318 
AMEETOA^l AGEIOULTUEIST. 
[August, 
Contents of this Number. 
Among the Farmers. 332 
Animals, Feeding, and Caro of Farm. 328 
Animal Ailments. 324 
August Days. 318 
Australian Wool Farming.!) lUustralions .330-331 
ISoe Uotes for August. Illustrated.. 320 
Boys' and Girls’ Columns : 
An Adventure with Bruin . Illustrated.. 342 
The Doctor’s Talks.5 Illustrations.. 343 
Tree Toads or Tree Frogs.2 Illustrations.. 344 
The Floral Wedding. 344 
Rebus. Illustrated.. 344 
Breeds, Tlie Rival Beef. 335 
Bucket, A Bored Well. li.nstrate.d.. 326 
Cabbage Fly and its Relatives. Illustrated.. 337 
Cats on the Farm... .328 
Cattle, Guernsey. % Illustrations.. 321 
Cattle for the South. 333 
Cellars, Above-ground. 324 
Celery, Should Farmers Grow. 338 
Celery, A New, The ‘'White Plume.”_ Illustrated.. 319 
Chat with Readers. 325 
Chenille, Floral—Spragnea. Illustrated.. 3.37 
Chicks, Hurrying the. 324 
Corn-House and Granary.. Illustrations,. 333 
Corn. How, is Hybridized ?.3'25 
Dog Law. 3'26 
fairs. Our List of.. 324 
Farm Work for the Month. Illustrated.. 318 
Fishery Commission, The New York_ Illustrated.. 327 
Fruit Harvest, The. 339 
Fruit Picker, A Home-Made. 3-25 
Garden, Flower and Lawn..319 
Garden, Kitciien and Market. 319 
Grapevine, Summer Pruning tlie. 3-38 
Greenhouse and Window Plants. 319 
Grounds Irregular, The Management of. ZIlls.. 339 
Hens, FggEating. Illustrated.. 3-22 
Hens Picking Feathers. 333 
Horse Breeding, Valuable Points in. 333 
Horses, Do not Gall the . 328 
Horses, How and When to Shoe. 322 
Horses, Sloping Shoulders in Draft. ^llls.. 3.33 
House, A, for $100. Z Illustrations.. 329 
Household. 
A Bedroom in Cretonne. Illustrated.. 340 
Hanging Slielves. 340 
Notes oil Present Styles of Dress..... 340 
Hanging a Broom. Illustrated.. 340 
A Flour and Meal Closet. Illustrated.. 340 
The Hands... 340 
A Laundry Cushion. Illustrated.. .341 
A Word to Parents. 341 
The Buffalo Moth..341 
Light Work in Mid-Summer.3 Illustrations.. .341 
A Lead Pencil Sharpener. 341 
Insect, A Curious... 324 
Insects, Enemy to Maide Trees. Illustrated.. 3'22 
liUdy Birds and their Larv®. Illustrated.. .3.37 
Loaves, Variations in the, of Trees. 4.111s.. .338 
Melons for Market. 320 
Money-Crop for Next Spring. 329 
Moon, The Harvest. Illustration.. 317 
Notes from the Pines.. Illustrated.. 330 
Notes on Live Stock. ,318 
Orchard and Fruit Garden. 319 
Pecan Nut—Its Cultivation. 3,39 
Plow Plank, A. Illustrated.. 326 
Potatoes, Save the. 330 
Quince, Improvement in the—Meech’s Prolific..il&.. 328 
Kats and Flies. 324 
Rose-bugs and Roses.324 
Salt upon Animals, Effect of. 324 
Silk-worm Cocoonery, A. Illustrated.. 3'23 
Snow Plant of the Sierra Nevada.... Illustrated.. 336 
Strawberry, A good. Coming—The ‘‘Banquet ”. .ifL. 323 
Strawlierries, Fertilizer for... 324 
Stump—Saltpetre and Kerosene. 325 
Stumps, Removing. 332; 
Sugar from Sorglmm, A New Process of Extracting. 
'i, Illustrations . 320 
Timber. The Best Time to Cut.333 
Toads, Do They do H.nrm ?. 334 
Tomatoes and C.ancer. 324 
"Walks and Talks on the Farm. 334 
Water Cresses . 3'24 
"Sl’eeds, Kill the Late... •.3'26 
"V'eevel, A New and Serious Strawberry. III... 323 
Wheat, Getting Ready to Sow.319 
Wire Tightener, A. Illustrated... 326 
For Hambng expoi^nres, "book reviews, 
business announcements, and otker mat¬ 
ters of special interest, see tbe last pages 
of tkis number of the Am. Agriculturist. 
August Days. 
’Tis summer prime, when the noiseless air 
In perfumed chalice lies, 
And the liee goes by with a lazy hum, 
Beneatli tlie sleeping skies: 
Wlien the brook is low, and the ripples blight. 
As down the stream they go. 
The pebbles are dry on the upper side. 
And dark and wet below. 
MRS. E. OAKES SMITH. 
The Harvest Moon. 
Hnsbandinsn in ancient times looked ui^on the 
“■unusual behavior ” of the Harvest Moon, as due 
to a Divine dispensation in their favor, for the pur¬ 
pose of affording them abundant light to enable 
them to complete the labors of the harvest. At 
other times the moon rises about forty-eight min¬ 
utes later than it did on tbe previous night, but the 
harvest moon rises nearly at sunset, and at about 
the same time for several evenings in succession. 
