82 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
Contents for March, 1877. 
Among the Fanners—No. 14. 94 
Animal Portraiture. 99 
Bee Notes for March... 2 Illustrations.. 90 
Boys and Girls’ Columns—The Doctor’s Correspond¬ 
ence-Aunt Sue’s Puzzle Box—Amusement for Boys 
—Feeding the Birds-Aunt Sue’s Chats—Story of the 
Three Little Boys and their Big Snow Ball, 18 Illus¬ 
trations. .105-103. 
Breeds, Standard or Pure...... 96 
Caladium, A Large.103 
Catalogues Received.. 90 
Ditcher and Excavator, Randolph’s. Illustrated.. 92 
Engines for Farm and Workshop, Steam.3 lllustral's.. 93 
Fence Gauge.... Illustrated.. 98 
Fence Posts, Shaping and Boring.3 Illustrations.. 97 
Flower Garden and Lawn for March.... 83 
Flowers, How they are Fertilized.102 
Fruit Garden for March.....83 
Grass, Guinea.... .... Illustrated.. 99 
Greenhouse and Window Plants for March. 83 
Hints and Helps for Farmers..... —8 Illustrations.. 96 
Household Department—Home Topics- -A Convenient 
Pantry—Eastlake Furniture—Household Notes and 
Recipes. 2 Illustrations.. 103-105 
Horseshoes, Movable Calks or Studs for. .Illustrated.. 96 
Kitchen Garden for March... 83 
Market Report for March.... 84 
Ogden Farm Papers, No. 85. ..... .91 
Orchard and Nursery for March. 83 
Orchard, Changing the Bearing Year of.103 
Pig Pen, A very Convenient Farm... .4 Illustrations.. 98 
Plants, Begonias and their Uses. Illustrated. .101 
Plants, Slender-leaved Ipomoea. Illustrated.. 101 
Plants, Useful Method of Propagating... Illustrated. 102 
Potato Sweet ... Illustrated.. 99 
Pumps for the House and Barn__ .5 Illustrations.. 98 
Rabbits, Group of Lop-eared.... Illustrated.. 81 
Science Applied to Farming. 91 
Sheep, A “ Bratted”... .Illustrated.. 98 
Talk on Farm Crops—No 1... 95 
Thorn, Pyracanth. .103 
Tips in Place of Shoes for Horses Feet.. Illustrated.. 97 
Work, Hints About for March.. 82 
INDEX TO “BASKET,” OH SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Calendar for March. 
Boston.NEng 
land. N. York 
State , Michi 
gan , Wiscon¬ 
sin. Fowa. and 
Oregon. 
ti Is’ || 
9 44 
10 57 
morn 
0 9 
3 10 
3 53 
4 28 
4 56 
5 20 
5 40 
sets 
6 56 
8 2 
9 11 
10 23 
11 34 
0 45 
1 50 
2 45 
3 29 
4 5 
4 34 
4 58 
5 21 
rises 
8 32 
9 47 
A. Y.Cay. Cl., 
PUiladelv/iia, 
New Jersey. 
Penn.. Ohio. 
Indiana, and 
Illinois. 
§s •$!> 
$ 8 S*:g 
6 31 
6 29 
6 28 
6 27 
6 26 5 59 
8 29 
9 42 
10 52 
morn 
5 38 
sets 
6 56 
S 1 
9 8 
10 18 
11 24 
morn 
0 39 
1 43 
Washington, 
Maryland, 
Virginia. Ken¬ 
tucky, Missou¬ 
ri, and Cali¬ 
fornia. 
8 27 
9 34 
10 49 
11 57 
morn 
1 4 
2 4 
2 56 
3 40 
4 16 
4 47 
5 13 
5 36 
sets. 
6 56 
7 59 
9 5 
10 13 
11 22 
morn 
0 32 
1 36 
2 32 
3 18 
3 56 
5 22 
rises 
8 27 
9 38 
PHASES OF-THE MOON. 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
wash’n. 
cha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
36 Quart. 
New M’n 
1st Quart 
Full M’n 
6 
14 
22 
29 
n. m. 
5 7 ev. 
10 10 ev. 
8 25 mo. 
1 5 mo. 
U. M. 
5 5 ev. 
9 58 ev. 
8 13 mo. 
0 53 mo. 
H. M. 
4 53 ev. 
9 46 ev. 
8 1 mo 
0 41 mo 
H. M. 
4 41 ev. 
9 34 ev. 
7 49 mo. 
0 29 nio. 
a. 31. 
4 11 ev. 
9 4 ev. 
7 19 mo. 
11 49 28th 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, MARCH, 1877. 
