44 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. [February, 
Contents of this Humber. 
[Articles marked with a start*) are illustrated ; the fig¬ 
ure with the star indicates the number of illustrations.] 
‘ Imerica and Its Farming ’.46 
Among the Farmers. No. 61.—Cool Rooms—The Ice 
Holder—Recent Importations of Channel Island 
Cattle—The Jerseys...2*. .56 
Animals. Sick and Disabled.........57 
" Asphalt," or Coal Tar Walks......64 
13 rrel, Barn Tubs from a... .3*. .58 
T5arro\v, A Primitive ..58 
Bee Notes for February.... *..52 
Beef, Hanging a.......... .3*. .59 
Beginning, A Poor.....48 
Bones.... .... ....58 
Boys and Girls’ Columns:— The Doctor's Corres¬ 
pondence: A Mer de Glace—Source of the Black 
Lutschine — How Snow can form a Glacier. Our 
Puzzle Box. Illustrated Rebus. A Facial Expres¬ 
sion. The Young Elephant. A Hand-Face. A 
Straw Ride. "Describing Points,” A Useful 
Play.... 8*.. 68-70 
Cart, A Farm with Rack ...49 
Cattle, Some African.. ......... ....*..55 
China Tree, The Umbrella— ....*..65 
Closet. An Earth, Box and Bairow...*. .58 
Cottage, A Country, Costing $750.. 5*. .54 
Cow, A Stable for a... .2*. .56 
Cow, The Jersey “ Coomassie”....*..48-55 
© aths. Ten, Bear Witness . ... .47 
Dung Beetle, A_...... .....*..51 
Klucution, Some Notes on a Farmer’s_ __ 62 
E isilage.—.....59 
Everybody Send Something... .......51 
Peace, Another Portable..........4*..48 
Fennel, The Tangier Giant-... ............ .. *..63 
Fowls, Animal Food for, in Winter....50 
Glucose, or Grape Sugar—What is It ? .. .50 
Gobblers, Thorough bred ......46 
Grape Vine. Propagating the.....*. 47 
Groundsel, The Beautiful..............*..63 
$5 or. The Care of the ....49 
Harrow, A Combined Clod Crusher and Leveller...*..57 
Hedge, Plants for the Southern States ................ 60 
Horns, Stag, Stages of Growth...*..57 
Horses. Lunch for. While in the City...*..43 
1 lorses, To Prevent the Balking of.....60 
Houghton Farm: New Adjustable Cattle Stalls.. .2*..47 
Household:..A Useful Paper Holder. Some Easily 
Made Hanging Baskets. Home Topics: Bread Mak¬ 
ing in Winter—House-Keeping Schools. A Neat 
Rustic Flower Stand. A Handy Side Table. Dress¬ 
ing Poultry. How to Cook Salsify. Admitting 
Fresh Air. A Milk Cupboard.... —....—8*..66-67 
II rases, Concrete and other Buildings. ..8*..60-61 
Humbugs, Sundry ... .. ... 53 
Ice, Loading, with a Derrick....*-..50 
limestone and Lime as Fertilizers ...--— ..48 
Lucerne, Something About..*..62 
FTanure, Spreading, inWinter.....2*..51 
Maples. The Japanese.....51 
Mats. Making Straw. ....59 
Millas, or Spring Star-Flowers.*..63 
N >se-bag, The “Kennett.”.....*..52 
Notes from the Pines.. ....2*..64-65 
■ Nut Grass," Exterminating........ .57 
4 >: chard and Garden for February........... ...6*..45-46 
E» irasites upon Poultry ..58 
plants, Changing the Names of, “ Cockatelle " To- 
lu-la”... 49 
Sled, A, for Hauling Sap.......... ....3*. 60 
Snow Scraper, A Hoise... .*..58 
stumps, A Device for Pulling ... ................2*..49 
Suggestions of and for the Season.....3*. 44-45 
'Pools, A Place for Farm.... ..*..59 
Truck for Moving Heavy Furniture—.......... .2*. .50 
Turkey, Carving a.....2*..52 
Warbles: The Ox Gad-Fly ......2*..57 
INDEX TO “BASKET," AND OTHER SHORT ARTICLES. 
A'manac, Burke’s Texas..76 
Barrels, Non-Freezing, 
Swill. ...75 
Boots, Waterproof.77 
Carriage Building...._76 
Castle Garden............76 
Cutter, Wind Feed.77 
Chinch Bug......77 
Clubs and Societies .77 
Comfrey, Prickly...76 
Convention, Sorghum.. 77 
Cow Peas for Manure ....77 
Cow. Torturing a.. .76 
Ensilage, The value of..76 
Fair, A Citrus.75 
Feet, Sweaty....77 
“Horses Teeth,”.77 
Ice, Keeping ...76 
Melon. The Pie ......... 77 
Nova Scotia, From... ....77 
Occupation, Change of.. .76 
Pleuro-Pneumonia in Pa.77 
Poultry. Profitable___ .77 
Plows, Substitutes for...76 
Scuttle, An Improved.*..76 
“ The American Garden”.76 
Ware, Silver-Plated_..76 
What to Do.......75 
Wheat, Best Variety.... .77 
Wild Rice............77 
See page 86 for Subscription Terms, etc. 
See pages 75, 79, and 86 for Publisher’s 
“Business Items,” Postage Rates, etc. 
See especially now on page 79 about 
Books, Premiums, etc., etc. 
Owing to the necessity of sending part of the 
middle pages to press in advance of the other sheets, 
considerable good reading and other matters are thrown 
ever to pages 75 to 79. These pages will be found none 
the less valuable because chancing to follow some of the 
business or advertising pages. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY, 1881. 
