©©EE’S RURAL NEW-YOBMEB 
(jfaimt (!:conomi?. 
HOW THE INGREDIENTS OF THE SOIL 
' CAN EASILY BE ASCERTAINED. 
A VIGOROUS farmer will seek to ascertain 
exact knowledge of the ingredients of his ' 
soil, and thereafter strive to improve, the ' 
same. Whoev er has attained this degree of t 
knowledge may often do more toward these' 1 
improvements with a few loads of sand or a 
few sacks of lime, than large numbers of 
loads of manure could further it. But how 
to obtain the necessary knowledge i 
ft Is true, would a farmer minutely ascer- ' 
tain what and how much of every iugredient 
his soil contains, it would require of him a I 
knowledge that generally only good and ex¬ 
perienced geologists posse.-:*. But this is not 
. at all absolutely essential; the necessary 
knowledge a farmer can obtain far easier. 
The color, smell, or even the handling of a 
handful of earth will teach him the first les¬ 
son—what species of earth his acre contains. 
If it feels rough and grainy, and will, in a 
wot condition, not kneadyit is a sign that it 
contains much sand; is it smooth .and slip¬ 
pery, and will knead and allow itself to be 
formed into any shape? it means clay ; will 
it bluster and ferment on application of very 
strong vinegar? it indicates lime. The black 
color of the earth speaks for good and pro¬ 
ductive. soil. More minutely can the sub¬ 
stance of the ingredients be arrived at in the 
following manner: 
Gather from different localities in the held 
so much of the soil as the real productive 
soil reaches down ; mix it well, dry it and 
put it np in a box and set it aside until you 
have leisure for examination. This may be 
done in the winter. For the operation, get 
a scale, a fine (close) sieve, a couple of fire¬ 
proof pot-, some acid of salt (muriatic acid), 
which can bo had at. every drug store at 
trifling expense. All in readiness, sift the 
dry earth in order to free it from roots, 
gravel, &<>., and weigh off a pound of it, and 
deposit in one of the pots and pet, it for a 
couple of hours on red hot coals. This done, 
and when the on ill has glovu out, weigh it 
again, and whatever it has lost in weight is 
the genuine productive black soil; for this 
has been consumed by the heat. Mark down 
the figures of the weight. The remaining 
earth in the pot is now to be mixed with 
water and well stirred.. Through this ex¬ 
periment, first the coarse and then the fine 
grained sand will settle to the. bottom, while 
the clay and lime will have dissolved and 
swim. After settling, the slimy water 
must then be poured gradually into the 
other pot, and the remaining sand dried and 
weighed. There is the portion of sand 
which will again be noted down. 
Next for the clay and lime. To this end 
take your acid, and drop by drop apply it to 
the slimy liquid in the other pot, until it 1 
ceases to fermeni. Through the application ] 
of the munatie acid is the carbonic acid of 1 
coal extinguished or forced out, causing the < 
fermenting; the lime stays dissolved, while ( 
the clay settles t.o the bottom of the pot. i 
Has the liquid cleared off again, pour it off, f 
dry the clay and weigh it. Add up these < 
figures, and what is lacking of the pound is 1 
about the percentage of lime, i 
If the farmer tries such experiments in 
the winter days, takes his boys to help him i 
to mark down, and figure, uud teaches to j 
them these lessons, it is just as interesting , 
as it is usefi’L The*-• boys will the next sea- j 
son try the experiment themselves, mark 1 j 
everything carefully, from which spots, &c., ! £ 
the earth was taken, and await Impatiently : t 
the time wheu to resume their studies. ! ,, 
Everything marked correct and careful, the p 
farmer will without, sacrifice of valuable £ 
time ascertain the condition of his aero. 
This is a. little piece of chemistry, and our j, 
future generations will doubtless study it v 
.much more than the present one, and it will a 
perhaps wonder how we could prosecute j] 
husbandry without more knowledge of this p 
particular branch of science, ^ 
In conclusion, a few specifications for the H 
better discernment of wild lands may not be g 
out of place, as in no country so much as £j 
just in our own is the farmer liable to come ^ ^ 
into situations where it is of the greatest H , 
importance and value to him, that, he should ^ 
be able to judge raw lands as well as culti- n 
vated and improved.' 
