304 
MAY 30 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.” 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED 
ClIUL, UTKI1AI1V ASH FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
D. D. T. MOORE, 
Couduc JCciitor and Putoliiiher. 
CHAS. D. BRAGDON, ANDKEW S. FULLER, 
JGdivort*. 
HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D., Cortland Village, N. Y., 
Eorros o» nu Dkpabtmi'T of Siwp HrtmNrmr. 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., Little Falls, N. Y., 
Eoitob op the rJki'AKlMK’.T or DaIkV Hupbandhy. 
TERMS, IN ADVANCE: 
Siibaeriptfon.—Single Copy, $2.50 i»er Year. To 
Clubs!—Five Coplr*, anil one copy free to A pent or 
potter up of Club, for $12.50; Seven Copies, and one 
free, for tK'q Ton Cojiles, and one t roe, $20—only #2 
per copy. As wv tire obliged to pre-pay the American 
postHgeon papers nrnilcd to I "reign onuntn os, Twenty 
Cents slmuld bo added to above rate* for eiuili yearly 
copy mailed to Canada, and One Dollar per copy to 
Kui ope. Drafts,J’ost-Otfirc Money Orders mid Regis¬ 
tered Letters may be mailed at our risk. 2 H' Liberal 
Premiums to all Club Agents who do not take free 
copies. Specimen Numbers, Show-Bills,&c.,»ei)tfree 
ADVERTISING RATE8: 
Inside, lit li and 1,'ith pages (Agate space). Wo. per line. 
*' ?tb and L'dii pages.l.(W “ 
Outside or last page .. .1.50 “ 
l'Uty t>ei'«i\nt. extra for unusual display. 
Special Notices, leaded, by count.2.00 “ 
Muni lies# “ 2.51.1 
lteadilJK “ 0.(10 
[(T No advertisement Inserted for less tbun $3. 
PUBLICATION OFFICES: 
No. 5 Beekman Street, New York City, and No. 82 
Buffalo Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1873. 
AGRICULTURAL PROFESSORS. 
It la claimed that there la great ncodi In our 
State Agricultural Colleges, of Agricultural 
Professors. This Is doubtless the ease; for 
these schools contain too few teachers who 
profess to know or care anything about, agri¬ 
culture. But wo need Agricultural PracMonr* 
in these schools. It in not known that theo¬ 
logical professors deliver lectures to Jaw stu¬ 
dents at. law schools; nor 1 bat law yets instruct 
medical students in anatomy and hygiene. 
Usually practical, practicing lawyers of ex¬ 
tended experience, who by t heir learning, abil¬ 
ity and success have won high position among 
their compeers, arc called direct from their 
offices to teach those who are fitting themselves 
to enter the legal arena. From among the most 
skilled practicing physicians are selected the 
instructors of medical students In the medical 
schools—men who are having daily experience 
and keep abreast with the progress of medical 
science by daily contact with and treatment i 
of disease. 
So It seems to us Agricultural, Horticultural 
and Mechanical Professorships in our Indus¬ 
trial Schools, should be equipped. There should 
be Demonstrators of Horticulture ns there are 
Demonstrators of Anatomy. There should be 
lecturers on Vegetable Physiology as there arc 
upon the Physiology of the Human System. 
There should be Professors of the Composition 
of Soils as well as of English Composition. 
Take from our nurseries such horticulturists ns 
Barry, Thomas, IIoopks, Mkiian, and a score 
of other practical men wo might name, who 
know, by experience, what, the boy needs to 
learn and how to teach him; and from our 
farms such men us Johnston, Allen, Wil- 
lakd. Randall, Geodes, Lewis, and hundreds 
of other men who have specialties in husbandry, 
and who are constantly giving.through the Ag¬ 
ricultural press and in Dairy, Stock, Horticul¬ 
tural and other gatherings, their experiences 
and practices pro hmw publico. 
