m 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
“ PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.’ 
MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED 
EDEAl, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
profound acknowledgments and the assurance 
that we shall do our best to render the future 
issues of the Rural New-Yorker worthy of its 
hosts of admirers and ardent, working friends 
all over the Continent! 
-♦♦♦- 
RAIN AT WILL. 
Z>. D. T. MOORE, 
younger aud Conducting Editor. 
CHAS. D. BRAGDON, ANDREW S. FULLER, 
A sHociate XCditox-w. 
HENRY S. RANDALL LL, D., Cortland Village, N. Y., 
Editor or tub Dkpartmkkt or SHK*r Hudhamdby. 
X. A. WILLARD, A. M., Little Falls, N. Y., 
Editor of tmk Djkpabtmknt of Dairy Husbandry. 
G. A. C. BARNETT, Publisher. 
TERMS, IN ADVANCE: 
Subscript ion.-StDgle Copy. *2.50 per Year. To 
Clubs:—Five Copies, and one copy free to Agent or 
getter up nf Club, for »l2,fl0; Seven Copies, and one 
free, for I1Cj Ten copii-a, aud ouc free, $20—tinly *2 
per copy. As we arc obliged to pre-pay the American 
postage on papers mailed to foreign countries. Twenty 
Cents should be added to above rates for each yearly 
copy mailed to Canada, and One Dollar per copy to 
Eui ope. Drafts, Post-Office Money Orders and Regis¬ 
tered Letters may be mailed at our risk. %2f~ Liberal 
Premiums to all Club Ageuts who do not take free 
copies. Specimen Numbers, Show-Bills, Ac., sent free. 
ADVERTISING RATES: 
Inside. 14th and 10th pages! Agate «paoe).90e. per line. 
*• IHth page.....1.00 
Outside or last page.1.50 
Fifty per cod t. extra 1 or u nnsuaj display. 
Special Notices, leaded, by count.2.00 “ 
Business “ 2.50 
Beading “ ...3.00 * 
$dg~ No advertisement inserted for less than $3. 
PUBLICATION OFFICES: 
No. 5 Beekman Street, New York City, and No. 82 
Buffalo Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1S74. 
TO RURAL READERS. 
NOW IS THE TIME ! 
Yes, Non< is the Very Best. Time for 
Agents (and all disposed to become, such) 
to form Clubs for 1874. By sending in as 
many names as possible now—and before 
Feb. 1st—Subscribers and A gut its will confer 
a special favor. Agent-Friends can send 
small clubs, or parts of large ones, and con¬ 
tinue their efforts for weeks and months 
afterwards — receiving Premiums, or Com¬ 
missions, in proportion to the number of 
subscribers obtained- Many of our Agents 
send several clubs every Winter , some taking 
small premiums for each, and others waiting 
until their lists are completed and then se¬ 
lecting such articles as they prefer. 
—So, Send on your Names and Lists, Good 
Friends! We will respond promptly, by far- 
warding Papas and Premiums as desired, 
and moreover furnish you a better Rural 
New-Yorker during 1874, than ever before! 
Back Numbers of this Volume sup¬ 
plied to all new subscribers desiring them, 
until otherwise, announced. 
/'All RIGHT!” 
Yes, it is all right! AVe mean the Rbual 
New-Yorker for 1874,—for, so far as heard 
from, its Agents and other friends are doing 
nobly in its behalf throughout the country. 
Tlie reaction, after the inuendosand slanders 
of jealous, would-be rivals, is wonderful, and, 
instead of censuring auy one, we feel like 
thanking everybody, both friends and enemies 
—the former for what they are doing for us, 
and the latter for arousing (though uninten¬ 
tionally) such feeling and action as is mani¬ 
fested in support of the Rural. Truly, our 
lines have “fallen in pleasant, places,” for If Its 
friends “keep the ball rolling" our expecta¬ 
tions in regard to the circulation and useful¬ 
ness of this journal will be greatly exceeded. 
