82 
AMERICAN AGrRICUI/TURIST. 
[March, 
Contents for March, 1878. 
Alpine Plants for Common Gardens.3 111 .101 
Amon; the Farmers, No. 26.—Horse Experience; Na¬ 
vicular Disease; Driving a Big Horse; Rest for 
Horses ; Weaning a Foal ; Green Manure Crops; 
Feeding before Plowing; Boarding Horses. 91 
Barns Without Beams.5 Illustrations .. 98 
Bee Notes for March. 90 
Boys and Girls’ Department.—In-door Game with Mar¬ 
bles.—Aunt Sue’s Chats; Aunt Sue’s Puzzle Box.— 
Yomig Microscopists Club; The Adventures of 
Simon Simpson, Esq.32 Illustrations . .105-108 
Castor Pomace—a Rich Compost. 96 
Clover-Seeds and Weed-Seeds.12 111.. 102-103 
Dog, The Hare Indian... Illustrated. . 93 
Farm Work in March.. 82 
Flower Garden and Lawn in March.81 
Fox, The Blue Arctic. Illustrated .. 93 
Fruit Garden in March. 84 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in March. 85 
Hints and Helps for Farmers—Combined Anvil and 
Vise; A Corn Harrow; Field Roller; Digging 
Ditches ; Work for Bad Weather; Iron Gale. .8 iff . 96 
Horse Powers, The Use of. 99 
House—A Cottage Costing $250.2 iff.. 92 
Household Department—Home Topics—New Neigh¬ 
bors ; Getting Away from Home ; Somewhere to Go ; 
What to Eat with Bread ; Good Dish for an Invalid ; 
Revolving Clothes-Line ; Portable Scraper and Mat; 
Strong Button Holes; Avoidable Misery and Death. 
3 Illustrations .103-105 
Important Farm Experiments.86 
Keeping Pure-Bred Stock . 9S 
Kitchen and Market Garden in March. 81 
Market Reports... .85 
New and Wonderful Farm Seeds..2 iff. .100 
North Western Dairymen’s Association. 92 
Orchard and Nursery in March. 83 
Plan of a Grist Mill.2 iff.. 97 
Portable Slop Barrel. . .. .2 Iff.. 91 
Potato, a New ; Burbank’s Seedling. Illustrated. . 97 
Potato Planting Machine.2 iff.. 92 
Poultry—Light Brahmas and Japanase Bantams. .Iff.. 81 
Poultry, Portable Homes for... ...3 Iff. .99-100 
Protecting Plants in Spring. Illustrated.. 102 
Primer for Blackberry Bushes.4 III.. 102 
Reclamation of Salt Marsh .. 96 
Sales of Herefords in England. . 97 
Science Applied to Farming, No. 39.—More Farmers’ 
Experiments with Fertilizers. 91 
Sheep, Mutton Breeds of. 98 
Strawberries—What Shall I Plant?.102 
Table for Working Butter.3 Iff.. 97 
Talks on Farm Crops, No. 13.—Fodder Corn. 95 
INDEX TO “BASKET.” OH SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Book for the Garden.. . 86 
Books on Poultry. 87 
Book on Swine.113 
Breaking a Colt. 89 
Brazilian Artichokes_ 89 
Capital Object.. 87 
Catalogues Received.... 89 
Cow Peas.113 
Desirable Residence. 86 
Dog Powers.89 
Eggs. How Many Hatch.. 89 
Experimental Fertilizers. 87 
Farming in the South. .113 
Farm Experiments . 86 
Flora Temple’s Death. .113 
Fruit Book for Farmers.. 86 
Gardening in the Country 86 
German Agriculturist.... 85 
Good Things Free. 86 
Guard the Eyes. 87, 
Hessian Fly.....113 
Is Your Life Insured?... 86 
Jerseys and Guernseys.. 89 
Kerosene for Scab. . 89 
Lice on Pigs..113: 
Lime, to Apply. 89 
L. I. Farmers, News for. 87 
Lticern or Alfalfa. 89 
New Industry for the 
South. 89 
Notes About Microscope. 87 
Pampas Rice..88 
Poland-Chinas in Eng... 88 
Preserve the Numbers... 87 
Pringles New Wheats.... 87 
Pupil in Horticulture_ 87 
Quality of Milk.113 
Roots Flavoring Milk_ 89 
Sale of Choice Cattle. 83 
Sales of Poland-Chinas.. 87 
Seeding with Buckwheat. 89 
Sheep Raising. 89 
Silver Plat d-Ware . 88 
Sleeping Upon Iivn. 87 
Southern Agriculture_ 89 
Strong Testimonials. 87 
Sundry Humbugs. 88 
Swelling on Cow’s Leg.. 113 
Thoroughbred Pig.113 
Varnished Cloth for Hot- 
Beds.:... 89 
Wagon Factory.113 
Western I>airyingr.—It is but a short 
