of a cheese factory in Rushford: 
Being engaged in dairying, 1 take much pleasure 
in perusing any article that appears in the columns 
of the Rural, relating to that branch of industry, 
and thinking that others might he interested to 
know what we are doing up here in Allegany, con¬ 
cluded to submit the following report of the Rush- 
simple recipe, which I was fortunate enough to dis¬ 
cover to be infallible when properly applied, will, 
from ils very simplicity and effectiveness as a pre¬ 
ventive to diseases incident to chickenhood, be of 
incalculable value to my “ Rural” companious-in- 
fancy—Poulterers. The recipe will appear iu Hints 
No. 3. 
The roup, I am confident, may be 6hunncd by ap- 
[ttcal itoisa unit Jtems. 
Weather and Work.— Dry weather still prevails in 
Western New York and some of its effects are becoming 
quite injurious. Certain soil- are much too barilp.o plow 
well, winter grain progresses "/rah fashion,"': if at all, 
and wells and streams are scant of water. On the other 
plication of the forthcoming recipe, and feeding hand, farmers, in many localities, are rapidly sowing 
warm, dry feed during the first months of chicken spring grain, and potting the soil in excellent ordeT; the 
life, I made a mistake by importing from a neigh¬ 
boring Slate a few fowls, which, although lively and 
in good case, were afflicted with a disposition to 
wheeze; and on being fed dry, warm feed, would 
bring forth a loDg, distressing squeak, which soon 
became intolerable to me. I seized my best hen, 
which was afflicted worst, cut ofi her head and ex¬ 
amined her throat; found it swelled, and inflamma¬ 
tion abundant. This hen was, nevertheless, laying, 
roads are fine and hard for hauling produce, stock thrives, 
and the weather has been favorable to the fruit prospect. 
April 4th a fleet ol snow squalls sailed up on the western 
winds, and passed wholly by on the next day ;*the mer 
cury went down to 16 deg? and the ground froze quite 
hard. To-day (Monday, 6th,) the sun shines ont bright, 
though the wind feels as if it had been pent in the cav¬ 
erns or an iceberg. With the memory of the wet spring 
of last year still in mind, farmers will not. fail now in 
pushing forward the tilling and the seeding, deferring 
We did not to our recollection find one who avow- ford cheese factory, which, if you think worthy of a and very fat. I opened the ovarium and counted 80 other work until the “ wet spell,’’ which all are beginning 
or an, pace i. JOl.r paper, la at 5 „„r .errice: egg. to embryo. This Ua specie, of dip1.tbcm. aod » «* t ope for w.tb da^go , .e.roe.toe.., 
other fixed rule of buying unwashed wool. Had a The whole number of cowp from which milk was re- although it does not seem to impair fowls for laying _ _ __, « * ~ _ .. ~ 
other fixed mle of buying unwashed wool. Had a 
vote there been taken, we have not a doubt that the 
one-third rule would have been condemned almost 
unanimously. And we conversed with nobody on 
the subject who objected to the propriety of makiDg 
The whole number of cows from which milk was re¬ 
ceived the past season was.—1.020 
I’he average Dumber was.010 
Whole number pounds-of milk received was 8,735,414 
Whole number pounds of cured cheese made..359.082 
Average No. lbs. of milk for one lb. of cheese, .9 36-100 
The cheese were sold at thirteen di lib rent sales; 
the lowest price obtained was August 9th, twelve 
does, nevertheless, impair the endurance of their 
admirer. For this, open the mouth, and with a dull 
jack-knife scrape the under side of the tongue se¬ 
verely; the nose will begin to run extremely, and 
will sometimes effect an immediate cure; but if not, 
decapitate,— for the disease is contagious. It is 
Michigan Farmers’ Convention.—A Convention of 
Farmers and Stock Growers was held at Pontiac, Mich., 
last month, continuing three days,—C. W. Green presid¬ 
ing. The general condition of farming in the State was 
proposed as a theme of discussion, and elicited the fol¬ 
lowing facts:— That wheat and wool were the ieading 
products-one million of acres being devoted to wheat, 
a public expression against it. But the leading mem- lut UMA ' BC £ “' will sometimes effect an immediate cure; tint n not, lovving facts: — That wheat and wool were the leading 
here of the National Manufacturers’ Association the lowest price obtained was August Jth, twelve decapitate,—for the disease is contagious. It is products -one million of acres being devoted to wheat, 
present thought that such an expression could be cente P er P 0und - The hi ^ hcst P rice wa » September prcvalent throughout the country, aud let poulter- and four millions to all other products; the yield of wheat 
made more satisfactorily — more harmoniously in 80 th, which was seventeen and onc-fourth cents per beware how they introduce into yards that which was 12.000.000 of bushels, tliat of wool 14,000,000 of 
their own hodv (composed in part of dealers)-at P onud - The average price obtained for the season i8S0bardi and almost impossible to eradicate. Per- pounds: that stock raising had generally made a fair 
,fL o of their own was thirteen and eighty-seven one-hundredth cents 60me one - 6 eve mav fa „ OD these lines who has return, though some contended that too Rmany sheep 
some future period, after a committee of their own 
(already appointed) had reported on the subject. It 
was these personal assurances alone which pre¬ 
vented the question from being pressed to a vote 
at Syracuse, And in view of the delay which has 
since occurred in this virtually promised action, we 
feel bound to say that we sincerely regret that it 
was not pressed to a vote. 
