162 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
Contents for May, 1870. 
Apiary in May 7 170 
Barberry as a Hedge Plant 178 
Birds — The American Dipper Illustrated.. VIS 
Boys and Girls' Columns.— Gninea Pigs— Rambles in 
China— "Pigtails " — Answers to Problems and 
> i Puzzles — Illustrated Rebuses— The Fairy Marauders 
4 Illustrations . .187-183 
Branding Cattle Illustrated. . ISO 
Crows in the Corn Field Illustrated. .170 
Devon Cattle Illustrated.. 101 
Duties on Trees and Plants 170 
Entrance Gates 5 Illustrations. . 182 
Experience with a Willow Hedge 1S4 
Farm Work for May 102 
Field Culture of Sage 179 
Flower Garden and Lawn in May 104 
Flowers — The Grassy Calamus Illustrated.. 184 
Flowers— The Lungwort Illustrated. .181 
Flowers— The Vallotta Illustrated. . 1S4 
Fruit Garden in May 103 
Fnrrowing Corn Marker Illustrated, .176 
Grass Pond Cranberry Bog - 17S 
Green-house and "Window Plants in May 164 
Horse Bot and Bot-fly 5 Illustrations. . 177 
Household Department. — An Aquarium — How I 
, bronght Water into the House — An Unpatented 
I Clothes-Horse — Gardeus, Flowers, and Children, by 
J Faith Rochester — A Comforting TJse of Flowers- 
Hints on Cooking, etc 5 Illustrations. .185-186 
Housekeeping Conveniences 6 Illustrations. .168 
How much Manure to a Cow? 179 
Kitchen Gardeu in May .. ,.163 
Large Onions 173 
Laving Out a Vineyard or Orchard 184 
Lettuce Growing in New York City 182 
Market Reports 105 
Ogden Farm Papers. — No. 5— Cost of Keeping Stock — 
Draining — Summer Fallowing 171-172 
Opium Culture Illustrated. .1S1 
Orchard and Nursery in May 163 
Planting Inrlian Corn 2 Illustrations.. 170 
Premiums 105 
Quadrupeds— Our Gray Rabbit Illustrated.. 173 
Seeds and Seed Sowing 17S 
Sill's Hybrid Melon 184 
Starting a Yellow Locust Plantation '.S3 
Sweet Corn — Varieties and Culture 179 
Sweet Potato Culture 175 
Terraced Propagating Pot 2 Illustrations, .1S3 
Tim Bunker on Old Hats— Old Folks 172 
Trellises for Tomato Plants 2 Illustrations . .1S2 
Trap for Muskrats 17S 
Veal— The Fatted Calf 3 Illustrations. .177 
Walks and Talks on the Farm— No. 77—" How Crops 
Feed" — Available Nitrogen in an Acre — Cultivating 
Corn— Merino and Cotswold Sheep and Lambs. 174-175 
Young Evergreens from the Woods 181 
INDEX TO "BASKET" OR SMALLER ARTICLES. 