One of the most noticeable occurrences of recent 
times is the purchase of ten thousand American 
Alfalfa, Work on.86 
Ashes, Use of Wood.89 
Ayrshire Breeders Assoc..86 
Biue Grass in Wash. Terr.88 
Brush, Cutting.89 
Butter Tubs. 88 
Cabbage Worm, Hot Wa¬ 
ter for . 86 
Calf, A Sick. ..89 
Canker Worm Guard.88 
Canker Worm, Now.88 
Cattle Disease in England.86 
Cattle in Colorado.87 
Cement for a Cellar. 90 
Corn, Planting in Drills...88 
Crops without Manure... .89 
Currants and Gooseberries 
in Kansas.89 
Egg Food, Imperial.89 
Eggs, How long can they 
De Kept.r.87 
Evergreens in Pots.89 
Farming in Colorado.89 
Fertilizers, Special.87 
Fish Culture, Profitable.. .85 
Grape, Lady.89 
Grease in the Heels.89 
Guano, Peruvian.86 
Hay, Loss of Weight in 
Old.88 
Humbugs, Sundry.87 
Immortelles.89 
Incubator, Corbett.87 
JerusalemArtichokeAgain90 
Labels Zinc.86 
Lice, Where do they Come 
from . 89 
Life Insurance. 86 
Lime, Shall we Use...89 
Linn’sens, the Botanist_89 
Manure, How it is Wasted.87 
Mark Twain’s LatestWork86 
Milking Tubes.....89 
Mud, How to Use Salt... 87 
N. J. Horticnlt. Society...88 
N. J. St. Ag’l Society_.87 
N. Y. Horticult. Society..89 
N. Y. State Ag’l Society..86 
Pea, Japan....87 
Peanuts ..89 
Pears, A Cluster of..89 
Plants, Resurrection.89 
Plows Adamant ..86 
Poinsettia. S9 
Poinsettia, Double.89 
Pork Barrel, Cover for a..87 
Posts Reversed.89 
Potato Catalogue, Bliss & 
Sons’.86 
Potatoes to be a Profitable 
Crop for 1877.87 
Poultry, Caponizing. ..89 
Poultry, Crossing.89 
Poultry for Eggs.89 
Poultry, Litter for. 89 
Prickly Comfrey.87 
Quinces.88 
Rabbit Skins. Curing.86 
Retention of Fostus Ab¬ 
normal .87 
Rinderpest in Europe_86 
Roots for Hogs....90 
Sawdust as an Absorbent.90 
Short-horn Milkers.87 
Sorrel Tree.S9 
Sorrento or Inlaid Work. .86 
Stanchions, Use of.90 
Stock for a Dairy Farm ...86 
Summer Fodder Crops for 
Minn.86 
Tomatoes from Bermuda..89 
Tumor in a Heifer.89 
Turkeys and Ducks, Best.87 
Warts, Proposed Cure for.86 
Water Witching.... .88 
Weevils.88 
Weight of Pigs Heads... .89 
Western N. Y. Hol t. Soc. 86 
Wheat Lodging.87 
Wool Manuf. Bulletin of..86 
Wool Product of Cal. 1876.90 
Worms in Horses...87 
Keeping- Hogs Clean. — “ C. W. B.,” 
Henderson Co.. N. C. The floor of a hog pen should be 
of plank. The pen and the hogs can then be kept clean. 
If the animals are permitted to root up the floor of the 
pen and burrow in the earth, they will always be in an 
uncleanly and unwholesome condition, and much food 
will be wasted. It is quite unnecessary for either the 
comfort or health of the hogs, to let them exercise their 
natural propensity to root in the ground. The exercise 
is really a waste of food, and takes so much from their 
growth. Hogs will fatten most quickly when they eat, 
and sleep, and remain perfectly quiet, as they will do in 
a dry, warm pen, with a clean plank floor, and bedding 
of clean straw and plenty to eat. 
plows by the Russian Government, for distribution 
among the farmers of Russia. There is more in 
this than would seem to be at first sight. It is 
certainly a great compliment as well as a valuable 
acknowledgement of merit to American agricultural 
implement makers, but it implies that the com¬ 
petition of American farmers in the European grain 
trade has touched what has been considered an in¬ 
vulnerable spot. The wheat growers of Southern 
Russia supply what is known as the Black Sea trade, 
and being much nearer to the market than we are, 
their wheat has had a great advantage over ours. 
But American wheat has displaced the Russian 
wheat, to a considerable extent, in the English mar¬ 
ket and the Russian farmers have now to exert 
themselves to hold even a portion of that trade. 
Hence it is determined to try the plows that we are 
using, with a view to produce wheat more cheaply 
than hitherto. But thei-e is something else needed. 
The man that holds the plow is of more account 
than the plow, and there are no farmers in the 
world who are more intelligent or more skillful 
than American farmers. But we cannot afford to 
rest upon what we have gained. The important 
fact here noticed shows that our competitors 
are by no means idle, and intend to improve their 
methods of work’ as far as possible. We must 
meet their improvements hv others of our own. 
Hisits about Work. 
