AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
346 
Contents of This Number. 
[Articles marked with a star (*) are illustrated; the fig¬ 
ure with the star indicates the number of illustrations.) 
Animals, Means of Controlling the Contagious Dis¬ 
eases of. 350 
Bee Notes for September...353 
Beecher’s Clearing...8*..354-355 
Boat, Stone, Making a. 3*..363 
Books Silos and Ensilage. Saddle-Horse, the. Amer¬ 
ican Bird Fancier...,.379 
Boys’ and Gibls’ Columns Doctor's Talks .—Puzzle 
Box. Wild Animals of Land and Sea. Cider and 
Cider Making...... 9*.. 370-372 
Bull, The Jersey, “Polonius”........*..352 
Butter Substitutes vs. Butter... .350-351 
Celery, Preparations for Storing..... *.. 367 
Cereals, Improving the.............. .351-352 
Corn Crib, The..359 
Com, A Horse for Shocking. ... .2*. .360 
Cora, Husking Rack for.... *.. 364 
Cora House, A Cheap and Convenient.2*. .361 
Corn, “Hulling” Sweet. 381 
Cow, Self-sucking, A Device for.*. .360 
Exposition, The Atlanta. .381 
Fair, Preparing for the. . .348 
Fairs, State, County, and others in 1881...380 
Farm Buildings, Insure the.....363 
Fashion and Fabrics. 383 
Flax Culture. .379 
Flower Garden and Lawn.... .348 
Flowers, The Bell, Pale Corydalis . ...*..365-366 
Flowers,The Bell, Tenore’s .. . *..365 
Fodder Corn, Saving.361-362 
Forestry, American, Abroad.. .382 
Frosts, Early, in the Garden. ..356 
Frui t Garden. 347 
Gardening, Window, Preparing for... 351 
Garget, Its Causes, Symptoms, and Cure.364 
Gates, Wood and Wire...2*..362 
Ginseng, Cultivation of.378 
Grapes, Preserving for Winter .348 
Greenhouse and Window Plants...348 
Hand, The Care of the.... .359 
Hints and Helps for Farmers.....3*..364 
Hints and Suggestions...357 
Horse-shoeing. 362-363 
Household Clothes Dryer for Fire-places. Home 
Topics. Notes and Queries. Fungi for Wall 
Brackets. Summer Complaints.3*..368-369 
Humbugs, Sundry. 353 
“ Iroquois,” American Winner of the Derby. 357 
“ Jersey Belle of Scituate,” The Death of.. .361 
Kitchen and Market Garden....348 
Gadder, Fruit, A Convenient.356 
Level, A “Rafter”. *..358 
Markets........... ....379 
N otes on Orchard and Garden Work 347-348 
Orchard and Garden. ........347 
Peach Culture, The Revival of.... 366 
Peach Trees in East Tennessee... .......352 
Plant, A new Name. . .381 
Plow, ANew Combined, Pulverizer, etc...........*..356 
Pomological Society, American .. 379 
Posts, Fence, Device for Sharpening...............*..359 
Premiums at Fairs.... 381 
Prices, Will They Go Up or Down ?.......... 378 
Railroads to Agriculture, Relation of........... .358-359 
Raspberries, Some new......................2*. .366-367 
Rules for Right Living...... — .382 
Scraper, A Convenient Barn........*..363 
Sheep Raising in Mexico.......382 
Silo, Plans of a...2*..349-350 
Sleep as a Farm Crop...360-361 
Stables, Whitewash the. 362 
Stains, Fruit... 349 
Strawberry Plants in Pots.....351 
Sugar from Rags... .. 381- 
Suggestions of and for the Season........... ,3*..346-347 
Thistle, Canada, “ A Sure Cure”.......349 
Tightener, A Fence Wire.. . *..358 
Tomato Seeds.353 
Travel on “ the Plains,” A Stampede... *..345 
Trichine Tester... — ........381 
Weed, Live-Forever as a.............................. .382 
Windmill for Farm Shop, A. ....4*.,359 
Worm, The Green Corn . *..381 
An Unprecedented Speculation is now go¬ 
ing on in wheat, corn, lard, etc. The ways of the spec¬ 
ulators, the crop reports, and how they are manipulated, 
the prospects of prices, ete., are explained to the com¬ 
prehension of farmers and others on page S78. The 
marked contrast in the price of wheat, in August, 1880 
and 1881, is shown in a table in our Market Report. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1881. 
Suggestions of and for the Season. 