Thanks, Good Friends, everywhere, for your 
kind and cordial manifestations of approval, 
and your substantial support! In return for 
your generous and influential efforts, accept our 
An exceedingly interesting paper was read 
before the New York Liberal Club Friday oven- 
Ing, Dec. 38, upon the “ Artificial Production of 
ltaln," by Edward Powers of Chicago. Thi* 
paper possesses peculiar interest at this time, 
when efforts are being made to induce Govern¬ 
ment to assume the expense of an elaborate 
system of irrigation in the West, and when the 
drouths of the post few years have awakened 
the people of the East to the importance of 
irrigation as a means of securing average crops. 
Mr. Powers has accumulated a vast, number of 
facts from observers, historical sources, and 
from the official reports of Army and Navy 
officers which have led him to the following 
approximate conclusions: 
That all great, battles in which much artillery 
ts used are followed very soon by rain. That 
about 90 cent, of all battles and bombardments 
of importance are followed by rain within the 
first 48 hours after the beginning of the heavy 
tiring. That, about 60 per cent, are so followed 
within the first 34 hours ; whereas, on an aver¬ 
age, only 32 per cent, would be followed by rain 
within that time if the battleshad no Influence 
In bringing It, this percent age being calculated 
from the average number of rainy days in the 
year when there are no battles. That, the 
rains following great battles are generally very 
heavy ; also that rains following utber engage¬ 
ments than great battles. In which much artil¬ 
lery ts used, are heavy. That rain follows bat¬ 
tles fought in fall and winter ns well as in 
spring arid summer. That the same thing occurs 
In the dry season in Mexico, as well as In the 
United States and Europe. That heavy rain 
follows great battles fought in atlnie of drouth 
and that the ratns following battles are usually 
accompanied with thunder and lightning. 
M r. Powers, In stating the above conclusions, 
gave many interesting facts in illustration. 
The theory by which he accounts for the as¬ 
sumed production of rain by battles or artillery 
tiring, maybe briefly stated as follows:—Rain, 
according to the commonly accepted theory, 
is caused by the union of two bodies of air, one 
of which Is warmer than the other, and both 
saturated with aqueous vapor. When two such 
bodies of air are mixed together they cannot, 
when mixed, contain as much vapor as they did 
before.ltThls follows from the principle that 
warm air is capable of containing more vapor 
than cold air, and that Its capacity for vapor 
increases an.J diminishes In a much greater 
ratio than the temperature. Now, there must 
be currents of warm air saturated with vapor 
in the atmosphere above us. for t he trade winds 
I ake up vast quantities of vapor from the ocean, 
which vapor Is carried northward and south¬ 
ward by the great equatorial currents. Hence, 
in explaining how artillery firing brings rain, it 
is only necessary to show how it can cause 
such a current to mix with the colder current 
above. 
Mr. Powers’ explanation, which is original 
with himself, ts that it does so by rarefying the 
air in the humid current., thus causing it to 
rise. Tt rarefies it by condensing a small por¬ 
tion of the aqueous vapor which it. contains. 
It condenses this small amount of vapor by 
concussion, which is similar In its action to 
sudden pressure, and we know that by pres¬ 
sure aqueous vapor Is condensed and its latent 
heat evolved. When artillery firing brings rain 
there is, in other words, condensation of vapor 
In two ways—first, a very small amount Of con¬ 
densation by the pressure of the shocks of con¬ 
cussion; and secondly, a great condensation 
caused by the mingling of the humid current 
with the colder current above it. The first and 
small amount of condensation leads to the sec¬ 
ond and greater condenss tlon, because the la¬ 
tent heat evolved from the vapor which is con¬ 
densed rarefies the humid current and causes 
it to rise. As the air currents must be very ex¬ 
tensive, being perhaps thousands of feet in 
thickness, it will take a little time, after such 
a current has been rarefied by ooncussion, for it 
to rise into the colder current above it; and as 
in the meantime this portion of the current 
would pass on, we could not expect that the 
rain would commence at the place where the 
firing takes place. The fact that the battle 
field is generally inoluded in its area, however, 
shows that after commencing it works back on 
the path of the current. 