Cornell University, and one or two other of 
those schools, have done somet hing in t his di¬ 
rection. Lei such work be continued. Let the 
authorities of Cornell call Slate conventions of 
the farmers, horticulturists, dairymen, stock¬ 
breeders, &c., at Ithaca, and take pains to elicit 
information upon especial departments of hus¬ 
bandry for the benefit of the students. It will 
follow, also, we feel confident, that the Faculty 
of that institution will profit by contact with 
such men ns will be likely to gather in response 
to such a call. The University, if it is dolngthe 
work it ought to do and o-s it should be done, 
so far as the Education of Agrloulturistsis con¬ 
cerned, will be strengthened and benefited by 
visits from those whose sons are invited to re¬ 
ceive the Instruction it is created to furnish 
them. It will give agriculturists a better idea 
of the work being done, of the difficulties to be 
met, the obstacles to bo overcome,and of the 
needs of t he Institution which may be supplied 
at their hands, ir they are thus afforded oppor¬ 
tunity to look into its workings and become 
more intimate with its methods. 
We hope the Faculty of the University and 
the citizens of Ithaca will co-operate to realize 
what we have suggested, this season; we hope 
this because we have the fullest faith that it 
will be found to profit ail concerned. 
-- 
RURAL NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Our Premium Engraving continues to give 
pleasure and satisfaction, as the letters we 
daily receive from recipients attest. A young 
lady agent for and contributor to the Rural 
writes from Manistee Co., Mich.“ We were 
so surprised and pleased with the Engraving, 
that we hardly knew how to expre i* our pleas¬ 
ure. Many thanks for‘The Present,'and also 
for the Kuralk, which w« were thrice glad to 
welcome. Hope to bo able to send you eorno 
subscriptions before long.” And a lady writes 
us from Belmont, N. C., In this appreciative 
wise:—“By this morning's mall I received my 
picture, the * Birth-Day Morning,’ and please 
allow me to express sincere thanks for It. as 
nothing can be more beautiful than such a pic¬ 
ture to adorn n parlor or sitting room. But we 
really do not know which we admire most, the 
exquisite picture or your delightful paper. Even 
the children of the family look forward to its 
coining with intense pleasure.” 
— Remember that “Birth-I>ay Morning" is 
sent, post-paid, to every one Who pays $2.50 for 
a yearly copy of the Rural, and also that sub¬ 
scriptions can begin now or with any number. 
The Missouri Stock Law, passed recently by 
the Legislature, provides that the CountyCourt 
of any county may, upon the petition of 100 
free-holdors in .such county, order a special 
election at which legal voters may vote for or 
against restraining any horse, cattle, mule, ass, 
swine, sheep or goat from running at large, (f 
the vote is in favor of so restraining those ani¬ 
mals, it will be unlawful for any animal or ani¬ 
mals of these species to run at large outside 
the inclosurcs of the owners of such stock in 
such county; and lawful for any person to re- 
r i.ra in any animal found running at large, give 
notice to the owner thereof within three days, 
who shall pay a reasonable compensation for 
taking up, keeping and feeding, and lor dam¬ 
ages actually caused by such, aalrnal. If the 
owner is not known, nr fails to make reason¬ 
able compensation for taking up, etc., the uni- 
mal shall be deemed on estray, and treated 
according to laws previously enacted. Only 
on« special election per year can be held. 
Hop Itoot.«i.—We have inquiries concerning 
the condition of hop roots. The La Crosse, 
\Yis., Republican, April 18, says—" Hop roots in 
old yards are nearly all killed, while those in 
new yards are but little Injured. The hops 
raffled in La Crosse Co. this year, will be from 
new yards, which will greatly reduce the quan¬ 
tity from previous years.” The Cooperstown, 
N. V., Journal, April 30, says—“ There inconsid¬ 
erable planting going on in the hop districts of 
Now York this spring, though hop roots are 
scarce, and rather high.” The Oneida. V Y„ 
l nion, April 34, says—“The acreage of Imps in 
the Madison couniy hop growing districts will 
probably be a trifle more than last year. It ts 
generally conceded that the roots are not badly 
winter-killed, though they huve not yet st arted. 
Hop roots art- selling at from three to four 
dollars per bushc-L" The Kilbourn, Wis., .Mir¬ 
ror, April 28, says—“Hop roots have declined in 
price from $10 per acre to $5. Roots arc not as 
| much needed as was expected." 
«♦>- 
How to Get the "First Ueail " of the Rural. 
