290 
AMERICAN AGKRIC l'LTURIS 
Calendar of Operations for Oct., 1861. 
[A glance over a table like the following will generally 
call to mind some piece of work that would otherwise be 
forgotten or neglected. The remarks are more especially 
adapted to places between 38° to 45°; but will be equally ap¬ 
plicable to points further North and South, by allowing for 
latitude. 
Explaiiatf ons.-/indicates thejl?'st; m, the middle; and 
l. the last of the month.—Doubling the letters {Jf, or mm 
or //,) gives particular emphasis to the period indicated.— 
Two letters placed together, as fm or ml, signify that the 
work may be done in either, or in both periods indicated ; 
thus, work marked fm, Indicates that it is to be attended to 
from the^rsi to the middle of the month.] 
Fia a - sb a. 
Much profitable labor may be done on the farm in Oc¬ 
tober. The chief business will be to secure the root 
crops, and to husk the corn and properly store the fodder. 
Permanent improvements in necessary buildings, fenc¬ 
ing and draining, add to the available capital, and should 
not be neglected from false economy; the present month 
is a favorable time for this work. 
.‘.pples—Finish gathering before exposed to injury from 
frost, and market or store for future use. Cooked apples 
arp valuable food for stock, when loo poor to dry. 
Buildings—Examine thoroughly and make all needed 
repairs. Clear out eaves troughs, and arrange drains to 
carry away surplus water, especially from the manure 
heaps. Now is a favorable time for painting buildings. 
Butter properly made early in October is of the best 
quality. Store sufficient for Winter use, working it well. 
Cabbages—Gather and store, ll, except the latest. 
Cattle—Commence feeding before the pastures fail. 
Use the tops of roots and refuse from the garden, etc. 
Read article on page 300. 
Cellars—Follow directions of last month. Secure good 
ventilation, particularly where roots, etc., are stored. 
Corn—Husk,/, m. Select the best ears for seed, trace 
them together, and hang up to dry. Store all stalks, 
leaves, and husks for fodder. The thick buts may b^ 
used in the pig pen ; swine will soon work them into ma¬ 
nure. Store corn in well ventilated cribs. 
Draining may be attended to while the weather permits. 
Read ar ticles in this and previous numbers. 
Grain—Thresh out,. If, if not done, and store in tight 
bins secure from vermin. Market when prices are remu¬ 
nerative. Save all straw for feeding and litter. 
Hogs—Commence fattening early. Cooked food pays 
trust. Keep pens web ventilated, clean, and supplied 
with plenty of litter. 
Ice Houses—Build, if not already supplied. A cellar is 
not needed ; ice may easily be kept above ground if the 
house is properly built, with good ventilation and draining. 
Manure—Provide an abundant supply of muck to ab¬ 
sorb liquid manures, and for making compost. Use weeds 
and other refuse from the garden and elsewhere, includ¬ 
ing all falling leaves, to increase the compost heap. 
Plowing late in the Fall is very beneficial to stiff cl* v 
soils intended for tillage next year, l.eave the ground 
without harrowing, to expose as much as possible of the 
surface to the action of frost. 
Potatoes—Harvest before injured by frost, and market, 
or store in the cellar If room be scarce, they can be 
buried in heaps in the field with safety. 
Poultry—Cleanse the poultry house thoroughly and 
whitewash it. Remove and carefully save all droppings. 
Provide a good supply of gravel for Winter use. Com¬ 
mence to fatten poultry early. Read article on page 301. 
Pumpkins—Feed to milch cows and fattening stock, first 
removing the seeds. Store any surplus before injured by 
frost. They may be kept quite late by covering with 
straw or stalks. Handle with care to prevent bruising. 
Roads—Put in good repair before the Fall rains. Keep 
sluice ways open, and arrange them if possible so as to 
distribute the wash from the road over the adjoining fields. 
Roots—Beets and carrots should be harvested and stored 
in the oellar or in pits, m, l. Remove all tops, and feed 
to cattle. Handle carefully to prevent bruising. Leave 
them exposed a day or two before storing to part with 
superfluous moisture. Turnips may be left until next 
month, except in very cold northern regions. 
Sheep—Keep thriving by an occasional feed of roots 
and grain with hay, as the pastures fail. Salt regularly, 
and give free access to water. 
Sorghum SugarCane—Cut and manufacture as soon as 
fully ripe, and before injured by frost. If all can not be 
worked up before cold weather, house or otherwise pro¬ 
tect the staiks until used, which should be as soon as 
practicable after cutting. 
Tools—Leave none exposed to the weather. If you 
'or vr, no tool room provide one, or at least put them under¬ 
cover. Put all in repair in leisure hours. Repaint wood 
work, clean all iron and steel surfaces and coat them with 
a mixture of lard and resin to preserve from r ust. 
