AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
■"" » FOit tiik 
Fa vi ii, Gravclen, and. Household. 
"AOfllOBtTDItE is THE MOST in: vi. Til 11 I., most USEFUL, ami most isohu: EMPL0Y11ENT or UJUI.o-Wiumii. 
OKAIVOK .I!'0>O, A.n., ) 
PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR. > 
Ufflre, II Park now, (Tlmo« Bulla 
ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
< UctiliUion ranges from 90,000 to 100,000. 
$1.00 PEE ANNUM, IN ADVANCE 
SINGLE NUMBEK, 10 CENTS. 
For Contents, Terms, <■(«., see pnpr 30*. 
VOLUME XXIII— No. 10. 
NEW-YORK. OCTOBER. 1864. 
NEW SERIES— No. 218. 
Entered, according lonel ol Congress In the year 1SG3, by 
Uranoc JirnDi In the Clerk's Olucc of the Dtstrlcl Court of 
the United States rur the Southern District of New-York. 
. -Other Journnla nrc Invited to copy desirable Articles 
freely, C/"eACh Article bo credited to American Agrteulpitrist. 
XEUSIS— Jil'KOIAL NOTICE.- The 
terms ,if ti„- English Edition of the Agricultterisi viil 
remain at SI •< gear /'"' subscriptions received during 
October. The future terms will depend upon, the Cur- 
etc.— The GERMAN Edition is now 
SO.i gear; or: Pbnr Copies, for S7: Six Copies for $10: 
or J1.50 each. Single numbers 
SO •eiit.i, post-paid.— The German Edition will contain 
a!> the prominent Articles and Engravings of the Eng- 
lish Edition, besides a separate department specially 
adapted to Qerman-Xmericans. Our renders millcon- 
fir a favor both upon the Publisher and tJieir German 
king this Edition more widely foiotwi 
among them. — Sec other business items on page 304. 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
October in America is the golden month of 
the year. Poets sung of "golden corn" long 
before the golden eared Maize gave the words 
the force which they now convey to those fa- 
miliar with this most golden of yellow harvests. 
The progress of agricultural science and good 
practice are fast depriving our landscapes of the 
charm of topped com fields upon which the eye 
used lo rest with such satisfaction, seeing the 
rich treasures of the grain showing out from 
among the weathered husks, as if Nature re- 
pented herself of having covered up so much 
wealth. So we must content ourselves with 
knowing that the stately but awkward stooks 
represent all the value and more too, and thrift- 
ier farming besides. Compensation is Nature's 
law; — and the stooking of the corn brings to 
view the still more golden show of pumpkins, 
which outside of New England are a crop too 
much neglected. Orchard fruits, golden and 
red, in variegated pyramids under the trees, or 
drifted around the cider mills, repeat the hues 
of the frost touched forest. Abundant game 
tempts hunter and sportsman, and this perhaps 
placed the Archer as the October zodiacal Sign. 
The Indian of the great plains and rocky moun- 
tains is the Sagittarius of our Western World. 
Work for the Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
Agricultural Exhibitions, etc., no matter if too 
much given up to horse trots and jockeys, should 
he attended by farmers, for there is always some 
good to be gained and new facts to be learned ; 
and at any rate, there is a chance to exert a 
good influence to redeem the societies from 
evil ways into which so many have fallen. 
Barns and Buildings. — Look over hints for pre- 
vious months in making read}' for winter. This 
is a very favorable season for all general repairs 
that do not require the getting out of heavy 
frames, etc., which is properly winter work ; at 
all events prepare g'iod protection for all live 
stock. Pine boards are not so expensive an out- 
side protection, as an inside lining of provender. 
Beeves. — Soft corn, pumpkins, and grass at this 
season, fatten cattle faster than corn, roots and 
oil cake in winter. The bulk of flesh should be 
laid on now, preparatory to the later finishing off. 
Butter. — Secure as full a flow of milk as pos- 
sible, by feeding roots or pumpkins as the pas- 
tures fail, and add oil-cake, bran, soft-corn or the 
like to produce a maximum yield of butter. 
Cabbages. — See note under Kitchen Garden. 
Cellars. — Keep constantly open for good venti- 
lation, look to the draining, if there is any 
chance for water to get in by springs in the 
bottom, or through any part of the foundation. 
