1879 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
or butter equal to that, so-called, can now be made, 
: with fresh cows, at almost any time of the year. 
Calves .—A run in a good piece of grass will 
greatly help the calves. The more they are pushed, 
without over-doing it, during the first year’s growth, 
the better the mature animal will be. 
Sheep and Lambs .—Dry ewes may be fattened as 
quickly as possible, and marketed. Lambs to be 
made ready for sale, require extra food along with 
the grass. Those not marketed this month, may be 
fed until the fall, and sold then, when they will pay 
better. Flies will soon be troublesome, and sheep 
and lambs should be closely tagged, and smeared 
with tar in places where filth may gather. The flock 
should be closely watched, aud counted every night 
when brought in from pasture. The careful shep¬ 
herd will count his flock every time they are visited 
or moved. Anything wrong will then be noticed. 
Pigs for fall killing, may be forced from the start. 
A run at grass, a little milk, and regular, steady 
feeding on bran and meal slops, will help to make 
a large growth, which is afterwards quickly filled 
up with fat. The low prices now prevailing, must 
be offset by making more pork than formerly out 
of the same feed. 
Rubbing Pasts.— A few rubbing posts set up in 
pastures, will save injury to the fences. Cattle will 
use these conveniences very often, if provided for 
them, and it is worth all the trouble, to witness 
the enjoyment of the animals in the use of them. 
Salt Boxes have frequently been described in the 
American Agriculturist; as they are easily made, 
very useful, and the supply of salt is healthful, a 
few of these boxes attached to the fences of the 
pasture, and kept replenished with salt, will be 
trouble well bestowed. 
Hoes and Tools— Dull tools are labor wasters. It 
is cheaper to use up a whole grindstone in one sea¬ 
son, than to work with dull hoes, spades, and other 
tools. See that dulled tools are ground sharp 
every evening; the men may do this, while they are 
talking and chatting over their pipes, and the tools 
will be ready for work in the morning. 
Pxultnj.-Ca.ts, rats, and hawks, destroy a good 
many chickens. Provide safe coops which can be 
closed at night, and which are not to be opened, 
until the dew is off the grass in the morning. 
Labor-saving Implements .—Work cannot now be 
done profitably without labor-saving implements. 
Corn-planters are almost universally used in the 
West, and eastern farmers can much better 
compete with their western brethren by avail¬ 
ing themselves of the same facilities. Among the 
most useful at the present time is the “ Albany 
Corn Planter,” which, with one man and a horse 
does the work of five or six men, and at the same 
time drops fertilizers in the row, and can be turned 
into a horse-hoe. The lateness of the present sea¬ 
son makes almost imperative the use of such ma¬ 
chines, which pay their cost in one week’s work. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
June brings the harvest of the strawberries and 
the early crops of the garden. It is at this time 
that the weeds, if neglected, will establish them¬ 
selves to the partial or entire destruction of the 
crop. The only way to be master is to keep ahead 
of the weeds. Fight them when they are weak. 
“Pussley” and parsnips can not thrive together. 
Clean culture is the only culture that pays. The 
use of the hoe and rake in June decides, in great 
measure, what the season’s work will bring. 
Labels and Record .—Do not trust to the label at- , 
tached in the nursery as the sole record of the va¬ 
riety. We have often advised that every one 
have a plan or plot of his orchard. It is well to 
make a permanent record on heavy pasteboard. 
This can be copied into the memorandum book 
carried in the pocket for reference in the orchard. 
Perhaps the simplest method is to rule the plan in 
squares, the squares at the side representing the 
rows, and those at the top designating the trees in 
each row. As shown in the accompanying diagram, 
it is easy to indicate any tree, for example, the third 
tree in the fifth row may be found at once. To sim¬ 
plify this, the varieties are designated by letters or 
by numbers, letters being on some accounts prefer¬ 
able. The key to the varieties should be attached 
to the plan, as shown below. Such a plan allows 
one to find the place of a tree at a glance. In an 
orchard where the varieties are few, and the rows 
consist of one variety only, its arrangement is eas¬ 
ily remembered; but where, as is often the case, 
there are but few of a variety, a record is of great 
convenience. 
1 1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
b 
1 
A 
A 
A 
A 
C 
A 
A 
A 
2 
B 
B 
C 
C 
C 
D 
D 
3 
| 
■| ; | 
4 
1 I 
5 
1 
1 ! 
A—Early Harvest. D—Baldwin. 
B—Porter. E—R. I. Greening. 
C—Summer Queen. F—Rox. Russet. 
The diagram indicates that the first row was set 
with Early Harvest, but that the fifth tree in the 
row having died, its place was filled by C, which, 
the key, shows to be the Summer Queen. 
Pruning .—The cessation of the pressing work of 
earlier weeks allows the orchardist to give his trees 
the needed pruning. All dead and useless branches 
should of course be cut away, and those which 
crowd one another. Cover all large wounds with 
shellac varnish, or with paint. 
Grafts should be looked after. It may be that 
the shoots from the stock are growing too vigorously 
at the expense of the graft; remove such twigs. 
See that the grafts have plenty of room and arc 
not interfered with by surrounding branches. 
Thinning .—The sooner this is done after the fruit 
is set, the better. Two-thirds or one-lialf of the 
quantity set may often be removed with advantage. 
AIuIdling .—Apply around young trees almost any 
substance that will cover the soil and shield it from 
the drying rays of the sun, and from the evapora¬ 
tion of moisture. 
Baskets .—Provide the baskets and crates that may 
be needed, and let them be distinctly marked. 
