AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR THB 
Farm, Grarden, and HoTiseliold. 
■•AGKICUITCBE 18 THE MOST nEAI-TnrUL, MOST USEFCL, AITO MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OP MAN."-W...™„.^ 
ORANGE JUDD, A.M., 
PUBLISHER AND PROPBIETOB 
Office, 41 Parli How. (Tlmei BulWlnKS, 
M., I 
\ 
Unas.) ; 
ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
PablUhed also In German at Two DoUarg a Year. 
I 
81.50 FEB AWNXTM, IN ADVANCE. 
SINGLE NUMBER, 15 CENTS. 
4 Copies for 8 5- 10 for S 13; ao or move, 8 1 each. 
VOLUME XXIV— No. 4 
NEW- YORK, APRIL, 18G5. 
NEW SERIES— No. 219. 
Fnlerca accorrtin" to net of Congress In tlie year I8H, by- 
Ok".To. T.Z. >n!l,e Clerk's omce of .l,e ^n^lrictCo^HJ 
the United Slates for the Southern B'^^'^'- °' ^"^;^, ° , • 
tW- Other Jounials are invited to copy desirable ai tlcle^ 
n-eely, ■/each article he credited to Avierlcan Agricultun.','. 
.150 
.104 
121 
.121 
.119 
Farm Woik in April . 
Fashions, Comfort anJ Health.. 
Flax Cultuie— $50 Prize Essay. 
Contents for April, 1865, 
Advertisers and Readers-A word to "5 
Asparagus-Diieclions for Cultuie '^^ 
Bees— Apiary in April 
Books for Farmers and others . . . ... . • • . • ••■••:•••■•• ' 
Boys and Girls' Columns-About the Month of April- 
Make Friends among the Birds-Beware of a Prev- 
"entVice-The Play of Charades-A Good Hint 
?or the Boys and Girls-Damaged Glass-Puzzles 
and Problems-No Hand Like a M"the,^s-A Cun- 
ning Old Rat-Harry's most Successful Efroit-Look 
out for the Weak Point i Illustra,wn,..n>-m 
Broom Corn-Notes on Cultivation J^^ 
Cabbages-Notes on Varieties '■ 
Carpets— Management of • • . . • ■ 
Cattle-Warbles, Cause and Treatment.. ............ " 
Clay tonia or Spring Beauty mu,trat,d. .122 
Cold Grapery— Experience with 
Cold Grapery in April 
Corn Ginund-How to Plow '" 
Corn— Selecting Seed "^ 
Cows— Directioo for Spaying '■» 
Cows-Treatment at Calving Time 'i» 
Cranberries in the Oarden 
Curiam Bushes-Plant this Spring V,'," ■."■.'V 
Daphne Mezereum Illustrated. .... 
123 
.13 /lius<rolion».. 107-111 
Flower Garden and Lawn In April 103 
Flowers— Herbaceous Perennial j" 
Fruit Trees— Cultivation of ™ 
Fruit Garden in April |°^ 
Fruit Growers' Meetings JO* 
Garden— Kitchen in April '"j 
Garden Seeds— Notes on Raising j i 
Gardens for Farmers •••]'' 
Grape Vines-Directions for Planting. . ..//;uj()-a(«i.. 120 
Gr.ass-Distinguishing Species .. III. .. 3 /((uwradonj .. 115 
Grass, Kentucky Blue— Notes on 115 
Grass, Orchard— Notes on..... 114 
Green and HotHouses in April •.■••}"' 
Haikncss' Nursery Tree Digger Illustrated. .U3 
Hay— Amount Required by Cattle 113 
Hoes-Benefit of Sharpening. ............ ••• {14 
Househnld- Practical Odds and Ends for the' 124 
,,ands Cheap— on the Atlantic Coast 105 
Lawn or Grass Plot— Making 122 
Market Reports, etc .......... J04 
Notes and Suggestions for April 101 
Orchard and Nursery In April 102 
Papering Walls— Suggestions 123 
Poultry- Bones Useful for 117 
Poultry— Preventing Gapes In Chickens 113 
Premiums for 1865 • - ....104 
Recipes— Sweet Apple Syrup— Potato Syrup— Cheese 
Omelet-Crackers- Potato Yeast— Drying Squash or 
Pumpkin— Baked Hubbard Squash ; . . .125 
Seeds-Starting in Pols 121 
Sheep Raisers •' Striking He" Illustrated.. Ui 
Shrubbery in Spring V,'," V.' j"!i? 
