1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
275 
Applying' Fresh Itlannre. 
By fresh manure, we mean not only green dung 
from the stables, but that which has been in the 
compost heap a month or more, undergoing fer¬ 
mentation. It may he true that in the compost 
heap, properly handled, there is no loss of fertiliz¬ 
ing material. There is frequently loss from sur¬ 
plus manure lying idle in the compost heap, or 
barn cellar. Of course there is occasion, in the 
regular routine of farm crops, to apply large quan¬ 
tities of manure at one time. But where the manu¬ 
facture of manure in the compost heap is made a 
leading business, there will be a surplus for which 
no hoed crop calls. Any surplus fertilizers in mid¬ 
summer or autumn, can be used economically upon 
the grass crop. They will begin to draw interest 
as soon as spread, payable at the next harvest. If 
you have any meadows that cut less than two tons 
to the acre, top-dress as soon as the hay is gath¬ 
ered. If they yield two tons, top-dress and get 
three tons or a second cutting. Keep manure on in¬ 
terest,and it will pay better than Government bonds. 
Hungarian Grass. 
A large crop of good fodder may be secured upon 
early rye or other stubble by Hungarian Grass. 
The ground should be prepared as for oats or any 
other grain, well manured, and the Hungarian sown 
broad cast and harrowed in slightly. The seed may 
be sown as late as the middle of July, about one 
bushel per acre, but the best results are obtained 
from sowing in early June. H it is desired to have 
green fodder for a number of weeks in autumn, the 
Hungarian seed may be sown at intervals of a week 
or so for upwards of six weeks. The ripe heads of 
this grass contain a large number of hard and sharp 
awns or bristles which are irritating to the stom¬ 
ach of animals, especially horses. This trouble 
can be avoided by cutting the crop soon after the 
heads mature, and before the awns have grown 
to full length and become hard. This grass when 
cured is equal in feeding value to good hay. If 
there is a demand for late fodder, it would be well 
to sow some Hungarian during the present montb. 
The Clover-Worm. 
This insect, introduced from Europe, has been 
occasionally noticed for the last twenty years, and 
now, in some localities, from New England to 
Michigan and Illinois, it often occurs in trouble¬ 
some numbers. It attacks the clover in the mow 
or stack, webbing the stems together with multi¬ 
tudes of silken threads, among which is such an 
abundance of black excrement as to unlit the 
* 
clover-worm (Asopia costalis, Fabr.) 
1 and 2, Larva ; 3, Cocoon ; 4, Pupa; 5 and 6, the Moth ; 
7, the Web. 
clover for feeding to animals. The white cocoons 
are present in such numbers, that one, without 
close examination, would pronounce the hay to be' 
mouldy. The insects are usually found at the 
bottom of the stack. The engraving shows the 
insect in its various stages—1 and 2 represent the 
larva, 3 the cocoon, 4 the pupa, 5 and 6 the moth, 
and 7 the white web in which the worm for the 
most part lives. The moth is one of our prettiest 
species, being of a reddish-brown color, with 
golden-yellow markings and fringe to its wings. 
It is suggested as a preventive, that hay containing 
clover should not be stacked twice in the same 
place, and that the stack should be placed upon 
log or other open foundations, that will allow of 
a thorough ventilation of the hay from below. 
Hints to the Harvesters. 
The laws of health require careful observation 
especially at this heated season of the year. By 
taking some precaution much may be added to the 
comfort of those who must work iu the hot sun. 
It is very important to avoid drinking much cold 
water when overheated. It is much wiser to go 
thirsty than to drink large¬ 
ly of ice water. The fluid 
greatly increases perspiration, 
thins the blood, weakens 
the system and induces con¬ 
tinual thirst. Cool water pour¬ 
ed on the wrists or held upon 
the temples reduces the tem¬ 
perature of the body, and is 
refreshing without being in¬ 
jurious. The head needs spe¬ 
cial protection. A large straw 
hat, not black, is a great com¬ 
fort, and if some green leaves 
—cabbage are excellent—are 
put in the crown there is far 
less danger from the intense 
heat. A handkerchief fasten¬ 
ed to the hat and falling over 
the shoulders will keep the 
bright, burning sun’s rays 
from the neck. This latter 
precaution is not necessary 
for those who are !< toughened” by daily labor out- 
of-doors, but is a wise precaution to all others. 
Care of lave Stock for .July. 