The leading farm work for September, in 
many parts of the United States, is the sow¬ 
ing of the fall crops. This involves putting 
the soil in thorough readiness, and the se¬ 
lection, and sowing of the seed. There 
are a number of essentials in the proper 
preparation of the seed bed, all of which 
should obtain in every field devoted to a 
grain crop. The soil should be rich, either 
by the accumulated fertility of long years of 
undisturbed vegetation—the virgin soil, or 
made so by the addition of a fertilizer in the 
form of barn-yard dung or the so-called 
“chemical manures.” Of these two, that made 
in the barn-yard and stable is to be the first 
chosen, and the superphosphates and other 
“ salts ” only used as a supplement to the 
barn-yard manure, or in cases where the lat¬ 
ter is not to be obtained. Next to richness 
should come a fine tilth. This requires that 
the soil be plowed in a thorough manner, and 
afterwards stirred with the harrow or some 
other cultivator—in fact with any imple¬ 
ment, until the lumps are reduced, and the 
whole soil is in a fine, mellow state. The 
roller described and figured in the Notes for 
last month, will aid greatly in bringing the 
soil to a proper tilth for the reception of the 
seed. A cheaper, and a very effective im¬ 
plement may be made as shown in figure 1. 
It consists of a number of small logs, fastened 
together by a chain which runs through 
holes bored in the logs. The logs are held 
apart about half their diameters by keys 
placed in the links of the chain. The clod 
crusher may be drawn even, or the clevis for 
attaching the horses may be at one side, in 
Fig. 2. —A SINGLE LOG CLOD CRUSHER. 
which case the earth will be moved sidewise 
to some extend. A single, though larger, 
log may be arranged in the same way and 
used for the same purpose, as shown in 
figure 2. The importance of the mellow¬ 
ness of the soil can not be too strongly in¬ 
sisted upon, as without it the seeds do not 
come into intimate contact with the particles 
of earth, and therefore cannot make a good 
start, and many of them will not grow at all. 
With a good supply of plant food, in a con¬ 
dition to be readily taken up by the young 
[September, 
plants, the next thing is to select the seed, 
and sow it properly. To put the matter of 
selection in a nut shell—sow the best seed to 
be found, even if it costs double that of the 
ordinary sort. When the fact becomes more 
thoroughly known that of two kinds of 
grain, for example, under identical condi¬ 
tions, one will yield twice as much as the 
other, more attention will be given to a 
proper selection of seed. It is not for us to 
say which variety of wheat or other grain is 
the best; that depends upon local circum¬ 
stances and conditions, and each farmer 
must, after careful study, decide such matters 
for himself. The “Clawson” wheat is at 
present taking a high rank for yield and 
quality in many localities. It may not be 
the best for all places. The sowing should 
always be done with a drill, 
except when the stumps and 
stones of new ground pre¬ 
vent the passage of the 
implement. The drill se¬ 
cures a uniform depth to all 
the seed, and therefore bet¬ 
ter conditions for growth. 
Six pecks of good, plump 
wheat (and no other should 
be used as seed), is sufficient per acre,, 
when a drill is employed. Were it not for 
the Hessian Fly, early sowing of wheat- 
should be recommended in all cases. Late 
sowing is a disadvantage in itself, as the 
plants make a smaller growth before winter 
sets in. The richer the soil the later the sow¬ 
ing may be done with safety. 
After the sowing there is very little more 
to be done to the fall grain field. If the land 
is not thoroughly drained, water furrows 
may be necessary for the rapid removal of 
the excess of water of heavy rains. For this 
purpose see the “Ditching Plow” on page 364. 
Grass seed may be sown a few weeks after 
the grain, so that the Timothy, if used, may* 
not get too large, and retard the growth of 
the grain. Clover seed may be sown upon 
the snow in spring. 
The turnips should he thinned and the rows 
kept free from weeds. One good root every 
ten inches is far better than two in the same 
space. The early sown beets and mangels 
may be harvested the last of this month; 
if left until late they become hollow and 
stringy. The tops make good feed for the 
cows. Com should be cut so soon as it is. 
ready, as the stalks will be much more valu¬ 
able as fodder than if left until they either 
dry upon the hill or are struck with the 
frost. A careful reading of the article on 
“ Cutting Fodder Com,” page 361, is recom¬ 
mended, as it applies equally to all kinds of 
com. Early cutting also helps to push the fall 
work forward, and often saves cold fingers. 
in late husking. Cut as soon as the grain is 
well glazed. A shocking-horse to aid in 
cutting the com is shown on page 360. The 
old style which has done so much good 
service deserves frequent mention, and is 
shown again in figure 3. 
Good bands to be used in tying the shocks 
saves much trouble and loss. If the stalks 
are too brittle, bands of twisted straw may 
be used ; but best of all, if at hand, are the 
long sprouts of the osier willow. Potatoes 
should be dug as soon as their growth ceases, 
otherwise a heavy rain may start the tubers 
into growth, or cause them to rot. The 
beetles must be kept from the late crop. 
The Buckwheat crop is quickly injured by/ 
Fig. 1.—A CLOD CRUSHER MADE OF LOGS. 