—A Texan friend, Mr. W. A. Reeves of Kauf¬ 
man Co., has boon moving, and did not take 
the Rural for some time, but now makes 
amends by subscribing for two copies for his 
ow n family, and sending a club- Alter speaking 
ol' removing from Eastern Texas, ho adds: 
“But we arc all right now. The Bout hern or 
Texas Pacific Railroad runs right by us, and we 
have a depot and a post-office hear, so that we 
can again subscribe. My family is getting large, 
and wo all want the .first read of the Rural, so 
we will take two copies.” Other families in a 
liko predicament (aJI wanting the first perusal 
of the paper) can be relieved to some extent by 
following Sir. R.'s example I Some of our sub¬ 
scribers take two copies in order to preserve 
one of them unsoiled for binding. 
-»♦*- 
The Washington Ag'l Convention of 1S72.— 
Talking of this Convention and the attitude 
assumed toward it by Judge Watts, Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture, the Practical Farmer, 
(Philadelphia) says“ The Judge's best friends 
here consider that he committed an irreparable 
blunder at this convention, in attempting to 
lead such men as were there assembled, and to 
force his own pre-arranged programme over 
their heads, comprising as many of them did, 
some of tne best talent of the country. It had, 
we think, been wiser to follow than to attempt 
to direct, and there Is no doubt this course has 
weakened the influence of the head of the Agri¬ 
cultural Department. His disagreement with 
the discussion and conclusions of the couven- < 
tion, has we presume resulted in blunder •No. 3, ] 
—not calling the convention together again, as i 
had been agreed upon," 
Producer*' and Consumers' Convention.—As ] 
we go to press, there is great inquiry at this t 
office by members of the City Press and front i 
delegates and others, ps to when, where ami < 
1 Wby this Producers’ and Consumers' Conven- 
* tion (called May 6, at Astor House,) is to meet, 
s Until to-day, May 5, we have seen no official 
; call for it. We have been almost as much in 
tho dark as anybody. We cannot, help t hinking 
that there has been a great lack of diligence in 
disseminating the call. Evidently, with a thor¬ 
ough advertisement of the meeting, there would 
ha ve been a large gathering ; there may be still; 
! if s o, our readers shall know it. 
s _ [ < < _ 
('on Id n't Do Mil bout It. — Mrs. ,T. T. N. of 
‘ Brenlmm, Texas, writes : I thought this year 
I would try to do without your valuable paper, 
and gave $8 for-, [a costly weekly.] 
If you could but have seen my weekly fit of 
Chagrin and disappoint ment, you would be fully 
, revenged for mypresumptinn. At List., my hus¬ 
band, wearied of the regular repetition of the 
j same complaint, insists upon the remedy—the 
sending for your paper. Hereafter you may 
consider It a fixture in our household. The 
Diary of a lluralist is, alone, worth the whole 
of-, [the $8 paper.]” Wliat salth our 
, venerable friend, “Daily Rural Life,” who per- 
| pe'irates the Diary, to that compliment? 
-- 
irhe PciiiiMylvnnln Agricultural College Is 
not highly recommended by Pennsylvanians. 
The Practical Farmer says of it;—“The most 
! signal fiailurc in uny State, to come up to this 
standard, has undoubtedly been our own Agri¬ 
cultural College In Centre county. This Inis 
been a disastrous failure from the very start, 
tin i first fatal and Irreparable mistake being the 
loc atlon, then the erection of an expensive and 
unsuitable building, I lo'ii Hie frequent changes 
1 of plans and management—none of them com¬ 
ing up to the intentions of Congress and the 
requirements of <ho act.” The Brandywine 
' Farmer's Club of Chester Co., have resolved 
“ti lat it was a disgrace to Pensylvanla.” 
-— 
Massachusetts Agricultural College.'-—The 
Boston Daily Advertiser says:—"We do not 
misrepresent the sentiment of the farmers of 
Hut State, when wc say that It (the Ag. College) 
comes far short of serving the purpose an¬ 
nounced when it made its appeal to t he public 
treasury. But a small proportion of the farm¬ 
ers ’ sons educated there become farmers. The 
dissatisfaction with the result is wide-spread 
ami deep, and it Is reasonable, too. Instead of 
being, ns was hoped, a place where lads would 
bo made fanners, it is a place where lads who 
would naturally be farmers, following their fa¬ 
thers' calling, arc t aught and qualified for borue- 
thing else.” 