With the solitary exception of the “ Woolen 
Manufacturers’ Association of the Northwest,” we 
have yet to hear of any public body or meeting of 
manufacturers which has taken ground in favor of 
the one-third shrinkage rule. We do not know 
what manufacturers voted for the rule, in that or¬ 
ganization, at its meeting at Chicago Feb. 19th, 
1868. We should be very glad to learn tbeir names, 
and the number of sets of cardB which each respect 
ively represented. We are curious to know whether 
ali of them who so voted represented as mauy sets 
of cards as some single manufacturers who publicly 
and privately repudiated the rule at Syracuse, We 
would also like to ascertain the proportion numeri¬ 
cally of manufacturers to dealers who voted on the 
subject in the Chicago meeting. Will 6ome one who 
knows the facts, answer these questions? 
We shall resume this subject iu our next, and dis¬ 
cuss those remedial measures which we believe the 
wool growers of the country are called upon to 
adopt. 
• The report of tins meeting ami debate will be found in 
the Rural Nkw-Yobkkh, Deo, 23d and 30lh, 1865. The mem¬ 
ber;' of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers 
present were item. R. fl. Bioki.ovv, Maas., President; .1. L, 
Hayes, Mass., Secretary . .losliua Stetson. Mass.; Theodore 
Pomroy, Mass.; A, O. Russel, Mass.; 8. Hlanklnytoti, Musa.; 
.lessee Eddy, Maes.: George w. Bond Mass.; John V. liar 
her. Mass. ; T. 9. Faxtort, 5. Y. ; V. 11. Adams, N.T.; It. Mid¬ 
dleton, N. V.; Charles Stott, N. y • II. D. Tellkamid. N. V.: 
It. <1. Hazard, R. 1.; N. Klugbury. (Pun.: Uonier Blanchard. 
haps some one’s eye may fall on these lines who hae 
per pound. beeD more fortunate even than I have in eradicating 
Total amount of money received for cheese_$55,355 04 the disease; if so, let them do us the favor of in- 
Total am t paid for manufacturing, buying, &c. 6, 698 60 {orming bo w we may “go aud do likewise.” 
Net proceeds paid farmers.,,$48,656 44 Lomas. 
Average income per cow .. 5176_ m ■« ♦ «■ »- 
Among the best dairies was one owned by Nelson FOWLS IN STABLES. 
Takbbll, who sent the milk of twenty-three cows, - 
for which he received 51,483.16, which is an average Some farmers are not as particular as they should 
of $64.48 per cow. Auother dairy, owned by W. be in excluding fowls from the stables in which their 
Williams, of twenty-one cows, brought $1,472.25, C0W6 are kept. We have seen hens complacently 
or $70.10 per cow. R. Benjamin seDt the milk perched on the backs of cows, wholly indifferent to 
from fifteen cows, for which he received the sum of tbe efforts #>f the poor beasts to shake them off. 
FOWLS IN STABLES. 
