•442 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
Contents for December, 1872. 
After the Groat Snow-Storm Illustrated. .441 
Apple. Mexico 2 Illustrations., 459 
Barn for Mixed Farming 3 Illustrations. 454 
Barn Stairs Illustrated.. 455 
Bee Notes 449 
Boys and Girls' Columns— The Doctor Talks about In- 
dian Relics— Tommy's Trouble and Triumph— Aunt 
Sue's Puzzle-Box— Jenny's Dream '2 III. .465,466 
Butty-Molds 3 Illustrations.. -l~A 
Canker- Worm 460 
Corn-Planter Illustrated. .456 
Cows. Large or Small 456 
Cows, Wintering 457 
Flower Garden and Lawn in December 443 
Fox, Trapping the ltlustrated. 451 
Fruit Garden in December 443 
Fruit Market. Glut in 450 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in December 443 
Greenhouses, Hints about Cheap Illustrated. .460 
Hints about Work 442 
norse Di sease Illustrated. 457 
Household Department— Chopping and Choppers- 
Home Topics— New Heels in old Socks— Toughening 
and Coddling— Devonshire Cream 7 7S..463, 464 
Kitchen Garden in December 443 
Labor Question in American Agriculture 457 
Manure, Cheap and Effective 460 
Manure, How to Manage 456 
Market. Reports 443 
Milk-Tester Illustrated. .455 
Orchard and Nursery for December 443 
Pear, Pinneo 2 Illustrations . . 462 
Pelargoniums, Seedling 461 
Rue Anemone, Maiden-hair Illustrated. .459 
Sliad in Mississippi Waters 456 
Sods, Composting 2 Illustrations.. 4S5 
Straw for Bedding 457 
Striped Bass 2 Illustrations. AM 
Tim Bunker on Self-sucking Cows... .4 Illustrations.. 449 
Trees, Measuring the Bright of Illustrated I'd 
Vegetation in the " Pine Barrens" 2 Illustrations . .462 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 10S— Working 
Cheap — Sheep— Disease in Spring Pigs— Prices of 
Farmers' Produce— Small Profits— Corn— Horses. . ..452 
Water, Have You Pure ? 453 
Yuccas and Insects 461 
INDEX TO "BASKET,'' on SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Agricultural Implement 
House, New 447 
Agricultural Schools 445 
Beau Straw 447 
Bones, Crushing 446 
Books Received 446 
Borers 146 
California Vintage 44o 
Clover, How to get Early.445 
Calves. How to .Manage. .446 
Canada Queries 445 
Cannas 446 
Chicks without a Mother. 445 
Christmas-tree Rosettes . 117 
Cider, to Keep Sweet 447 
Corn-stalks 445 
Cross-Harrowing 116 
"Eternal Corn " 445 
Evergreens from tile 
Wools 446 
Fair, Cotton States Ass. . 146 
Feeding Pigs and Poultry* 17 
Fine Fruit ....447 
Food for a Young Pig. . . .447 
Fowls, Feeding. 445 
Fowls, Hoadan ..446 
Fox, Trapping the 447 
Fruit-trees, to Kill Moss. 41 
Ground-Vinery 416 
Hay,Cord-woodSti'ck-i i'oi44(i 
Horses ami Cattle, Man- 
agement of 445 
How to make Ten Acres 
Pay 447 
Immigrant Laborers 444 
Lice on Dogs 447 
Manure. Chip 447 
Manure. Spreading 446 
Michigan Ag'l College... 445 
Milk, No .....445 
Orchard, to Renovate. . . . 445 
Painting Implements . .447 
Parsnip Seed 446 
" Patent Medicines"... .445 
Peaches for Canada 446 
Pelargoniums, Mr. Sis- 
ley's 444 
Pictures. Costly 444 
Plants Named 445 
Plaster Sowing inWinter 447 
Poll-Evil 447 
Pumping by •■Clock- 
:-k" 447 
Qu estions for Decision. .446 
Qu estions. Sundry 446 
Read it Over 44-1 
Report of the Department 
of Agriculture 447 
Roots. What to Feed Fi is 1 447 
Rows on an Ear of Corn. 445 
Several Questions 447 
Sheep, Price of Pure 
Cotewold 447 
Sundry Humbugs 445 
The Basket. 444 
Three Papers enough 447 
Toneaie, Lolling of 446 
Tribune. N. Y. Weekly. 144 
Union Pacific Railroad .444 
Veterinary Surgeons, N. 
Y. College of 
Vinegar Eels 
Vineyards. Blnffton 
Water in Turnips .. 
