238 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JULY, 
Contents for July, 1869. 
Bee Notes— By M. Quinby 246 
Birds The Blue-bird Illustrated .249 
Birds- The Pigeon Hawk Illustrated.. 249 
Hoys' and Girls' Columns— The Rope-tying Ladder 
Trick— Learn Something Thoroughly— Interior Gar- 
dening -Take Tour Choice— The Way to Do it— Ac- 
commodating Goats — New Puzzles — Answers to 
Problems and Puzzles Illustrations. .§113-264 
Button-hole Bouquets 3 Illustrations. .258 
California Horse Market Illustrated.. 256 
Farm Work for July 236 
Pence —A Portable, Unpatented Illustrated.. 253 
Flower Garden and Lawn in July 237 
Fruit Garden in July 237 
Green-bouse and Window Flams in July 237 
Hay and Grain Wagons 2 Illustrations.. 252 
Horse-radish — Flower and Fruit Illustrated. .257 
Household Department— The Table— Order and Orna- 
ment— Soap Making— A Busy Day's Work with Rec- 
ipes -Gingersnaps — " Tip-top " Cake— Lemon Pies 
—Household Talks by Aunt Hattio— Women's Work 
— Papering — Raspberry Bread — Baked Custard — 
Husk Mats — Keeping Hams — To Wash White 
Woolens— Hints on Cooking— Baked vs. Roasted 
Beef— Short-cake — lapaue.se Cakes— Cream Pie 
Lemon Meringue Pie— Rice Meringue Pudding— 
Diead •Meringue Pudding — Blane Mange— Potato 
Dumplings 261-262 
implements— Plows and Hay Sweeps.it Illustrations. .254 
Implements— A Fallow Ground Harrow. .Illustrated. .253 
In with the New and Gut with the Old 247 
Kitchen Garden in July 237 
Landscape Gardening Illustrated. .259-260 
Management of Agricultural Societies 255 
Market Reports 238 
Notes from "The Pines," No. 2— Mulching, Rolling, 
and " Firming "—Planting out Unpleasant Objects 
—Many Acres to One Man 258 
Orchard and Nursery in July 237 
Pastures— How to Make Good 248 
Pear Blight, in Missouri 247 
Permanent Foundations— Dry Cellars. 2 Illustrations. 253 
Pickerel Fisliinir Illusl ratal 235 
Roads and Road Making 247 
Rustic Pottery 3 Illustrations. 259-260 
Salvias or Sages as Ornamental Plants — Illustrated. .257 
Sod- -Intermixture of 248 
Smutty Corn 4 Illustrations.. 252 
Sowing Corn for Green Fodder 255 
Strawberries in Pots 258 
Summering Young Calves 251 
Slimmer Propagation Illustrated.. 257 
Swim — More about the Seftons 254 
Tim Bunker on t lie Jerseys 247 
Trees Do not Bear 258 
Turnips and Rllta-bagas ... . .255 
Use the Bake 254 
Walks and Talks on the Farm— No. 117— Summer Fal- 
lowing— Farm Implements— Destroying Weeds- 
Fencing— High Farming 250-251 
INDEX TO "BASKET" OR SITOI1TER ARTICLES. 
A Good Cause 245 Horticultural Patents 241 
Almonds and Walnuts. .. 244 Hybrid Corn 245 
Am Ass. F. T. A. O. S..244 IntcrestingBook 242 
Am. Entomologist 248 Iron and Pear Trees. . . .243 
Am. Fruit Preserving Lice on Cattle 242 
Powder 245 Lightning-rods 244 
Am. Pomologieal Soc'y. .243 Lime or Gypsum? 242 
Articles of Ass'n for [Liveforever 244 
Farmers' Clubs 241 Loring & Jenny's Archi- 
Asparagus Beetle 244 lecture 243 
.245 Mexican Strawberry 241 
246 Milking Machines 246 
245 Mrs. l. M. Spencer 241 
.243 New Potato from an Old.244 
244 Ohio Grape Growers' As. 245 
BLoodroot & Pennyroyal. .244 Ohio State Fair 245 
Buggy Peas 242 .Personal Knowledge. . . .242 
Bull Harness 241 Photographs of Cattle. . .241 
Butter Powders 2411 Plants Named 241 
Canada Thistle 243 Potato Fssavs 211 
Canned Peaches. 311 Potato-flics 344 
Canning Peas 2 ft Potatoes, Tops, and no 
Cattle Show at Altona.. ,311 Tubers 343 
<\islle Garden Labor Ex .34i Fouarette fl-lfl 
Century Plant Flowering24o Poudrette with DrvEurtb3!l 
242 Poultry Book ' 244 
243 "Rascally" Seedsmen.. ,244 
-.' 1 1 Reconstructed Farmer. . .311 
242 led Sorrel 312 
245 Remedies 245 
243 Rose Bug 313 
243 Sage 344 
2 Wi Sassafras Shoots 241 
246 Self-milking Cow .. .. 212 
3 11 slabs for Strawberries.. .244 
243 Smallest Calf 343 
313 Spongioles 242 
244 Sundry Hnmhugs 241 
Potatoes 244 
Barking Trees. . 