Trees—Plant abundance of fruit and ornamental about 
the dwelling, in the fields, and by the road-side. 
OircSBaBNl anad TCsjrseB-y. 
The labor of harvesting the fruit crop this season, is un¬ 
fortunately light in many sections. The chief cause of 
the small crop was the heavy frost in Spring just as the 
trees came into bloom. There is no preventive for this 
except planting in a cool backward place, or mulching 
about the roots to prevent an early growth. But if the 
trees failed to produce a crop of fruit from exhaustion of 
the soil, a good coating of manure, or a compost of muck 
and lime, or ashes, mixed with stable manure, applied at 
almost any season will produce a thrifty growth and pre¬ 
pare the way for future crops. A large portion of the 
fruit is borne on shoots and spurs of one or two previous 
seasons’ growth, and if this growth has been feeble the 
future crop must be light. Manure applied now w ill be 
carried into the soil by Fall rains, and be in condition to 
be taken up by the rootlets in early Spring. It is not 
enough to spread it for a few feet about lire trunks of old 
trees, for the fibrous roots which take up the manure, ex¬ 
tend six to ten and twelve feet from the trunk. The 
best way is to spread the manure uniformly over the 
whole ground. If the soil has not been stirred for many 
years, plow it lightly, turning in a good coating of manure. 
In addition to manure, if the orchard is young but un¬ 
thrifty, a severe cutting back will often benefit it. Some 
of the roots may be diseased, and the nourishment furnish¬ 
ed by the others be insufficient for the top. By cutting 
out some of the branches and heading back the others, 
new vigor will be forced into those remaining. If on the 
other hand the tree is growing too vigorously, producing 
little fruit, dig about it and with a sharp spade root prune 
it moderately, and head back next Summer to induce fruit 
buds. 
In gathering apples and pears for keeping, much care is 
required. Slight bruises mar the appearance of fruit and 
hasten decay. Pick carefully by hand, or with one of 
the fruit gatherers shown in this or the previous Agricul¬ 
turist, and lay with care in baskets or barrels, before 
taking to the cellar, keeping covered from rain, if 
in the orchard. Only remove to the cellar upon the ap¬ 
proach of cool weather, and then keep the cellar cool and 
well ventilated. It is still better to place them in an out 
building until there is danger of freezing. Both apples 
and pears keep best in a temperature but little above freez¬ 
ing, with a moderately dry atmosphere. An ice house 
will often keep Bartlett and other Fall pears into Winter. 
It is better to leave late fruit upon the trees till cold weath¬ 
er unless there is danger of their being blown off. 
Cider making will be commenced the last of the month. 
Use only sound apples, leave the mashed apples in the 
juice for twenty four hours before pressing, fill the clean 
sweet barrels and put in a cool cellar, allowing the fermen¬ 
tation to go on slowly for a few weeks, when the barrels 
may be bunged up tight. 
Dry a good supply of Autumn fruit for Winter use, 
Panting the seeds for a nursery stock. Before the close 
of tr.-, month, business should be lively in the nursery. 
Many persons who deferred planting trees in the Spring 
owing to fte “times,” are now contemplating setting an 
orchard. Wt advise them to do so, as soon as frost has 
killed the foliagt. rather than wait till Spring. See article 
page 305, on Fall transplanting. We wish to be emphatic 
in our advice to pla,<t fruit trees, and on well drain¬ 
ed or naturally dry soil, v.-e would set the hardy apple, 
pear, and quince trees early this Fall—the stone fruits, 
and some of the tender pears may be left until Spring. 
In addition to taking up and sending away trees for 
present planting, the nurseryman should now collect 
seeds of apples, pears, quinces, with nuts, acorns and 
seeds of the various ornamental trees and shrubs, and 
plant at once, or mix with earth and leave in boxes in ex¬ 
posed situations. See that the boxes are not water tight 
or they may retain too much moisture. 
KltcIscBi awcl Ffl-BBBt 
The work of the month in this department is principally 
securing the remaining squashes, cabbages, potatoes, 
beets, etc., before they are injured by frost. Something 
may be done to forward next Spring’s work. As fast as 
crops are removed, clear the ground of weeds, and digit 
over, to remain exposed during Winter ; this will mellow 
the soil, and destroy many insects. Tops of roots and 
other refuse may be fed to cattle, and weeds, etc., be car¬ 
ried to the compost heap. 
Asparagus—Make new beds now rather than in Spring. 
Spade up the ground 18 inches deep, work in fi inches of 
\T. [OCTOBER, 
horse manure, and plant two-year-old roots a foot apart 
each way, about 4 inches below the surface. 