time since the term “Western,” as applied to dairy pro¬ 
ducts, was held to denote an inferior quality and a low 
price. Enterprising Western dairymen chafed under the 
reproach and the injury which, to some extent, resulted 
from this condition of things. They went resolutely to 
work to change it, and have succeeded. Now the best 
Western creamery butter is sought by the fine grocery 
dealers in New York and other cities as the best they 
can offer to their exacting customers, and it is sold at 
wholesale at 5 cents per pound above the prices of the 
best Eastern butter. “ Western,” therefore, is no longer 
a term of reproach, so far ns the butter of the best makers 
is concerned. But there is still large room for improve¬ 
ment, for common “Western” butter is yet sold for 
grease, and brings 8 to 10 cents a pound, when the best 
brings 35 to 40 cents, and poor Eastern butter brings 16 
to 20. The above remarks apply to cheese. Western 
cheese has of late taken the first premiums at exhibi¬ 
tions in competition with that from Eastern dairies. 
Calendar for March. 
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AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, MARCH, 1878. 
[The Hints and Suggestions in these columns are 
never copied from previous years, but are freshly pre¬ 
pared for every paper, from the latest experience and 
observations, by practical men in each department .] 
While the past winter has been, as regards weath¬ 
er, one of the most pleasant, in some other respects 
it has been uncomfortable, not to say disastrous. 
Probably never before “ in the memory of the oldest 
inhabitant,” have the country roads been in such 
wretched condition. The impassable state of the 
roads in the Western, and in some of the Middle 
and Eastern States, has almost totally stopped 
traffic, and has seriously affected general business. 
Fortunately, many farmers had sold and delivered 
much of their wheat, and had thus secured a fair 
price in good time ; but the com crop has been left 
in the fields, either unhusked, or in piles, exposed 
to the weather. We hear much complaint of heavy 
losses of com in this way, and a great loss on ac¬ 
count of the bad condition of the bulk of what was 
secured. There is in this a costly and pertinent les¬ 
son to farmers. We must “mend our ways ” in this 
respect. Without roads, civilized man is reduced 
to the helpless condition of the savage. Hundreds 
of millions of dollars have been spent in building 
railroads, and the bulk of the expenditure has 
directly.or indirectly,come out of the pockets of the 
farmers ; but all this costly provision for carrying 
freight to market is totally useless,without passable 
country roads, by which the railroads can be fed. 
We have lost sight of this absolute necessity for 
good country roads. We have ignored the fact that 
bad roads are one of the heaviest taxes to which 
agriculture is subjected. We have submitted year 
after year to the annoyances and losses occasioned 
by our miserable roads, and still it is probable that 
unless attention is persistently drawn to this sub¬ 
ject, it will be overlooked so soon as the occasion 
has passed away. During winter, we can neither 
make nor repair roads ; and when “ settled weather” 
comes, we can get along pretty well without repair¬ 
ing them. In this way we worry along. Our whole 
road system needs changing. This has been fre¬ 
quently set forth in this Journal, and will be again 
as opportunity offers. But certainly one of the 
most important and obligatory duties of the farm¬ 
er, is the construction and Proper maintenance of 
roads that can be used at ai season of the year. 