Some farmers are not as particular as they should 
be in excluding fowls from the stables in which tbeir 
cows are kept. We have seen hens complacently 
perched on the backs of cows, wholly indifferent to 
$1,091.17, which averages $72.74 per cow. A. Fare¬ 
well sent the milk from fifteen cows, for which 
he received $1,104.14, which is an average of $77.60 
per cow. 
Now, taking into account the fact that we are 
considerably remote from market, and that buyers, 
who have purchased onr cheese, have to pay forty 
cents per 100 pounds more forgetting to market than 
for cheese sent from Eastern counties, and 1 think our 
factories compare favorably with those of Herkimer 
or Oneida counties. A Subscriber. 
Rushford, Feb. 22, 1868. 
■ -- 
FACTORY DAIRYING. 
At a late meeting of the Little Falls Farmers’ 
Club, the subject of factory dairying was quite fully 
discussed. From the general tenor of the remarks 
made, by the members, it was evidently the prevail¬ 
ing opinion that dairying had been pushed to an un¬ 
profitable extreme as respects a majority of those 
euguged iu this business. Exceptional cases were 
mentioned, — but these were few, and no proper 
ofitidtt to thn ureat mass of farmers iu the dairy re- 
Ik, O. tm/.lll u, » A . A. . 11 * Ulil^UUI T. ’. v/lllli • A A ■-'All l I All'll' • I ■ • » I «J , _ _ 
Conn. *, <H’orgc K cl log, Conn., David Oakra, N. J. ; Alton guide to the great tna6$ of farmers iu tu6 dairy re- 
i oj>c, (juice_ _ gions. The question was quite freely canvassed, 
Condensed Correspondence, Items, &o. 
Duty on Imported Stock.— This duty is now twenty 
per cent. Hon. Horace Carbon, Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture, has recommended hi the Congressional Commit¬ 
tee on Agriculture Vhe passage of an »ct removing the - 
duties on farm stock, “and other auimals, Including 
poultry and birds,” imported “ for the improvement of 
stock." _ 
Mongrels.— “ T. O. D.," Boston, Mass., asks:— "Do 
yon class sheep of a Merino and Saxon cross as mongrels, 
or am I entitled to sell them as full blood Merinos?"’ 
They are not mongrels if the Merino and Saxon blood is 
pure, for both are of the same breed or blood; —that is 
to say, both spring from the same parent stem, though 
their characteristics have been changed by breeding. We 
do not think, however, yon are entitled to sell them as 
full blood Merinos without giving notice of the Saxon 
cross. The reasons are that, according to popular accep¬ 
tation, the words pure Merino, or pure American Merino, 
include only descendants of the Merinos imported direct 
from Spain. If, therefore, sheep of that variety have 
been crossed with those of any other Merino variety,— 
whether it.be Saxon, French, Silesian, Australian, &c.,— 
the buyer is unquestionably entitled to know it, so that he 
can exercise his own judgment as to the effect produced 
thereby on the real or salable value of the sheep. A 
pedigree to be an honest one, must contain directly or by 
implication, aud wing words in their common acceptation, 
all the history of the blood, so far as known, or so far as 
the pedigree purports to go, and the intentional suppres¬ 
sion of any fact bearing on the blood—and especially of 
any fact properly or improperly supposed to affect its 
value—is morally fraudulent. 
Shepherd Dogs.—" G. 8." asks:—" Are shepherd dogs 
very useful on a sheep farm? Do they ever become sheep 
killers?” On large, unenclosed sheep ranges, and among 
large flocks where the sheep arc herded nights, dogs are 
almost if not quite indispensable. On farms which are 
enclosed and divided into the fields of the size common 
in most of the middle and eastern States, they arc not so 
useful. It is very unusual to see them iu New York or 
New England, except among drovers, or those who keep 
wild, little cared for flocks ou rough, out-lying or wooded 
farms, A first-rate dog will save some steps on aDy larm. 