1. Wherever go d timber grows the soil is [ j,. 
capable, of producing • nd grass and grain. a j 
2. Whore timber grows in variety, there tl 
the soil will also bring forth all kinds of la 
grain, vegetables, fruits, vines, &e., so that si 
the farmer is not forced to raise always the tl 
same sort of produce, which would soon ex- ei 
haust the fertility of hjg acre. | at 
3. Where the root* of trees appear to 
spread much, directly under the surface, in 
stead of growing downward, there is an in¬ 
dication of rock bottom, with only a. t hin 
layer of good, productive soil. 
4. Where many ponds of standing water 
appear, there is generally to be found too 
much of tough clay, that permits no water 
to go through, and which often frustrates 
all efforts of successful cultivation. 
5. The different, beds or layers of the earth 
can best bo seen in deep splits, or on the 
banks of creeks. 
6. Crippled and poverty grown timber in¬ 
dicates poor soil, without regard to the 
we would do without it. All I have more to 
say is this Let, every man be fully per¬ 
suaded in his own mind; as for me I will 
rais® Corn Fodder. 
Sharon Center, N. V. 
TABLE FOR FRUIT. 
mixture of it, and also indicates the absence 
of the quality^known as waterishness or in¬ 
sipidity. 
7. Thin and at the. same time too tall 
trunks of trees are. a pretty positive sign of a 
too watery soil and bottom ; and when 
standing on the banks of rivers, on the bark 
of the trees is to bo seen how high the waters 
therein rise and overflow (he adjacentconn- 
try ; and in such cases whether it, Is safe to 
live and build on curtain localities, &e. 
S. Luxurious and close growing grasses on 
level ground is an unmistakable sign of rich 
and fertile soil, such as is generally found on 
the wide prairioK of I,he States and Terri¬ 
tories in the West and Northwest. 1 Nr on. 
— —-- 
THE VALUE OF CORN FODDER. , 
I see the value of corn fodder is being agi¬ 
tated in all the agricultural papers, and [ 
propose to keep it on the wing, as I have not 
yet found anything that will equal it, either 
greou or wilted, as a soiling crop or for win¬ 
ter feed, if properly cured, unless it be hay; 
and if cattle can have their choice they will 
take the com—at least mine do. Mine eat 
everything up clean—never leave any butts; 
but, mind you, I only feed them once a day,' 
and give all they will cat. 
Most writers manage about the same until 
it is fit to cut, when I find a great, difference 
in the way they do it. In this part most of 
Ul sow broadcast, Western corn,.quite thick; 
I sow four bushels at least to the acre. T 
I had ewer t p n acres last season, and had 
fifteen loads nice cured fodder, worth to me 
i ten tnniS of the best hay. A great many 
cut it down after it had frozen white, and 
let it lie and bleach and freeze, put it up 
like hay, throw- it out and put it up again, 
and so keep on; and, by the time they get at. 
it, it is no better than straw. The old ada (> e 
will apply right here, "What is worth doing 
fMl is worth doing well.” My way of do¬ 
ing it. is to take a little, more time to cut; 
but 1 gave time In the end. If I can before 
frost, 1 take corn knives and begin on one 
side, of the piece, be in to cut and lay in 
bundles, if it is a sunny day; the next day 
the stalks will he willed so that one can be¬ 
gin to tie up with the stalks. After tying I 
set up as many in a round shock as i can tie 
well at the top, and l can leave it two 
months, it put up right, before 1 draw it in, 
if the weather has been at ail favorable, i 
have something for my'cattle a great way 
ahead of a snow banjc, some learned men to 
the contrary notwithstanding. I had a piece 
last fall put up in that way, and but one 
shock fell down, and I had three calves in 
the lot at the same time. Mr. La Mont’s 
experience in last Rural New-Yorker 
agrees with mine, and I don’t know what ! 
LINDS CONE OF MICHIGAN. 