The astronomers dispose of the belief of the an¬ 
cient farmers, that it was a dispensation for their 
Rpecial benefit, by showing that so long as the mo¬ 
tions of the earth and the moon are as at present, the 
hatter cannot help rising in sucli a manner as to pro¬ 
duce the harvest moon. The influence of the moon 
in various worldly affiiirs has been a matter of com¬ 
mon belief from very early times, and there are 
still those who sow seeds, cut timber, kill pigs, 
etc., at a certain time of the moon. The rural 
population of England have several fancies regard¬ 
ing the harvest moon ; among others, that it is the 
proper time for maidens to learn of their future 
through dreams. The harvest moon dreams should 
surely be favorable, as they require no little trouble 
in the way of preparation for them. The lass wlio 
would learn what the future has in store for her in 
the way of matrimony, must open a prayer book 
at the marriage service, and finding the words: 
“With this ring I thee wed,” places upon them a 
ring', a key, a flower, and a sprig of willow ; besides 
these, bread, cake, and other things, including 
cards, are laid in the book, which is wrapped in 
muslin and placed under the pillow. If she dreams 
of a ring, marriage will follow; if of willow,her lover 
will be treacherous, and there is a proper interpre¬ 
tation for whatever may be the subject of the 
dream. Should a goose be dreamed of, the unfor¬ 
tunate dreamer will marry more than once. Though 
the farmer in former times was grateful for the 
harvest moon, as it prolonged his working day, the 
farmer of to-day does not need her light for this 
purpose. Thanks to modern inventions, the days 
of the harvest are abundantly long for their lessened 
labors. Instead of taking a practical work-day view 
of the harvest; moon, be can, with grateful heart 
for abundant crops, give himself up to a full enjoy¬ 
ment of the scene, when 
“ A dewy freshness fills the silent air ; 
No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain, 
Breaks the serene of heaven: 
In full orbed glory, yonder moon divine 
j Rolls through the dark-blue depths.” 
"We now make to Agents and Canvassers the 
Vsame request previously made to subscribers, viz. : 
/ that they immediately forward us any autograph 
' letters, any documents with the ear-marks—or any 
printed matter whatsoever, received by them, indi¬ 
cating that there may have been an organized con¬ 
spiracy to dishonorably or dishonestly appropriate 
the subscription list and good-will of this Company. ; 
■Writers lor tUe August American Agriciilturisti 
Joseph Harris, N. Y. 
Dr. George Thurber, N. J. 
W. Z. Hutchinson, Mich. 
H. DeB. Schenck, Mass. 
Dr. D. D. Slade, Mass. 
J. R. Hawkins, N. Y. 
M. J. G. Hammack, Ill. 
A. A. Eaton, Pa. 
H. W. Pond, N. Y. 
T. L. Price, Cal. 
H. A. Haigh, Mich. 
Rev. "Wm. Clift, Conn. 
Robert B. Roosevelt, N. Y. 
W. W. Meechj N. J. 
J. M. Stahl, Mo. 
Frederick Grundy, Ill. 
IV. D. Boynton, "Wis. 
Andrew S. Fuller, N. J. 
Dr. B. D. Halsted, N. J. 
Col. M. C. "Weld, N. J. 
Rev. E. P. Roe, N. Y. 
Cvril Marr, Cal. 
Alfred Trumble, N. Y. 
J. S. Galloway, O. 
F. D. Coburn, Kas. 
B. W. Jones, "Va. 
J. C. Wilson, Tenu. 
Geo. Folsom, Pa. 
R. S. "Welsh, N. Y. 
Ethel Stone, N. J. 
L. A. Beatty, Ill. 
Mary Hadlein, Mils. 
Lisle Lester, Cal. 
B. Haymond, W. Va. 
See page 350 for items of special intereat. 
Act. 
Think. 
Consult. 
Experiment., 
Make repairs.. 
Carry a note book. 
Watch the markets.. 
Favor the seed-corn hills. 
Manure the back fields! 
Keep up the flow of milk. 
Make repairs ill spare hours. 
Superior work pays us the best. 
Above all things avoid foul seed.. 
Gas lime should not he used fresh.. 
Idle land is Uie weeds’ opportunity. 
Fowls profit by a run in the stubble. 
Wheat after oats is a faulty practice. 
Whitewash will cleanse and sweeten. 
August pigs make holiday small pork. 
Do not let your iusurance policy expire. 
The damages by rats exceed those by fire. 
Sow white turnip seed for flue fall fodder. 
Wash the horses feet and legs every night. 
Success is largely a matter of small details. 
Roll the ground before and not after seeding. 
Good seed and'.good soil are a good beginning. 
Farm animals well summered are half wintered. 
Help out the- dried up pastures with green fod¬ 
der. 
Thinning the root crops means more tons to the- 
acre.- 
Clean, oil, .and store all the implements no longer- 
in use.. 
Get out the year’s supply of mucli while the beds- 
are dry. 
Build temporary jjasture shelter in aiiy parts of" 
the fields... 
, Weeds when they go to seed curse the land that 
grew them. 
The general purpose animal is superior only in. 
its versatility. 
Let the bumble bees live and thus increa.sc the- 
yield of clover seed. 
' A drain to be a profitable investment must be a 
permanent improvement. 
; Fall fallowing cleans the land and brings it into 
fine condition for spring crops. 
Neglected fence rows are like a leaden weight 
upon the neck of clean field culture. 
A farmer’s hank account may grow at the ex¬ 
pense of his manure heap and grain crops. 
A clean, cool, ventilated stable, free from flies, is 
a suitable lodging for the tired work horse. 
The possibilities of a .farm are measured by the 
quantity and quality of brains which run it. 
Amid all the toil of midsummer, do not forget 
to do a little careful work for the coming county 
fair. 
Superior pork made from freshly fallen wormy 
apples is very cleansing to an insect-infested 
orchard. 
A root crop is very humble, but as a foundation 
for a judicious rotation it will support the symmet¬ 
rical superstructure of profitable mixed farming. 