Keep a Note Book. —Perhaps there is no business 
in which there are always so many beginners, as 
farming, and these, whether new at the business or 
an old hand at it, should make a practice of noting 
things as they occur to him, or as they happen; 
and a note hook is handy to have in one’s pocket.. 
New Things are continually coming into notice. 
&ow it is a new fodder plant, some new variety of 
wheat or corn, a new cross of some domestic ani¬ 
mal, or a new tool. It is well to try any promising 
novelty in a small way, at first, to test its value. If 
successful, it is afterwards easy to add to the stock. 
Brains. —There is no better time than the present 
to dig drains. The January thaw, which was very 
general, has filled the low ground with water, and 
flowing water is the best possible leveling instru¬ 
ment. The narrower the drain is made, so that a 
man can work easily in it, the cheaper may the 
work be done. When water is flowing in the-drain, 
lay the tiles from the head downwards. There is 
no danger then of obstructions entering them. 
The Cost of Braining can hardly ever he less than 
it now is. Labor is very low, and those who have 
improvements to make, and have the money, or see 
their way clearly to repay it, if borrowed, could- 
have no better opportunity than the present. 
‘Standing Water.— A very important work is to let 
off any water that accumulates upon the surface. 
This requires constant attention, and the use of the 
hoe or a shovel. Whether there is a crop in the 
ground or not, it is equally necessary to do this 
thoroughly, else the soil is soaked and dries very 
slowly. The amount lost through water remaining 
upon fields, would each year buy for every farmer 
who permits it, a good paper and more books than 
he could well study in a year. 
Barn-yards, especially, should be freed from wa¬ 
ter ; the wash from the roofs should he carried off 
before it has soaked through the manure and dis¬ 
solved out all the valuable parts of it. 
Live Stock. —When the coat is shedding, the use 
of the card, or a smooth curry-comb, should not be 
neglected. There is then an irritation of the skin, 
which is allayed by brushing or carding, besides, . 
the loose hair is removed and does not rub off on 
to the clothes. A teaspoonful of sulphur daily, to- 
every animal, for a week or two, would be helpful. 
Vermin. —As the warm weather comes on, lice- 
and ticks become active, and annoy the animals- 
greatly. A mixture of equal parts of lard and kero¬ 
sene oil, put on the back and brisket of cows, 
calves and sheep, will have a good effect. 
Spring Wheat. —In the districts where this crop- 
succeeds, that is, north of a line drawn from Bos¬ 
ton, to the south shore of Lake Erie, and thence to- 
Central Illinois, it is the first crop sown. Shallow 
plowing, with thorough harrowing, leaving what¬ 
ever small clods may remain after the harrowing, 
upon the surface, is the best preparation. Where 
some stimulating fertilizer is needed, use 150 lbs. of 
superphosphate of lime,or 100 lbs. of guano,per acre. 
Barley. —Skillful management is required to suc¬ 
ceed with this crop. Peculiar soils are required to 
produce a clear, thin skinned, bright colored sam¬ 
ple, such as brings the best price in the market. A 
friable, clean, mellow, dry, limestone clay-loam is 
perhaps the best soil, hut some lighter soils, that 
are warm and rich, will produce good barley. The 
soil must he thoroughly worked, and free from 
weeds. Barley should always be drilled, and the seed 
placed at an even depth below the surface. There 
is no better crop with which to sow to clover. 
Oats will succeed upon soils where barl.ey would 
fail. A rough sod and a moist soil will grow good 
oats; it is the best spring crop for a reclaimed 
swamp or a newly broken clayey meadow. Two- 
and-a-half bushels of seed, per acre, is light seed¬ 
ing ; 3 bushels, if drilled, or 3i, if broadcast, is- 
sometimes sown with good results. The thick 
seeding yields a finer stalk, which makes a more 
desirable fodder than stouter straw. 
Oats and Peas, sown together, produce a very 
nutritious fodder. The two crops together, upon 
one acre of good soil, will yield nearly, if not quite, 
as much fodder as would an acre of each sown sepa 
rately. We have sown two bushels of oats and sij 
pecks of peas to the acre. If sown early, the fed- ■ 
der may be cut for soiling cows or horses in May ok' 
June, and a succession for continuous use may be 
sown every two weeks until early in May. Roll 
the ground after sowing, so that the crop may be 
cut with a mower, which may easily be done, as the 
oats support the peas and prevent lodging. 
Other fodder Crops are barley and tares, or vetch¬ 
es, spring rye, and in the Southern States the Cow-_ 
pea may be added to these. A few acres of some 
early fodder crops will be found very useful for 
feeding green, or for cutting and curing for hay. 
Potatoes. —Earlier planting than usual, will be ad¬ 
visable. Few plant early enough, and now that the 
Colorado beetle is around very early, it will be well 
to get the start of him. We have planted as soonj 
as the frost was out of the ground and the soil dry. 
i 
■ 
