4G 
AMERICA^^ AGRlOULTUmST. 
Li'EBRUARY, 
Contents of this Number. 
[Articles marked with a star (*) are illustrated ; the fig¬ 
ure with the star indicates the nuniber of illustrations.] 
Apricot, An Almost Forgotten Fruit.6G 
Art, Manual in Farming. 49 
Bacteria, What are ?.B4 
Barn, A Remodelled..4*.. 48' 
Barn Yard Economy. 62 
Bees in Winter Quarters—Dysentery. 52 
Birch, The White.56 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns: 
How to Make a Toboggan.3*.. 70 
About St. Valentine’s Day. 70 
The Doctor’s Talk. 3*.. 70 
Lady Bird and the Boys.3*.. 71 
“ Buck, Buck, How Many Horns?”.72 
Brake, A Simple Automatic Wagon...2*.. 49 
“ Cat” Scare-crow.47 
Chat with Readers. 59 
Chick Pea, The—“Coffee Plant”.66 
Chicken Brooder, A Home-made. 63 
Comfort from Newspapers.. 57 
Comforts, Little for Farmers. 54 
Conservatory, A Window.65 
Corn, A Change in Color of. 67 
Corn, Its Value in the Ration. 64 
Cross-bars for Mangers and Troughs. 63 
Bairy Statistics, Californian.... .56 
Dairying in California. 48 
Double-Tree, A Light Strong. *. 63 
Dutchman’s Pipe, The. 60 
Editorial Notes.3*.. 58 
Egg Refrigerator. 60 
Earra Work for the Month. 46 
Farming Does Pay. 63 
Feeding and Care of Farm Animals. 47 
Fenceof Stakes and Riders.62 
Fence, Portable Poultry.57 
Fern, The Maiden-Hair. 67 
Flower Forcing in the Window. 65 
Fowls, Light Brahmas,. 60 
Fowls, Selecting for Eggs and for Market. 62 
Garden, Flower and Lawn. 47 
Garden, The Fruit.47 
Garden, The Kitchen. 46 
Gate, A Wrought Iron. .. . *.. 55 
Green-House and Window Plants. 47 
Hedge Plants. 60 
Hinges, Gate of Wood.3*.. 62 
House, A Progressive Dakota Farm.5*.. 54 
House, Poultry, Costing $43.00. S’”.. 64 
Household : 
A Corner Bracket. =”.. 68 
House-Furnishing. 68 
Drop-Leaf Tables. *.. 68 
A Home-Made Fernery.69 
A Home-Made Lounge.68 
About Coughs and Colds. 69 
A Sand-Paper Block.2’”.. 69 
Line Carving.2’”.. 69 
Hurdle, A Revolving.=”.. 57 
Hyacinths. 64 
Ice Crop, The. 49 
Insect, The Grape Seed. 56 
Eadder, Quickly and Cheaply Alade...*.. 47 
Ladders, Dangerous. =”.. 52 
Lights in the Barn. 55 
Marker, A Convenient Ground.47 
Measure, A Half Bushel. 53 
Mulleins, About. 60 
Nest Box for Sitting Hens.51 
Ohio Experimental Station. 60 
Orchard and Nursery. 47 
Pine Trees and Lightning. 60 
Plants, Forw.arding.65 
Possibilities of Western Farming.. 57 
Potato, A New. 65 
Back, A Sheep.51 
Raisin Making in California. 66 
Sashes for Hot Beds.=”.. 65 
Sausage Press, A Home-Made.49 
Shed, A Cheap Manure.*.. 51 
Sheep, American Merino .53 
Sheep Husbandry, The Old and New in.. 61 
Skunk. Hookerlown Views of the. 60 
Sleds, Two in One.49 
Sweet Gum Tree.2’”.. 67 
Xrapping in W’>'1®''. 
Tree Planting, Prairie. 64 
Vegetables, Prepare for Early. 51 
Veterinary, Answers to Questions. 51 
Wagon Box, A Second Story. ’”..52 
Weevils. . 54 
Work, Early Spring. 56 
Eoi* exposures, 'boolc ro 
xiews, Itusiness aiiiioiiiiceiiients, 
etc., see tlic last paj^'es of the paper. 
Begin any Time. 
You can begin your subscription to the American 
Agriculturist with any number, inasmuch as every 
issue is complete in itself. Please forward your 
subscription lists at once, however. 
Our Premium Guns. 
The Guns ■which we offer elsewhere as Premiums 
for subscribers to the American Agriculturist, are 
proving more than satisfactory. Indeed, both of 
them are better than we had supposed we could 
furnish for the money. With scarce an exception, 
every person procuring these from us, express sat¬ 
isfaction. For Testimonials regarding these Guns 
see another page. 
