1879 .] 
AMERICAN AGrRTCULTQRIST. 
369 
tainty. The plan of experimenting with fertilizers, 
suggested heretofore in the American Agricul¬ 
turist, is not one for a year only, but should be fol : 
lowed up in successive years, until the character of 
each field is known. This is the best season to ex¬ 
periment upon fall crops, and no time should be 
lost if it is to be done ; a year will thus be saved. 
Root Crops .—Mangels and beets are not hardy, 
and should be put away safely before severe frosts. 
In pitting these roots, it is well to remember that 
to prevent heating, they should be put into the pits 
when dry ; the pits should not be too high or wide, 
but may be as long as desired, and a ventilator will 
be necessary at every 6 feet. It is safest to finish 
the pit at first, although the full coating of earth 
may not be put on until cold weather arrives. 
In Gathering late Potatoes, all that are dug should 
be put away safely before night. At this season it 
will not be safe to leave this tender tuber exposed 
over night, as a slight frost may spoil many. 
Take Care of the Potato Tops .—It is usual to let 
the pigs glean the potato fields. But now that Paris 
Green is generally used, the tops should be gathered 
and burned before the pigs are turned in. Long 
acquaintance with this deadly poison should not 
lead to carelessness with it. Neither is it safe to 
throw the tops into the yards where the pigs are kept. 
Horses .—The season is too far advanced for turn¬ 
ing horses out at night. A cold rain coming on 
suddenly, may do much harm. If horses are 
caught in the rain and thoroughly drenched, it will 
be well to rub them dry, and then blanket them as 
soon as they reach home. But the blankets should 
never be put on until the horses are thoroughly dry. 
Harness that has been soaked with water, will 
dry hard, unless it is dressed while damp with some 
kind of non-drying oil. First wipe off the harness 
with a sponge, and then with a cloth kept for this 
purpose, you can apply the oil or dressing 
thoroughly. A coating of water-proof dressing 
given now will be useful, but the harness should 
be. thoroughly washed and made perfectly clean. 
Economy .—The value of every thing a farmer 
buys, will probably increase considerably before 
long, if the increase has not already begun. Whether 
agricultural products advance in value in propor¬ 
tion or not, a rigid economy in expenditures will 
be prudent. The experience of the past few years 
ought not to be soon forgotten. Every tool, im¬ 
plement, machine, or appliance about the premises 
should bemused and preserved with care ; and before 
anything is purchased, it may well be considered if 
it cannot be produced or made at home. Then the 
money may be doubly saved, for the needed article 
may be had without much cost, and the money it 
would have required will be still in the pocket. 
Cows .—If any inducement was ever needed for 
skillful management of cows, the present low price 
of milk and dairy products would offer one. To 
increase the product in every possible way, is a vital 
necessity for dairymen. The best of feed, good 
water, frequent carding of the animals to preserve 
health, are all means towards this end. Now that 
pasturing is about over for the season, it will be 
well to look over the back volumes of the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist, and study the articles on feeding 
animals. There are some feeding stuffs that are 
worth more than others at the same price. This is a 
point worth special study to all who have live-stock. 
Calves and Yearlings .—Cold and wet do much 
harm to young stock and stop the growth, which is 
rarely commenced again until the warm weather of 
the next season. A rough shed in the pasture will 
furnish useful protection, and a small supply of 
rich food is of value in keeping up the thrift. 
Coarse Fodder, hard and unnutritious, is the cause 
of much disease at this season. If there is no pas¬ 
ture available, but the woods or a swamp, the ani¬ 
mals condemned to such hard fare, should get a 
moderate allowance of artificial food. A cheap 
nutritious and healthful food may be made by mix¬ 
ing 100 lbs. cotton-seed meal and 200 lbs. of wheat 
bran, ground with 100 lbs. of oats ; add 2 lbs. of 
Epsom Salts and mix thoroughly. Two pounds a 
day of this mixture will be found of remarkable 
benefit whep fed under the above circumstances. 
Sheep.- —Long-wool sheep are easily chilled by a 
cold rain that would not trouble a Southdown or 
Merino. Long-wools, therefore, require protection 
from rain-storms, although the weather may not be 
very cold. An open shed in the field may be suffi¬ 
cient. If brought into the yards at night, sheep 
should not be shut up ; they require abundant ven¬ 
tilation, and can not be crowded with impunity in 
close quarters. Where ticks abound, or scab ex¬ 
ists, use the Cresylic or other effective dip. 
Drains .—Fields will need to be relieved of excess 
of surface water, but water furrows should be so ar¬ 
ranged, that as much of the rain-fall as possible 
may be retained on the land. If water channels are 
made down a slope, soluble fertilizers and manure 
will be washed away. Make furrows diagonally 
across the slope, with very little fall, and make 
them broad and shallow, instead of deep and narrow 
Sundry Matters .—Every kind of litter and waste 
matters, except weeds in seed, may be gathered 
and spread in the yards. Abundant litter for the 
stables and pens will be valuable ; straw is worth 
too much for feed, to be trodden under foot. If 
the straw and chaff, after threshing, are in the way, 
buy some thin steers, or take some cattle for feed¬ 
ing on shares; but give something besides the straw. 
A general cleaning up about the barns, stables, 
house, and garden, will give things a neat and com¬ 
fortable appearance. A good arrangement for 
watering stock in winter may now be thought of. 
(See American Agriculturist for August). Poultry 
and other animals for fattening should be put up at 
once. Keep over only such fowls as are profitable. 
Clear all stock from vermin; Carbolic Soap may do 
for covvs, calves, and pigs, and Carbolic Powder for 
poultry. Lastly, but by no means least, every 
farmer should provide himself with a pair of good 
rubber boots and a rubber coat to protect himself 
in storms, and preserve his health during the winter. 
