1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
307 
Notes on Farm Stock. 
A run at pasture at night will be beneficial 
for a working team, but other feed is neces¬ 
sary to keep the flesh hard and in good 
working order. A net that costs but a small 
gum will keep off most of the flies, and pre¬ 
vent one of the most serious annoyances to 
the working horse at this season of the year. 
The dry, hot ground may induce feet troubles, 
making the hoofs dry and brittle. Shoes 
should be changed frequently, or be off en¬ 
tirely. See Col. Weld’s article on ‘ ‘ Barefooted 
Horses ” on page 319. The pasture is frequent¬ 
ly short and dry at this time, and other feed 
will be needed to keep the cows up to a full 
flow of milk. Fodder com is excellent for 
this. An abundance of fresh cool water 
should be within reach, and shade from the 
hot mid-day sun. Give them the most favor¬ 
able opportunity for feeding in the cool of 
the day, that they may be quiet when it is too 
hot to eat. Coupling season for sheep will soon 
be here, and a good ram only should be used. 
A “pure blood” of the breed desired should 
be procured if within reach. For lambs, de¬ 
signed for the early spring market, a South- 
down cross is to be preferred ; the Cotswolds 
give a larger but less prized animal. The 
lambs should by this time be separated from 
their dams and given a good pasture by them¬ 
selves. The flocks should be watched care¬ 
fully that no diseases, as dysentery, etc., make 
much headway among them. Pigs are fond 
of green food, and profit by a run in clover. 
Pigs that come during this month will be 
ready as small pork for the holidays. The 
pens should be kept clean ; a coat of white¬ 
wash will cleanse and sweeten the interior. 
Let there be no mud-holes, into which the 
pigs can go. Clean swine make sweet pork. 
Notes on Orchard and Garden Work, 
The season of Fairs is near at hand. The 
best of the farmer’s products, including 
fruits and vegetables of the year, are soon to | 
be brought together in hundreds, yes ! thou¬ 
sands, of places, all over the United States, 
and will be seen by the great multitude of 
people, that yearly visit the fairs. We are 
glad that there is such a rapid growth in the 
number of these shows, accompanied by an 
advance in their quality. We hope that the 
good work may go on until every owner of 
choice cattle, every grower of good corn or 
fine roots, will vie with the proprietor of an 
orchard or a vegetable garden, and that all 
may be so much interested as to not only be 
in attendance upon these fairs, but take to 
the fair their best products, and have a per¬ 
sonal interest in the success of the exhibition. 
There is no better way of gaining—and im¬ 
parting—information. The knowledge to be 
acquired in the competition is far above the 
money value of any prize that is awarded. 
Go to the Fair and take something with you. 
Orchard, and Nursery. 
Harvesting and marketing the early fruit 
and the killing of weeds, are the chief occu¬ 
pations of this month. All those who have 
fruit to market would be much profited by 
a visit to the places where their produce is 
sold to the consumer. It would not take one 
long to learn the importance of a careful 
sorting of fruit into at least three grades, 
“Extra,” “No. 1,” and a third sort unfit to 
send to market, except in times of the 
greatest scarcity. He would also learn the 
importance of picking the fruit before it is 
fully ripe, especially the early kinds which 
decay so very rapidly after reacliing matu¬ 
rity. Barrels are the most convenient for late 
apples, but for early sorts, smaller packages, 
as half barrels and crates meet with a more 
ready sale. Fill each package so full that a 
considerable pressure is needed to bring the 
cover into place, thus avoiding the bruising 
which would otherwise follow from the 
shaking of the fruit. Early pears require 
still greater care than apples. Pick them as 
soon as the seeds show them to be mature and 
before they are mellow. Ship at once in 
crates small enough to be easily handled with 
care. Let no one pick fruit who has no 
thought for the crops that are to follow. 
Some orchards look, after the picking, as if 
they had been in the path of a severe hail 
storm, the limbs being so broken. After 
picking it with care, pack the fruit honestly, 
letting every package—barrel, crate, or box, 
be throughout as it appears on the top. A 
reputation for fair packing will insure a con¬ 
fidence on the part of the dealers that will be 
of great value in future years ; aside from 
the fact that it pays, is the inward satisfac¬ 
tion it gives. It is a safe rule to consign 
fruit to well-established houses only—men 
who have been in the business for years and 
have worked hard to build up a good repu¬ 
tation and desire to keep it. Fix upon your 
commission men early in the season, and stick 
by them until a good reason to change is found. 