Suggestions of and for the Season, 
The “ season ” is winter, yet how differently 
the winter appears to our readers in widely 
separated parts of the country ! The almanac 
tells us that it is the last month of winter; 
the farmer in the far North looks wistfully at 
his diminishing stacks, and perhaps remem¬ 
bers having heard the old people say : “ Febru¬ 
ary fourtheenth day, Half your com, and 
half your hay,” and to him it is a long look 
to the time when he can turn out his animals. 
To the farmer in the far South, the middle 
of this month is usually the end of his win¬ 
ter and his spring work is either at hand, 
or he is making active preparations for it. 
There are certain fixed facts in regard to farm 
work that are not affected by latitude. 
Whether the farmer’s work begins in Febru¬ 
ary or in May, the successful man is the one 
who is abreast of, if not a little ahead of, and 
pushing his farm work. The one who is just 
a little behind in his work is always a “ ne’er 
do weel,” and always ready to show that 
“ farming don’t pay.” The “plowerof the 
seas” has a proverb—“ astern chase is a long 
chase this sailor’s saying holds equally good 
with the plower of the land, and whoever 
makes a late beginning, will be engaged in a 
“stem chase” to catch up with his work all 
the season through. There are certain kinds 
of work that can only be properly done at 
just the right time. Plowing, for example, 
may be done a few days too soon, and to the 
great injury of the soil. We are enjoined to 
not only “ Leam to labor,” but it is added, 
with equal force, “and to wait.” But one 
is not obliged therefore to wait in idleness for 
the land to be ready for the plow. 
All live stock should be kept clean. They 
should not be exposed to the severe weather of 
win ter,not only because it is cruel,but because 
it does not pay. It costs money for an animal 
to keep itself warm, for it must be done at 
the expense of the food it gets or the flesh 
that it has already gained. An animal is in 
many respects an engine and its food is the 
fuel. Any shelter given to farm stock saves 
in food, just as a covering to a boiler saves 
fuel. Another kind of exposure is especially 
injurious, that is of horses that have had 
active exercise by driving. If a horse is 
brought in wet with sweat, he should be first 
Fig. 1.—A WATER TROUGH FOR WINTER. 
rubbed down and then blanketed, if the 
weather is cold, otherwise he will be chilled, 
and very likely take cold. An abundant sup¬ 
ply of water is important in the proper keep¬ 
ing of farm stock at this season. The troughs 
should be kept clear of ice, so that the water 
may not be chilled by it. If the water comes 
from a well it should be drawn only as 
needed, in order that it may not be cooled be¬ 
low the natural temperature. To raise Iff 
gallons of water from the freezing point to- 
a temperature as it comes from a spring or 
well (50 to 55 deg.) will, when taken into the 
stomach of the animal, use up the effect of a 
large amount of food that ought to be ex¬ 
pended more profitably. Besides the animal 
is chilled and perhaps injured, vital force is- 
wasted, and nothing is gained. Figure * L 
shows a water trough for winter, which can 
be easily kept free from ice and snow. It is- 
suspended on pins, the ends of which fit in 
the posts. When not in use the trough is in¬ 
verted by means of the handle a, and kept 
empty and free from snow.... As the cows- 
come in, the best of the heifers should be se¬ 
lected for raising. After these become cows- 
continue the selection, and, with a good bull, 
in a few years the value of the dairy herd 
may be doubled.... Lambs that come this- 
month, if near a large city, may be made,, 
with proper management, to be worth several! 
Fig. 2.— A SALT “ DUG-OUT ” FOR SHEEP. 
dollars three months from now. To those: 
who understand it, the raising of early lambs- 
is a profitable business. The essentials are- 
the right kind of sheep, to have early lambs, 
and feed well until ready for market. Warm 
and dry quarters for the ewes are very im¬ 
portant, sheep that are being stored simply, 
can be wintered on good straw, fed twice a 
day, with some roots or a little grain, night or 
morning. Salt should be given them as often 
as once a week. Figure 2 shows an excel¬ 
lent trough for holding salt for stock. It is 
a “ dug-out,” quickly made from a short log, 
with an axe or adze. It is inexpensive, dur¬ 
able, and very convenient.... Pigs need well 
ventilated clean pens, as these are essential to 
good health. They require a variety of feed ; 
all corn or all whey, or any one food continu¬ 
ously, gives an unwholesome sameness to 
their rations. Brood sows should be provided 
with plenty of bedding of cut straw, especi¬ 
ally when the young pigs are expected.... 
Some hens that have been laying will brood 
this month. They should have a warm, sun¬ 
ny place. These chicks will make early 
market birds. Warm feed is important for 
poultry in winter, and it can be furnished at 
very little trouble. The droppings should be 
kept dry that they may be in good order for 
use upon the land in the spring. 
Hens sometimes acquire the habit of eating 
eggs. This probably originates from a lack 
of bones, oyster shells, or other form of lime, 
and when it is once formed it is almost incur¬ 
able. The shortest cure is usually decapita¬ 
tion for the table, but sometimes a bird is too 
valuable for this treatment, and it may fee 
worth while to prepare a nest like that shown 
in section in figure 3. The bottom of the nest 
is in two parts; the larger piece slants to the 
rear, enough to cause an egg to roll down it; 
it is shown here rather too much inclined. 
A glass or china nest egg is made fast to the 
lower piece, and this induces the hen to lay 
there upon the bare board. As seen from 
above, the bottom does not seem s# much. 
