AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR TUB 
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Vol. OIK XXIII— No. 4. 
' ■ ■ ■ — i i ■■ i i ■■' 
NEW-YOIMC. APRIL. 1R04. 
NEW SERIES— No. 207. 
Entered according to net of Congress In tlie year 1863, by 
OIaxbi .u up. hi the c'Mk'sOnlcoor the District Court of 
tin- I in-. .1 states fur the Southern District of New-York. 
IV'OUier Journnls nro Invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, (| eaeh article be credited to American AgrtcvUurtnl. 
American Agriculturist in German. 
Each mimher of this Journal Is published in both 
the English and German Languages. Roth Editions 
are of the SAme slxe, and contain, as nearly as possible, 
ih^ same Articles ami Illustrations. The German Edition 
Is furnished at the same rates as the English, singly or in 
clubs. A club may be part English, and part German. 
Notes and Suerg-estions for the Month. 
The sign of Trumis is very appropriate for 
the month in which farmers depend so much 
upon the patient labor and great strength of the 
ox. There are, indeed, many regions where the 
labor of the ox has been supplanted by that of 
the mule and horse ; but still, where the pioneer 
pushes his long furrows into the almost bound- 
less prairie, where the Indian trail is still fresh 
and the lough sod has a tenacity that only age 
will give, ther.- we find the ox team the chief 
dependence. And, even further off, where the 
ever westward-moving trains bear the gold- 
seekers, or still more pushing pioneer farmers, in- 
to the golden mountains of Colorado or Idaho, 
the loud "whph-haw" of the drivers, and the 
sharp crack of the snapper on the ox-goad, 
make the music of the Plains. It is worthy of 
note that those traveling with ox-teams are 
known among the Indians who see them on the 
way, as "whoh-haws," — which name, however, 
is with the red men rather a term of reproach, 
for these people not being so liberal with their 
presents of sugar and whiskey, the Indian 
says : " Ugh ! no shug— no whisk, — he whoh- 
haw." This is wandering : to return to our 
beeves. It has often been a surprise to the 
writer, when on an elevated point in New-Eng- 
land, where from a mountain-top much com- 
paratively level country could be surveyed, to 
see the great number of ox teams; and could 
we pass in a balloon from west to east over the 
best cultivated portion of the country at this 
season and on a fair day, we might get soma ade- 
quate idea of the dependence of our agriculture 
upon the ox, as a beast of draught. According 
to the forwardness of the season, and the con- 
dition of the soil, the ox-teams might be seen 
following the divergent cart-paths — now from 
the barns and stock-yards, hauling the black, 
teeming and steaming accumulations of the win- 
ter months; now straining in long "strings" of 
several yokes before the plow, crowded beam- 
deep into the yielding loam turned up dark and 
mellow behind them; now dragging with easier 
gait and in single yokes the harrow or the roll- 
er; and, besides, bending their necks to many 
other kinds of farm work. — "Working oxen will 
bear a great deal of abuse, but short feed and 
hard work are fatal to profit. Nevertheless, 
among some farmers there is a theory that it is 
no disgrace to drive what they call " Spring- 
poor" cattle; as if this quality of "spring- 
poorness" was, like shedding off their coats, an 
inevitable annual occurrence. The ox thrives 
on simple hay or corn stalks, and if he has 
enough to cat, will go through the winter, bear- 
ing all the severity of the weather without shel- 
ter, however cruel it may be to subject him to 
it, and come out in good working order. "Well- 
fed, however, he will do nearly double work. 
The majority of calves are dropped at this 
season, and so, perhaps, the hopes of the race 
of bovines may be said to be symbolized in the 
sign of the Zodiac through which the sun pass- 
es this month. May their stars be lucky !— The 
constellation Taurus, by the way, is one of the 
most beautiful in the heavens, remarkable for 
those two striking groups, the Hyades and the 
Pleiades, so beautifully alluded to in Job, doubt- 
less expressing the invariableness of the Seasons 
and the supposed effect upon the weather of the 
stars near which the sun passes : " The wa- 
ters are hid as with stone, and the face of the 
deep is frozen. Canst thou- bind the sweet in- 
fluences of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of 
Orion ? " So the gentle spring-time releases the 
waters and the herds from their winter confine- 
ment, and causes " the bud of the tender herb 
to spring forth." 
Work fortlie Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
April is preeminently seed time throughout 
most of the Northern States: though beginning 
in March, it is chiefly in April that the bulk of 
the crops are sown. There is a rainy season 
and breaking up of the winter in March, fol- 
lowed by high and drying winds, and then by 
some weeks of comparatively dry weather. 
This dry " spell " seldom begins before March 
25th, and rarely lasts beyond the first of May. 
Its approach may be known by reports of the 
state of the roads in Virginia and southward, 
and from thence we shall hear of the beginuing 
of the cold rains of May some time before we 
experience them here. It is on this account 
that we ought to put in only those seeds that 
come up quickly or surely, and that are not 
particularly injured by cold, wet weather after 
they are up. Such are grass and clover seed, 
wheat, barley and oats, peas, carrots, onions, 
beets, flax, etc. But corn, Borghum, broom-corn, 
millet, beans, squashes, etc., if sown early are 
apt either to rot in the soil, or to drag out a 
puny existence, or die outright by late frosts. 
Accounts. — Farm work begins to be compli- 
cated, and it will require a good deal of perse- 
verance and application to keep the accounts 
all straight. But it well repays the trouble. 
Barley.— Sow 2} to 3 bushels per acre, on 
good soil, in fair tilth. To kill the smut, sleep 
one day in a moderately strong brine containing 
some blue vitrol, then roll in lime or plaster. The 
Nepaul variety is highly esteemed, but scarce. 
Birds. — Do not forget to provide houses for 
birds where they will protect the garden and 
orchard from insects. See page 76, of last No. 
Buildings.— Collect all decaying materials, and 
clean up everywhere. "Whitewash the poultry 
house inside, the cattle stalls, and interiors gen- 
erally, where lice or any vermin might hide. 
Cattle. — Feed work-cattle well and card them 
frequently. Apply unguentum mixed with 4 
parts of lard, behind the horns and a little down 
the back, if there be any evidence of lice. Be 
very regular in feeding and giving cattle rest. 
Cows and Calves. — Separate cows and calves 
early, if the milk is the main thing. Where 
veal is especially valuable, it often pays best to 
let calves run with the cows, sometimes rriving 
one cow two calves, and as they are marketed, 
supplying their places with others. New milch 
cows ought to have some succulent food (roots 
or cabbages) at this season. It materially in- 
creases their flow of milk, and the increase is 
maintained when they get to pasture. Soilinrr 
ought not to be commenced before a constant 
supply of green food can be maintained. 
Carrots. — For the farmer who feeds cows and 
horses, there is no crop more remunerative. It 
necessitates thorough culture and enriching of 
the soil, and as a preventive of disease, and as 
excellent feed, it has no equal. Sow Orange or 
Altringham early, in good, deep, clean soil. 
Cellars should be submitted to thorough clear- 
ing out, cleansing, and whitewashing, every 9 
particle of vegetation, bits of wood, boards, etc., 
removed, and roots sorted over and shifted. 
Clover may still be sown on winter grain, 
or by itself. Sow plaster with it, or afterward. 
Cranberry Swamps. — Prepare for setting out 
plants as soon as the water can be drawn off. 
Corn Ground. — Prepare by manuring well and 
plowing; but seldom plant before May 10th. 
Draining. — There is seldom time to do much 
at draining in the spring. See the effect of that 
which has been done, estimate advantages, note 