Premium List. 
We have issued another edition of fifty thousand 
of our Premium List, which wOl be mailed, post¬ 
paid, to those of our friends who desire to raise 
clubs for the American Agriculturist. 
New Premiums. 
See another page for Special Premiums for sub¬ 
scribers to the American Agnculturisl. 
“Foes or Friends?” 
This beautiful engraving elicits praise and admi¬ 
ration in every quarter. It is supplied to every sub¬ 
scriber, new and old, on receipt of ten cents extra 
for packing, postage, etc. 
The Six-Hundred Page Dic¬ 
tionary. 
We continue to offer the New American Diction¬ 
ary as a Premium for new subscribers, though ten 
cents is now required for postage. Send for circu¬ 
lar giving a detailed description of this valuable 
Dictionary, if you have not one already. 
Sample Copies. 
We continue to furnish free to canvassers, sam¬ 
ple copies of the American Agricvltwist, Show 
Bills, Circulars, etc., etc. 
MusiciMillions. 
The homes of nearly all of our readers, however 
humble, are doubtless cheered and enlivened with 
some musical instrument or another. Sheet music 
ordinarily retails all the way from thirty-five cents 
to a dollar apiece. Some, of cheaper character, 
published on poor paper is hawked through the 
country at lower figures. We have made arrange¬ 
ments to supply, without cost, all the readers of 
the American Agriculturist with the latest sheet 
music printed on the best music paper, full size. 
A large list of this music is presented on two 
pages, elsewhere. Any new subscriber to the 
American Agi-iculturist for 1884, or any one sending 
us a new subscriber at the regular rate, $1.50 a 
year, can order from us any twelve pieces of this 
music, and it will he delivered free here or sent 
post-free to any point in the United States or Brit¬ 
ish Possessions, on receipt of fen cents for postage. 
Here is a splendid opportunity, which every one de¬ 
siring instrumental or .vocal music should embrace. 
Prepare well for the busy work of spring. Read 
the very valuable suggestions given on page 56- 
Morses. —Don’t forget to daily exercise your brood 
mares. Overfeeding ruins as many horses as over¬ 
work. Keep the stable clean and stalls well littered. 
Cattle. —Feed sliced roots or potatoes once or 
twice a week, as an appetizing change in the ra¬ 
tions. Milch cows require careful handling, as 
they approach the time of calving. Raise only the- 
best calves from superior animals. 
Sheep. —Those grown for wool thrive on a mixed 
ration of bright straw, hay and grain. Early lambs- 
are profitable, but need constant care when they 
first come. Old sheep for the shambles should be 
pushed forward rapidly with a daily grain ration. 
Swine. —Young pigs require warm and comfort¬ 
able quarters, and a thick, dry, cut-straw bed. 
Ibultry. —Laying hens thrive with much sunshine 
and plenty of food, both green and dry, with a full 
supply of pure water, and some form of lime. 
The whole subject of feeding farm animals re¬ 
quires most careful study by all keeping them, and 
especially during the winter season. The attention 
of all practical stock raisers is directed to the 
prizes offered on page 47, for essays on the keeping 
of the various kinds of live stock of the farm- 
KilolieiL iintl IVlai-ket Ciiai’«leiii. 
Market gardeners know the importance of do¬ 
ing certain things at a given time—a date which 
each has found to be best for his particular local¬ 
ity, and knows if he varies from this but a few 
days, his crops may be so far behind those of his 
neighbors as to seriously affect his returns. Market 
gardeners need no remindei; to do this or that, as 
their success depends upon observing the times for 
sowing, planting, etc. Not so with the farmer 
and others, whose gardens are to supply the fam¬ 
ily table. The garden with most farmers is a sec¬ 
ondary affair and often neglected to their loss and 
to the discomfort of the familj'. Such need to be 
frequently reminded of the things to be done- 
There is no reason why every farmer’s family 
should not enjoy the best vegetables, and as early 
as any one, save those who buy vegetables brought 
from the South. To have early vegetables the 
seeds must be sown early. Few farmers care to 
give the attention needed by a hot-bed, but quite 
as good plants may be raised in the windows of the 
house with scarcely any trouble. All the plants 
needed for the family garden, of early cabbages, 
lettuce, cauliflow’ers, tomatoes, etc., may be raised 
in boxes, as described on page 65. Try it, and an¬ 
other year it will come as a matter of course. It 
takes about six weeks to raise plants from the seed, 
large enough to set in the open ground, and this 
will govern the time of sowing. Cabbages are 
nearly hardy, while tomatoes, being very tender, 
cannot with safety be set in the open ground until 
“corn-planting time,” and must be sown later. 
Good Vegetables will only come from good seeds. 
One cannot afford to sow doubtful seeds. Those 