Orchard and Garden Work. 
The work of every cultivator of the soil is ever 
ending and ever beginning, and especially is this so 
in the Orchard and Garden In nearly every month 
he can look backward to something accomplished, 
and forward to something to be done, and he who 
best applies the lessons of the past to the work of 
the future, is the most successful. Of our suc¬ 
cesses we take little heed, we accept them as some¬ 
thing that ought to be, but we look upon our fail¬ 
ures as not ours by right. In the retrospect of the 
present month, it will probably be found that the 
failures, the “bad luck” of the past season, 
whether in the orchard or garden, are due, in the 
majority of cases, to the lack of drainage. This, 
of course, is not the universal cause of disaster, 
but we feel sure that it is more general than any 
other one cause. Wherever this is the case, the 
remedy is obvious—to drain. As this is one of the 
best of all months for the operation, we can not 
better begin our “Hints for the Month” than to 
“ hint ” that it should be a leading work to ascer¬ 
tain if draining is needed, and if so, to begin the 
work at once, and, having begun it, to complete it. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
The late fruits must be picked and packed, and 
either put upon the market or stored. Use great 
care at every step in handling the fruit. When the 
crop is abundant, the best only must be selected 
and sent to market in the best shape ; and where the 
crop is light, still greater care is necessary to make 
the return as large as possible for the poor year. 
Apples .—While many pick directly into the bar¬ 
rels, others put them in heaps for a few days, until 
the skin becomes toughened,before barrelling them. 
Make at least two grades. Put the fruit into the 
barrels carefully. Shake them down gently when 
the barrel is half full, and again when full; after 
which, put on enough to make them all fit closely 
together, when the head is pressed down by means 
of a lever or a portable barrelling press. No fruit 
should stir in the package when it is being moved. 
Mark the opposite head as the one to be opened. 
The apples which have been rejected as small, 
badly shaped, etc., may be dried or made into 
Cider. —Cider-mills or presses are now made of 
all sizes, and one can get one of great power for a 
moderate outlay. The best cider is only made from 
good, late-ripening, sound fruit. A reputation for 
neatness, will greatly help the sale of such articles 
as cider. The best cider can only be made when 
the fermentation is very gradual; hence, cool 
weather should be chosen for making it, which in 
most localities does not come until next month. 
But many early apples may be worked up into 
sweet cider, if there is a demand for it, or be pre¬ 
served in a cool and convenient place for making 
Vinegar .—For this, it makes no difference how 
rapid the fermentation takes place. A large amount 
of fruit unfit for market, may be saved and turned 
to the best account by making it into vinegar. 
Pomace from the cider press is not of much value 
as fodder, and is but little desired by domestic ani¬ 
mals. It may be given to the pigs in small quanti¬ 
ties. If left in a heap, it gives off a bad odor; 
the best way is to put it in the manure heap. 
Quinces should be handled with care. They are 
generally sold by the hundred, and they should be 
counted when put in the packages, and the number 
marked on the outside. 
Fruit Cellars should be provided with ventirators 
so arranged that they can easily be thrown open. 
It is best to leave the fruit in open sheds until cold 
weather comes, being careful that it is removed to 
the cellar before being exposed to severe cold. 
Winter Pears.—When for market, pack them in 
half barrels, with great care. The very choicest 
specimens may be rolled in tissue paper and sent 
to market in shallow boxes, holding a single layer. 
Heeling-In .—As a general rule, it is best for the 
orchardist to get his trees in the fall and heel them 
in, especially if at a considerable distance from the 
nurseries. When procured in the spring, they are 
generally removed in a hurry, and the roots much 
injured. Heeling-in, when properly done, consists 
in burying the roots in a place where they will keep 
in good order until the time for setting. A trench 
is dug, and the roots put in with the stems in a 
slanting position, as in this way they are less injur¬ 
ed by the wind. The soil should be fine and filled 
in closely about the roots. Look well to the labels. 
Leave no litter, etc., near the trenches to harbor 
Mice .—Young trees, and sometimes older ones, 
are injured, if not killed, by mice. A mound of 
earth around newly planted trees, a foot or so in 
hight, will be a protection, and also stay the tree 
against hard winds. As stated above, no litter for 
mouse “nests” should be left in the orchard. 
The Fruit t.ardeu. 
Those who have heretofore grown their small 
fruits in the kitchen garden, are advised, if land 
can be spared—and all farmers can do so—to have 
a separate plot for small fruits. The advantages 
are many; and a single one—the fact that the fruits 
are not in the way of the necessary rotation in the 
kitchen garden—should be sufficient to induce the 
adoption of the method. Now is a good time to 
begin. A plot of good, strong, well-drained soil 
should be chosen. A sufficient fence should be 
put up, and the ground, if in sod, well manured and 
plowed, and left rough until the coming spring. 
Strawberries .—We are often asked whether it is 
better to plant in fall or in spring. There is no 
gain in the time of fruiting by planting now. 
Plants must grow one season before a crop can be 
expected. This does not apply to pot-grown plants. 
If planting is done now, the work is pleasanter, the 
soil in good condition, and the job will be out of 
the way in the hurry of spring. Plant any time 
before frosts, and w'hen the ground begins to 
freeze, cover the beds with litter, putting it but 
slightly over the plants themselves. When there 
is room, set the plants a foot apart in the rows, 
which should be wide enough apart to allow of a 
narrow cultivator to run between. If to be worked 
by hand, 15 inches will be far enough between the 
rows. For Notes on the newer varieties, see last 
month. A few years ago, we stated that if obliged 
to select one berry for the family garden for all 