But among tame, docile sheep, taught to come at call, 
they are of very little use, and unless extremely well 
broken, there are serious objections to them. They al¬ 
most universally hurry sheep too much in driving,— 
especially ewcB heavy with lamb, or those with young or 
weak lambs. Under the management of thoughtless 
boys or Impatient workmen, they are often an intolerable 
nuisance, snapping at aud worrying sheep, which ought 
only to be driven slowly. On the whole, the American 
breeders of choice sheep, on enclosed farms, generally 
prefer to be without sheep dogs, 
We do not know that thorough tired sheep dogs ever 
become sheep killers. But wc have learned, by dear 
bought experience, thai mongiels, closely resembling full 
blood Scotch Colleys, sometimes become extremely de¬ 
structive to flocks, Their activity, and their keeu, rapid, 
wolf-like bite, enables them to do mischief faster than 
common dogs, and they kill aud wound with ferocious 
delight. These mougrels are thought to be peculiarly 
addicted to becoming sbeep killers. 
tag l^hutnicni, 
GIVE US MORE BUTTER. 
It is the general impression, ainoDg both pro¬ 
ducers and consumers, that, for the last two or 
three years, the product of butter has not borne a 
suitable relation to that of cheese. Each has be¬ 
come a necessity in most families, and whenever 
attention is turned mainly to cheese the supply stf 
butter becomes short, and the price goes up beyond 
all reasonable bounds, while that of cheese barely 
reaches remunerative figures. If dairymen would 
equalize this matter a little more they would pre¬ 
vent a famine of one description aud a redundance of 
another. At Little Fulls, ou the 80th nil., there was 
a kind of closing out of the extreme ends of dairy 
and at the conclusion it was resolved uuanimousLy: 
“ Tiiat mixed farming, in connection wit.li the dairy 
as a leading business, is the best for Herkimer Co. 
farmers.” It is safe to assume that this resolution 
is applicable to most, if not all, the dairy sections of 
the States and of Canada. 
Restoring/!;ancid Butter. —When butter gets 
rancid, or what is termed spoiled, it may be restored 
to an eatable condition by suitable manipulation and 
the application of cleansing material. The process 
of restoration is briefly this :—“ To a pint of water 
add thirty drops (about half a teaspoonful) of liquor 
of chloride of lime. Wash in this two and a-half 
pouuds of rancid butter. When every particle of 
the butter has come in contact with the water, let it 
stand an hour or two ; then wash the butter well in 
pure water. The butter is then left without any 
Tills is a great annoyance to cows, and keeps them 
iu a fretful condition and thus impairs their produc¬ 
tiveness. Besides, the droppings, which lodge upon 
and besmear the animals, are alike offensive to the 
skin and olfactories of the victims of this hen intru¬ 
sion. But they are a pest in other respects. They 
contaminate the feed and mangers of cows, thus de¬ 
priving them of the benefit of a considerable por¬ 
tion of the food alloted them. Fowls are good 
things,—but, mixed with dairy stock, they are out 
of place, and should have a separate domicii- 
iii nil Spirit of % fkess. 
Improvement in Grain. 
The Rural World asserts that experiments have 
demonstrated, and analogy has shown, that the finest 
and beet samples of seed, continued for years, will 
improve the quality and quantity of the product on 
the same principle that farm stock is rendered bet¬ 
ter by a careful selection of the best for propagating 
purposes. A selection or corn for seed is made be¬ 
cause easily done, but equal care in respect to other 
grain is rarely exercised, though equally important. 
Yellow Locust. 
William Bacon, Richmond, Mass., exhorts 
farmers iu New England to plant the rougher por¬ 
tions of the mountain districts there with yeUow 
locust as a source of profit after a Mpse of a few 
years. It is a reputed fertilizer of the soil; quick of 
growth; is a strong, enduring timber; a favorite 
with ship-builders; is good for fence posts, and the 
wood work of farm implements such as plows, 
wagon liubs, whiilietrees and other weather-exposed 
articles. The refuse, in absence of other material, 
will make acceptable fuel. 
Sowing Grass Seed. 
A. J. B. writes the Wisconsin Farmer in favor of 
were kept, but on the wh ile this branch had proved 
quite satisfactory; that land drainage, in a large portion 
of the State, was essential to successful and profitable 
cropping; that mulching the wheat fields with straw was 
a paying winter protection ; that clover was the best and 
cheapest manurial agent, and should always be one in a 
series of rotation of crops; that for the dairy, the Dur¬ 
ham, Devon and Native breeds about divided the honors; 
aud that a system of mixed farming was the best for the 
land and most profitable to the owners of it. 