Editor Rural New-Yorker :— Thinking 
your readers might be interested in learning 
something of a former valuable and in¬ 
structive contributor to your excellent, Agri¬ 
cultural and Family Journal, I take the lib¬ 
erty to write you for that, purpose. 1 have 
reference to Linus Cone, who resides iu 
Avon, this county and State, lie is now 72 
years of age, and settled here i n 1821. The 
early interest, he took in agricultural pur¬ 
suits attracted The attention of his neighbors 
and prominent agriculturists at, home and 
abroad, and so long as he competed for the 
J first prize farm and farming in the county 
I and State, he carried off the first, awurJ. It, 
was remarkable to wit,rue - his exact, method 
, economy, thrift uml energy in everything 
pertaining to the management of the farm. 
Not a noxious weed was allowed to mature, 
on his premises, in fence corners, bu rn yards, 
or other places too often overlooked by 
mauy farmers. He was so particular iu that, 
respect that he often found it necessary to 
trespass upon adjoining farms, with basket, 
hoe and spade in hand, to exterminate the 
weeds from fence corners to protect his own 
farm. 
I often visit Mr. Gone, and hqve just done 
so, and always find him communicative, 
affable and his conversation instructive. Mr. 
Cone has literally worn himself out on the 
j farm, and in the interest of farmers, for ho 
has evidently stamped his own enthusiasm 
'n ho thorough tillage of the soil and unex¬ 
ceptional management of the farm upon a 
wide circle of fanners in Michigan. His life, j 
has been a memorable instance of success 
energy, perseverance, method and self-edu¬ 
cation—for his education -was very limited 
; when he began the battle, of life—and is well 
worthy the. emulation of young men of all 
professions in life, lie has been unable to 
write with facility for aotue yours, conse¬ 
quently he has uot been a contributor, 
through the agricultural papers, to the liter 
at,ure in which he continues to take a deep 
interest, and which lias been greatly bene¬ 
fited by his vigorous pen. 
Will Tint our young men of this generation 
strive to emulate the example of Farmer 
* r ’^ E , and thus leave to their posterity a 
name honored and revered for its virtues I 
temperance and achievements ? 
. O. POPPLKTON. 
Birmingham, Oakland Co., Mich, 
Mp.. Cone is entitled to all the. credit ac 
corded him above. Some, thirty years ago 
(aye, more than thirty—how time Hies |) wu 
knew Lucuk Cone as a most thorough, pro¬ 
gressive and enterprising farmer, and then 
had the pleasure of publishing articles from 
his pen in tlic Michigan Farmer. While sub¬ 
sequently conducting the Omesee Farmer 
(184fi to 1840 inclusive) he was one of our most 
valued correspondents—and, as not a few of 
its readers will no doubt remember, he con¬ 
tributed many excellent articles to the early 
volumes of this journal. Though he has al- 
ready passed the allotted threescore and ten, 
wc. trust our long-time friend and valued 
correspondent may be spared yet many 
years to enjoy the fruits of his activity, 
enterprew and usefulness during the past 
half century.— [Ed. 
: LABOR EXODDS FROM SOUTH ALABAMA. 
A correspondent in Blount Co Ala 
writes us as follows: “You may possibly 
see from the papers what a revolution in 
tins and other States is going on by the daily 
departure of hundreds of able-bodied colored 
people for the States of Louisiana and Ar- 
| kansas. The planters of the rich Cotton lands 
ot the southern part, of this Stale have, ever 
since the war, used a suicidal policy towards 
themselves and the colored people, cheated 
an<l harrassed them and told them the coun¬ 
try would be better off without them. At 
| last the negro lias summoned his courage 
! llIul is leaving, sure enough ! As a result 
| many of the richest and largest plantations 
i are without o hand and no possible chance 
to rent them. In these mountain counties, 
where the valleys w . healthy and immensely 
mi Inn sod and the hills am fruitful, land is 
fniir to eight times as high as before the war 
and t he fanners all independent; indeed, 
many of them growing rioh. 
“Yon may have some idea of the disas¬ 
trous effect this exodus of the negro popu 
Jatiou will, have upon agriculture, wheu I 
tell you that since lust October more than 
six thou,w.nd have!Ml four comities of ,lie 
southern part of Alabama. They now look 
forwaid to -migrants to come and till their 
section ; but, no man, with a grain of com¬ 
mon wmn will try to miso cotton in such 
fields of <dsea.su and death as they are. Not 
content with u bountiful and cheap supply 
o the best cotton -producing labor in the 
world tin y have now got rid of it and ruin 
must follow.”, 
— - 
HARVEST MEN IN FRANCE. 
