394 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Contents of this Number. 
[Articles marked %vith a star (*) are illustrated; the fig¬ 
ure with the star indicates the number of illustrations.] 
Apples, Keeping.424 
Apples, Picking.3!)7 
Aftermath, Treatment of the.410 
Bee Notes for October.399 
Bin for Potatoes. A.*..395 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns The Doctor's Corres¬ 
pondence : Two Odd Chairs and Their History; A 
Tasmanian Rain Gauge; The Doctor's Talks: A 
Farm Museum ; A Farewell to the Woods. .10*.. 418-420 
Cabbage-hug, The Harlequin. *..415 
Carrots, Destroying Wild. 411 
Cattle, Jersey—Herd Book .424 
Cattle, Red Polled...2*..402 
Camp Tip-Top.*. 399 
Celery, About.424 
Celery, Blanching the.397 
Cellar, A Frost Proof.*..395 
City, A 1,600 and 40,000, Every Week.403 
Cleveland Bays.423 
Corn and Corn Fodder.395 
Corn Fodder, Curing.422 
Corn Fodder, “Ladder” for Loading.*..407 
Corn-Knife, A Good.*..410 
Corn Smut, The.397 
Cotton—Butter—Lard.424 
Cotton Crop, Increasing the Value of.412 
Counties, 2,559. 422 
Cow Pea and Its Use at the North.411 
Crops and Prices, What of the?.401 
.Dandelion, The Improved.2*..414 
Eggs, Keeping.410 
Ensilaging Corn Fodder. ... 406 
Exports and Imports—A Bad Showing.400 
Farming in Egypt.*3..403 
Fence Strengthener, A Wire.*. .409 
Fodder, Will it Pay to Steam. 395 
Foods, Some Notes on Common.421 
Frost?, Protection from.396 
Cardens, Farmers’.422 
Gladiolus, The “Sword Lily”.*..413 
Grapes, Keeping.396 
Guenon’s Wonderful Discovery, Story of....403 
Hay, Housing in Norway.*. 407 
Heeling-In, The Importance of.396 
Hemp and Hemp Seed..2*..412 
Hens in Confinement.412 
Hessian Fly, The. . .400 
Hoe, A Home-Made. ...*..411 
Hogs, An Experiment in Feeding.410 
Horses, Slobbering.395 
House, Country, Costing$2,500.4*..398 
Household :—Killing Mosquitoes with Pyrethrum: Use¬ 
ful Household Devices ; A Filter for Cistern ; Conven¬ 
ient Shoe Box ; Sweet Bread ; Preserving and Can¬ 
ning Green Corn ... .7*..416-417 
Humbugs, Sundry.400 
Catch, A Double, for Barn Door.*..410 
Leaves for Bedding. 411 
Limestone, Ground, as a Fertilizer.406 
Live Stock Notes.396 
Loader, A Convenient Hog. .*..409 
Lucern, About.423 
Manure, Liquid.423 
Manure, When to Apply.395 
Milk-House, A Cheap.423 
Mould, White, on Trees.423 
October.*..405 
Peach Seed Planting.424 
Pears, Advice About Planting.: 99 
Pears. The Proper Treatment of.411 
Perennials, What are Hardy Herbaceous.422 
Pickles, Greening.423 
Pig Feeding Profitable...-.423 
Plant Growth, Viewed as to Time.400 
Plants, Preparing for Winter. 97 
Plants, The Care of House.414 
Plaster of Paris.399 
Plowing, Fall.. . .... ....421 
Plums. "Bladder,” or Abortive.*..415 
Poke for Sucking Calf.*..410 
Posts, Substitute Picket Fence..2*..409 
Poultry, Experiments in Keeping.6*..408 
Puller, a Brush. *..404 
Quince Culture .421 
Bats.406 
Roller, A Home-Made. *..407 
Rye, Late Sown for Spring Fodder.f96 
Salt for Weeds.423 
Seeds, Autumn Sowing of Flower.415 
Silkworm’s Eggs.409 
Silos, Cheap .3*..404 
Skullcaps, The.*..413 
Sorghum, Ensilaging.398 
States Grouped by Population.422 
Strawberries, The Alpine.421 
Sumach. ... • • • .424 
'Fools, Mending Broken.2*..409 
Wagon Box for Corn.*.. 395 
Water, Good for the Stock. 395 
Weeds Along the Roadside.397 
Weeds, Introduced. .414 
Weevil, The Pea.2*..397 
Wheat and Chess.404 
Worm, The Basket.424 
Special for all Eyes. =1123 
We send this paper for inspection to many per¬ 
sons whose names have been sent in by neighbors 
and friends. All the reading columns, written ex¬ 
pressly for its pages, and all of the beautiful 
illustrations engraved for the paper, present a 
freshness and variety of matter which, we are con¬ 
fident, will both interest and entertain any one who 
receives the paper—by far the very cheapest jour¬ 
nal in the world. It is supplied, post-paid, for osie 
dollar and a lialf, while other magazines, 
which cost no more for preparation, charge four 
dollars. Readers who may now for the first time see 
the American Agriculturist will, we trust, become 
regular subscribers. All that the paper is in October, 
it will continue to be, and still better, in succeeding 
months. The Supplement (see pages 435, 436, 
and 443,) contains a very large variety of new, 
choice, and useful Premiums, presented to those 
who procure subscribers for the paper. This Pre¬ 
mium List affords a great opportunity for young 
and old for easy labor and most liberal pay. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER, 1882. 
