,3J§f«^^'^^4/f^. 



DEVOTED TO AGHIOULTURE AND ITS KINDRED ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



VOL. V. 



BOSTON, OCTOBER, 1853. 



NO. 10. 



RAYNOLUS & NOURSE, PuoriiiETOi.s. „,„^»t T,T,^,xr,vT ,:. FRED'K HOLBROOK, i associate 



Office.... au.NCV II.li.. ^^^^^ BROWN, Editor. ^^^^^^ p_ FRENCH J Editors. 



CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER. 



"The wooilpath is cirpeted ( ver with leaves, 



The glories of Autumn decay ; 

 The Goddesd of Plenty has bound up her sheaves, 



And caniefl the Harvest away." 



BRY.\NT,in his beautiful poem on the "Death of 

 the Flowers," where he so vividly describes our 

 autumn scenery, says, — 



"The melancholy d.iys are come, the saddest of the year," — 



and in so saying, only utters the common senti- 

 ment of nearly ;ill our people. There is, in one 

 sense, a melancholy aspect in the dying year. — 

 The bright fulness and vigor of the grass and 

 leaves and flowers, has shrunk and bowed a lit- 

 tle, as the first touches of age and care upon a 

 beautiful woman. "Every day a flower drops 

 from out the wroath that binds its brow — not to 

 be renewed. E\ery hour the sun looks more and 

 more askance up'in it, and the winds, those sum- 

 mer flatterers, come to it less fawningly. Every 

 breath shakes down showers of its leafy attire, 

 leaving it gradually barer and barer, for the blasts 

 of winter to blow through it. Every morning and 

 evening takes aw;iy from it a portion of that light 

 which gives beauty to its life, and chills it more 

 and more into that torpor which at length consti- 

 tutes its temporary death. And yet October is 

 beautiful still, no less 'for what it gives than what 

 it takes away ;' and even for what it gives during 

 the very act of taking away." 



Spring l)ring3 its gentle airs, its bursting buds 

 and expanding flowers, and summerputs on its full 

 dress of "living green ;" but autumn, like the la- 

 dy who doubts whether her charms are as attrac- 

 tive as they once were, puts on her livery of many 

 hues, and sports in gorgeous colors. 



October is an important month to the farmer in 

 many particulars. Great care is necessary in pre- 

 serving the crops he has labored so assiduously to 

 obtain, and in preserving the seeds upon which he 

 is to depend for future crops. 



Apples. — Unusual c^re with this fruit will be 



well repaid this year by the high price which they 

 will command. Apples will keep better by being 

 {ilaeed on frames in a cool cellar as soon as taken 

 from the tree ; or, if put in barrels, place them at 

 once in the cellar, rather than leave them out ex- 

 posed during the day to the hot sun and to the 

 low temperature of the nights. These constant 

 changes are injurious. Great care is necessary in 

 the first place, in picking and assorting them. — 

 Half a peck of bad apples in a barrel Vv'Ould spoil 

 the sale of the whole with many a good customer ; 

 assort them into different grades, and the high 

 price on the best will bring up a fiiir average on 

 the whole. All articles sent to market should be 

 assorted in this way. Sales are then quick, as the 

 whole matter is readily understood by both par- 

 ties. 



Roots. — Sugar beets and_mangel wurt^el should 

 be secured before any severe frosts occur. But 

 as soon as arrived at maturity, which may be 

 known by the discolored and dead leaves, they 

 should be harvested, or they lose some of their nu- 

 tritious properties. 



Ruta bagas, and flat turnips may remain till the 

 ground begins to freeze ; they still grow when 

 heavy frosts occur, and when the weather is quite 

 cold. 



Cabbages may also remain out till snow falls. 

 A fine way to preserve them for winter use is to 

 dig a trench in the cellar, and after taking the 

 plants up, roots and all, set them closely in the 

 trench, where they will keep fresh and hard till 

 spring, if the light is excluded. 



Cauliflowers may be kept in the same man- 

 ner, and will throw out fine heads on plants that 

 had but just begun to head when taken from the 

 garden. But they must have the light. 



All roots that have come to maturity and are 

 placed away for winter use, are better for having 

 the light excluded. 



Squashes. — These may be kept through the en- 



