18G6. 
AMPJRICAN AGRICULTUKIST. 
343 
•if 
Hkeep.—Yoi: butcliers' early lambs (March) use 
possible South Dowu, Leicester or CoUswoUl r^iuis 
this mouth. TUo better the sire, the better the 
stock. Tarvl the sheep on frosty nights, and as 
grass tails, give extra feed. Those intended for 
fattening during the winter should have a little 
grain while still on grass; they will fotten uuidi 
quicker for it when shut up for feedlus— and will 
giviu more this month than at any other period. 
Cheek seoui-s by isolating tliosc ailing, and feeding 
milk porridge made with fine wheateu flour. 
jr«)(«i-<-.— Watch the manure heaps with all 
jealousy. Get'ni stores of muck, leaves, and litter 
of all kinds, and either put it under cover in places 
eonvenicut, or luuler any temporary loofiug, which 
will turn the rain aud keep it dry until needed for 
■use. The yards should be frequently cleaned up, 
and all droppings thrown into heaps, and com- 
posted with litter or soil. Dust gypsum over the 
stable floors, and on fermenting manure wherever it 
is; bring to tlic hog yards potato tops, swamp 
grass, and any kind of vegetable matter which may 
be found, or "fill low spots in the barn-y:ird with it. 
Stack coarse litter which the salt meadows or the 
upland swamps will cut for similar use during win- 
ter. Make provision to save liquid manure, and 
pumi) it over the solid manure as it is piled up, 
mi.\ed with straw or other litter. This maintains 
fermentation, yet does not let it proceed too far 
and cause a loss of ammonia. 
Soiling.— To have a full flow of milk earUer than 
the grass is fit for grazing, manure heavily, sow 
rye early, and again as late as you dare to and ex- 
pect it to stand the winter. Unless the winter is a 
peculiarlv open one, or unless the snow lies very 
heavy au'dlong, there will be fully 10 days ditference 
in the growth of the crops in May. This will attord 
the first green feed for the cows, and their milk 
will at once increase greatly, even though they have 
had roots : spring rye, oats and peas, etc., follow. 
Winter Grain— 11 not already done, spots in the 
wheat fields where the land is poor, may have a 
dressing of fine, well rotted manure, scattered on 
the su "face. Rye may often be sown at the very 
last of the month, but much is risked by delay after 
the middle in our latitude. In the earlier part of 
October, wheat is often sown to advantage, but do 
not delay after the 10th, and even then there is 
o-reat risk of a poor stand and of winter killing. 
Fall Plowing should not be neglected from pres- 
sure of other work, but hire an extra baud or two 
and keep all the teams going. This year's corn 
ground intended for barley and oats next spring, 
should be plowed as early as possible. The stooks 
of corn should be set in straight rows, as far apart 
as possible, and the ground plowed between thera, 
finishing after corn is husked, and stooks removed. 
Draining— As other work is disposed of or be- 
comes less pressing, and as other farmers discharge 
their laborers, it is a favorable time to put a good 
force of men and teams at draining. With a little 
contrivance, and the use of long yokes or long 
evcners, the plow maybe drawn iu the ditches, the 
hoi-ses or cattle walking on each side, and thus the 
labor be greatly lightened as well as e.xpeditcd. 
Narrow ditches, S}^ or 4 feet deep, (not less,) as 
nearly level as possible, aud yet with a regular 
blight fall, are best whether laid with stones or tiles. 
Study the lay of the land and drain with system. 
Com should be husked as soon as cured, and not 
lea in the shock, subject to the attacks of vermin 
and birds, and to damage by rain, causing mildew. 
Corn houses should be of open slats and rat proof. 
Before corn is put in bins, soft ears should be thor- 
oughly sorted out, and all not sound should be cured 
by spreading thinly on the floor of a hot drj-loft. 
Com Slalks bound iu small bundles aud set iu 
stooks dry slowly, and ought to be taken down and 
re-stooked onee in a week or ten days. When cured, 
stack near the yards, aud top the stacks with straw. 