A sheet of cotton cloth is a great protection to 
horses, screening them from flies, dust, and heat, 
while working in the harvest field. Especial care 
must be taken in keeping the horses clean. An 
occasional washing with a soft sponge and car¬ 
bolic soap cleans and cools the skin, aids perspira¬ 
tion, drives away the flies, and is in every way 
healthful and refreshing. Horses may be given a 
bath iu a stream at evening, provided they are not 
warm from work, and are not kept in the water 
more than a few minutes. If the horses are at 
pasture at night, they need a good, generous feed 
before being turned out. When kept in the stalls, 
a mess of green fodder may be given daily. 
During the hot weather, cows suffer if kept in a 
shadeless pasture. A cool, dark and clean stable 
is much preferred by them. They need an abund¬ 
ance of pure water, a plenty of nutritious food, 
and should be kept as comfortable as possible. 
Sheep that are intended for the butcher need to 
be pushed forward with liberal feeding. A quart 
of mixed ground feed to each animal daily, with 
the pasturage, will bring them quickly into good 
shape for the market. Store sheep need good pas¬ 
ture, with a plenty of shade. If dysentery appears 
in the flock, remove the sick animals to a cool 
shed, and give one ounce of castor-oil, with bran 
or oat-meal mush. Should maggots be found upon 
the sheep, tar may be applied to the affected parts. 
Look well to the flock that sheep do not suffer in 
any way during the hot summer months. 
Growing young pigs for the early market are often 
very profitable. They may be ready in 100 days 
from birth, if well fed. At first the sow needs to 
have rich food in abundance, that she may have a 
full flow of milk. After a few weeks, let the 
young pigs have meal and wheat middlings. 
Now is the time to weed out the poor hens in 
the poultry yard. Poor layers or bad mothers can 
be quickly fattened in a coop, when they are ready 
for market, and will command a good price. 
Hove Strawberries. 
t 
Those who wish to increase their Strawberry 
plantation, should set about it at once. The Straw¬ 
berry plant is a most generous one ; besides giving 
a crop of fruit, it also affords a crop of plants. 
Long slender stems push out from the crown of 
the plant, and a bud forms at the end ; roots soon 
appear to fix this bud to the soil, and it becomes a 
new plant; another runner pushes from this, and 
so on. A strong plant will, in a single season, 
surround itself with a colony of young plants. If 
these new plants are left where they grew, the 
oldest of them will bear fruit the next season. 
Ordinarily, we take these up in autumn or in the 
following spring, to plant them in a new bed. 
Being thus disturbed, while these plants may bear 
a few berries, they require to grow one summer, in 
order to become strong enough to bear a full crop. 
It makes but little difference whether we take up 
these plants and set them in a new bed next au¬ 
tumn or in the spring of 1883; they will need all 
the season of 1883, in which to get well established 
and give an abundant yield in 1884. If we can 
manage to remove these new plants without dis¬ 
turbing their roots and checking their growth, the 
oldest of them will give as good a crop as if they 
had been left where they had taken root. This can 
be done by what is called “Pot-layering.” Having 
practised and given an account of this method 
some fifteen or more years ago, we were much 
amused to see, not long since, an European jour¬ 
nal announce it as a “ grand discovery,” and one 
likely to “ revolutionize Strawberry Culture.” At 
present all our dealers in small fruits offer “Pot¬ 
layered Plants,” of course at a somewhat higher 
price than for common plants, as they cost much 
more in labor. The method is very simple, and 
any one can readily increase his Strawberry beds in 
this manner. Small pots, not over three inches 
across, are filled with good soil and plunged in the 
Strawberry-bed, just under the bud, at the end of 
a runner, so that its roots, instead of striking in 
the soil of the bed, will push into the soil in the 
pot. The pot should be set down in the bed, so 
that its edge is not above the general surface, else 
it may get too dry. As the wind may blow the 
runners about, it is well to lay a small clod on 
them, to hold them in place, or a small hooked 
twig may be used. In two or three weeks the 
new plant will be sufficiently provided with roots 
to allow the runner that connects it with the parent 
plant to be severed. It is then to be taken to the 
new bed, the ball of earth containing the roots 
turned out and placed in a hole made to receive it. 
It will go on and grow without any check. To 
prevent any injury from drouth, it will be well to 
mulch the plants with a little hay or straw as they 
are set out. The sooner the new plants can be 
transferred to their new bed the better; if it can 
be done in August, a full crop may be expected 
next year. Suitable pots cost very little at the 
potteries ; those who live at a distance from these, 
can contrive some substitute. A wooden, tin, or 
other receptacle, may be contrived to hold the 
soil. We have great confidence in the ingenuity of 
our people to supply something in the place of 
pots ; for did not a lady, some years ago, write us 
that, being unable to get small pots for her tomato 
plants, she used the shells of ducks’ eggs ! Prob- 
POT-LAYERING STRAWBERRIES. 