-A-A-A- 
The Earlt Rose Potato,— Change of Terms of Sale.— 
As will be observed by reference to his revised advertise¬ 
ment in this paper, Mr. Best has so modified the condi¬ 
tions upon which he first, offered hie supply of the Early 
Rose Potato that seed can now be obtained without pur 
chasing vines. In a private note to us Mr. B. gives a 
good reason for this change, as follows:—“You are aware 
that I have advertised the potatoes for sale on Ip in connec¬ 
tion with the vines, but I am daily receiving a large num¬ 
ber of letters from nurserymen, grape growers, and oth 
ers who already have, a supply of vines and are anxious to 
obtain some seed Of the Early Rose. Many inclose money 
(which I have invariably returned) and say they must 
hare some of the potatoes. The trouble of answering 
these letters, together with a desire to accommodate as 
far as possible, has induced me to make the change refer¬ 
red to, though I shall of course continue to sell in connec¬ 
tion with the vines to those who desire It,” 
♦ «-»- 
Trial op Plows in Massachusetts.— The New Eng¬ 
land Agricultural Society has made arrangements for a 
grand trial of plows, on the 5th. 6th, 7th and 8th of May, 
on the grounds of the Agricultural College in Amherst. 
A committee of eighteen — three from each of the New 
England States — has the matter in charge, and a perfect 
success is predicted. The trial is open to plows from all 
part? of the world at an entry fee of $20. Drivers, plow¬ 
men aud teams will be supplied by the Society. It is 
anticipated that there will be a lively competition among 
the many patentees and proprietors of the numerous 
plows likely to compete for superiority, Daniel Need¬ 
ham of Boston is Secretary of the Society, and will sup¬ 
ply all needed information in reference to the trial. 
-■*-»-*■- 
A Fine Snow op Poultry was made at Worcester, 
Mass., a few days ago-said to be the best display ever 
seen in New England. Nearly every variety of domestic 
fowl was represented by specimens. S. J. McIntosh, In 
charge of John B. GoVuu't Birin, hod a collection Of 12-4 
trios —enough for a whole “lien Convention." Digh 
prices were paid for fowls of rare breeds. A trio of Creve 
Cmtirs sold at $90; the eggs from this trio were in de¬ 
mand at $8 per dozen. Dorkings at $20 per trio, with 
eggs at $5 per dozen. A trio of black Spanish fowls were 
held at $60; a single game cock, an Irish blue, was sold 
at $26. The cockatoos wore held at $400, and $25 was re¬ 
fused for a pair of carrier pigeons. 
-- 
A Model Implement Catalogue.— We^ have received 
from R. H. Allen & Co., New York, their very beautiful 
V IkUVJl , A MV/ UU W Vvi AO VU UU AVID UtVUVWV _ . . UWW « • ** ~ -- ■ — ' J * - 
Odor, and has the sweetness of fresh butter. These sowing grass seed about the last of r ebruary or ear y and comp ) ele h catalogue of Agricultural and Horticul- 
preparations of lime have nothing injurious in them > D March. If snow is on the ground, all the better, toral i mp ]ement8. Machinery and Hardware, Seeds and 
preparations i 
whatever.” 
as it will serve as a guide aud secure a more even p er t r iqj. t .rs, and of Improved Live Stock." It is an octavo 
sowing. The objection to fall sowing is that dry of 271 pages, contains over five hundred illustrations, and 
weather often prevails at that season, and much of is beautifully printed on tinted paper. Each illustration 
the seed in consequence fails to germinate, neeesei- is accompanied with a letter press description of the 
taring a re-sowing when the defect is discovered, machine, tool or animal tor breed) represented Alto- 
p , . _gether this is the most complete catalogue we have re- 
So wing upon the spring sno ' ceived from an American manufacturer or dealer, The 
rice among Pennsylvania farmers years ago, an we p r j ce ig a9 wib be peen by reference to advertisement. 