Mr. Powers urges that Government should 
institute a series of experiments to prove or 
disprove these conclusions. If proven, the re¬ 
sult would save this country millions of dol¬ 
lars ; for local drouths of a serious nature could 
be avoided. The expense of producing rain by 
concussion would lie far less than an elaborate 
system of irrigation, and might bo done by the 
Government, or by the farmers of a district. 
We deem the subject worthy of investigation. 
Our own observation tends to confirm Mr. 
POWERS’ theory and conclusions. 
- 
Cornell University Horn.—For the elevation, 
plans and description of this Barn, given on our I 
first page, we are indebted to Prof. J. E. Sweet, 
Master Mechanic at Cornell, and an accom¬ 
plished architect, as our readers are aware from 
his previous contributions to the pages of the 
Rural New-Yorker. 
RURAL NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Old Recruiting Officer* on Dufy.—Though 
we have many new Agents this year, a host of 
the old stand-bys are in the field, and some of 
them more active and efficient than over. One 
veteran, Mr. Anson Eastman of Niagara Co., 
N. Y., who has done us yeoman service In 
former days, sends a club and writes j—“ Hav¬ 
ing trained in your Rural Brigade for twenty 
years, without a break until last year, I feel 
quite sure I shall be recognised as 1 shoulder 
my musket and wheel into the ranks again ; If 
not by the rank and file, I #b»ll be by the Com¬ 
mander of the Brigade, sure! |Aye, aye, Sir!] j 
I sepd a few names to start my club, as well as 
to let tlio Commander know that I am on duty. 
Circumstances* do not allow me to do as much 
work for the Rural as in by-gone years, but I 
will see that.it‘still lives’in rny own neigh¬ 
borhood," 
— Several others who had retired from the 
recruiting service, havo this rear re-entered 
with vigor and success. Welcome, Good 
Friends! May you not only receive “ Good Pay I 
for Doing Good," but realize that in helping the 
Rural you arc benefiting your fellow-citizens 
and community generally. 
-- 
Joseph Arch's Representation* to English La- 
borer*.—It seems, judging by what wo sec in 
English papers concerning Mr. Arch’s move¬ 
ments and statements since his return to Eng¬ 
land, that he became a good deal inflated with 
his own Importance while here, and he is re¬ 
ported as making some statements which re¬ 
quire modification to make them true. For 
instance, t he London Field says: 
In his speech the other day at Barford, Mr. 
Arch staled that the Dominion would give to 
each laborer a grant of five acres of land ready 
cleared, with the option of taking a further 
amount of I'O acres; I hat a Jog house, contain¬ 
ing two sitting and two bed rooms, would be 
built, for him: that seed for planting the fi\e 
acre# would be given him. and that while it 
was growing he would receive from six to eight 
■iliillinga a day for assisting to make colonial 
roads. All these gifts and advantages wore 
represented t o bo wholly unfet tered by condi¬ 
tions of any sort. Further advices, received i 
from official sources since, tend to show that ! 
Mr. Arch’s information upon the subject was 
not strictly accurate. It appears that the log 
cottages aud five acre* of cleared land are not 
to be given free, but the net cost is to be re¬ 
paid by the settlers by instalments, and that 
the 160 acres of forest, land will not become the 
absolute property of the emigrant until he has 
resided five years upon it. 
