4 = 2 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
Contents of this Number. 
Calendar for February, 1879. 
Among the Farmers, No. 37.—Dairy Fair—Cream 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns.—Doctor’s Talks—Puzzle 
Box—Doctor's Correspondence—How he Spelled his 
Cellars, Frost Proof .2 Illustrations.. 
Experiments, Important—The Dew Theory Apparent¬ 
ly Contradicted—The Comparative Temperature of 
Air, Soil, and Plants.4 lllustrat; 
Foreign Horticultural Items. 
Household. — Home Topics — Catching Cold — Dry 
Bathing—Sleeping in Warm Rooms—Window Gar¬ 
dening Overdone—Icing and Ornamenting Cakes— 
What are Our Children Reading—Spool Cases— 
Notes and Queries .8 Illustrations.. 63-65 
Humbugs, Sundry.49-50 
India Rubber Tree. Illustrated.. 62 
Lumbermen and Iron Miners of Lake Superior. 2 111.. GO 
Markets, Study Your.56 
Orchard, Garden, and Nursery. 43 
Picturesque, but Bad Practice. Illustrated.. 41 
Piggery. A Convenient. 3 Illustrations.. 52 
Prairie Dogs, Do they Dig Wells?.52 
Rabbits, Raising for Profit. Illustrated.. 53 
Roller, Use of the. Illustrated.. 58 
Roofs, Thatching with Straw.8 Illustrations.. 57 
Root Cutter, Home-Made. Illustrated.. 58 
Sod-Cutter, A Useful. Illustrated.. 63 
Spurge, The Flowering. Illustrated.. 61 
Thrashing Machine, Moving a. Illustrated.. 55 
Tree-Planting— 1 The Ailanthus.. . 62 
Trees. Transplanting in Winter. 63 
Wheat, A Remarkable New. Illustrated.. 48 
Wheat Crop, Interesting Reports on.48-49 
West—Editorial Correspondence from. — Protec¬ 
tion for Settlers.—Military Mismanagement.—Des¬ 
peradoes in Wyoming. — Noted Scout. — Wind 
Storms.—Sheep-Raisers vs. Cattle men.—Game in 
Far West.51-52 
Young Men, Wanted 50,000. 41 
INDEX TO “BASKET,” AND OTHER SnOTtT ARTICLES. 
Agriculture, Position of 46 Horse-Power. Illustrated. .45 
Almanac, Hub.47 Lime for Compost 45 
American Produce Abroad.59 Manure, Lime and Barn- 
Barley and Wheat Soils..45! yard.74 
Bees, The Blessed.73 Manure, Com and Cotton.46 
Boots, Water-Proof.46 Match Ends Dangerous . .65 
Boots. Wet.74 Milk Setting In Cold 
Breeding as an Art.59| Weather Ill. 45 
Brewer’s Grains.74 Millet, Pearl, in Georgia. .46 
Butter Carrier.50 Oil as Manure.74 
Butter Packages_3 III. .46 Oil-Cake vs. Corn.46 
Calves, Black-Leg in_73 Pigeon Show in NewYork74 
Cattle, Bull Yard._ III.. 46 Poultry, Berks Co. Ex_45 
Cattle, Clyde Ayr.—74 Poultry, La Salle Co. Ass..74 
Chicken-Pox, Cure.73 Prickly Comfrey.45 
Chickens, Spring..... .. 73 Rafters, Measuring and 
Corn. 32-Rowed .. .74; marking.74 
Draining for Profit and Roots. Cutting.45 
Health...47 Saw-Mill, Side Cutting_73 
Egg Foods.74 Scrapple another recipe..46 
Farm Implements and 
Machinery.50 
Farmer’s Pride, What is..46 
Farming, Profitable 58 
Seed-Sower, New.73 
Soap, Castile.45 
Soil, Mechanical Condi¬ 
tion .54 
Farming, Profitable .59 tion.54 
Fence-Posts, Sawed..3 111 .46 Stock, Chicago Fat Show.74 
Fertilizers for House- Stock for 80 Acre Farm.. 47 
Plants.. . .63 Tennessee, Grasses of_74 
Fodder, Oats and Rye for.45 Vegetable Plants Manual.46 
Forest, Am. in England. 46 Weevil, Bean.74 
Georgia, Farm Science in.45 Whipple Guide. III. .45 
Georgia, Manual of.74 Wheat, Am., in Spain .. .45 
Hog Cholera.73 Whip. Self-Acting. ...III. .47 
Hogs, Virginia.45 Wilkins, Death of Col....74 
“ THE FARMER’S PRIDE «-Onr Steel- 
Plate Tine Engraving, while not fully appre¬ 
ciated by a few who do not understand its great artistic 
merits, is very greatly valued by our readers generally. 