think it a good one. -♦-*->.- 
KEEriNG Milk Sweet.— "A Rural Reader” wants to 
What Potatoes to Plant. know “ how milk can be kept sweet when sent away a 
A communication in the Germantown Tele- distance of one hundred miles.” This inquiry involves 
How Long to Churn. -Some butter makers as- weather often prevails at that season, ana muon m 
sert that from fifty to sixty minutes churning is soon tbe seed in consequence fails to germinate, necessi- 
emmgh for butter to curd. This is all well, as talk, taring a re-sowing when the defect is discovered, 
hut any person who has worked an old dash churn Sowing upon the spring snow was a common prac 
for an hour or more before bringing butter, will pro- ^ ce among Pennsylvania farmers years ago, an we 
test against this long operation. It is not necessary think it a good on<L_ 
for the purpose of demolishing the butter sacks 
aud liberating their stores, for this is all churning Potatoes t° 
does. When this is accomplished all is done that A communication in the Germantown leie- 
churning is designed to do; hence if five minutes graph treats at considerable length the. subject of 
performs the operation, why prolong it for an hour? potato growing. We quote as follows:—“ Last sea- 
No more butter is secured, and what is got is none son I planted three eyes in a hill, cutting three eyes 
the better for an hour’s pounding. out of the }x>taio. 1 found I had not enough to plant 
-» ■ - the piece 1 had laid out, and I had a quart or more 
Paper Cheese Boxes. — The Utica Herald says 
that a new cheese box has been brought out in Jef¬ 
ferson Co., made of paper instead of wood, the 
former beiDg regarded as cheaper than the latter. 
It is claimed that the paper box is more substantial 
than the wooden, and as they are lighter there will 
be a saving in freight by changing from wood to 
paper. Thip is an assumption which facts may de¬ 
monstrate to be unfounded. 
bttltrg - fwrfc. 
HINTS TO POULTERERS—NO. H. 
chickens’ enemies. 
Experience teaches all poulterers that poultry 
has no enemy worse thau disease. Weasels will, it 
is true, enter quite unexpectedly sometimes, and 
“floor” the majority of the feathered inhabitants. 
Skunks also will make havoc among the incubating 
eggs and forthcoming chicks; lice, too, will suck 
the primes! blood from anything, and subject their 
victim to disease. Close rooets will prevent wea¬ 
sels, skunks, &e.; a flag (I have found the “ Red, 
White and Blue” preferable) will disconcert crows 
and hawk&, while cleanliness and often-changed nest 
materials will prevent lice. Unless fowls are kept 
clear of lice, they will become the subjects of the 
queerest diseases ever witnessed. I Lave had very 
that I picked off from my 450 pounds. I took them, 
not larger than marrowfat peas, put two in a hill, had 
nine rows in the middle of the piece, and in growing 
or harvesting you could not possibly discern the dif¬ 
ference in yield or size of the potatoes. It took 
from eight to twelve hills to the bushel in the piece 
1 planted.” From this product an estimate per acre 
is made, which gives 400 bushels to the Goodrich 
and 500 to the Harison. 
Burning Canada Thistles. 
A writer in the Practical Farmer closes an 
article on weeds aud their destruction thus “ We 
often see it recommended to gather and burn weeds 
which have perfected their seed. This may do with 
some kinds—with others it will only make a bad mat¬ 
ter worse. Take the Canada thistle: if they are d tied 
and burned, ten will come in where one was before.” 
The why or wherefore is not explained, but that it 
is so the writer’s observation and the testimony of 
othero fully demonstrate. 
Founder in Horses. 
An exchange says :—“ The chest founder is pro¬ 
duced by violent exercise on a full stomach, drink- 
is accompanied with a letter press description of the 
machine, tool or animal (or breed) represented. Alto¬ 
gether this is the most complete catalogue we have re¬ 
ceived from an American manufacturer or dealer, The 
price is $1, as will be seen by reference to advertisement. 
-- 
KEEriNG Milk Sweet.— "A Rural Reader” wants to 
know “ how milk can be kept sweet wben sent away a 
distance of one hundred miles.” This inquiry involves 
several considerations. First, whether the milk is pretty 
liberally watered or not; second, the season of sending 
it; aud, third, the mode of sending and celerity of the 
transit. If sent by railroad, pnre milk onght to keep 
sweet that d'^tauce without any extraneous aid. In very 
warm weath; a little scalding before canning may not 
be amiss, as this will check effervescence. 
-- 
The Minnesota State Agricultural Society will 
hold its tenth Aunual Exhibition at Minneapolis on the 
29th and 30th of September and the 1st and 2d days of 
October, 1868. Premium lists will be ready by the 1st of 
May, and will be forwarded to any address on application 
to the Secretary, Chas, H. Clarke, Minneapolis. 