Well. Dry 447 
West Point 445 
Wheat Region, the Great. 44!) 
Wheat. Smutty II" 
White Wire-Work 447 
Wire Fence 145 
..444 
..446 
..445 
..447 
Calendar for December. 
Disease in Poultry.— "Mrs. L. H. B.," 
Postville, Iowa, finds that the leathers fall off the breasts 
of her fowls, and that the toes gradually decay until only 
stumps are left, and that this complaint spreads amongst 
her fowls. She asks what is it? and what is the remedy? 
— It is probably not contagious, as supposed, but spreads 
because the cause is general. The cause is very likely 
unclean roosts and floors in their houses, not sufficient 
variety of food, and want, of an alterative as medicine. 
Their quarters should be well cleansed with lime, some 
rusty iron with sulphur should be kept in their drinking 
water, and they should have some cabbage or raw pota- 
toes chopped given regularly to them. 
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7 134 
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7 26 
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7 29 
7 30 
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H. M. 
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7 25 
5 40 
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11 13 
morn 
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4 34 
2 42 
3 49 
4 57 
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rises 
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5 58 
f. 55 
7 55 
8 55 
9 57 
10 57 
11 59 
morn 
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4 26 
5 43 
6 53 
sets 
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N. T.Citu, CI., 
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Penn.. Ohio. 
Indiana, and 
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n.M 
4 31 
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7 19 
7 80 
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7 23 
7 23 
7 23 
7 83 
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4 34 
4 &5 
4 35 
I 36 
I 36 
4 37 
4 37 
I 39 
4 38 
I 39 
4 39 
4 40 
4 41 
4 42 
H. M 
5 21 
6 21 
7 34 
8 45 
10 
11 15 
morn 
26 
1 34 
2 40 
3 47 
4 54 
5 58 
rises 
5 10 
6 5 
7 
8 
8 39 
10 
10 58 | 
11 59 
morn 
59 
2 3 
3 11 
4 22 
5 3S 
6 52 
sets 
6 23 
Washington, 
Mary land, 
Virginia Ken. 
tuck//. Missou- 
ri, and Cali- 
fornia. 
7 in 
7 11 
7 11 
7 12 
7 13 
7 IS 
7 14 . 
7 14,4 
7 15 4 
7 15 4 
7 15 4 
7 164 
7 164 
7 16 '4 
7 17 4 
7 17 4 
7 17.4 
7 IS 4 
7 18 4 
7 18 4 
7 19'4 
H. 51. 
5 27 
6 28 
7 37 
8 30 
10 4 
11 18 
morn 
27 
1 34 
2 39 
3 44 
4 50 
5 53 
rises 
5 17 
6 11 
7 6 
8 5 
9 4 
16 3 
11 
II 59 
morn 
59 
2 1 
3 fi 
4 18 
5 32 
6 46 
sets 
6 29 
PHASES OF THE MOON. 
Jioox. 
BOSTOM. 
N. TORS. 
WASH'N. 
CHA'STON (CHICAGO. 
n 
H. M. 
II. M. 
n. it. 
IT. M. H. M. 
1st Quart 
6 58 m. 
6 40 m. 
6 28 m. 
6 16 m. 5 46 m. 
Full M'n 
11 
5 ev. 
4 48 ev. 
4 36 ev 
4 24 ev. 3 34 ev. 
3d Quart. 
■>-, 
9 28 ev. 
9 16 ev. 
9 4 ev. 
8 52 ev. 1 8 22 ev. 
New M'n 
30 
1 5J m. 
1 40 m. 
1 28 m. 
1 16 m. 1 46 m. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, DECEMBER, 1872. 
We are beginning to look back on the year 1873 
and forward to the year 1873. December is a half- 
way house, a breathing; spot. It is neutral ground. 
The labors, of the past j'ear are nearly ended ; those 
of the new hardly commenced. The days are 
short, and during the long evenings we shall think 
over the past, and lay plans for the future. With 
the majority of farmers the past year has not been 
a prosperous one. But let us not brood over our 
troubles. If we have made mistakes, let us look 
them fairly in the face. Let us not seek to excuse 
ourselves. Let us acknowledge that the}' were mis- 
takes. Let us feel them keenly. Let them make 
a deep impression on the mind. There is pleasure, 
profit, strength, and wisdom in humility. But do 
not brood over blunders. It will do no good. Bet- 
ter treat them as you would a hollow tooth. Have 
it filled or have it out. It does no good to let it 
ache. We need to forget the things that are behind 
and to press forward. We need courage, faith, 
hope, energy. The man that sees a lion in the way, 
and who will not take his hands out of his pockets 
for reason of the cold, will not make a successful 
American farmer. It is difficult for us to compre- 
hend the character of the age in which we live. 