->*<- 
'I’lie Eureka Concerto Orgnn.—We are giad 
to i chronicle any new thing, or any Improvement 
up-on an old one, that tends to popularize music 
by rendering its study either easier or more 
attractive. Lately our attention has been called 
to a new Su>p added to t he Reed Organ by Mr. 
Horace Waters, and patented by him, called 
the Concerto Stop, Tuned in unison, it is so 
voiced as to have a tone like a full, rich alto 
voice; it is especially “ human ’’ in its tone. It 
is powerful as well as sweet, and when we heard 
it. we were in doubt whether we liked it best in 
Solo, or with Full Organ. We regard this as a 
valuable addition to the Itecd Organ and advise 
those intending to purchase such an instrument 
to examine and tost the “ Concerto.” 
--- 
A New Society Suggested.—With all the talk 
and wrangling about the oppressions of monop¬ 
olies, and the burthen of taxation, there is too 
little said about and (apparently) too little im¬ 
portance attached to one of the greatest, if not 
the greatest , causes for depression among farm¬ 
ers. Ami wo urge with all the earnestness of 
profound conviction that this cause Is doing 
more to effect disastrously tin* progress of agri¬ 
culture in the country and the prosperity and 
independence uf farmers, t hat there be organ¬ 
ized in every State, county, township and school 
district in country, an Anti-Run-in-Debt-Ciub! 
Wc have t he fullest faith in the happy conse¬ 
quences of such an organization. 
A Paris Chamber of Commerce for Manures 
is reported as established. The subscription is 
fifty francs per annum. The objects are to in¬ 
dicate trustworthy manufacturers and dealers 
in manures to farmers by admitting only such 
to the right of membership, to adjust amicably 
all disputes between seller and purchaser, and 
to represent the interests of all concerned in 
tlicir relations with the government and rail¬ 
ways. This is not unworthy of imitation here, 
though it is doubtful if the average American 
would not suspect a “big divide” in case of 
any specific recommendations. 
-- 
The Chronotype, an elegant parlor journal, 
issued monthly by the American College of 
Heraldry and Genealogical Registry, No. 67 
University Place, New York City, publishes 
family memorials, with portraits, embracing 
such history of places, persons and events as 
may bo connected with the families. Pioneers, 
or leaders in the great enterprises of the coun¬ 
try, have in this journal an opportunity to re- , 
cord such memorials as they may wish to per¬ 
petuate. This journal also contains much in¬ 
teresting and Important general matter. 
The Use of Commercial Fertilizers. — A New 
England farmer gives the key to the successful * 
use of commercial fertilizers when he recom- ‘ 
mends the use of more manure to the acre and ' 
of commercial fertilizers enough to give the 1 
{ plants a good start. He claims it is poor policy 
to subst itute commercial fertilizers for manure, 
and 'asserts it is because they do this that 
Massachusetts farmers do not raise as good to¬ 
bacco as those of Connecticut. 
■--- 
Wise Action of California Formers,—At a 
recent meeting of the State Farmers’ Union 
of California, the following was adopted : 
Resolved, That a diminished demand for our 
cereals in foreign markets being a reasonable 
expectation, that, the Farmers' Union author¬ 
ize the preparation of a report by a suitable 
Committee upon the relative profits of other 
agricultural products suitable to our climate 
with a vfew to the encouragement; of manufac¬ 
tures, a bcttci»horae market, more diversified 
and consequently, a more independent system 
of industry. 
A committee consisting of Messrs. Carr, Lip- 
pitt and Cuessy was appointed. This action 
ts wise, arid should attract the attention of 
other States now mainly devoted to the pro¬ 
duction of food material. 
CntalogncN, Etc., Received.—From Ames 
Plow Co., Quincy Hall, Boston, Mass., and 53 
Beekman St,., N. Y., Catalogue of Seeds.- 
From W. B. Woodruff 1 , Westfield, N. J., Plant 
Catalogue.—“The Inauguration of Alexan¬ 
der Winchkll as Chaucellor of the Syracuse 
University.”-From Daniel H. Wheeler, 
Soe’y of Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, 
“Essay on Forest Growing,” by J.T. Allan; 
“Transactions of Nebraska Hurt.Soc. for 1871,” 
and “ Address of Dr. H. Latham at the State 
Fair of Nebraska in 1873." 