As a work of art that will increase in one’s estimation, 
and improve from year to year, it is decidedly superior to 
any Presentation Plate we have ever before known to be 
offered by any journal. (See page 76.) Read the last 
Item but one, middle column of page 5, last month. For 
particulars as to receiving it, see page 75 of this paper. 
55 
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N. Y. Gilt/. Ct., 
Washington, 
land. If. York 
Philadeivhia , 
Maryland , 
State, Michi 
New Jersey, 
Virginia. Ken- 
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PHASES OF THE MOON. 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
CHICAGO. 
N. YORK. 
WASH’N. 
cha’ston 
Full M’n 
3d Quart. 
New M’u 
D. 
6 
13 
20 
H. M. 
8 58 ev. 
2 10 ev. 
11 19 ev. 
H. M. 
8 46 ev. 
1 58 ev. 
11 7 ev. 
H. M. 
8 34 ev. 
1 46 ev. 
10 55 ev. 
H. M. 
8 22 ev. 
1 34 ev. 
10 43 ev. 
H. M. 
7 52 ev. 
1 4 ev. 
10 13 ev. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY, 1879. 
Hint£ for the Work of the Month. 
[The Hints and Suggestions in these columns are 
never copied from previous years, but are freshly pre¬ 
pared for every month, from the latest experience and 
observations, by practical men in each department .] 
Liberal Feeding is true economy. The aim should 
be to induce animals of all kinds to eat all they 
have a good appetite for and digest, by changing 
food and also changing the methods of preparing it. 
Oil-cakes. —Cotton seed and linseed oil-cakes are 
too much neglected as food for stock. When these 
are mixed with equal parts of corn, the food is per¬ 
fectly adapted to the sustenance of animals, be¬ 
cause there is a proper proportion of flesh and fat¬ 
forming substances ; food that is deficient in either 
of these elements is neither healthful nor profitable. 
Bran is a valuable food, and it is a fact that in 
feeding a ton of bran we can get hack a large part 
of its cost in the extra value of the manure made. 
The Value of the Manure should be a serious con¬ 
sideration in feeding. By using concentrated foods 
of the kinds above referred to, we are actually lay¬ 
ing in a supply of the most valuable artificial fertil¬ 
izers at the lowest possible cost. It is, in fact, mak¬ 
ing two profits from the same outlay; one in the 
shape of a useful food, and one in the extra quali¬ 
ty of the manure ; and the latter is frequently one 
of the most important points to consider in feeding. 
The, best way of Managing Manure depends upon 
circumstances. It may be drawn to the fields and 
heaped in a pile, or spread at once upon the land, 
or piled in the yards. But the worst management 
is to scatter it around in the barn-yard and per¬ 
mit it to be frozen or trampled into the mud. 
To wheel Manure easily, a few planks should he 
provided on which a loaded wheelbarrow can be 
taken on to tbe top of the manure heap. The sav¬ 
ing of time in one winter will not unfrequently 
more than pay for the planks several times over. 
In the Southern States no time should be lost in 
gathering all the manure possible, and making com¬ 
posts ready for planting, which begins this month. 
Oats. —The earlier spring oats are sown the bet¬ 
ter, after the soil will admit. If not wanted for 
the graiD, this crop will make valuable fodder. 
