AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR THE 
ITarni, Grarcieii, and. Honseliolci. 
. "ACRICtTLTURE IS THE MOST nEALTHFUL, MOST CSEPIJI,, AND MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OP MAN."-\v»,ii„o,o». 
ORAXGE JUDD, A.M., 
PtTBLISHEK AND PKOPBIETOR. 
omcc, 41 Parte Row, (Times Buildings.) 
1 
ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
Published also in German at Two Dollai-s a Year. 
81.50 PEE ANNUM, IN ADVANCE- 
SINGLE NUMBER, tS CENTS. 
4 Copies for $ 5 ; 10 for S 13 ; 30 or more, S 1 each. 
VOLUME XXIV— No. 3. 
NEW- YORK, MARCH, 1865. 
NEW SERIES— No. 218. 
Entered according to act of Congress in tbe year 1S61. hy 
Oraxgk Jddd. in the Clerk's OfBce of the District Court ot 
the United States for the Southern District of New-York. 
t^~ Other Journals are invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, i/each article be credited to American Agricultxirist. 
Contents for March, 1865. 
67 
84 
Atlvevtisers— Unreliable Excluded, 
Agricnltura! Society— New York State 
Apples— Good Early Bearing 
Bacheli)r in the Household =' 
Bees— Apiary in March 67 
Bog Land— fteclairning "6 
Book List fur Farnrers etc 68 
Boys and Girls' Columns— What makes the Wind Blow 
—Book-keeping for Boys and Girls— Cure of the 
Drunkard— BragKing-What Kind of Puzzles to 
Send— About Publishing Names— Problems and Puz- 
zles—About Organ Grinders— The Fate of the Elm— 
A Useful Dream— The Heroic Switch Tender- 
Tough Pies 3 Illustrations . .i9-W 
Chinese Magnolia Illustrated. . 86 
Cions— Best Time to Cut 81 
Climbing Fumilory— .Alleghany Vine Illustrated, .ii 
Country Parson on Gardening 84 
Easy Chair— Home-made Illustrated, .il 
Evergreen Hedges— Management 85 
Farm Work in March 65 
Fence Posts- Removing Illustrated . .n 
Fire Wood— Preparing for Year 2 Illustrations . .82 
Flax Culture— New Work on 68 
Flower Garden and Lawn in March 67 
Flowers— Chinese Wistaria Illustrated.. ^3 
Flowers— Making Hollyhocks Useful 67 
FriiU Garden in March 67 
Garden Frame or Pit — How Made 83 
Garden— Kitchen in March 66 
Grafting Wax— Substitute for 81 
Giape Planting this Spring 8.5 
Grapery, Cold— Experience with 84 
Grapery. Cold— Noles for March 67 
Grapes— Rogers' Hybrids 85 
Grass — Dislinguishi'iig Species.. II 5 Illustrations . .79 
Gravel-Wall or Concrete Buildings 78 
Green and Hot Houses in March ...67 
Hop Culture— Piize Essay — 2 Illustrations . ."iZ-TZ-'i 
Houses- -Cheap and Convenient 4 Illustrations.. '*% 
Houses — Sngeestions About 88 
Implements, Seeds, etc.— Procure Early 75 
Market Farm— Profitable English 81 
Market Report and Commercial Notes 68 
Meals -What tn Get for Variety 88 
Milk, Labor, and Beef, No. Ill 77 
Notes and Suggestions for March 6.5 
Oats— Bad Management in Cultivation 77 
Orchard and Nursery in March 66 
Pear Trees— Doctoring ™ 85 
Practical Odds and Ends for Household 68 
Preparing for Field Labois 81 
Recipes— Cieam Pie— Spanish Cream— Good Bread 
Pudding — Chocolate Blanc Mange — Dishes for the 
Sick Room— Crust Porridge— Water Gruel— Corn 
Bread 88-89 
Root Cutter— Effective Illustrated. . 77 
Roses— Best Varieties 81 
Sheep — Improved American Merino Illustrated. .75 
Sheep— March and April Lambs 75 
Silk Worm— The Ailanthus a Failure 76 
Soap, Hard -How to Make 88 
Squash — Notes on Yokohama 82 
Swill Barrel— Convenient Portable Illustrated, .fid 
Tim Bunker's Raid Among the Pickle Patches. .II W 
Tomatoes— New Varieties 82 
Trees for the Prairies 86 
Washing Machines— A Good One Illustrated . .tn 
Wells— Horizonlal or Side-Hill 76 
Whilewash— Pieparing for Spring 87 
Willow, White — Success with 76 
INDEX TO " BASKET, 
Adverlisemenls, Good 69] 
Adv'ments. Petroleum.. 69 
Agricultural Department. 71! 