Ag'l Colleges 170]How to Remit. 160 
Ashes on Wet Land 10!)|Keepiug Cabbages 169 
Bee Queries 170;Killmg a Dog 169 
Best Fowls 107 Letters without Names.. 166 
Beet Sugar 169 Mark Twain 166 
Books acknowledged 107|Minn. Hort. Soc 109 
Cal. Pitcher-plant 107;Moles 169 
Carbolic Soap 169 Naphtha for Bark-louse. .167 
Cement for Cellar lOGiOrchard Queries 167 
Cement for Manure Pit. . 166 Osiers 166 
Cheese-Factories South .169!Out-door Whitewash 166 
Corn Fodder 169] Pamphlets acknowl'd .... 167 
Crops in 111 169 Pear D'chess deBordeauxl66 
Cyclopaedia, Biblical 167 Peas and! Oats 169 
Earth-closets 10' 
Eumelan Vines 166 
Every Saturday 166 
Experimental Farms 170 
Pleasant Val. Grape Ass. 166 
Plow Deep 166 
Prize Butter Essay 169 
Saddle Galls 169 
"FarmingasaProfess'n"170Seth Boyden, Death of.. 160 
Four-Acre Farm 109 Slugs 166 
Fruit for North'n Iowa. .169 
Gladdeu's Tick Killer.. .167 
Glory Pea 169 
Grass on Hill-side 169 
Sour Milk for Cows 169 
Spaving Animals 169 
Stable Manure 167 
Steaming Food forCattlel69 
Handy-book of Hnsb'ry..l66 (Suggestion to Farmers' 
Harris on the Pig 160 Clubs 166 
Hay and Harvest Mach's .166 Snlpbur-cure 170 
Horse-tamer's Secret 170 Sundry Humbugs 166 
Howard Co. Ag'l Ass 169 Tree Seeds 167 
How Oils Explode 167 1 Valuable Book, Free .... 166 
Back Volumes Supplied.— The back volumes 
of the Agriculturist are very valuable. They contain 
information upon every tonic connected with rural life, 
out-door and in-door, and the last thirteen volumes make 
up a very complete library. Each volume has a fullindex 
for ready reference to any desired topic. We have on 
hand, and print from electrotype plates as wanted, all the 
numbers anil volumes for thirteen years past, beginning 
with 1857— that is, Vol. 16 to Vol. 2S. inclusive. Any of 
these volumes sent complete (in numbers) at $1.75 each, 
post-paid, (or $1.50 if taken at the office). The volumes, 
neatly bound, are supplied for $2 each, or $2.50 if to be 
sent by mail. Any single numbers of the past thirteen 
years will be supplied, post-paid, for 15 cents each. 
Calendar for May. 
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4 37 7 
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4 33 7 
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4 32 7 
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30 
PHASES OF THE MOON 
MOOS. 
[BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
WASU'N. 
CHA'STON 
CHICAGO. 
D. H. M. 
H. M. 
H. M. 
H. M. 
II. M. 
1st Quart.. 
8 10 53 m. 
10 41 m. 
10 29 m. 
10 17 m. 
9 47 m. 
Full 
15 1 19 m. 
1 7 m. 
55 m. 
43 m. 
13 in. 
3d Quart... 
22 1 1 25 m. 
1 13 in. 
1 1 m. 
49 m. 
19 m. 
New Moon 
30! 5 ID m. 
5 1 m. 
4 49 m. 
4 37 m. 
4 7 m. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, MAY, 1870. 
This month brings active work, usually over 
much, and as every man's most precious property 
is health, this should not be wantonly jeopardized. 
The fact is, we continually risk too much and often 
suffer for it most terribly — as is the experience of 
almost every family in the land. The laws of health 
in both man and animals cannot be disregarded or 
violated without a penalty, and it is much more 
agreeable to keep one's self, one's family, one's labor- 
ers, and one's stock in good health than it is to re- 
cover health if lost. Steady, regular, hard work is 
conducive to health, but it must be sustained by 
good food aud shelter. It is a very important mat- 
ter to most farmers to know how, and to economise 
the labor of animals. We are very apt to tax them 
severely one week and let them stand still another, 
aud this irregularity and its accompanying exposures 
often cause disease. Turning unused horses and 
oxen to pasture is a remedy, but this is accompani- 
ed bj r inconviences, unless the animals are not to be 
used at all. Grooming is a partial cure, and takes 
the place to a certain degree of both exercise and 
fosd. After very hard work for some weeks, horses 
and oxen need rest and time to recuperate. Liberal 
feeding is essential, but no severe tax upon the 
system can be compensated for by food alone. Entire 
rest is equally important. This should not be con- 
tinuous, however, but it should be given like the 
feed at regular intervals and in connection with 
moderate labor or exercise. Mere fat gained in the 
stall is of little use before the plow, and it brings 
a certain delicacy or tendency to disease. 
Plan for a crop of corn for cutting and feeding 
green to milch cows and hogs ; for roots, mangels, 
carrots and parsnips for feed — the last two to be 
put in this month ; for some crops to be sold for 
cash if you are situated so that this is possible. 
Some crop may almost always be raised which is 
nearly as good as money. This in some sections 
is tobacco, in others fruit, in others broom-corn, in 
others flaxseed, in others cotton, in others castor- 
oil beans, etc., etc. As a rule we think some such 
crop is as advisable as it is usually profitable, if 
grown understanding^ and not in a way, or so large- 
ly, as to impoverish the farm. Many food crops 
may be raised on the same principle, i. e. not for 
feeding out on the place, but for immediate sale. 
