AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
Contents of this Number. 
Amongthe Farmers, No. 4S: Marketing Butter—Welsh 
Tubs—“ Fancy ” Packages—“ Knock-down ” Pack¬ 
age—Wax Tissue—Shipping Cases_ .. .9 111. .14-15 
Association, American Agricultural. 5 
Barn-door Fastenings.4 Illustrations. .19 
Begonias, The Tuberous-Booted. . Illustrated.. 21 
Bee Notes for January. 8 
Black-Knot? What is the.6 Illustrations.. 22 
Boys at Work — Corn Experiments. 18 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns :—The Doctor's Talks: 
Motion—Inertia. A Little Puzzling. Move and Re- 
main Still ! Boy’s Tool-Tray. Our Puzzle-Box. A 
Coconnut Tree Afloat. Forfeits for Fun. Illus¬ 
trated Rebus. A Pile of Winter Wood On the 
Pond in Winter.8 Illustrations.. 25-28 
Bounties, Town, Tim Bunker On. 16 
Bulbs, How Japanese Pack. Illustrated.. 22 
Bush-Clover, The Two-Colored. Illustrated.. 21 
Calendar for January. 2 
Callers, The Farmer’s New Year’s. Illustrated.. 1 
Carp, Prof. Baird’s European.2 Illustrations.. 13 
Cow Record. 8 
Exhibitions, Poultry, for January. 34 
Fair, Second International Dairy. 6 
Fencing. Illustrated.. 10-11 
Foot, The Sheep’s.6 Illustrations.. 18 
Garden, Kitchen and Market. 3 
Garden, The Fruit.. 3 
Greenhouse and Window Plants. 3 
Hints and Helps for Farmers: Water Trough—Bag 
Holder—Wagon Jacks.5 Illustrations.. 19 
Horse, Kicking, Training A. Illustrated.. 18 
House, Plan of, to cost. $4,000. 12 
Household : Holder for Wisp Broom—Cleaning Chim¬ 
neys—The Carrot Basket—Household Notes and 
Queries—Carrier for Large Jars—Family Wastes—A 
Pie Lifter. 13 Illustrations. .23-25 
Household Notes. 37 
Humbugs, Sundry. . .. 6 
Logs, Loading. Illustrated.. 16 
Markets for January. 35 
Mills, Grain, to Order. Illustrated.. 15 
Mines and Mining Terms.5 Illustrations.. 17 
Notes on Orchar 1 and Garden Work. 3 
Orchard and Garden. 3 
Orchard and Nursery. 3 
Plants, Fodder—"Teosinte”....2 Illustrations. .19-20 
Plant Individual, The. 23 
Poultry, Useful and Beautiful in. 17 
Railroads vs. Farm Stock.15 
Robin, Impeachment of the. 23 
Science Applied to Farming : Feeding Standards— 
Daily Rations—Tables. 9 
Sheep’s Foot, Care and Neglect.6 Illustrations.. 18 
Stables, Ventilating.4 Illustrations.. 16 
Stations, Agricultural and Departments. 6 
Trees, Cut-Leaved—Paper-Mulberry. Illustrated.. 20 
Woodchucks in the Garden. . .. 23 
INDEX TO “BASKET,” AND OTHER SHORT ARTICLES. 