Amrnobium, Sowing. ... ,71 
Animals, Food of 70 
Beans. Concord 7lj 
Bee-Keepers' Book 72j 
Broom Corn, Dwarf 70 
Brush for Peas 7l| 
Bulbs. Cullivation 71 
Camellia, New, 72 
C'araelilas. Fine. 71 1 
Canada Thistles 701 
Catalogues Received... 69 
Caterpillars, Tent 7s! 
Cattle Breeilers' Society.. 69' 
CatUe. Native Breed 7»l 
Caoliflowers in Winter.. 71] 
Christian Commission.. 72 
' OR SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Clover with Oats 70 
Cow Milking Herself. . ..70 
Cranbeiry. Upland 71 
Currant, Black Naples. ..71 
Death of an Ag'l Editor. . 69 
Ducks, Best Breeds 70 
Farmers, Laboring 70 
Fene-,. Posts, Setting 70 
Flowers. Novelties 71 
Fruit Growers' Guide.. ..69 
Fuller's Removal 71 
Grape Grafting 72 
Grapes, Del. Cuttings, . .71 
Grapes for Michigan 71 
Grass Named 71 
Greelev Fruit Prizes 71 
Gum Spring Drill 72 
Horse, $37,500 70 
Horses, Glandered 69 
Indian Corn, Fine 70 
iManure, -Applying Coarse.70 
Manure, Leather Scraps. .70 
Manuring with Clover. ..70 
Maple Sugar Moulds 69 
Meats, Keeping Smoked. 72 
Moles, Repelling 71 
Newton's Newspaper 72 
Number, Large 69 
Oats in Succession 70 
Onion Culture 71 
Onions, Manure for 71 
Peach on the Willow 71 
Pears on Thorn 71 
Peas, Soaking 71 
Plant Named 71 
Plaster and Bone Dust... 70 
Potatoes, Bulkeley's 70 
Potatoes, Experiment.. . .70 
Potatoes, Fluke 70 
Rats Gnawing Harness.. 70 
Rose Culturist 69 
Saw, Horse-Power 71 
Sap Bucket Hook 72 
Seed, How Much 71 
Sheep, Prolific ..70 
Spring Greens 72 
S. S. Paper. Good 72 
Steers Turning Yoke 70 
Strawberry Premiums 69 
Strawben ies. Tribune 71 
Superphosphate, Applying70 
Teachers' Agencies 72 
Wheat without Plowing.. 70 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
• — 
Dreary ■winter is passing away, and joyous 
spring again comes to clieer and gladden. In 
many localities, where the March number of tbe 
Agriculturist will find its way, the music of the 
groves and the sound oflowiug herds and bleating 
flocks may be heard, while in other regions the 
fields and meadows are covered with snow, and 
desolation reigns. With March, farmers in some 
of tlie States commence farming operations, 
while in others chilling winds and pelting storms 
confine the husbandman to the in-door labors 
of the farm. In one State the soil will be plowed 
and the seed put in for various crops, but in 
some others the fertile fields and the babbling 
streams will still be bound in icy fetters. Every- 
thing should be on the inarch towards improve- 
ment. Should the programme of farming ope- 
rations for the season not have been already com- 
pleted, let it be done without delay. If a good 
system of rotation has not been already adopt- 
ed, plan it at once. Where no field labor can 
yet be performed, put every thing in order to 
do it as soon as weather and soil are favorable. 