Beets—Pull before injured by frost, twist off the tops, 
and if the weather be fair, leave to dry before housing. 
Blackberries—Set out a full supply of improved varij 
ties, in soil enriched with compost of leaves, turf, and well 
rotted manure. Plant 4 feet distant, in rows 8 feet apart. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers—Harvest, ll, except these 
planted latest. Set young plants in cold frames, m, l. 
Carrots—Dig, cut off tops, and store in cellar, m, l. 
Celery—Earth up, jf, on a clear dry day, after the dew 
is off. Keep the soil from falling between the stalks, 
which would cause them to rust and spoil. 
Cold Frames—Prepare, m, ll, to protect cabbage, caul¬ 
iflower, lettuce, etc., in Winter. 
Currants and Gooseberries—Transplant, m, l. It is 
better to set them in open ground than close beside fences 
where they are cultivated with difficulty. The Versailles, 
Red Dutch, and White Grape are standard varieties. 
Fruit Trees—Plant hardy sorts, m, l. It is better to 
have fruit trees in an enclosure separate from the gar¬ 
den, except perhaps a few dwarfs. 
Grapes—Gather as they ripen for use and for market. 
For keeping in Winter leave them upon the vines as long 
as may be without danger from frost, gather carefully, cut 
out defective berries, and pack in shallow, close boxes, 
between layers of cotton batting. Keep in a dry place, 
secure from freezing. Transplant vines, m, l. 
Lettuce—Transplant late sown to cold frames, ll, for 
Winter use. Or- seed may now be sown in the frames. 
Mushrooms—Make beds, /, m, l. Protect from frost. 
For full directions see last month, page 274. 
Onions sown late, for early use next Spring, will need 
protection from frost; cover with an inch or two of straw'. 
Parsley—Cut back the growth that new shoots may 
form. Sow seed in frames for Winter use. 
Parsncps—Leave the main crops in the ground until 
Spring—they need no protection, and are improved by 
freezing. Dig what are wanted for Winter use, Ilf and 
bury in sand in the cellar. 
Pickles—Gather and pickle cucumbers, unripe musk- 
melons and tomatoes, or pack in salt for future pickling. 
Raspberries—Hardy varieties may be transplanted, m, 
l, though Spring is a more favorable season. Lay down 
canes of tender sorts, and cover with a little earth. 
Rhubarb—Plant roots or crowns of improved varieties 
m, l. Sow seed at same period. 
Salsafy or Vegetable Oyster—Treat same as Parsneps. 
Seeds—Select the best as they ripen, preserve and label 
carefully, with the name, and the year of growth. Select 
the best roots and store apart to raise seed next year. 
Spinach—Protect with a covering of litter, ll, that sown 
last month for Spring. Weed and thin former sowings. 
Squashes—Gather before injured by frost. Leave the 
stems on, and avoid bruising. Store in a cool, dry place. 
Strawberry Beds—Finish setting out.JT, if not already 
completed. Cover beds, ll, with an inch of straw or oth 
cr litter to afford partial protection. 
Tomatoes are easily preserved in bottles, according to 
directions given in previous numbers. The fruiting may 
be prolonged by protecting the vines from frost with a 
covering of thin cloths to be removed in the day time. 
Use unripened fruit for pickles. 
Trenching—The present is the best season for this 
work. Read article on page 307. 
Turnips—Store or market early varieties, m, ll, Ruta 
bagas and other late kinds will grow until next month. 
Winter Cherries—Collect as they ripen, and preserve, 
or leave them in the husks to be used as wanted. 
Flowei’ Garrten and Fawn. 
The chilly nights remind the gardener that it is time to 
remove tender plants to their winter quarters. It is not 
best to leave them out until there is actual danger of frost, 
for plants which are to be kept in a thrifty growing state 
during winter, should not receive the chill even of an at¬ 
mosphere as low as 40°. Removing these flowers from 
the borders will leave a barrenness unless this was pro¬ 
vided for by a judicious arrangement of dahlias, chrysan¬ 
themums, and other late bloomers. Where there are no 
suitable houses for keeping plants over winter, a “ flower- 
pit” can be cheaply constructed, which will serve a very 
good purpose. It is simply an excavation in the dry earth, 
four to five feet deep, in the bottom of which the pots oi 
half hardy plants are set, and the whole covered over 
with plank and earth. The sides may be of brick, or 
boards even. It should only be covered wttlr earth when 
there is absolute danger of freezing, and it should be v<*n 
tilated occasionally in mild weather, during the winter. 
The Dahlia and Chrysanthemum are the chief attrac 