Sixil Crups.—Th.e treatment roots receive de- 
pends much upon the location. Dig potatoes when 
they hare done growing. Turnips make their best 
growth in this month, so leave them to the last. 
Carrots are injured more easily than other roots, 
and so should be pulled early enough to be out of 
the way of hard freezing. Ruta-bagas and Mangels 
must be gathered before the ground freezes. See 
valuable article on preserving vegetables, page 363, 
remembering that the season at Bergen is at least a 
month later than th.at of the Northern tier of States. 
Ajiples and C«?<;r.— Haudle fruit without bruising. 
Lime barrels are excellent to pack it in. The best 
kept apples we ever saw were pucked in barrels be- 
tween layers of leaves raked up drg. Cider may be 
coucentmted on any good sorghum evaporating pan, 
to a delicious jelly, which, without addition, keeps 
perfectly for years. We have seen some made 
last year on Cory's evaporater which is excellent. 
IJVfrfs. —Collect aud burn, aud cut so as to 
prevent their maturing seed. 
Oi'cliai-tl aud Sliirseiy. 
The promise of the spring's blossoms is not 
generally borne out by the autumn's harvest, and 
many an orchard that seemed good for a thousand 
barrels, will not give fifty. While we may not be 
able to say that fruit is scarce, it is certain that the 
supply is so inadequate that good iirices must rule. 
Whoever has a moderate crop of fruit, should 
mau.ige it so as to get the most from it. Careful 
picking, selcctiug, aud packing are needed. It " a 
few scabby sheep spoil a whole flock," so a few 
badly developed mis-shapen apples spoil the looks 
of a barrel. Pick all the fruit by hand, take care 
that none is bruised in handling, and pack iu clean 
barrels. For shipping, apples should be headed up 
under pressure. It is found that there arc only a 
few of the top apples bruised when the head is 
pressed on, and the damage as a whole is much less 
than when the fruit is left loose enough to rattle, 
and all get more or less bruised. Several p'atent 
presses are sold for use in barreling fruit. Tbey 
consist of a clamp to go over the barrel, and in the 
clamp is a screw for pressing down the head. Any 
ingenious man can, with a rail or bit of scantling, 
rig up a lever press to answer the purpose. Fruit 
should not be picked until it is "tree ripe;" that is, 
until it has obtained all the nourishment it can 
receive from the tree. This period varies greatly 
with different fruits, aud nothing but experience 
can serve as a guide for the orchardist. Late sorts 
may be kept on the tree until light frosts come. 
Autumn Planting is generally to be preferred for 
apples and pears, provided it can be done early 
enough. The soil of the proposed orchard should 
have beeu prepared in advance. Whether trees are 
to be planted iu the spring or this fall, order at 
once and heel them in, as noted on page 363. 
Drains are needed iu many orchards, and if the 
operation was neglected at the time of planting, 
drains may be put now between the rows. Tile 
drain is the best, but where stones are abundant, it 
is often more economical to makegood stone drains. 
Drying of fruit should be continued, according to 
hints given last month, and 
Cider may be made as soon as the fruit is ready 
Good fruit, and care, and cleanliness in all steps of 
the operation, are essential to the production of 
good cider. If the juice be fermented with the 
same care directed fur wine, (see last mouth, p. 
335) a superior article will be the result. 
BmU set late, will, especially if the antumu 
should be warm and the stocks continue to grow, 
need to have their tyings loosened or removed. 
Seeds for nursery stock are to bo secured this 
autumn. Apple seeds are obtained by washinK the 
pomace from the cider mill. Spread thin and dry, 
and keep in a cool place until spring. 
Ornamental T/ws.— Set the deciduous ones as 
soon as the leaves drop ; the earlier the better. 
For other hints still in season see last month. 
Kitclieii Ciardcii. 