A Paris correspondent of the Masfcacliu- 
I setts Ploughman says Every season there 
is a vast immigration cf harvest, men from 
Belgium, Normandy and Brittney, Into the 
extensive grain districts of France ; they dro 
familiarly called ’August swallows. ’ In 
point of food and wages these indispensable, 
auxiliaries have nothing to complain of ; 
they receive two meals of meal, daily, man. 
agriculturists killing for thocccm ion a couple 
Of COWS, dozen of sheep, and se veral pigs. 
I ho men rest during the torrid portion of the 
day, often commence work at two in the 
morning audcontinue till 11 at night, -infact 
."l” there is light. Tn '-espoot to the! -lodg- 
| mg, it is miserable; in a hayloft cr on the 
cut d ground, anywhere but in abed. Only 
l a quart of wine per day is allowed each la 
boron, which is quickly disposed of, so riofli- 
ing remains to satisfy an inextiugilisbablo 
thirst but water, tepid even though -kaued 
By sheaves. Some proprietors allow one 
pound of coffee to fifteen gallons of water 
and find this little extra returns a hundred 
fold in the sustained health of the workers. 
Farmers’ wives hold out against the addi¬ 
tional expenditure, confounding parsimony 
with economy.” 
^ieittific and t&’sffnl 
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SIAMESE TWINS 
FARADAY’S ELOQUENCE. 
The following is Lady Pollock's description 
of Faraday s oratory, as quoted by Dr. 
i Gladstone It was an irresistible elo¬ 
quence. which compelled attention and 
insisted upousymyathy. It wakedthoyoung 
from their visions and the old from their 
dreams. There was a gleaming in his eyes 
which no painter could copy, and which no 
poet could describe. Thrdr radiance seemed 
to send a strange light into the very heart 
of the congregation ; and when he spoke, ii 
was felt that the stir of his voice .md the 
fervor of his words could belong only to the 
owner of those kindling eyas. His 'thought 
was rapid, and made itself a. way in new 
phases— if it found none mulv-made—us the 
mountaineer cuts steps in the most hazardous 
ascent with his own axe. His enthusiasm 
sometimes carried him to the p< .int of ecstasy, 
when he expatiated on the beauties of nature 
and when lie. lifted the veil from her deep 
mysteries. His body then took motion from 
fus mind - his hair streamed out from his 
head ; hfs hands were full of nervous action : 
fits light, lithe body seemed to quiver with 
ds eager life. His audience took fire with 
him, and every- face was flushed. White 
ovur might be the after-thought or the ufter- 
pursijiL, each lu-arer, for t Lie time, shared hi? 
zeal and his delight.” 
1 Dr. Hollingsworth of North Carolina 
r who examined the bodies of the Siamese 
» twins at. the time of their decease, fouudthe 
j band which connected them to be an exten¬ 
sion of the. sternum, for about four inches in 
length and two in breadth. The band was 
convex above and in front, and concave 
underneath, The two bodies hud but one 
navel, vfb-i i was in the center of the band, 
and it is stippoRed that there were two um¬ 
bilical cords branching from this, one ex¬ 
tending into each body. The. connecting 
link was lounil to be (he eusifonu cartilage 
and was as hard us bone, and did not yield in 
the least. [It may be here mentioned that 
for some time previous to their death, no 
motions were observable in the li.-md.] The 
dor tar said that be did not think they would 
haw survived a separation, not from the 
!, i et of I icing afraid of separating t he arteries, 
but from fear of producing peritonitis. No 
hemorrhage would have been produced, so 
mr a could be seen, ns there were no arterial 
Connections of any account. 
-- 
Table for Fruit. -The logs of this table are 
ot bamboo wood, gilded or rough, in rustic 
style, and tied together witii cords and tas¬ 
sels. It is so arranged that a shallow dish 
can lie Placed inside. The outer edge is 
ornamented with draperies of scarlet cloth 
embroidered or braided; each point i= furl 
, msli-d with a tassel, b forms n handsome 
ornament for the table, 
