AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR THE 
Farm, Grardexi, a,xid_ Household. 
"AGRICULTURE 18 T1IE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, AND MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF HAN."-Wiii» 
ORANGE JUDD, A.M., 
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR 
Office, 41 Park Row, (Times Buildings.) 
ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
Published both in English, and German. 
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For Contents, Terms, ete., sec page 1G0. 
VOLUME XXII— No. 5. 
NEW-YORK, MAY, 18G3. 
NEW SERIES-No. 106. 
Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1S63, by 
Okange Junn, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of 
the United States for the Southern District of New- York. 
B2?- Other Journals are Invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, (f eacli article be credited to American Agriculturist. 
slljliii life- 
Suggestions and Notes for the Month. 
' The meanest herb we trample in the field, 
Or in the garden nurture, when its leaf 
In Autumn dies, forebodes another Spring, 
And from short slumber wakes to life again. 
Man wakes no more ! Man, peerless, valiant, wise, 
Once chilled by death, sleeps hopeless in the dust.' 
****** * ,. » 
Says the desponding lay, ' Man wakes no more' ? 
O blind ! who read'st not In the teeming soil, 
The freshening meadow, and the bursting wood, 
A nobler lesson ! * k He whose providence the change 
Of day and night, and seasons crowned with food, 
And health and peace proclaimed ; bade Nature's hand 
Point to the scenes of dim futurity. 
He on a world, in Gentile darkness lost, 
Pitying looked down : He to bewildered man 
Bade Spring, with annual admonition, bold 
Her emblematic taper —Gisborne's Forest Walks. 
How often does a " doubting Thomas," in 
these days, desire to strengthen his faith by- 
witnessing a miracle with his own eyes. But 
he has only to open his eyes to see a world of 
miracles. The tree, lately so dormant, with its 
naked trunk and apparently lifeless branches, 
is now developing its beautiful foliage, made up 
of myriads of leaves, each one a new creation 
— a miraculous product of the limpid blood that 
rises from the dank soil and courses the capillary 
veins of the trunk. We can tell whence grow 
the leaves, and describe their various forms in 
classifying terms, but how does the leaf grow 1 
Can anything short of an ever-present guiding 
hand marshal the elements into their proper 
rank and file, and allot to each one its place as 
a constituent of the leaf, so that each tree shall 
bear leaves after its kind ? The tiny seed, by 
accident or design, is buried in the eoil — a mass 
of sandy clay; how is it, that surrounded with 
materials so forbidding, it feeds and grows, and 
produces a plant so exactly like the parent one ? 
The manner of the growth is illustrated on 
another page (153), but of the why and bow, 
who can tell ? How and why is it that from 
similar seeds, plants so diverse in form are pro- 
duced ? Take the cabbage and turnip seed for 
example. These are almost exactly alike, yet 
one yields the great leaves and the central head 
above the surface, while the other, planted by 
its side and feeding upon the same materials, 
developes its most valuable portion below. The 
seeds are so much alike in form, in structure, 
in the enclosed germ, and in the development 
of the radicles and leaves, that even the ex- 
perienced eye can discern no difference. Why 
does the after growth, from the same soil ele- 
ments, differ so widely? Illustrations innumer- 
able are ever to be observed, by the dwellers 
among rural scenes. Is there not enough in the 
diverse forms and growth of vegetable life, to 
constantly fill with pleasure the mind of every 
tiller of the soil, as he labors amid ten thousand 
operations of nature, that are miracles in them- 
selves. And witnessing so constantly the actual 
works of an omnipotent superintending skill, 
should not he live carefully, standing as he does 
in the very presence of the Creator? — These are 
wayside thoughts not to be forgotten as we go 
forth to the labors of the field. Let us turn to 
the consideration of some of the practical de- 
tails that must occupy the hands as well as 
the mind. The present season is an extraordi- 
nary one. We write in the middle of April at a 
time when plowing and sowing are usually in 
active operation. But an instalment of Winter 
due in February, is being paid at this late date. 
Much of the work of April will be crowded in- 
to May. The cold weather is likely to restrain 
the development of the fruit buds so much, 
that with fair skies and the absence of untimely 
frosts in May, we shall have another bountiful 
fruit crop. But for putting in field and garden 
crops the time will, at best, be so short that every 
possible effort should be made by good planning, 
by procuring help and the best implements, 
and by having the seed all ready, to hasten 
work. The absence of a great number of cul- 
tivators in the army, the wastes of war, and the 
abundance of currency, bid fair to create an 
active market, and high prices for all the farm 
produce that can be secured this year. Let 
every acre possible be put to service in the pro- 
duction of food or clothing materials for man, 
and food for beast. 
Work for the Farm, Household, etc. 
There is little need to indicate how time may 
be employed on the farm the present month. 
The fields invite the plow, and signs of hope 
are written in bud and blossom over all the 
plains and valleys. Renewed life makes the air 
vocal with song, stirs the quickened bosom of 
the earth, and inspires man to cheerful activity. 
The cultivator, above all others, should exult 
in his labors. The elements are his willing ser- 
vants; the earth is his laboratory — the air, the 
clouds, and the sun, his assistant chemists. He 
has but to direct their labors to supply his 
wants and gratify his desires. But he must 
accord to natural laws if he would reap benefit 
from them; ignorance or unskilfulness have no 
immunity from the penalties of their violation 
or neglect. Herein in great measure lies the 
secret of success or want of it. The observant 
and thoughtful learn to work with Nature ; the 
uninformed and heedless often strive against 
her, and always with discomfiture. 
It is then wise to seek information from all 
promising sources, and it is our endeavor to 
collect it from every possible field, and to im- 
part it for the general benefit. The suggestions 
which follow are intended to indicate subjects 
for attention, and also in some degree to give 
practical details drawn from reliable sources. 
Barometer.— A good instrument will give in- 
dications enabling the cultivator to lay out 
work with some regard to the coming weather- 
often an important consideration, when (ire- 
paring to sow, plant, or harvest. Its cost has 
often been saved by this means in a single week. 
Beans are in great demand at a high price for 
army use, and paying returns may be expected 
from a good crop the present season. They 
make but slight draft upon the soil, and are 
therefore well adapted for lands not fertile 
enough for corn. Heavy manuring increases 
the yield of vine without materially adding to 
the crop. Land in good but not very high con- 
dition is most favorable. They may be planted 
in orchards where tillage is needed. The white 
bush variety is a favorite. Plant in 2 1 feet 
drills, 5 to 10 inches apart, according to variety 
Beef and Pork in the cellar should be 
examined occasionally as warm weather ap- 
proaches. If needed, add salt, or make new 
brine and repack. The old brine is valuable to 
dress asparagus beds, or in the manure heap. 
Bees, if properly managed, pay better on the 
capital invested than any stock on the farm. 
See directions for the month under " Apiary." 
Birds. — Encourage their visits, and allow no 
loafing gunners to harm them. They are the 
most efficient checks to the increase of insects. 
Books are most interesting and best remem- 
bered when immediately applicable to some 
work in hand. The library should be con- 
sulted day by day with reference to the various 
operations in progress, to gain new ideas and 
suggestions to improvement. For a good selec- 
tion of works see our book list, on page 159. 
Boys are usually ambitious to do men's work. 
Encourage them judiciously. Skill in all hand 
labor is best attained in youth. Do not, how- 
ever, allow them to be overtasked. It is poor 
economy to save paying for hired help at the 
expense of the health of a child, or inducing in 
him an aversion to home by too severe tasking. 
Assign to each boy a plot of ground to be 
worked, and the profits enjoyed by himself. 
