1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
163 
that we cliseriuiimue sufficiently. We are too 
much inclined to pay all the men alike. This may 
not be unjust to the good men, but it is doing our- 
selves an injustice. Better let the stupid, plod- 
ding dullards go to work 011 the railroads. 
Brains as well as Muscles are required on the farm. 
This is getting to be more and more the ease every 
year with the introduction of more and better 
machinery. 
Horses are Cheaper than Men. — Some learned ig- 
noramus has said that a noise requires for his sup- 
port the produce of five times as much land as a 
man. It is not true — unless you feed the man on 
hay and oats 1 Steam is cheaper than horses, and 
horses are cheaper than men, for the simple reason 
that coal is cheaper than hay and oats, and hay and 
oats are cheaper than beef, mutton, pork, butter, 
cheese, and bread. 
Do not Walk when yon can Hide. — We have seen 
a man weight down a roller with stones and then 
walk behind. Let the horses go right along for a 
few hours. Then let them rest, and you can go to 
work. 
Husband your Strength when you can, and use it 
freely when you must. We do not like to walk 14 
miles a day, after two horses, on soft ground, to 
harrow eight acres, when we can just as easily 
drive four horses and harrow sixteen acres by 
walking the same distance. 
Doable Plows will certainly come into general use 
for the same reason. 
Two-Horse Cultivators, that take two rows at a 
time, have not as yet given much satisfaction on 
our own farm, owing to the difficulty of steering 
them. But, this difficulty will soon be overcome. 
Thomas's Harrow, until we get something better, 
is a useful implement in killing weeds in corn and 
potatoes. The real point is to use it as soon as 
the weeds germinate. Go over the field two or 
three times, or until every young weed is killed. 
Cultivating Cum ami Potatoes costs more than 
most farmers realize. We should use the best cul- 
tivators, and do the work carefully, thoroughly, 
and frequently. 
Gypsum or Tiaster may be applied to corn either 
before or at t lie time of planting, or it may be scat- 
tered on the plants after they are up. 
Pointing Corn is the great work of this month. 
We have written so much on the subject that it is 
unnecessary to give further directions here. Aim 
to put the land in good condition, and plant early. 
If you must plant late, select the small, early vari- 
eties of corn. Whatever you do or fail to do, do 
not neglect to keep your corn free from weeds. 
Clean, mellow land is the great secret of sneer-, in 
growing corn. 
Potatoes as a rule are not planted early enough. 
Plant early and deep, and use the barrow freely to 
kill small weeds before the potatoes come up, or 
just at the time they are coming through the soil. 
We have used Thomas's harrow on potatoes until 
they are several inches high. 
Horses are required to work very hard this month. 
Feed liberally, and be very careful to clean them 
after the d ly's work is done,-so that they will get 
a good, comfortable night's rest. 
Cows until turned out to grass should have good 
hay, and three or four quarts of bran, and one or two 
quarts of corn-meal per day ; and it would be well 
to continue the bran and meal, mixed with a peck 
of cut hay, for a week or two after the cows are 
turned out to grass. 
Sheep should have all the hay they will eat at this 
season. The grass is very succulent, and is apt to 
produce scours. Bring the sheep into the yards 
during storms, but be carerul that the yards and 
shells are dry and clean. Keep the sheep carefully 
tagged. 
' Ewes and Lambs sbould be comfortably housed at 
night and during storms. Nothing is so bad for 
them as wet fields and rainy weather. Feed the 
ewes liberally, and let the lambs have some bran 
and oats placed in small troughs separate from the 
cues. A few sliced mangels are excellent for 
lambs at this season. 
Swine are to be managed according to circum- 
stances. In this section we usually keep only pigs 
enough to consume food that would otherwise be 
wasted. But if we keep pigs at all we should keep 
them well. A young, growing pig should have all 
the food of some kind that it will eat and digest. 
If the refuse of the house and barns and dairy are 
not sufficient for this purpose, we should feed more 
or less grain. If possible, let all the swine have 
t lie run of a good clover or grass pasture. Sows 
that have had pigs this spring, and which are to be 
fattened aud sold next fall, ought to have more or 
less grain all summer. Breeding sows will keep 
iu good condition on clover alone. 
Sacking Pigs when from three to four weeks old 
should be fed separately from the sow. Fresh 
skimmed milk is excellent. Give also some oats, 
either whole or ground, or corn-meal, or soaked 
corn, or, in short, anything they will eat. 
Weaning Pigs. — If the sow is to have another 
litter next fall, it is desirable to wean the pigs as 
early in the month as possible. But it is not good 
for the little pigs to wean them before they are six 
weeks old. Wean them gradually, and give a little 
ii' w milk for a few days and fresh skimmed milk 
afterwards. If the sow is not to have another lit- 
ter until next spring, it will be well to let the pigs 
run with her as long as she will give any milk. It 
will have a tendency to improve her milking 
qualities. 
Young Pigs are Scarce this spring, and are likely 
to be still scarcer next fall. It will pay to give 
them good care aud liberal treatment. 
Get a Thorough bred Boar of some of the improved 
breeds. This, with good care and feed, will soon 
give you a superior stock of swine. The small 
cost i' nothing compared with the benefit. 
