THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



81 



CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURE. 



The sowing of turnips must be finished without 

 delay in the eastern counties of England. The 

 season of sowing is early in July, as the fly is not so 

 strong as in June, and tlie mildew is not so fre- 

 quent. Horse and hand-hoe potatoes, beet, and 

 the earliest sown Swedish turnips, and repeat the 

 processes that no weeds appear. The young plants 

 derive much benefit from the frequent stirring of 

 the intervals after drills, and most in dry weather. 

 It causes an evaporation of moisture which is im- 

 bibed by the leaves. Prepare clay fallows by 

 ploughing, harrowing, and rolling ; pick off" by 

 hand all weeds and stones, and bring forward the 

 lime if any to be apphed. 



Proceed with draining on grass lands and on 

 fallow ground ; the former condition of the ground 

 affords the cleanest work, and the neatest per- 

 formance. On fallow, the work is hurried, not to 

 stop the cultivation. The proper course of all 

 drains should be marked in winter, when every 

 wetness shows itself. Drains may be half dug at 

 any time, and the bottom-half excavated when the 

 stones or tiles are ready, and the whole process 

 finished at one time. 



Wean the latest lambs, and give them the best 

 encouragement. Put mares to the stallions regu- 

 larly. 



Attend that the pasture fields have a supply of 

 water, and that no gaps are continued in the 

 fences. 



Apply the contents of the dredging box to the 

 sheep, to prevent the maggot fly depositing the 



larvte. Dress clean the posterior parts ot the 

 animal from the adhesion of excrements. 



The hay season will be finished this month : 

 make hay, and carry the grass quickly ; build in to 

 long ricks; lay it lightly together, and allow it to 

 sink into form by its own weight ; it is a mistake 

 to tread it firmly together. Pull nothing from the 

 sides of the ricks till well settled ; then dress in to 

 any form, and thatch without delay. To get hay 

 placed on a high rick when being built, use a 

 scaffold raised on four upright posts, resting below 

 on a four wheeled platform ; and elevate or depress 

 the scaftblding by means of pulleys to any height 

 that may be required : lay some loose straw on the 

 extreme top of the rick till it be thatched. When 

 the hay is damaged by rains, mix salt in the ricks 

 as has been directed. When the building of the 

 ricks is interrupted by the intervention of one or 

 more nights, spread over the rick a waterproof 

 cloth, which will defend it from the rain : remove 

 it in the early morning, to let the sweating of the 

 grass escape. To defend the rick from early show- 

 ers, suspend over it a light cloth by means of a 

 rope passing the length of the rick, and attached at 

 each end to an upright pole. 



Harvest will commence this month in early 

 localities. Early peas, barley, and rye will be first 

 cut ; tie the barley and rye in sheaves, and set 

 them in shocks of twelve sheaves each ; lay the 

 peas in small heaps, and turn them frequently, 

 and carry when dry to the barns or rick stands, 

 which are all had ready. 



CALENDAR OF GARDENING. 



Kitchen Garden. 



Transplant broccoli at various periods, for early 

 and late spring supply, choosing, if possible, a 

 moist state of soil ; otherwise if the weather be dry, 

 every hole must be filled with water. The ground 

 ought to be rich in nitrogenous manure ; and there- 

 fore some soot, mixed up with spit dung would be 

 useful, as it contains salts of ammonia. May-sown 

 cauliflower may be treated in the same manner. 

 Endive is to be sown twice in the month. Sow 

 early the last crop of scarlet runners and French 

 beans, as one or two of cos and Silesian lettuce, 

 radish, white and red turnip Varieties, a sprinkling 

 of carrots, onions, and salading as required. Celery 

 is to be carefully earthed ; and for the first and 

 second times place fine earth compactly round 

 the lower leaves, but not so high as the growing 

 heart. Give water copiously along the trenches 

 if the weather be dry, for the first good start is 

 most important. Sow a full crop of turnips, early 

 Dutch, white and yellow, to come in late in the 

 year and through winter. 



After the second week sow cabbages for cole- 

 worts called gropns, one of the sweetest of spring 

 vegetables. 



Transplant leeks : dig and manure richly a plot 

 for a row or two, and try with the dung 2 ounces 

 of sulphate of ammonia to the small barrow. Very 



pure guano, to the extent of a pint to the same 

 bulk, would confer phosphate of ammonia and of 

 lime, several ammoniacal and nitrogeneous com- 

 pounds, common salts and neutral sulphate to the 

 soil. It is the comprehensiveness of pure guano 

 which stamps its value, and therefore would 

 always add to our exhausted manures, as a restora- 

 tive. In planting leeks, make deep, case-like holes, 

 and drop them in, supplying water in a stream so 

 as to fix the roots of each. 



Transplant vegetable marrows and cucumber 

 plants, already raised in heat. Dig a hole for 

 each in a warm, open spot of ground : put in a 

 barrow or more of leafy rich manure, and cover 

 it with some light rich soil, and cover with hand 

 glasses, till growth be established, and then gra- 

 dually train out the runners : stop the plants occa- 

 sionally, to obtain laterals. 



Flower Garden. 



Take up bulbs, dry them, and pipe and layer 

 pinks and carnations. Propagate geraniums by 

 cuttings, in sand and leaf mould, plunging the pots 

 into a gentle hotbed : they soon root, and may be 

 transferred to larger pots in a richer soil, as loam 

 land and decayed cowdung. Guano is extolled 

 as a highly valuable stimulant, but if ))ure it may 

 be misapplied to flowery plants, and if spurious 

 the effect may be none. 



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