Socks Made of Cloth Illustrated..n3 
Soda, Saleralus, Quick Yeast, etc 124 
Strawberry Show in June 104 
Strawberries- Notes on 121 
Stump Pulling Apparatus— Cheap Illustrated.. IH 
Swine— Best Large Breed 112 
Tainted Meat. Fish etc.— Treatment of 124 
Tallow Candles— Improved 124 
Tim Bunker on " Striking He" 116 
'Vhe.at- I'leparation for Sowing 113 
Wheat, Spring— Best Soils for 112 
Whitewashing— Directions for 123 
Wood Anemone or Wind Flower 7/;us/ra(ed. .122 
Wool— Value of Yolk Illustrated. .IK 
INDEX TO " BASKET." on SHORTER ARTICLBS. *< 
Advertisements, Land.. 1071 Catalogues Received. .. 107 
Agricultural Reports... lOOl Cider, Keeping Sweet. . 106 
Beef for Soldiers. 107 Clubs, Increasing 105 
Bene Plant 106| Cork Oak 106 
Blackcurrants 106 Crowded Out 105 
Books, Good 107| Downing's Landscape.. 107 
■Everlasting Flowers... 106 
Farms in Iowa, etc 106 
Flax and Hop Cooks... 105 
German Edition 105 
Gipsies' Charms 106 
Gladiolus bulbs 106 
Gloves for Gardening.. 106 
Howard Assori.ation.... 106, 
Humbug 116 
Humbug Advertisem'ts..l06 
L'E.'tragon 106 
Magazine — New 107 
Mails from Pacific 107 
Manure for a Garden.. ..106 
Massachusetts Coffee... .106 
Monstrous CiipacUy....l06 
Name for a Seed 106 
New Magazine 107 
Number-Large 105 
Osier Willows 106 
Park Row. Park Place.. 106 
Premiums for all 107 
Rags, Sell Now 107 
Rust, Preventing 106 
Sheep and Fences 106 
Sorghum, How to Plant. 106 
Sorghum in China 106 
Steam Engine, Glass 107 
Strawberry Distribution.107 
Subscripllons-Date 105 
Sweet Potatoes 107 
Tobacco Book 107 
Tobacco Seed Beds — 107 
Turpentine Making.... 106 
Vinegar in Cement 106 
Wash Machine— Doty's.l07 
Weed. Elecampane .. 106 
Willow Frauds ....106 
Wolves and Gophers... . 106 
Woodward's Houses 107 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
With the advent of April, all animated nature 
merges from the long reign of "ivinter and com- 
mences life anew. In this latitude the tender 
grass comes springing up everywhere ; in seclud- 
ed nooks of the fields and on the sunny hill- 
side flowers are opening their petals to catch the 
sunshine. The song of the blue bird— "Tliere'll 
be no more winter" — admonishes us that it is 
time to prepare for field operations, and all the 
forces of the farm have already commenced, or 
are just beginning the labors of the season. 