Bee Notes 
Best. Breed of Sheep 
Best rows for Milk.. 
Black Raspberries.. 
Clover with Peai 
Coal Tar on Shingles 
Col. Harris, A Word to 
Concrete Fences 
Crop Prospects 
" Cut worms." 
Dep't of Agriculture.. 
( Draining in Quicksand 
Evergreen Named 
Pail's and Sbows 
Farming by Inches. . . . 
Feeding Cows 
Firecracker Plant 
Five Acres too Much 
311 Sim- 
Garget and Swellings.... 346 The Crows 245 
Good for the " Buckeye" .243 The New West 345 
Grape Cuttings 2-15 Tree Borers 31-1 
Grapes at Il.iminoiidsport2li» Trouble in Milking , 212 
Grass 343 Ville's System 313 
Grubs with Sprouts 245 Vinegar 245 
Harrows Sir, Whitewashing Shingles. 343 
I lav ! Make Hay ! 213 Wine Making ....243 
Hedging 315 Work on the Horse. . . . , .245 
A M E R I C A IV A ii II I C I L T I U I S T. 
NEW-YORK, JULY, 1869. 
This month finds the fanners over the length and 
breadth of the land overwhelmed with work, 
especially where hay is an important crop. The 
commercial value of the grass crop, and perhaps 
we may confine the remark to hay, exceeds that of 
all others, taken together, on most of the farms 
over the Northern States. As we now practice, it 
is the life of our live-stock for six months of the 
year. Though corn fodder may be substituted for 
it, though many forage crops may be raised which 
will supply deficiencies in the crop of hay, yet this 
is very little done, and a short hay crop brings 
want to both the farmer and his cattle. It Is 
fortunate that the bulk of the crop is cut when it is 
not too late to provide other supplies in case ofits 
partial failure. See paragraph below under the head 
of forage crops. Facilities for cutting and curing 
hay are increasing every year. Mowing machines, 
tedders, horse-rakes, and horse-forks, save hands 
mid lighten labor, besides enabling us to cure the 
hay better, and get it in with less damage from rain 
and sun — for the injury produced by ovcrsunning 
is often quite as great as that caused by showers. 
Our care in securing the hay often leads us to 
neglect manuring the laud as soon as the crop is 
off. This is the best time, and not a day ought to 
be allowed to pass before the top-dressing is ap- 
plied, if the greatest benefit would be received 
from the manure. 
Stolen crops are often a source of considerable 
profit. Those which may be slipped in at this 
season among corn and potatoes, are beans and 
turnips, and if the land is in good heart, and tbo 
exposure sunny, it will often pay well to sow one or 
the other, or both, calculating to cut the corn up 
at the ground as soon as it is glazed, and let them 
have the sun. 
Whatever the plans for work may be, do not 
overwork. Do not crowd the boys. They should 
be quick and steady at light work, but we have 
seen so many fine boys of 16 or IS twisted out of 
shape for life by working themselves too hard dur- 
ing haying and harvest, that we cannot forbear 
warning both farmers and their sons agaiust too 
hard, straining labor. 
Hints About Work. 
Barns. — If the barn was not cleaned out in June, 
set this down as a job for the first rainy day. 
Sweep up the grass and clover seed, brush down 
the cobwebs, swallows' nests, and accumulations 
on the beams, under the caves, aud in cracks and 
crevices ; put the old hay where it may be first used. 
Haying and Harvest. — It requires a good general 
to manage the cutting and curing of a large grass 
crop, and the harvesting of several fields of grain 
of different kinds, avoiding injury from rains and 
thunder showers, if they prevail, unless a large 
gang of hands aud teams stand ready all the time to 
do whatever is most needed. Good plans are 
worth much, and should be made, knowing the 
order iu which ditfereut fields .of grass and grain 
will be fit to cut, where the product of each is to 
be stored, permanently or temporarily, the use 
to which the hay, grain, or straw is to be put, and 
the amount of work that cau be done each week. 