There are hundreds of good formers who do 
not know the great value of a crop of peas. They 
have never raised a crop, and they do not un- 
derstand how to use them up advantageously. 
Procure good seed, in time to have it ready to 
sow when the soil is dry enough to plow, and 
put in a few acres of peas instead of barley, 
oats, or Indian corn. Peas will leave the ground 
in an excellent condition if the soil be well 
prepared for them, and if sowed at the proper 
time. They will be found excellent food forall 
kinds of stock, and there is no better meal for 
feeding milch cows, or sows that are raising 
young pigs, for the purpose of producing an 
abundant flow of milk, than an equal quantity of 
good peas and Indian corn ground into meal. 
What Crops will you Raise f — What will 
your soil produce; or what kinds of grain, 
grass, or roots appear to be best adapted to 
the kind of soil, or what kinds of grain or 
other crops liave grown for several 5'ear3 past 
on the soil ? Tliese are the questions that every 
farmer ought to consider before he decides what 
kind of crops he will raise during the coming 
season. A farmer should endeavor, as far as may 
be practicable, to adapt the right kind of crops 
to his soil rather than to adapt the soil to the 
crops. If the soil is not adapted to either winter 
or spring wheat, do not attempt to raise it. If 
the soil is a good wLeat soil and it has produced 
more wheat in years past than any other grain, 
it may be well to try some other crop that is 
also adapted to the soil, which will return per- 
haps as much, or more than a crop of wheat. 
Draining.— Before the soil is fit to plow, let it 
be examined for the purpose of ascertaining 
whether or not some portions of it may not be 
drained very advantageously, wliere it is ex- 
cessively wet. Let wet portions of a field be 
staked out and drains cut for tile, stone or wood. 
During the mouth of March a long line of under- 
drain may be made before the soil is fit to plow, 
if the proprietor only has energy enough to lay 
out the work and commence it at once. If it be 
delayed until the soil is fit to be plowed, and 
other work begun, the draining will not be done. 
Cattle. — Begin to increase the amount of meal 
fed daily to all fattening animals. Bullocks and 
dry cows that are designed for early beef should 
be well fed, watered and protected from storms 
during this month. Indian meal and oil meal 
fed now to fattening animals will start them right 
and return a good profit next June in early beef. 
Morses. — Give horses daily exercise, either by 
turning them loose in a yard for a few hours, or 
by driving them in the harness. Mares with 
foal should be handled with great care, and if 
there is much snow and ice they should be sharp 
shod to prevent their slipping down, which 
would be very liable to cause slinking. Feed 
breeding mares a pint of unbolted wheat flour 
daily in connexion with their other food, as a 
small quantity of wheat flour is more highly es- 
teemed than any other grain by experienced 
horse breeders for developing the growing feetus. 
Souses. — Paint dwelling houses .and any other 
buildings during this month as the pores of the 
wood and sun-shrinks are now closed and the 
paint will form a more durjible coating on the 
surface than if applied in hot weather. 
Implements and Tools. — Begin in good time to 
procure new tools and implements of husband- 
ry, and to repair old ones. Todd's Young Farm- 
er's Manual treats of the mechanical part of ag- 
riculture and edge tools and implements of hus- 
bandry, giving many useful hints. See book list. 
Manures. — Spread horse manure over the 
heap and never allow it to heat and become fire- 
fanged. Haul manure to distant fields while 
there is sleighing, or before the ground has 
thawed, when the soil would be so wet that it 
would be injurious to drive over it and when a 
te,am would be unable to haul off a load. See 
that the rain from the eaves of buildings or from 
any other source does not wash away the solu- 
ble portions, the best part of barn yard manure. 
Peas and Oats. — The oats keep the peas more 
erect than they would otherwise grow, and 
as they both ripen at about the same time, 
the yield per acre is usually much greater than 
if either were sowed alone. There is no better 
