NO. 23. 



THE FARMERS' CABINET. 



363 



CANADA THISTLE. 



This monarch of agricultural pests, has as 

 many lives as a cat, and bids defiance to all 

 ordinary methods of extermination. Mowin"- 

 in tiic moon, or out of the moon, sa]lin<r and 

 sheeping, plougliiiig with crops and witiiout, 

 in short all the usual modes of destroying in- 

 trusive weeds have been alternately tried, and 

 generally without success. The only mclliod 

 we have yet tried that has been crowned 

 witii entire success is to cut them several 

 times in the summer an incli or two below 

 the surface of tlie ground, or repeating the 

 operation as fast as shoots appeared. We 

 have in this way destroyed numbers of small 

 patches; and it is in this state tiic thistle can 

 only be assailed with a reasonable prospect of 

 destroying them effectually. Mowing or 

 ploughing repeatedly, will check their growth 

 and prevent seeding, but will not in ordinary 

 cases ensure their destruction. 



ST. JOIIXSWOUT. 



This stinking, poisonous weed, is becoming 

 quite too common in our fields. Independent 

 of its almost entire occupation of the ground, 

 its spread is to be regretted on account of the 

 injurious, and sometimes fatal effects, it has 

 on animals confined in pastures where it is 

 common. We have seen young cattle and 

 sheep die in consequence of being driven to 

 feed on it; and nothing is more common than 

 to see horses that have white feet or noses 

 with the skin on such parts highly inflamed 

 in consequence of exposure to this plant. If 

 you have it on your farm, mow it and burn it 

 carefully, to prevent its spreading by seed ; 

 and where only a few stalks appear, do not 

 rest until the last root has been extracted by 

 the hoe. 



PISMIRES, OR ANTS, 



Now is the time for those who have pots of 

 honey, or tubs of sugar and molasses, to be 

 visited by these little insects; and if suffered 

 to make an undisturbed acquaintance, their 

 visits will be made so frequently and by such 

 numbers, that serious loss and trouble will 

 ensue. To prevent their attacks some have 

 recommended a piece of camphor to be sus- 

 pended in the vessel containing the sweet, 

 yet not to touch it; and this, if done before 

 they get a taste, will probably keep them 

 away. But if they have once found their 

 way in, they will continue to feed in spite of 

 camphor. The best way where these insects 

 are plentiful and voracious, is to insulate the 

 vessels containing the sugar or honey. This 

 may be done by making a platform of a plank 

 with short legs, and placing these in shallow 

 earthen or tin vessels, which are to be filled 

 with water, which is to be renewed as often 

 9,s necessary. This however, is only a pre- 



ventive. To destroy them, next fall just 

 before tlie ground freezes, finally, and after 

 lliey have assumed tlicir torpid state, go 

 around to their hills, and with a shovel or 

 i^pade cut out the centre below their habita- 

 tion, and scatter it on tlie surface. If in that 

 situation, ti)ey or their young, can stand such 

 winters as we have had for two or three 

 years past, why, then they are tough fellows, 

 that's all, 



TO KEEP OFF BUGS, 



Parkhurst says, that "melon seeds soaked 

 twenty tour hours in a decoction of tobacco 

 and water, will be eflectually protected 

 against the bugs." If it will do this, it will 

 'do the same on pumpkins, squashes and cu- 

 cumbers. But the best method we have ever 

 seen tried, next to the daily application of a 

 squeeze with the thumb and finger, is to 

 place a portable coop containing a hen and 

 ciiickens in the midst of a bed of melons or 

 cucumbers. The chickens will do no injury, 

 and will speedily exterminate the whole race 

 of bugs that may infest the premises. — Gen. 

 Farmer. 



Curing Clover Hay. 



Clover hay should never be scattered out 

 of the swath, because in addition to the labor 

 in scattering and again raking up, the hay is 

 thereby greatly injured. Indeed, if the 

 weather be favorable for curing, neither timo- 

 thy nor any other kind of hay should be scat- 

 tered, because the less any grass is exposed 

 to the sun and air in the process of curing, 

 the greater will be the value of the hay, and 

 the less tlie labor required. 



Let the clover lay in the swath untouched,, 

 until about two-thirds of the upper part be 

 sufficiently cured, which in good weather,, 

 will, if the swath be tolerably heavy, be ef- 

 fected in eight or ten hours ; if the swath be 

 light, in a proportionably shorter time, when 

 thus far cured, turn the swath bottom up- 

 wards with the fork, an operation speedily 

 performed. Let it then lie exposed to tho 

 sun until the under side be cured, which will 

 be, according to the thickness of the swath, 

 in from four to six hours, then throw three 

 j swaths together in windrows, and commence 

 j liauling in, the wagon running between two 

 j windrows and loading from each. It can 

 hardly be necessary to observe, that all these 

 operations must be performed after the dew 

 I has dried off It is to be recollected tiiat clo- 

 j ver will keep with less drying than almost 

 any other grass. A common test is, to take 

 I up a bunch of hay and twist it, if no juice 

 I exudes, the hay may be hauled in with safe- 

 ! ty, — we have often hauled in clover cut in 

 j the morning, in the evening, and always the 