Hints lor Work. 
With the Return of Spring come floods and freshets, 
and much damage will result unless prevented. 
Wash-outs of roads, fields, yards, etc., may be 
averted by providing a number of outlets for the 
water at the places where it first gathers. Here 
it should be spread in several channels and pre¬ 
vented from gathering into a dangerous stream. 
Water Furrows should be carried as little below a 
level as possible, and there should be so many of 
them that none will overflow into the others. 
By diverting the wash of roads from the gutters 
into small channels, the water charged with fertiliz¬ 
ing matter may be spread upon the fields, and 
damage to the roads prevented. 
Drains should be cleared of waste matters, 6uch 
as leaves, and other trash that will interfere with 
the flow of water. In digging open drains, the earth 
should he thrown out upon the side opposite to that 
from which the surface water comes. In all the 
provisions made for carrying off surface water, the 
following principal points should be looked to, viz.: 
give the water the easiest possible channel; keep 
it in many small streams ; avoid any thing that will 
prevent easy escape for the water from the channels; 
provide an outflow into a stream or pond, or 
take care that it escapes where it will do no damage. 
Panting Coni may he begun in the South this 
month. It is frequently planted late, with a view 
to save one working. The early planted corn gives 
the best ears, because these are well forward before 
the hot, dry weather of July can stop the growth ; 
and the cultivating of a forward com crop does not 
interfere with working the cotton. It is more con¬ 
venient to have these two kinds of labors follow each 
other than to allow them to occur at the same time. 
Shallow Planting is preferable for an early crop, 
when the soil has not been thoroughly wanned up. 
Fodder Crops, such as corn planted in drills, and 
millet, will be found very valuable, and one can 
hardly have too much of them. These all go into 
manure for the farm; and the more fodder to feed, 
the more grain will be made, and the more cotton 
there will be to sell. By planting these crops early, 
damage by dry weather will generally be avoided, 
or a second crop may often be taken after the first 
is harvested. Green fodder crops exhaust the soil 
very little, but heavy crops require rich soil. 
Top Dressing Grain Crops. —It is now that we re¬ 
quire rapid, vigorous growth, to send up strong 
spears from the tillering roots. A moderate dress¬ 
ing of some active fertilizer, rich in ammonia, and 
with a good supply of phosphoric acid for the needs 
of the grain, is precisely what is needed. We do- 
not point out here what fertilizer should be used. 
Several kinds, suitable for this purpose, are men¬ 
tioned elsewhere. Where the wheat or rye was top- 
dressed in the fall, 100 pounds per acre may be suf¬ 
ficient now; otherwise 150 pounds would be needed. 
Selection of Seed. —The corn crop may be greatly 
increased by selecting the best seed. There are 
varieties now coming into use which have the habit 
of bearing more than one ear to the stalk. If we 
can grow com that produces only two ears to each 
stalk, it will be easy enough to produce 100 bushels 
per acre. But it is unsafe to experiment largely. 
Plant the main crop with what is known to be 
safe, and try new kinds in a small way at first. 
Improved Seed, like improved stock, must be grown 
with special care, or it will rapidly go back to its 
original state. In experimenting with new kinds, 
every care should be given to keep up the vigor of 
the plant and maintain the character of the product. 
Artificial Fertilizers. —The use of some active fer¬ 
tilizer early iu the spring will be beneficial od al¬ 
most all crops. When used with discretion, these 
are very profitable. But at this season only those 
that are perfectly soluble will be found available. 
Early Potatoes.—Where, the season permits of early 
planting, and this crop is already in the ground, it 
will he necessary to keep the sprouts slightly cov¬ 
ered with earth as a safeguard against frost. By 
planting early, and hastening growth by frequent 
cultivation, the first crop may be gathered in time 
for a second planting. Where there is easy com¬ 
munication from southern fields to northern mar- 
i 
i 
i 