Clover may be seeded immediately after oats and 
brushed in ; a good dressing of artificial fertilizer 
will greatly help the clover, and prevent drying out 
when the foster crop is removed. The clover ought, 
then to be stout enough to cover the ground well. 
Orchard Grass is one of the most valuable grassea 
for the South. It will thrive well in open woods 
and shaded fields, and for pasture in the warm 
months there is nothing better. When sown with 
red clover both are ready to cut for hay together. 
Potatoes may be planted this month on fall plowed 
ground, and covered deeply. If frosts are feared 
after the sprouts appear, they may be covered by 
hoeing, or a shallow furrow thrown over them. 
Preparations for Corn and Cotton should be made 
at once. Where abundance of manure is not to be 
had, some artificial fertilizers should be procured. 
From two years’ trials of fertilizers with com on 
the same ground, the writer is satisfied that 100 
bushels per acre can be grown at a profit. 
Large Crops on Small Areas.— It ought to he the 
effort of every farmer to grow as much as possi¬ 
ble upon the least ground. This is economy of 
labor, of seed, and of time. To this end the plow¬ 
ing, harrowing, and fertilization of the soil should 
he thoroughly well done, and the best seed used. 
Grass Lands.— In the South there should be more 
attention given to permanent meadows as well as 
green fodder crops. There are thousands of locali¬ 
ties well adapted for irrigation, and water meadows 
may be made cheaply where the ground admits of 
embanking and flooding. With abundant grass, 
plenty of stock can be kept, plenty of manure 
made, and then large crops of fodder, grain, and 
cotton will he secured. Grass occupies a prom¬ 
inent place as the basis of agricultural wealth.. 
In the North and West, one or two months will yet 
elapse before spring work can begin. But it is 
now a good time to prepare for the busy season. 
Seed should he selected or procured at once. By 
and by there will be too much hurry to do this as 
well as it ought to be done. Nothing but the best 
should be used, and it will pay to pick out weed 
seeds or imperfect grains by hand if it can not he 
done better otherwise. Every time this is done 
the work will be lighter, and the quality improved. 
Stone Boats are very useful implements. There 
should be several of them, and of different sizes— 
one for each team at least. They will be found 
useful for many unexpected purposes, both upon 
the snow and the bare ground where there are no 
stones. This is a good season to prepare them. 
Find Work for the Hired Men. —A man must live 
the year round, whether he is working or not. If 
he is idle during the winter he must earn enough in 
the summer to sustaiu himself when he is idle. It 
is just as cheap therefore to hire men for the whole 
year, and to find work for them during the winter, 
as for eight or nine months. An intelligent farmer 
can easily keep his men at profitable winter work. 
Live Stock should be kept comfortable and clean. 
Examine calves and yearlings for lice. These pests 
will be found along the back and on the neck. 
Rubbing the skin with crude petroleum will destroy 
the vermin. Kerosene oil should not be used un¬ 
less it is diluted with an equal bulk of lard or 
sweet oil, as it will inflame the skin and cause sores 
and wounds. Look back at the past months for 
particular directions, which need not be repeated. 
Poultry. —If the hens are kept warm, and are fed 
well with warm feed once a day, and provided with 
clean nests, eggs will soon be plentiful. Hens that 
have been laying may become broody, and may be- 
set if a glazed coop is provided and placed in a sunny 
spot before a window in a warm poultry house. One 
early chicken thus raised will be worth in market 
during summer as much as two or three later ones. 
Avoid Exposure of the animals to cold when they 
are warm. If a horse is brought in, warm and wet 
with sweat, rub him dry before putting on a blanket. 
He will then keep warm; otherwise he will be¬ 
come chilled by the damp blanket and take cold. 
Early Lambs and Calves are to be provided with 
warm pens and kept dry and clean during February.. 
Remove Ice and Snow from about the stables andi 
sheds, or the cows may slip and injure themselves. 
Prevent the Crowding of animals through doors os 