-KM- 
Htrong Appreciation of tho RURAL NEW- 
YORKER is expressed in the following from 
Mr. Okas. Davis of Bristol, R. I. Having long 
been familiar with the best English periodicals 
of similar character, Mr. D. knows whereof he 
affirns,and we sincerely appreciate Ids good 
opinion of the Rural and kind wishes for its 
Founder. He writes:—“I herewith send you 
$2.50 for your paper for 1874. I like it very 
much; indeed I do not think there is another 
paper in this or any other country equal to it 
for the money. I have been t aking papers for 
over thirty years in England. 1 had the Gar¬ 
dener's Magazine for seven or eight years, the 
Gardener's Chronicle for fourteen years, and 
the Cottage Gardener for many years, but I 
assure you that your Rural is better than 
either of them. 1 am very glad to find you are 
still to be at the head of.lt. Although a stran¬ 
ger to you I wish you and your paper good 
success." 
*• The Pomp of Kuowledge.”— Speaking of the 
character-of Agassiz, a contemporary says; 
" He put on none of the pomp of knowledge." 
Wo desire to record our opinion that there is 
no such thing as tho “pomp of knowledge." 
The pomp of Ignorance is what is really meant. 
Ttiis “ pomp ’’ is a confession of weakness and 
lgnoranoe. It is said Agassiz “always ap¬ 
peared to be as eager to learn as any child." 
That is perhaps the highest eulogium that 
could be pronounced in his honor as ascientist. 
The egotism of ignorance should never lie 
mistaken for great knowledge. We have al¬ 
ways found the most learned tuen the least 
ostentatious of their acquirements—simple as 
children, and far more earnest in their desire 
to receive and impart instruction. We never 
knew a learned man yet who was not glad to 
help those who were trying to help themselves 
to knowledge, and equally anxious to bo so 
aided by others. 
-»♦«- 
The Rural New-Yorker a* a Present.—Our 
readers are reminded that any Subscriber or 
Agent can send the Rural one year, as a 
Present , for $2, as we put the price at the low¬ 
est club rate in all such cases. Many Subscri¬ 
bers are thus sending this paper to their friends 
and relations, and we trust, the recipients will 
he made glad flftv-t.wo times in the course of 
the year. 
— A letter just received from Mr. Akins 
Palmer of Albany Co., N. Y., containing a 
fine club, says“ Twelve of the copies ordered 
are New Year's Presents to the persons ad¬ 
dressed. Am in hopes to obtain more Sub¬ 
scribers soon," etc. If all its friends were ns 
liberal as Mr. Palmer in sending the Rural 
to distant friends, a good many people would 
be made happy and our list correspondingly in¬ 
creased. “A word to the wise," etc. 
-km-- 
Our Christmas Story, entitled “ Santa Clnua 
Cured of the Panic," published in the Rural 
of the 20th uit., was given in the New England 
Homestead of the following week as original— 
no credit being given. We presume this appar¬ 
ently discreditable transaction was an oversight 
and as the story was a capital one, cost us the 
“gelt” and was copyrighted, we have no 
doubt brother Burt of the Homestead will 
make the proper amendo. 
Thank* to the Press for the frequent and cor¬ 
dial notices of late accorded to the Rural 
New-Yorker! We have oftentime—indeed, 
annually, for over two decades—had occasion 
to tender acknowledgments to the Newspaper 
Press, but their kindness this year has b$eu se 
overpowering as to bend us lower than ovor. 
Our aim and constant endeavor will lie to 
merit the commendation they are bestowing 
upon this journal. As a sample of what many 
Agricultural papers are saying, we copy the 
following from the Journal of tho Farm, of 
Philadelphia: 
The Rural New-Yorker for 1874 starts out 
with the full assurance on the part of our 
friend. Col. Moore, that it will not only main¬ 
tain its former well-earned reputation, but 
that, in many respects, it will surpass all former 
volumes. Such a thing ts possible, but, not 
very probable, for the excellent reason that tho 
Rural has approached so nearly to what may 
bo termed a nrst-class Agricultural and Family 
Journal, that we fail to understand where the 
Improvements are to come in. However, as 
friend Moore has a wondsrfu) way of doing 
great things, we shall not be surprised to find 
his assert!riiis verified, and t he Rural for 1874 
far eclipsing all further attempts at journalism 
in tho class of which It Is so shining a member. 