Hints About Work. 
Corn Planting. — Our great cereal demands the farm- 
er's care early and late this month. Manure is to 
be hauled upon the sward and plowed in, for com is 
the best breaking up crop for most farmers. With 
a heavy dressing of manure, plow pretty deep, 
especially if it be desirable to deepen the soil. With 
deep plowing on heavy land it is best to manure in 
the hill, either with good compost, or with some 
commercial fertilizer. Corn can hardly be manured 
too much, as it draws very heavily on the land. 
When the object in breaking up a sward is to get 
the land in grass again, corn should not be put on. 
Potatoes will abstract much less of value to the 
grain and grass which will follow. Select a variety 
sure to ripen, getting seed from the North if yon do 
not use that of your own selection. Mark out with 
care, after giving the ground a thorough, light har- 
rowing to kill weeds, in case the ground has lain 
more than a day or two after plowing and harrow- 
ing, and plant immediately. Corn ground may be 
plowed, marked and planted the same day. It is not 
best to plant too early. Seed soaked in warm water 
and having a little pine tar stirred into the water, 
will be coated with the tar. If rolled in plaster it is 
not bad to handle and is much less subject to the 
attacks of grubs, blackbirds, crows or squirrels. 
Broom-Corn. — Put on warm, dry, clean land, rich 
and in good tilth. If this is very free from weeds 
plant early ; either in hills 3 feet apart, accurately 
marked each way or in drills 3 to 4 feet apart. 
Ashes and plaster is a good application in the hill 
or drill. Test the seed, as, unless it has been care- 
fully gathered and preserved, it will not grow. The 
seed may be long in coining up, and is always long 
in getting established and rapidly growing. On 
weedy land it should be planted late in the month. 
Tobacco. — Water the seed-beds witli liquid manure, 
weed carefully, thin if necessary. Work over and 
haul out manure upon the field ; plow as soon as 
the mauure is spread, and harrow as often as weeds 
start, before time to set out the plants (next mouth). 
Potatoes. — We have little to add to the hints given 
in April. Garnet Chili aud Gleason are prolific 
sorts for general culture. The White Peachblow 
is both very good and moderately productive. The 
Climax, Early Mohawk, and Early Rose are early, 
prolific and good; Bresee's Prolific late aud very 
prolific. These are among the promising new sorts. 
Peas aud Oats for fodder.— Plow in the peas lightly, 
and harrow in the oats. The crop may be cut and 
fed green before corn— if let stand until ripe, it 
may be thrashed and the seeds separated. 
Oats ought to be sowed early if at all — if delayed 
in sowing, put the land in potatoes, roots, buck- 
wheat or corn sowed in drills for fodder. 
Orain Fields and Grass may be sometimes weeded 
to advantage very early in the month. Clover and 
grass seed sown upon them, and they may be top- 
dressed with plaster, ashes, superphosphate, etc. 
Working Stock. — The farmer's great dependence 
this month upon his working oxen and horses 
should lead to their having extra care, shelter, good 
feed, and grooming. As the heat of the season in- 
creases, it is important to give longer resting time 
at noon, especially to oxen. Bathe yoke and har- 
ness galls, or better, wash tender spots, and if pos- 
sible ease the pressure upon them by pads or other- 
wise to prevent galling. Oats with barley, or corn- 
meal, or with barley-meal and Indian meal mixed 
and fed upon cut hay, is good feed to work upon, 
and a great deal more labor will be done bj' well- 
fed animals, than with others. Everybody knows 
what a difference it makes with horses, and this is 
quite as marked with oxen, which are seldom too fat. 
Milch Cows. — The greatest care should be exercis- 
ed, that the milk does not fall off before cows are 
turned to grass ; the employment of corn-meal, 
wheat or rye bran, cotton-seed oil-meal (if the seed 
was well hulled), and linseed oil-meal, is to be ad- 
vised, if the supply of roots has not held out. Bran 
may be fed very freely; corn meal moderately 2 to 
6 quarts a day; oil-meal 3 pints to 3 quarts a day. 
Pool Crops. — Sugar Beets, Mangel-wurzel Beets, 
Parsnips, and Carrots shoiild be sown as soon ns 