Carrots. — Dig before there is danger of the 
ground freezing even very slightly. Keep in 
the cellar and away from frost. The tops be- 
fore the}' are frosted are good feed for cattle. 
Cattle. — As the nights grow long and cold, 
give shelter to all kinds of stock. The manure 
alone will pay for taking them up at night. 
Cisterns and everything laid in cement should 
be finished in time to harden before freezing 
weather. Make sure of a sufficiently thick cov- 
ering of earth over underground cisterns, etc. 
Corn. — Push forward the husking. Place the 
garnered corn in the car in good airy cribs, so 
that it shall dry rapidly. Bind up the stalks in 
firm bundles and make good stooks, left open 
for circulation of air, yet strong and shaped to 
shed rain. Well cured corn fodder is worth as 
much as good ordinary hay. See note in last 
month's Agriculturist about saving seed corn. 
Draining. — The lessons of the drouth should 
make every farmer in favor of thoroughly drain- 
ing (4 feet deep, drains 2 rods apart,) all land 
subject to sutler either from drouth or excess of 
moisture. Try this experiment on both kinds 
of land — not in a sand bank or a gravel bed. 
Farmers' Clubs. — See Basket item for a model 
constitution — and if possible organize and keep 
up an active club in your own neighborhood. 
Grain and Granaries. — Leave no grain in 
stacks after this month. Clean thoroughly and 
store in vermin proof granaries, or market at 
''ken 
I 
once. We hold to selling whatever we have 
to dispose of whenever we can get a fair price. 
In the long run this averages the most prof- 
itable results, as it saves anxiety, wastes, los- 
ses by vermin, and trouble in various ways. 
Hogs. — Peed with perfect regularity. Soft 
corn may be fed on the ear, and so with sound 
corn before it hardens, though when it is con- 
venient it is always best to cook hog feed, Hogs 
fatten faster in October than in any other month. 
Ice-nouses. — See page 200, and Basket item. 
Manures. — Preparations should be made this 
month for a supply of litter, muck, etc., which 
used first as bedding or as absorbents, shall con- 
stitute the chief bulk of* the manure heap. 
The manure pits, cellars, and yards, should lie 
cleared out, and that which can not be uscdjfm 
the land this autumn, piled up in well 
heaps. Strawy manure being mixed with 
fine, or the fresh composted with muck orsd 
This makes room for the winter manure, whWli 
should be augmented by every means possible. 
Painting. — The present is a most favorable 
time for painting buildings, implements, etc., 
especially such tools as are used in early spring. 
Plowing. — See article on page 203, present No. 
Potatoes.— See page 288, also article in Basket. 
Poultry. — Provide warm, light, winter quar- 
ters — if possible where the sun will shine in. 
Arrange for saving all droppings and sweepings. 
Pumjikins furnish an excellent, nutritious food 
for a comparatively short time. Cook the im- 
mature ones for the hogs. Feed ripe pump- 
kins to milch cows, only after removing the 
seeds. Bear in mind that the effect of eating 
the seeds is to diminish the secretion of milk, 
while that of the kidneys is increased. Tho 
soundest pumpkins may be kept into the winter. 
Boots. — In harvesting, cut and bruise as little 
as possible. Top them so as to be able to feed 
the tops to cattle. Let them have a few days 
to " sweat" before housing. Gather in this order: 
carrots, beets, mangels, soft turnips, rutabagas. 
Bye may be sown with advantage anytime 
before the middle of the month — better earlier. 
Sheep. — Keep salt always hefore them ; let 
there he no lack of feed, that they may be in 
condition to meet a severe winter. Keep the 
bucks from the sheep, unless you are so situated 
as to be able to raise very early market Iambs. 
Sorghum. — Top, harvest, and work up any 
not cut last month. Save the leaves for fodder 
and also the second growth if any lias started. 
Timber cut at this season, better just before 
the leaves fall, is durable and less apt to decay. 
Wheal. — It is late to sow wheat north of lat 
40°. Still it may be done on good ground not 
given to heaving by the frost. That which has 
too rampant a growth maybe fed off by young 
cattle, but not too close. It promotes tillering. 