Agriculture, American and House for 30 Ducks.34 
English. 8 Important.4 
Air, Dampen.37 Institute,Illinois Agric’l.. 34 
Air, Notes on.37 Institutes. Michigan State 
Animals. Shape of. 7 Farmers’. 7 
Apples, Twin Lady. 7 Jack Rabbits.5 
Article, Important.34 Knot, A Safe_ 3 lllus.. 7 
Ashes, Wood.8 Lice from Birds.33 
Associat’n, Am. Agric’l ... 5 Lunch, Nice Toast.37 
Associat’n.Am. Dairym’ns 5 Macaroni, etc.37 
Associat’n.Del. Co. Dairy.37 
Atavism, What Is It?. 5 
Black-Knot, Salt for.34 
Books on Orcharding.5 
Bran as a Food.5 
Brick, Through a.34 
Butter, Keeping, with 
Borax.36 
Buttons, Horn.8 
Cake, Cotton Seed. 5 
Club, Active Farmer’s... .36 
Codfish, Hatching. 5 
Cones, Pine, for Kindling. 5 
Country, An Extensive... 8 
Cow with Sore Eyes.34 
Disease, Poultry. 5 
Duchess, 10th, of Airdrie.36 
Electricity in Bee-Keeping34 
Ensilage: Silo Opening.. 7 
Fish, To Fry.37 
Fodder, Corn, Value of.. .36 
Food Supply in England. .37 
Food, Variety of.8 
Fowls, Disease in. 5 
Fungus, The Apple Leaf. .34 
Gardens in California.36 
Gate, The Sliding.5 
Glass, Hardened. 7 
Hard-Pan. 7 
Hedge, Osage Orange.37 
Help, Hired, in Winter... 8 
noose in Calves.33 
Hop Culture .36 
Horn Buttons . . 8 
Horse in Poor Condition.. 5 
Horses. Balky.36 
Horse Shoes, Self-Sharp¬ 
ening. 7 
Manure, a Product. 5 
Markets, Read Them.8 
Meal, Bone.33 
Message, The President’s. 5 
Oysters and Clams.37 
Parent and Offspring. 8 
Peaches, Seedling.36 
Pigs, Breed, for Market...34 
Plants, Importation of... .36 
Plants, Treatm’t of Frozen 8 
Pleuro-Pneumonia.... 8 
Plumes, Pampas Grass.... 8 
Poultry Disease.34 
Powder-Post, To Prevent.34 
Pump, Submerged.37 
Putty in Tasmania.37 
Root Pulp and Cut Straw. 8 
“Rusk”.37 
Salt, for Black Knot.34 
Schools, For. 4 
Seed Corn.34 
Seeds, So wing Forest Tree 34 
Shot, Eating. 5 
Show, Ill. Fat. Stock. 8 
Snakes Swallow Their 
Young? Do.34 
Society. A Nurseryman’s.34 
Stock. Old and Young_8 
Straw, To Utilize. 5 
Straw, Cut and Roots. 8 
Time, The Fastest. 5 
Toast.37 
Tools, Buying.36 
Vandals of Laurel Hill... .36 
Wheat, Dr. Lawes for’79.34 
Wheat, Largest Yield of.. 7 
Willows,Extermination of 5 
Wood Ashes.8 
Calendar for January, 1880. 
Boston.NEng¬ 
land. N. York 
State. Michi 
gan, Wiscon¬ 
sin. Imca. and 
Oregon. 
N. Y.Citg. 07., 
Philadelphia, 
New Jersey, 
Penn.. Ohio. 
Indiana, and 
Illinois. 
O' 
5a 
§ 
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Sl-S 
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| rises. 
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28 
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Washington, 
Maryland, 
Virginia. Ken¬ 
tucky, Missou¬ 
ri, and Cali¬ 
fornia. 
PHASES OF THE MOON. 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
WASH’N. 
oha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
3d Quart. 
New M’n 
1st Quart 
Full M’n 
D. 
5 
11 
19 
27 
H. M. 
2 5 mo. 
5 56 ev. 
1 56 mo. 
5 28 mo. 
H. M. 
1 53 mo. 
5 44 ev. 
1 44 mo. 
5 16 mo. 
H. M. 
1 41 mo 
5 32 ev. 
1 32 mo 
5 4 mo 
n. m. 
1 29 mo. 
5 20 ev. 
1 20 mo. 
4 52 mo. 
H. M. 
0 59 mo. 
4 50 ev. 
0 50 mo. 
4 22 mo. 
NEW YORK, JANUARY, 1880. 
Hints for the Work of the Month. 
[ The Hints ancl 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 .] 
How do You Standl —One cannot layout his work 
to advantage, without knowing precisely how he 
stands with regard to his business. The beginning 
of the year is the appropriate time for ascertaining 
it. Frequently an account of business is kept for 
a month or two, and then neglected. If it is only 
to encourage habits of regularity and perseverance, 
it will be time well spent to keep an account, not 
only of money affairs, but a record of events for 
every day. This tends to beget promptness and 
system in every detail of farm work, and in busi¬ 
ness affairs, that foresight and economy which are 
everywhere the prime essentials to success. 
Keep a Record of the events of each day’s work, 
and farm-life. One of the boys or girls should do 
this. A book will be needed, ruled with plain lines, 
on which to make the entries ; put down the con¬ 
dition of the weather, the work done, and by whom ; 
purchases and sales made, indeed, anything that 
may be needed for future reference, or that should 
be entered in the account book, which will thus be¬ 
come a valuable and interesting record of the farm. 
Make an Inventory :—Put down every thing you 
possess, from the farm itself, to the small tools and 
utensils, and value each item fairly. Enter the 
money on hand, and also every debt owed. This is 
the tirsf work in beginning an account. The prop¬ 
erty owned, and money on hand, will be on one 
side of the account, and the debts on the other. 
The balance will show just how the farmer stands. 