«■»»- 
Life nnd Accident Insurance.—In another 
column wo print the Twentieth Semi-Annual 
statement of t he Travelers’ Insurance Co., and 
are gratified to perceive that it indicates not 
only energy in management, but financial 
soundness, and increased security to Policy 
holders. A company which actually pay's every 
working day nearly nine hundred dollars to 
repair losses by death and accident, and yet 
accumulates nearly a million of dollars surplus 
for the protection of Its policy holders, without 
Increasing the cost of insurance, must be well- 
managed—a good company to insure in. Not¬ 
withstanding the large amount of business, its 
books are so well posted that It published a 
statement of the business of 1673 on the morn¬ 
ing of Jan. 1, 1874, simultaneously In Boston, 
Hartford and Springfield, a wonderful prompt¬ 
ness, only to be accomplished by great energy 
and accuracy. 
About Agencies for the Rural .—We often 
have requests for the exclusive agency of the 
Rural for a certain town, county or larger ter¬ 
ritory. As an instance, wo quote this sentence 
from the letter of a gentleman in Now Jorsey: 
“ Perhaps you can give me the sole privilege to 
canvass in this and adjoining counties." This 
is just what wc cannot do, for the cogent rea¬ 
son that we invite everybody' to act as club 
agents and compote for our premiums. Of 
course wc would not Interfere with local agents, 
and especially those who havo acted for years, 
—but still we oan exclude no one from acting 
under our premium off era. W'e therefore wish 
it, distinctly understood that we v. ill not, in 
any instance, give the exclusive agency, for any 
specified territory, for the reason already stated. 
-»♦«- 
Steam Fire Engine* are a great institution 
uow-u-daye, and those gotten up by the Silsby 
Manuf’gOo., at the Island Works, Soncca Falla, 
N. Y., ought to be superior, for the employes 
in that celebrated establishment must be intel¬ 
ligent and skillful. Whyt Because Wm. Lang- 
worthy, our long-time and worthy Agent in' 
the aforesaid thriving manufacturing town, 
says, In sending us his first list of subscribers 
for 1874, “All ol tho names inclosed in brackets 
are from the Island Works"—and they number 
twenty-seven. How many similar “ lifts” shall 
the Rural have, this year, from manufacturing 
establishments ? 
Hon it Works.—The attempt of certain in¬ 
terested and vindictive parties to injure the 
RURAL is not proving quite so ruinous as they 
expected, we opine. On the contrary it has 
stimulated old friends to renewed and extra 
efforts, and induced many others to help tho 
paper. Vide this from Dr. A. M. Hills of 
Clearfield Co., Pa.:—“I see some are trying to 
give you a kick beoause they thought you had 
started down bill, and I concluded if another 
new subscriber would help you any you should 
have it. Inclosed find $2.50," &e. 
- 
Moore's Rural New-Yorker announces in an¬ 
other column its intentions for the coming 
year. With one of its editorial corps, Mr. A. S. 
Fuller, we last summer traveled 7,000 miles. 
If he is a sample of the whole corps, we should 
say that paper was hard to beat.— Village Rec¬ 
ord, West Chester, Pa. 
Or course wc do not know why our Asso¬ 
ciate should be talked about iu this manner, 
but will venture to say, in language more ex¬ 
pressive than polite, Barton C. Evans, you 
are another!” 
BUSINESS NOTICES, 
Does tlic siorui keep you from the lecture ? Do 
the winter evenings seem long? Have the old games 
become worn anil lost their freshness? Get now 
Avilude, or Game of Birds. No game has so happy a 
combination of keen enjoyment In Its play, with so 
much useful information conveyed by the beautiful 
pictures of Birds and their fine and correct descrip, 
tions. Sent, post-paid, for seventy-five cents, by 
WEST & Lee, Worcester, Mass. 