Curcidio .—As soon as the fruit begins to set, the 
trees should be visited early in the morning, when 
the curculio is sluggish. A large cloth should be 
so arranged, that it can he spread, ©r better, held 
by four persons, while another gives the tree two or 
three sharp jars. The insects which fall upon the 
sheet, should be swept into the fire. 
The Borers of the peach and apple tree should be 
looked to. No surface remedy is of use with these 
destructive fellows, after they are once in the tree. 
The use of the knife and probe is the effectual 
means of reaching and destroying them. They can 
be detected by their “ ear marks” of dust, and 
depression in the bark. It is not necessary to girdle 
the tree in the operation, in many cases very lit¬ 
tle use of the knife is required. A few hours spent 
in this manner, will often save many valuable trees. 
The Tent CateipiUar taken at just the right 
time, and that time is in this month, can be destroyed 
with comparative ease. As soon as the nests are 
large enough to be seen, they should be “ wiped out 
of existence.” On a cool morning before the greedy 
“ worms ” are out for their breakfast, and while the 
dew is glistening on the nests, is the most favorable 
time to take them. The lower nests may be reached 
by the hands, and the upper ones by a pole with a 
swab of cloth or a brush. A wash of strong lye is 
an effectual bath for them, but it is best to see that 
they are burned or crushed. 
The Fruit Garden. 
The Grape Vines. —One-year-old vines, set this 
spring, should not be allowed to grow more than 
one shoot. Remove all others, reserving of course 
the strongest. If older vines were set, these should 
not be allowed to bear, as it is necessary for them to 
become thoroughly established and prepare for 
fruiting. Keep all shoots tied up to stakes or trel¬ 
lises. On old vines, the fruit will be greatly im¬ 
proved by thinning after the clusters are set, leav¬ 
ing only two bunches to a shoot. 
Strawberries .—If the beds are not already mulch- 
209 ' 
ed, apply it before the berries get heavy enough to' 
fall over and become soiled. Keep newly set beds 
clear of weeds, and pull up large weeds that come 
up through the mulch on old beds. The picking 
and packing for market requires great care and 
good judgment, for it is the appearance of the fruit 
in the market which sells it. Avoid putting in over¬ 
ripe berries as one such will be crushed and spoil 
the whole basket. Use well ventilated crates; of 
a size to be easily handled, and plainly marked. 
Blackben-ies and Raspberries. —See that the fruit¬ 
ing canes are properly tied up to the stakes or trel¬ 
lis. The young shoots now growing will form canes 
for next year’s fruiting, and should be attended to. 
Cut away all except 3 to 5 to each stool, and tie 
these to the support as soon as old enough. The 
young canes should be pinched off at 4 feet for 
raspberries and 6 feet for blackberries. Cut away 
the old canes after fruiting is past. 
Currants and Goosebemes. —Mulch these early in 
the season ; litter from the barn-yard, or chips from 
the wood-pile may be used. This will prolong the 
season. If the eggs of the “currant worm,” 
which are deposited on the underside of the lower 
leaves, were found and destroyed, there would be 
an end to the trouble at once, but this is not easy to 
do, and the fight begins, or should begin, as soon as 
the ragged appearance of the leaves show that the: 
worms are at work. White Hellebore is the remedy, 
and while it may be dusted upon the bushes, it is 
better to mix it with water, a tablespoonful to a 
pailful of water, and applied with a syringe or 
pump. In mixing the Hellebore, place the powder 
in a howl or other dish and pour on hot water 
gradually, stirring until all is thoroughly moisten¬ 
ed, adding a pint or more of hot water; pour this 
into the pail and fill up with cold water. The 
application should be repeated every few days so 
long as worms appear. In our experience, we 
find that three applications usually finishes them. 
Mitcheu and Market Garden. 
The hoe, rake, or other weeding implement must 
be frequently run along the rows of growing vege¬ 
tables. The weeds must be killed. We hope that 
the time will come when every farmer will know 
the comfort that a well-planted and well-kept kitch¬ 
en garden may bring him. Too many are yet 
content with salt pork and old beans, when they 
might have an abundance of spinach, green peas, 
radishes, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, etc. As the 
early crops come off, they should be replaced by 
others, so that the garden may show no fallow or 
unoccupied ground. Provide for succession crops 
of peas, radishes, sweet corn, etc. 
Asparagus must be allowed time to grow its foli¬ 
age, and prepare the nourishment for next year’s 
crop. From not understanding this, many exhaust 
their beds by cutting too late. The old rule to 
stop when green peas come is a good one. When 
cutting ceases, let the tops grow ; their shade will 
keep down the small weeds, and the few large ones 
that may appear are to be pulled by hand. 
Beets. —Those who would enjoy beets in their 
perfection should keep up a succession of the 
Egyptian, to use while they are still young. Thin¬ 
nings of these and of the late crop make an excel¬ 
lent substitute for spinach. 
Beans. —If not already done, put in the Limas ; if 
a cold rain has injured the first lot, replant. These 
and other pole-beans need a little attention at first 
to make them take to the pole. Put in the Bush 
sorts for succession ; the “ Refugee ” is regarded 
as best late variety and the best for pickling. 
Cabbages.—' The early crop should he kept grow¬ 
ing by frequent hoeings. Plants of the late sorts 
in seed-beds should not be too crowded, and the 
cabbage worm kept off ; picking will answer here. 
Carrots for the late crop may still be sown, using 
plenty of seed, as the ycrung plants are weak, and 
can not break through the soil unless sown thickly. 
Weed as early as the rows can be seen. 
Celei'y. —Weed the seed-bed, and if the plants 
get large before the time for setting out, cut off 
their tops ; this will make them stocky. 
Corn. —Plant at intervals of a week all through 