-- 
Season in Kansas.— F. R. Foster, Topeka, Kansas, 
writes that "the season is the earliest for some years. 
Cattle are getting their living on the prairies. Peach 
trees are beginning to bloom; all safe yet. Farmers’ 
prospects were never better iu Kansas.” 
-- 
RURAL BRIEF-MENT10NINGS. 
An exhibition of poultry will take place at Toronto on 
the 15th aud 16th of April. 
An old dairyman recommends smearing the udder of a 
cow with soli soap as a sure cure for garget. 
The Toledo Blade gives $5,200 as the product of a sin¬ 
gle acre of grapes on tltc Maumee last year. 
The Canada Farmer is of the opinion that clover seed 
is not reliable when it is more than two years old. 
The Viceroy of Egypt, cultivates some 300,000 acres of 
land, divided between cotton, sugar and rice. 
The stud of the Duke of Beaufort was recently sold at 
hire large quantities of cold water, by eating mouldy auction. The 26 horses averaged $1,500 a piece, in gold. 
” .... ... preen fond while nur- The fanners of Michigan generally coucur in the opinion 
gram, or partaking libeially fe -T - that wheat prospects there were never bettor than now. 
forming hard work. The lungs become < iseasc , ^ writer in the Canada Farmer recommends garden 
the heart and liver considerably enlarged, restrain- mustard a? a green manure on lands Intended lor summer 
U “ M,V '“'“ U - ~ w healthful action A horse, when chest founder- fallowing. 
clear of lice, they will become the subjects of the mg neaiwi - • H whpn Old horses are sometimes made to look young by filing 
queerest diseases ever witnessed. I Lave had very ed, straddles with bis foie legs ana restive wuun . thc tmh , puncturing the skin over the eyes 
... . , , • a- », f * , , b io f.. e t are nlaced near each other, owing to the and inflating with air. 
little luck m curing disease after owls havt b e , 01lt the chest. Free bleeding and a table- The Ohio, Farmer gives the Rev. Mr. Strong, of the 
severely attacked,—but while my neighbors fowls pressure suiu , 6 . . ... Episcopal ministry, the credit of mauulacturing the first 
oflii/.tpfi m v ftrol. arc. bealt.hv and r,r 0 A- spoonful of the Macassar horse-powder, mixed with ^ p / 0W8 in tbat state. 
are sorely afflicted, my fowls are healthy mid pros¬ 
perous— the effects of preventives used—“ an ounce" 
of which is worth many “pounds of cure.” 
Last spring was an unusually bad season for fowl 
raising generally throughout thc State, ou account 
of the incomparable number of storms and chilly 
atmospheres. The gapes prevailed in many parts of 
the country, aud in yards where it hod been un¬ 
known for years. Ouce I was the largest loser by 
gapes of auy one in our town. I have not had a 
gape in my yard iu five years. I am aware that the 
spoonful of the Macassar norso-powaer, nnxea wuu 
u quarter of an ouuce of Barbadoes aloes, given in¬ 
ternally, will generally effect a cure.” 
Bo hatches in Horses. —For scratches in horses 
take white pine pitch, rosin, beeswax and honey, one 
ounce each ; fresh lard, one-half pound; melt well 
together over a slow fire, stir till quite thick, so that 
the parts may not settle and separate. This also 
makes an application for harness galls, cuts and sores 
of all kinds, on horses and cattle. 
A Leicester sheep was recently sent to Boston from 
Albino. Canada, which weighed, alive. 458 pounds; dress¬ 
ed 358 lbB., and sold for $100. 
Eli Barge, Kuoxvtlle, Iowa, has a horse ten years old 
which he ha? driven over 80,000 miles In the last fonr and 
a bait' years, in teaming on the road. 
The Mercer Co. (Ohio) Ag. Society make a day’s work 
iujou the Fair Grounds, or its equivalent in material 
good for a certificate of membership. 
J. Weldon, Rockford, III., says he commences the cul¬ 
tivation of his corn ground soon after planting. Goes 
over it with a square harrow, without regard to rows, 
and gets a line crop. Set the stalks up if knocked down. 