Things move so rapidly that we must be wide- 
awake or we shall be left behind. 
We greatly mistake the signs of the times if we 
are not about to introduce a better system of agri- 
culture, better breeds of animals, and a higher 
condition of farm-life. But the first improvement 
must be in ourselves. We must think more and 
work to belter advantage. Never allow yourself to 
say "7 have not time' 1 '' to do anything that you 
ought to do. It is rarely true. You may not have 
strength, or energy, or inclination. Very few of 
us have learned how to economize or husband our 
energy. We waste it in worrying, or dreaming, or 
moodily wishing instead of working. It will do 
no good to complain of "hard times." They are 
hard. And we 'deeply sympathize with, and would 
not say a harsh word to a farmer with a family de- 
pendent on him who has pressing debts to pay and 
little to sell, and that little not worth in market the 
cost of production. There is no remedy except to 
hope aud to work. To a man who docs not work 
times are never good. To one who does, there are 
fair prospects ahead— we think never better or 
brighter. 
Hints aliooii Work. 
Evening Work. — We do not believe in "all work 
and no play." We believe in working with a will 
when we do work, and then resting. We work 
that we may rest, and rest that we may work. We 
can often rest ourselves more by changing the 
character of our employment than by absolute 
idleness. A farmer with the right kind of head 
and heart can not sit down at night with much 
comfort if he knows his horses are covered with 
mud and sweat in the barn, or if he knows there is 
no kindling-wood to start the fire in the morning, 
or that there is a pane out of one of the windows in 
the cellar. The sun sets at half-past four, and we 
seldom go to bed before half-past nine. How shall 
we use these five hours to the best advantage? 
What the discovery of gas was to the cities, the 
discovery of petroleum is to the country. Our 
farm-houses are now as well lighted, or might be, 
as those of the city. The dim horn-lanterns of 
our early days, by the aid of which we groped 
about the barns and stables to feed the cows and 
clean and bed the horses, and the tallow-dips by 
which we have studied many an hour, have disap- 
peared before the brilliant light of our kerosene- 
lamps. There is no longer any excuse for sitting 
hour after hour by the kitchen stove. If there is 
work that needs doing in the barn, get things ready 
during the day and do it in the evening. Nearly 
every farmer is behindhand with his work. It has 
to be done some time, and will be done. We are 
not now urging farmers to work harder than they 
do. All that we mean is that, they had better work 
evenings for a week or two than let things drag 
along all winter. It will make a vast difference 
how you spend your evenings. Give yourself no rest 
until you have caught up with your work and got 
things straight. It is a shame to a man to. let the 
windows of his house shake in the casements. 
Many a farmhouse is cold and uncomfortable all 
winter for want of a little attention to the doors 
and windows. Make everything snug and tight, 
and then ventilate. You should have control of 
the air, and not let it control you. 
Be Clean in the House. — There is much dirty work 
to be done on the farm, and a farmer should dress 
appropriately to his work. But there is no reason 
when his work is done for the day why he should 
sit down in the evening with his pantaloons stuck 
in his boots. We cordially dislike foppishness, but 
cleanliness is one of the cardinal virtues. The 
farmer or the farmer's son who does not make him- 
self aud his clothes clean before he sits down at 
night has something 3 r et to learn in regard to the 
pleasures and advantages of a quiet country life. 
Animals. — Next to himself and his family, a far- 
mer's thought and attention should be turned to 
his animals. If we look upon them as machines 
for the conversion of straw, stalks, roots, hay, and 
grain into beef, mutton, wool, milk, pork, eggs, 
etc., we should never forget that they diller very 
materially from ordinary machines, that we can 
start and stop when we please, and stow them away 
when not in use. The animal machine is always 
running, winter aud summer, night and day, and a 
fanner's first care should be to see-that it is always 
running to some good purpose. 
Horses. — If possible, work the horses moderately 
during the winter, and let them have grain enough 
to keep them in good condition. A horse that has 
been over-worked and surfeited with grain may be 
the better for a winter's run at a straw stack. But 
this is not the usual condition of farm horses. As 
a rule, it would be better to keep them in I be 
stable and work them regularly. Labor is com- 
paratively cheap in winter, and there is much work 
that can be done with advantage, especially if it has 
been prepard in advance. Gravel may be drawn 
for the roads ; stones or rails may be drawn for 