This is an excellent time to prepare the ground; 
drains may be laid and the soil manured, plowed 
and sub-soiled. The way market gardeners put on 
the manure would astonish most cultivator^. We 
were recently in the grounds of au amateur friend, 
who pointed to his manure heap with the exclama- 
tion, " there is my head gardener."— Now is a good 
time to engage the "head gardener " for next year, 
and the size of the compost heap should show that 
a favorable engagement has been made. Not only 
stjible manure, but brewer's hops, sweepings of the 
malt floor, bone, whalebone waste, and hair and ani- 
mal matters of all kinds, may be made available ; 
nor should home-made poudrette, from night soil, 
be overlooked. We have frequently described the 
preparation of this important fertilizer. 
Preserving Vegetables for the winter. The article 
on page 362 gives useful hints. Small roots may be 
put in a cool cellar in bins and boxes with sand, 
or light soil, enough to keep them from drying. 
Asparagus.— Cwl the tops when growth ceases, 
and burn them. Cover the beds with littery ma- 
nure or leaves. 
Beets should be taken up before the advent of 
hard frosts, else their sweetness will be impaired. 
Ca66ii</t'S.— Plants sown for wiutcriug over, should 
be set iu cold frames about 3'.j inches apart ; set 
deeply, and do not cover until cold weather. To 
winter cabbages, cover with earth, in the manner 
mentioned on page 363. We have had better suc- 
cess iu this way than with setting them upright in 
roofed trenches. Savoys, and other late kinds, may 
be left out until the ground is crusted with frost. 
C'aulijluicers. — Treat young plauts the same as 
cabbage plants. Old plauts that have not headed, 
should be put iu a cold frame, or a light cellar. 
Celerg.— This is best preserved out of doors in 
trenches a foot wide, and as deep as the plants are 
tall. The celery is packed closely in the trench iu 
au upright position, aud as cold weather comes on, 
the tops are to be gradually covered with straw, 
leaves, or other proteetiou, adding to the covering 
as the weather becomes colder, until it amounts to 
about a foot in thickness. To be more readily ac- 
cessible, a portion may be put in a box in the cel- 
lar, and packed iu moist sand to keep from wilting. 
This will not do if the cellar be warm. 
Mut-beds.— Gather a good heap of rich loam aud 
put it under a shed, or cover it with boards, so that 
it may be got at in February aud March, for use. 
Far.viips.—As many of these may be dug as are 
required while the ground is frozen, aud placed in 
the cellar or in pits ; the rest are left .as they grew. 
iJ/i«6ar6.— Make new plantations by dividiug the 
old roots, securing a bud to each portion of the root, 
any time before the ground closes. The richer the 
soil, the better. Cover beds with coarse mauure. 
Sahifg is to be treated the same as parsnips. 
Spinaeh. — Keep the late jjlautings free of weeds, 
and when hard frosts come, give a light covering. 
Squashes will not bear frost without injury. 
Gather iu time and keep at an even temperature. 
Sweet Potatoes. — As soon as the vines arc 
blackened by frost, dig on a bright day and let 
them dry before housiug. Pack in cut straw or 
very dry sand ; do not bruise them, aud keep wlicre 
the temperature does not fall much below 60'. 
Tw/iatoes.— The green ones that will not ripen be- 
fore frost, should be picked for pickles. 
Frnit Garden. 
Prepare the soil by draining, uiauuringand plow- 
in"- or trenching. Most small fruits like a rich soih 
Planting is to be done as early as possible. 
Blackberries are set six feet apart each way, or iu 
rows S feet apart, plants i feet distant iu the rows. 
Currants and Gooseberries.— Baihes may be set 
and cuttings made. See page 364. Training currant 
bushes to a single stem, like a small tree, is now 
abandoned, aud 3 or 4 main stems allowed to grow. 
Grapes for wine or for keeping are allowed to re- 
main on the vines uutil there is danger of frost. 
For boxing see last month on page 333. To pre- 
serve them for use, put in small boxes aud keep at 
a uniform low temperature. Vines may be set as 
soon as the leaves fall, and pruning done ; if the 
wood is wanted for cuttings, bury it before it dries. 
Strawberries.— yo'^ plantations may be set early 
this month ; see notes given last August. Do not 