-»♦» . 
Fine Chromes.— Wo arc indebted to Messrs. 
Be.ncke & Scott, Chromo Lithographers, of 
207 Fulton St., New York, for several beautiful 
specimens of their art istic publications. Among 
these arc a fine view of Watkins Glen, from a 
painting by G. W. Waters ; two scenes from 
Jefferson's representation of Rip Van Win¬ 
kle, and a beautiful picture entitled “The 
Faithful Watcher ”~a dog guarding a sleeping 
child. The pictures are all creditable to the ar¬ 
tists. and exhibit progress in chromo litho¬ 
graphy. 
-»♦» 
A Tax on Cats.—In England some of the pa¬ 
pers are urging the levying a tax upon cats, 
urging that cats should be taxed as well as dogs. 
The discussion of t he subject Is lively and is 
wittily treated. One paper makes the assertion 
that "were every cat taxed the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer would have a sum sufficient to 
enable him to take at least 2d. per pound off the 
Income-tax.” Why not tax cats in this coun¬ 
try V Can the good old spinsters who love their 
cats give us a good reason for not doing so ? 
-IM- 
cleaning and Itleavliiiig Peanuts,—A South¬ 
ern gentleman has invented and patented a 
process for cleaning and bleaching peanuts by 
which at, slight cost, discolored and mildewed 
nuts ure niado clean and bright, thereby Insur¬ 
ing the owner an increase of from 60 to 75 per 
cant. (It is asserted) in the selling price of his 
produce. The process is reported a* simple, 
involving the use of no machinery, and any 
farmer can use it. 
-»•♦»- 
Ohio Change in Weights of Grain, Etc.— The 
Ohio Farmer says the Legislature of that State 
has passed a bill changing the weight of clover 
seed from sixty-two to sixty pounds; of oats, 
from thirty-four to thirty-two pounds; of corn 
in the ear, after the first of January, sixt y-eight 
pounds; of potatoes, ftom sixty to fifty-eight 
pounds, and of dried apples, from twenty-two 
to twenty pounds. 
-*♦«- 
Fruits or Advertising.— A New England agri¬ 
cultural paper states that a farmer who adver¬ 
tised his farm for sale in its columns “ claims to 
have fed out 100 bushels of oats to the horses of 
persons who have been to see his farm in re¬ 
sponse to the advertisement." The question 
arises, did those persons want to buy the farm 
or secure to their horses “ a good square meal ? ” 
M l 
Advertising Fowls ntul Eggs.— ISAAC VAN 
Winkle, Greenville, N. J., writes to us “ I 
have tried all the papers worth trying, not ex¬ 
cepting the leading agricultural journals, and 
I state here as a fact that 1 have received, on 
an average, ten answers from subscribers to 
the Rural New-Yorker to one from all the 
other papers.” 
-;- »** - 
The Michigan Stale Agricultural College gets 
an appropriation of $66,0(X) from the State the 
present year, $8,000 of which is to be used in es¬ 
tablishing a Horticultural Department and 
$10,000 for three new houses for the President 
and Professors. 
-♦-*■-*- 
RURAL BREVITIES. 
We have many inquiries relative to the 
“ Cream Still,” where it can be purchased, &c. 
Those who have it for salo should advertise it. 
The Horse Epizootic is spreading disastrous¬ 
ly throughout the Pacific Slope. It is said to 
be difficult to find a healthy horse in San Fran¬ 
cisco. 
SOMEBODY (a lady, we hope,) has sent us a 
wonderfully fragrant and beautiful bunch of 
blossoms of the Trailing Arbut us. Who was it ? 
Thanks ! It was almost as good as going into 
the woods again 1 
We hope those who send in plants, fruits, 
seeds or vegetables by mail or express, will be 
careful to write us that they have been so sent, 
and what disposal they desire us to make of 
them. If practicable, label each package with 
the name and address of the person sending it. 