Animals. — April is one of the most critical pe- 
riods of the year with our domestic animals, es- 
pecially with the females. H.ive a care before- 
hand tliat none suffer from lack of a sufficiency 
and variety of feed. Let roots be fed at least in 
small quantities wherever practicable. Use the 
card and brush freely on horses and neat stock, 
and see to it that the active fermentation which 
the warm weather will cause in the manure does 
not affect the stock unfavorably. See "Basket" 
item on vermin. Mares, cows, ewes and sows, 
are all liable to slink their young at this time of 
the year, unless they receive constant care, not 
once a week, but several times a day. It is an 
erroneous notion that the causes of abor- 
tion are very obscure. It is unnatural for ani- 
mals to bring forth prematurely, and the reason 
for their doing so is often plain. Sometimes it 
is caused by lack of suflicient nourishment, water 
and feed, sometimes by ergot, and perhaps smut, 
or poisonous fungi in the hay ; sometimes by 
over-exertion, by slipping down, or by some act 
of violence, such as a kick in the flank with a big 
boot, a severe hooking, or worrying, or some- 
thing else. Mares and cows frequently slink 
their young in April for want of water and 
sometimes from being compelled to drink im- 
pure water, especially that impregnated with 
manure — either upon the surface, or from 
wells in the barn-yard into which the leachings 
run. Feed whole grain to no animals, ex- 
cept sheep h.tving good teeth. See that enough 
coarse grain is ground to last teams and stock 
until pasture time, so that it will not be neces- 
sary to go to mill when teams should be plow- 
ing. As the warm weather comes on, and ani- 
mals begin to slied their hair, they will consume 
as much feed as in the winter, if it be good. 
Barley. — If the soil be in a good state, sow as 
soon as the ground will do to plow. If possible, 
obtain seed free from oats, buckwheat and 
spring wheat, as all such grain is a nuisance 
when the barley is malted. In the best regions 
for barley, good farmers are so careful to keep 
the crop free from oats tliat they will not allow 
unground oats to be fed to their teams while 
they are preparing the .ground or putting in the 
seed. Always keep the two-rowed, four-rowed, 
and six-rowed barley separate, because, during 
the malting process, different kinds will not 
malt in the same time. Old bailey should never 
be mingled with new when sold, as the two 
will not malt alike, and' a loss must be sus- 
tained by the brewers to the farmer's discredit. 
Birds. — Whatever havoc birds may make among 
the fruits in summer, during April and May 
they live upon insects, and the number they de- 
stroy is immense. Happy is he who has Jiis 
garden full of them. Wrens and bluebirds 
especially should be courted and funiislied 
with houses of appropriate sizes ; for wrens, 
boxes 4x4 with an inch hole for entrance two 
inches above the floor; for bluebirds, GxG with 
li inch hole. Colonize the different birds in 
separate places, for the wrens are quarrelsome. 
Cattle. — Cows that have not yet calved should 
be allowed to stand several hours daily in large 
sunny yards. If the calves be removed from milch 
cows as soon as dropped, the cow is less wor- 
ried than if they are taken away after she has 
become attached to them. New milch cows 
ought to have roots or some green succulent 
feed at this season : what is called "slops," sup- 
plies the place of more natural and better things. 
This is one of the worst months for caked bag, 
garget, milk fever, etc.; watch for the first symp- 
toms and check the disease if possible. Beeves. 
Increase the amount of meal fed to fattening 
bullocks. Do not require them to eat too 
much cut straw with it. Coarse meal will 
digest more readily if soaked over niglit. 
During April, bullocks three years old 
should receive from ten to fifteen pounds 
of fine corn meal mingled with wet straw 
during the day. Meal fed at this season of the 
year will prepare them to lay on fat and flesh 
when they are turned to grass. This is equally 
tnie of fattening sheep designed for early mutton. 
Working Oxen. — See that the yokes are right 
and bows are not so short as to choke them. 
Feed working cattle well and handle them care- 
fully, and they will grow fat every day' and be 
worth more for beef next summer than they 
may be bought for now. Oxen will endure the 
heat nearly as well as horaes if fed as well and 
not abused and worried by bad driving. Always 
allow them at least two hours during tlie mid- 
dle of the day for rest and chewing the cud — time 
for which is quite as necessary as time to feed. 