This account will be the Account of Stock. 
Purchases and Sales, are entered in the daily record, 
and from that into a purchase and sale book ; except 
the cash transactions, which go into the cash book. 
The Cash Rook. —Every payment and receipt of 
money for purchases, sales, or for wages, should be 
entered in the cash book ; this should be done every 
evening, and before it is forgotten ; all these entries 
are transferred to a ledger to the proper accounts. 
The work is very simple and easy, and there are 
farmer’s girls who keep all their father’s accounts 
in the most accurate manner. Fuller directions for 
keeping farm accounts, were given in the American 
Agriculturist for January and February, 1879 
Hiring Men.—A. farmer should try to make work 
for a hired man, or several if possible. If he cam 
find profitable work for them, he is making money 
for hifnself. A few months wages spent in procur¬ 
ing or making manure, draining, clearing off stone,, 
getting out stumps, or otherwise making the 
farm more productive, will be well invested. 
Keep the Stables Clean; clear out the manure 
every morning, and scrape or card off all filth from 
the animals. The stable should be made so warm, 
that the manure will not freeze at night; a lower 
temperature will either demand a larger amount 
of food, or the animals will fall off in condition. 
Pile the Manure in square and compact heaps : 
and if it is not frozen when thrown out, it will heat 
and ferment in the pile ; but if once frozen, it will 
be likely to remain so during all the cold weather- 
In the Southern States, the work of making com¬ 
post heaps, should go on rapidly this month. Time 
is needed in making composts; raw mixtures are- 
not fit for fertilizers, until the materials are decom¬ 
posed. A bushel of lime added to each load, will 
hasten the decay of the materials of the compost 
heap, and cotton seed, well soaked with water will 
soon heat, and warm up a large pile of compost. 
Cut the Litter. —If the litter is cut into 3-ineb 
lengths, or even smaller, it will hold more moisture, 
will make better and finer manure, and will keep 
the animals cleaner than long litter. The gain in 
the quality of the manure, in one year, the saving 
in time in the handling, and increased effectiveness 
of it, will pay good interest on the cost of a wind¬ 
mill, and a fodder cutter, to do the cutting. But 
if the stormy and disagreeable days are chosen to 
cutup straw for this purpose, an abundant supply 
can be made. A broad axe can be purchased for $2.50, 
and with this and a block, a sheaf of straw may be 
cut into 3-inch chaff, in half a minute. Two per¬ 
sons, one to hold the sheaf on the block or plank,, 
and the other to use the axe, would soon cut up a 
ton of straw. Where hard-wood saw-dust, dry 
swamp muck, or pine straw can be procured, these 
make excellent litter and manure. 
Economy in Feeding, is a very important considera¬ 
tion. In some cases half the feed used is wasted. 
Cutting the fodder has proved a saving of one- 
third to one-half. Where but 10 head of stock are 
fed, if the feed of one-third or one-half can be 
saved, it is simply a large increase of the resources 
of the farm, and is sufficient to pay the cost of a 
good cutter and the time expended in cutting. 
Watering Stock. —The supply of water in winter is 
a source of trouble. Ice gathers about the troughs 1 
and other drinking places ; pipes freeze and burst, 
or become choked, and many other inconveniences 
occur. These may be avoided by methodical man¬ 
agement. Have regular watering periods, twice a 
day. Fill the troughs from the pumps or cisterns,, 
and drive the cattle to them and see that they 
drink. When all are supplied, empty the troughs, 
and either cover them or turn them over. Have no 
flowing water in the yards to waste and freeze, or 
become ice-cold for drinking. A cold drink will 
reduce the milk from the cows 10 per cent or more. 
The Milk-Room or Spring-House. —Frozen cream 
will not make good butter. To prevent milk from 
freezing, have a small stove in the dairy, and in the 
spring-house make a covered box over the spring. 
Where a run from a spring can be brought in pipes, 
a Cooley creamery can be used during the winter 
with great advantage; keeping an even tempera¬ 
ture equal to that in the summer when ice is used. 
Horses. —When not at work the horses need but 
little grain, if sufficient good hay is given. But as 
hay is generally dusty, and long hay is wasted in 
the eating, we find it economical to cut and wet the 
fodder, and give 3 quarts daily of bran or ground 
feed. The hay saved will pay for the meal, and the 
increased value of the manure will pay for the 
labor. The moist feed prevents injury to the 
horses from breathing the dust from dry hay. 
Mares in Foal. —A roomy loose box is the safest 
and most comfortable place for a brood mare. A 
colt may be raised for the same cost as a cow, and 
when 3 years old may be worth four cows. There 