Hay-making. — Cut with the machine when the 
dew is off. If heavy, aud a tedder is used, as soon 
as well wilted stir constantly until cured enough to 
cock up ; then throw into windrows or cocks while 
the sun is still high and the hay is hot. It is beet 
to use the hay caps every night, and to appl} - them 
before dew begins to fall. Ou eastern slopes, this 
is before five o'clock, usually, and the men will 
have an hour to mow away hay, hoe corn, or 
other work. Let the hay cure as much as possible 
in the cock ; and after the first day keep it in heaps 
or windrows, turning and loosening them up fre- 
quently, but never spreading them thin, — that is, 
if you have caps, to protect against showers. 
Culling and Curing Grain,— It requires a f»rincr 
TEN SHEAVES. 
delay binding 
of some experience to decide exactly the lest mo- 
ment to put in the sickle— (McCor- 
mick, in- Buckeye). Both grain and 
straw are worth more if cut early. 
The weight of grain is greater if 
allowed to stand until fully ripe. It 
cures quicker, also, if ripe, for it 
may lie bound at once, and shocked 
up with much sunning. Ho not 
if the weather be at all " catching," 
and make good, substantial shocks, that will sited 
rain, and stand through a smart 
blow, such as we arc likely to 
have at this season, often ac- 
companied by hail. The most 
compact and well-braced up- 
right shocks are made of ten 
or twelve sheaves, set together 
as shown, and capped each twelve sheaves. 
with two sheaves, bound together by an extra 
strong band. Shocks made by laying two, 
three, or four sheaves, with the heads to- 
gether, and piling others, heads in, upon and over 
them, arc very good for temporary use, to stand a 
day or two, when rain threatens, but the others 
permit much more circulation of air, shed rain bet- 
ter, and will stand without serious harm a long time. 
Pastures.— Be careful not to feed too close. Top- 
dress in rainy weather with plaster, ashcs.bonc- 
dust, fish manure, guano, or any good fertilizer. 
Grass Land. — The best, time to manure grass land 
is as soon as the hay is off, and though " hand " 
fertilizers are best applied now, they have much 
more effect if well mixed with dry muck or soil, 
spread with a shovel from the tail of a cart, and 
brushed in. The best dressing for mowing lots 
or lawns is well-rotted barn-yard manure. 
Hoed Crops.— The pressure of other work leads 
often to neglect of these crops, and they tire not eii 
thoroughly weeded and attended to »» th. ,- ,,,,,-i.t 
to be, For this reason every tiling that can be hoed 
by horse-power should be. Corn that may be in 
danger of neglect should bo in rows both ways, so 
that there will bo little work for the hand-hous. 
The rows of Swedish turnips, beets, etc., shoo hi, 
on the same principle, be wide apart, so that thu 
horse-hoc may be used freely. 
Com. — Stop hoeing as soon as the ground is well 
shaded. The plow may still be used with care, for 
the sake of loosening the soil; and the little one- 
horse subsoil plow is often run between the rows, 
if you have a strong horse, with great advantage, 
especially iu dry weather. 
Forage Crops to be Sown in August, — Indian corn is 
probably the best crop for obtaining a supply of 
green or dry forage for neat cattle, provided the 
soil is rich. Ou light, pretty good soils turnips 
may be sown thickly, and give an abundant and ex- 
cellent green fodder. Peas may be sown alone or 
with oats, and furnish nutritious green forage for 
hogs, horses, sheep, or cows. Hungarian grass 
may be put upon inferior, dry ground, and yield a 
good crop of excellent bay ; or it may be fed green, 
or, if desired, allowed to ripen seed, which it 
yields abundantly, and is excellent for horses, 
sheep, or poultry. 
Potatoes ought not to be disturbed after the tubers 
have begun to form. With the early sorts this 
takes place e.ol.\, but will, the late ones not before 
the middle of this month. After the tops interfere 
with the use of the cultivator, turn a light furrow 
towards the hills, and leave them, pulling weeds by 
band as they appear through the season. 
Turnips. — Sow Swedes early in the month on 
good mellow soil. Common turnips may be sown 
any time during the month. It is best to sow in 
drills, putting in superphosphate with the seed, at 
the rate of about 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. per acre. 
Summer-fallows, if to be of real advantage, must 
be plowed and harrowed after rains, ami during dry 
weather, 60 as to kill weed seeds, mellow the clods, 
and give all parts of the surface soil the benefits of 
sun, air, dew, rain, and harrow teeth. 
Sheep. — Sec that the fqed is abundant, and that 