■»-. ■»■ .— . 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Not only is the bulk of the sowing and planting to 
be doue this month, but marketing also demands a 
share of attention from those who grow fruit and 
vegetables for sale. Those who send produce to 
market should take pains to find out the best 
methods of packing, and the styles of packages that 
are most popular in the proposed market. The 
kind and size of package, and the manner in which 
the produce is put up materially affect the sales. 
The necessity of assorting everything — whether 
vegetables or fruits — can not be too often insisted 
upon. The poorer quality should be keptat home, 
or sent to market distinctly marked as seconds. If 
good and bad arcjnixed together the whole will sell 
at only the price of the poor. Where there are 
several hands much time and money will be lost if 
they lie idle during the frequent rains that occur 
this month. As a matter of economy as well as 
disci] dine, have some work provided under cover 
that can be taken up in stormy days. In success- 
ful gardening the laud is kept constantly occupied ; 
as soon as one crop is off manure is applied, and it 
is made ready for another. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Planting. — By this time most of the labor of 
planting will be finished, though trees that have 
been heeled in can be safely planted out until the 
middle of the month. 
Grafting is sometimes performed as late as this, 
though great care needs to be exercised to avoid 
making wounds in the tree which are not easily 
healed, as at this season the bark separates very 
easily. All wounds should be covered with melted 
grafting wax, shellac-varnish, or paint. 
Young Trees planted out this spring need to have 
the soil kept mellow around the roots. Keep the 
soil of a young orchard plowed, and let some crop 
which needs constant culture be planted between 
the rows. Supply such an amount of manure for 
the growing crop that the young trees will not have | 
their growth cheeked from want of nutriment. I 
Mulch.— Agood mulch around newly-planted trees 
will be serviceable in keeping the roots from dry- 
ing out. Salt-hay or anything which will prevent 
tho sun from striking the soil around the trees, will 
answer, even if it be only a small heap of stones. 
Seed-beds. — All seeds of trees and shrubs should 
be sown by the middle of this month, except those 
which require to be sown as soon as they ripen. 
Shade with lattice-work made of laths, and snpporl 
the ends on bricks to allow the air to circulate free- 
ly around the seedlings. 
Nursery Trees. — Attend to those budded or graft- 
ed last year, and rub off all shoots which have 
started upon the stocks before they become large 
enough to require cutting. 
Bisects must be destroyed if healthy trees are ex- 
pected, and the earlier this is done the easier it will 
be to discover and take means to kill them. 
Canker-worms and tent caterpillars are most de- 
structive to the trees; directions have been pre- 
viously given how to destroy them, while the man- 
ner of entrapping the Codling-moth, so destructive 
of fruit, is given on page 184. 
Fruit Garden. 
Cm-rant Bushes. — The currant-worm makes its 
appearance this month and next, and the bushes 
should be dusted with powdered white hellebore 
as soon as it is discovered. Young plants ought 
to have been set out last month, tut they may be 
moved early this month if care is taken to mulch 
them properly. Keep the soil well-cultivated be- 
tween the rows, aud thin out the old wood. 
Strawberries. — Plants mulched in the fall should 
be looked to to see that their crowns are properly 
uncovered, and those which were not covered will 
need a mulch of cut straw or leaves to prevent the 
rains from washing the soil upon the fruit, thus 
making the berries for the most part unsal«l>le. 
See directions for picking and marking on page 1S1. 
©rape- Fines.— Keep the new growth tied to the 
trellises to prevent the wind from breaking off the 
shoots. Layers may be made by bending down 
canes of last year's growth, and covering with earth; 
in tile fall the roots will have formed on the plants, 
and they may then be taken up and set out. 
Raspberries and Blackberries. — Cut off the old 
fruiting canes, if not done last fall, and burn, and 
tie up the new growth to stakes or wires. 
Kitchen Garden. 
Asparagus.— The crop will be at its height this 
month. Those who wish to market it will find 
directions for cutting and packing on page 182. 
Beans. — Put in the early sorts of snaps when night 
frosts are over, and by the middle of the month it 
is usually safe to plant the pole varieties. The 
poles shonld be set first, and the beans then plant- 
ed around them. The rows should be four feet 
apart, and the bills the same distance. 
Beets and Carrots will need weeding and thinning 
as soon as the rows can be seen ; the thinnings of 
the beets answer for greens, and some persons sow 
a few rows very thick for this purpose only. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers. — Keep the early crop 
well hoed ; sow seeds of the later sorts iu seed beds 
for late planting. 
Celery.— Sow in seed-bed to furnish plants for 
setting in July; the dwarf sorts are preferable. 
Corn. — Plant early sorts of sweet-corn as soon as 
all danger from frost is over. The best plan is to 
sow in drills three feet apart, and afterwards thin 
the plants to a foot apart in the rows. 
Cucumbers. — Plant seeds in frames and in the open 
ground, using plenty of seed to allow the bugs a 
share. A frame like the one described in the April 
Agriculturist will be found very effective in prevent- 
ing the attacks of the striped bug. A hand-light 
may be placed over a few hills to secure sonic extra 
early fruit. 
Fgg-Plants. — These are very sensitive to cold, and 
should not be set out until the weather has become 
quite warm. If the plants are in pots they may be 
