170 
WORK FOR JUNE, NORTH AND WEST. 
fifteen inches apart. Like Indian corn, when cul- 
tivated for soiling, it may be sown at successive 
periods in order to keep up a regular supply. 
Cultivation of Buckwheat. — This valuable grain 
may be sown any time from the middle of this 
month and the 20th of July, with a certainty of 
maturing its seeds. The soils most congenial to 
buckwheat are those of a light sandy texture, 
rather dry and warm. Many have failed in the 
cultivation of this grain in consequence of care- 
lessness and lack of attention in managing it. 
The soil should not only be replete with soluble, 
extractive matters, capable of yielding nutriment 
to the plants, but of such a texture as to admit of 
its being reduced by the action of the plow and 
harrow, to a perfectly fine tilth. On clayey soils, 
this crop has been rarely known to succeed. The 
most congenial medium is upland green sward, in- 
verted in June. Purity of seed, also, is another 
important consideration that demands, attention. 
It should be of good quality as to fullness and 
soundness, and sown at the rate of about a 
bushel to the acre. Rolling the surface of the 
soil, after sowing, will be found highly beneficial, 
as it not only tends to compress the soil around 
the seed, and thus promote its germination, but 
greatly facilitates the labor of harvesting — an 
operation requiring great care in order to prevent 
the loss of seed. 
Cultivation of Ruta-Baga Turnips. — The seed 
of the ruta-baga or Swedish turnip, may be sown 
as late as the 15th of this month. It is usually 
planted after a crop of potatoes, wheat, or Indian 
corn ; but if a virgin soil, or old pasture sward is 
chosen, it will materially lessen its liability to in- 
sects and other enemies. It is generally sown in 
drills, about two feet apart ; and on heavy lands, 
these should be slightly ridged. The plants must 
be successively thinned, to prevent interfering with 
such as are intended to mature, but enough should 
remain to provide for casualties. Where there is a 
deficiency, they may be supplied by transplanting 
during showery weather. They should be left six 
or eight inches apart in the drills. The Swedish 
turnip is a gross feeder, and requires either a rich 
soil or heavy manuring; though the use of fresh 
manures has been supposed to facilitate the multi- 
plication of enemies. Bones, ground and drilled 
in with the seed, or a dressing of oyster-shell 
lime, ashes, plaster, and salt are the best applica- 
tions that can be made. An early sowing, also, 
gives time to plant for another crop in case of 
failure of the first. 
Weeding and Hoeing Field Crops. — This should 
be attended to as soon as the season and the growth 
of the young plants will admit. In weeding or 
hoeing your corn, see that all the grubs are dug up 
and killed, and the hills replanted, wherever they 
have been destroyed. Plaster, poudrette, wood 
ashes, or oyster-shell lime may be scattered around 
the plants at this hoeing or the next. 
Destruction of Insects. — All insects injurious to 
vegetation, such as caterpillars, span worms, 
striped bugs, rose bugs, &c, &c, should be col- 
lected and burnt. Examine the roots of j-our 
peach trees and destroy the borers, as practised by 
Mr. Stoothoff, a notice of which may be found at 
p. 55, in our seventh volume. 
Cutting Grass and Curing Hay. — This must de- 
pend on the kinds of grass cultivated. Timothy 
affords nearly double the quantity of nutriment, if 
cut after the seed has formed, instead of while in 
flower, and it is then much more relished by horses 
and a portion of the stock. This grass, therefore, 
should never be cur for them," except when the 
seed is formed. The proper time for harvesting, 
is between the milk and dough state, when it will 
nearly ripen after cutting. Orchard grass, on the 
other hand, although possessing two sevenths more 
nutritive value for hay in the seed, yet as it is more 
tender, and much preferred by stock, when cut in 
ftower, and as it continues to grow rapidly after- 
wards, should be always cut at that time. Even a 
few days will make an important difference in the 
value of grass, when cut for hay. The kind of 
grass, and the stock to which it is to be fed, can- 
not, therefore, be too closely noted, to detect the 
precise moment when the grass will best subserve 
the purpose for which it is intended. 
Many farmers do not consider the scorching 
effects of our cloudless June or July suns, and 
the consequence is, that hay is too much dried in 
this country. Unless the grass be very thick and 
heavy, it will generally cure sufficiently, when ex- 
posed in the swath for two days. When shook 
or stirred out, it should not remain in this condition 
beyond the first day, or it will thus lose much of 
its nutritive juices; nor should dew or rain be 
permitted to fall upon it, unless in cogks. It is 
better, after partially drying, to expose it for three 
or four days in this way, and as soon as properly 
cured, place it under cover. It is a good practice 
to salt hay when put up, as it is thus secured 
against damage from occasional greenness ; and 
there is no waste of the salt as it serves the double 
object after curing the hay, of furnishing salt to 
the cattle and the manure heap. 
Clover should be cut after having fully blossom- 
ed and assumed a brownish hue. By close cutting, 
more forage is secured, and the clover afterwards 
springs up more rapidly and evenly. The swath, 
unless very heavy, ought never to be stirred open, 
but allowed to wilt on the top. It may then be 
carefully turned over, and when thus partially 
cured, placed in high slender cocks, and remain till 
sufficiently dry to remove into the barn. Clover 
may be housed in a much greener state, by spread- 
ing evenly over it in the mow, from ten to twenty 
quarts of salt per ton. Some add a bushel, but this is 
more than is either necessary for the clover, or judi- 
cious for the stock consuming it ; as the purgative 
effects of too much salt induce a wasteful con- 
sumption of the forage. A mixture of alternate 
layers of dry straw with the clover, by absorbing 
its juices, answers the same purpose, while it ma- 
terially improves the flavor of the straw for fodder. 
Cutting and Threshing Wheat. — The appearance, 
or condition, indicating the proper time for cutting 
wheat, depends on the variety. Thus, when the 
grain of red wheat can be squeezed between the 
thumb and finger, without any moisture being forced 
from it, cutting may always be safely commenced; 
for it is never better than when harvested in this 
state, and if cut later, the wheat is seldom so good 
iu quality ; besides, serious losses are sometimes 
sustained, in consequence of high winds when it is 