Suggestions for tlie Season. 
Visiting Good Farms. 
The many fairs that are being held in various 
sections of the country are doing much towards 
advancing a far more enlightened agriculture. 
We have already pointed out some of the advan¬ 
tages to be gained by a careful study of the exhib¬ 
its, and the importance of taking an active part in 
these fairs. Another suggestion to the same end 
is here offered, which, if acted upon, will supple¬ 
ment the work of the fairs and do much good to all 
progressive farmers. It is a duty of every farmer 
to visit yearly some of the best farms in the county, 
and there gather practical lessons in improved agri¬ 
culture. There is no method of learning about any 
farm subject equal to being on the farm where it 
is practised, and having it explained by the one who 
has made it a success. It may be the way of 
feeding stock, or a plan of preserving roots, ensil¬ 
age, or other fodder. A farmer may contemplate 
a system of underdrains for his wet fields, in this 
case it would be best to make a visit to some far¬ 
mer who has thus drained his farm, and gain from 
him many valuable hints and suggestions in this 
important work. Such visits not only give new 
ideas, but are a wholesome recreation, and many a 
farmer who at the first thought may say, “ I can not 
afford it!” will find by experience that he has 
spoken too soon. Take a day to go and visit some 
one of the best farms in the county, and this will 
open the way for further visits and a wider knowl¬ 
edge of the best methods of farming. 
Rigging; Swamp Muck. 
The present month is a good time to get out a 
supply of swamp muck. It is impossible to answer 
the question as to the exact value of this material 
as applied to land. The quality of muck varies 
greatly, some of it not being worth the expense 
of removing it from the beds, even when this can 
be done with ease. The fertilizing value of most 
mucks depends largely upon the nitrogen they 
contain, and that this element may be avail¬ 
able, the muck needs to undergo a process of de¬ 
composition. The nitrogen must be liberated from 
its insoluble organic compounds, and form soluble 1 : 
substances, as the nitrates, and ammonia com¬ 
pounds. To secure this, muck should be either 
placed in a heap and subjected to the influence of: 
freezing and thawing—weathering as it is termed, or 
be mixed with manure in a compost heap, and there 
undergo a decomposition, to fit it for use as a fer¬ 
tilizer. At this season the muck beds are usually 
filled with water, but by beginning at one side, a 
boat or scow may be used to advantage. 
A Review' of tlie Year, 
As the more active portion of the year draws to 
a close, it is well for the farmer to look back over 
the busy months just past and draw some les¬ 
sons from the season. This is not only a pleasure, 
but a duty, and all the more the duty when there is- 
little or no pleasure in such a retrospect. It may be 
that some of the crops have failed, and it should be- 
the work of the more quiet months of late fall and. 
winter to find out the causes of these failures, and 
'take all possible measures to prevent their recur¬ 
rence. As an example it may be that the field of 
wheat yielded only half a crop, and was therefore- 
without profit. This may have been the effect of 
one or more causes. Was the soil too poor? A 
good crop of wheat does not grow upon land that 
is lacking in the materials upon which plants must 
feed. There must be a supply of potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid, and especially of nitrogen in an avail¬ 
able form — in short, a soil to be fertile must- 
abound in those materials which are removed in a 
crop, and may be returned again in the manure that 
is made from such crops. If the crop was poor, in 
many cases manuring or otherwise enriching the- 
soil will insure a yield for the coming year. But- 
richness is not everything, and the farmer may 
see his crop fail on a soil that has enough of the: 
various ingredients of plant growth. The mechan¬ 
ical texture of the soil may be at fault. A wet soil. 
is not a productive one. Agricultural plants can¬ 
not do well in earth when the roots are surrounded 
by water, but by draining, wet, cold land often- 
becomes very productive. 
Again, on soil rich and mellow, the partial or 
entire failure of the crop may be in the seed, or the- 
sowing, or both. The value of good seed is beyond 
question, and only the best should be used. There- 
is a great difference in varieties, and a superior sort 
is cheapest at any cost. The farmer may judge of 
the quality of his seed by noting what his neigh¬ 
bors use, and the crops they get under similar con¬ 
ditions, when his own fields have not given good 
returns. Furthermore, a test may be made by sow¬ 
ing different varieties side by side. We do not 
advocate testing many sorts, but do enough of this 
experimental work to keep abreast with the pro¬ 
gress in the improvement of varieties. There are 
failures due to the ravages of insects, or to condi¬ 
tions of climate prevailing for the season. If in¬ 
sects have been destructive, it is important to- 
become acquainted with their habits, that any 
and all means may be taken to meet them. 
In short, farming, as now profitably pursued, 
needs constant study, and during the comparative 
leisure of the winter, every one should review the 
past, and plan for better results in the future. 
Late Sowing of Wheat, 
On a rich soil, winter wheat may be sown with 
good results up to the middle of October in many 
localities. The main point is to have the plants- 
well rooted before freezing sets in. The time of 
putting in grain may be regulated somewhat by the 
character of the seed bed, its richness, mellowness 
and dept*h of culture. Late sowing has this in 
its favor, that it helps to escape the ravages of the 
Hessian fly which often is very destructive to early 
sown wheat. Any quick acting manure is of 
special value on wheat sown this month, as it stim¬ 
ulates the young plants at once to a rapid growth. 
Thus any salt of ammonia dr nitric acid, as sul¬ 
phate of ammonia, or nitrate of soda, furnisher 
valuable nitrogen at once, and 150 lbs. of either 
of these salts per acre may double the crop- 