Budding is now in season. In the North¬ 
ern States, cherries, plums, and pears, will be 
continued, while later in the month will be 
the usual time for budding peaches. There 
is no mystery about the process, and any boy 
who can handle a knife can successfully 
graft and bud. A sharp knife with a thin 
blade, and the inner bark of the Basswood in 
thin strips for tying the buds in place, are all 
that is needed. The success of the operation 
depends upon having the bud fit closely to 
the stock. The manner of making the cut 
in the stock and the shape of the bud are 
shown in such works as Barry's “ Fruit 
Garden.” In the Notes for August, 1877, 
we gave full directions, with illustrations 
of the whole process of budding. This 
number can be had by those desiring it, 
for 15 cents. Young trees, especially those 
planted last spring, often suffer severely from 
the dry weather of the summer, and it is 
well to apply a mulch of straw, grass, chips, 
etc. Whatever will cover the surface and 
prevent evaporation will answer as a mulch. 
The “ worms ” of the Codling Moth may 
be caught under bands of heavy paper or 
cloth, bound around the trunk of the apple 
trees. Remove the bands at intervals of a 
week or so, and kill the worms found under 
them. The windfalls contain many “worms,” 
they should be destroyed by feeding the fruit 
to the swine, or let these animals have an oc¬ 
casional run through the orchard. A profit¬ 
able use is often made of windfalls by mak¬ 
ing cider from them, which istobe converted 
into vinegar. Borers should be probed and 
killed with a wire as they are found. 
The Fruit Garden. 
The excellent condition of the soil and 
other work not being so pressing, the fall is 
the most advantageous time for setting the 
plants for a Fruit Garden. We have often 
urged that every farmer should have a fruit 
garden—one large enough to furnish all the 
fruit necessary for a continuous supply for 
the table, from the coming of the earliest 
strawberries until the latest grapes are gone. 
Now is the time for all who lack this supply 
to stop and count their loss, and take steps 
to make that loss good in coming years by 
planting a fruit garden this autumn. Those 
who already have such a garden will need to 
give it some attention this month. Pinch 
the ends of the growing shoots of the black¬ 
berry and raspberry shoots, that have been 
left for the bearing of fruit the coming year. 
Six feet is high enough for blackberries and 
four feet for raspberries. The lateral shoots 
that put out will need to be pinched later; 
this will afford good stocky canes, that will 
bear abundantly the next year. The old canes 
that have borne this year should have been 
cleared out as soon as done bearing, and all 
new shoots not desired for fruiting should be 
treated as weeds and destroyed. Straw¬ 
berry plants that have been rooted in pots, if 
planted in the fall, will bear a fair crop next 
year. Runners that have rooted in the usual 
way, will need a year’s growth before fruit 
in quantities may be expected. Plants set 
this fall will have some advantage over those 
set next spring, in a more vigorous growth, 
and as it is a less busy time, it is best to set 
them in the fall. Growers of plants usually 
advise spring planting largely, because the 
plants that are sent out in the fall would, 
if kept in the propagating bed, put out 
runners and produce other good plants, to 
be used for the spring sales. 
Grape vines, both old and young, need 
pinching of the shoots as directed in Notes 
for previous months. If mildew occurs, as it 
frequently does after a wet spell, followed by 
a bright hot sun, dust Flowers of Sulphur 
upon the leaves. The dealers furnish bellows 
for the proper application of the Sulphur. 
’A'lie Kitrlien nu«l market Garden. 
Weed killing is still in order, and there are 
a few plants yet to be set, and some . seeds 
may still be sown. This is a month when 
the return from a well-planted and carefully 
kept garden are abundant and gratifying to 
the owner. 
Beans for pickling may be sown at the be¬ 
ginning of this month. The “Refugee” is 
the variety best adapted for this late growth. 
Late plantings of Celery may still be made, 
and in ordinary seasons will do well. The 
subject of Celery is of so much importance 
that a separate article is given elsewhere. 
See page 308. Onions are known to be ready 
to harvest by a majority of the tops bending 
and falling over. Pull and leave the bulbs 
upon the ground for a few days to cure, 
after which gather, and store in a cool airy 
place. Keep the Sweet Potato plants clear 
of weeds and move the vines to prevent them 
from striking roots at the joints. Squashes 
on the other hand may take root as much as 
they will. If a handful of straw or hay is 
placed under the Melons they will ripen bet¬ 
ter. The late-set fruit that cannot ripen 
should be removed, thus giving all the nour¬ 
ishment to the earlier-set fruit. Young Cu¬ 
cumbers, for pickles, should be picked each 
day—allowing no fruit to go to seed, and 
thus exhaust the vines. Tomato vines should 
be kept tied to the frame provided for them, 
otherwise keep the fruit from the ground by 
placing straw or brush under it. The beets, 
carrots, egg plants, etc., will need to be kept 
free from weeds by frequent hoeing. Usually 
