162 
AMERICAN AGRICT/lTURIST. 
Contents for May, 1877. 
Among the Farmers—No. 16.—A Ton of Fodder from 
One of Manure—Prickly Comfrey—Cereals as Fod¬ 
der Crops—Pitting Green Clover—Wooden Harrows 
—Seeding to Grass—Trees by the Hoad-side— 
Rats and Mice—Watering Manure Heaps—The Po¬ 
tato Beetle..174-175 
Bee Notes for May. Illustrated.. 109-170 
Blue Glass in Horticulture.183 
Boys and Girls’ Columns—The Doctor’s Correspond¬ 
ence—Baltimore Oriole—Ant-Lions—Kaleidoscope- 
Piano Kaleidoscope—Ivory Nut—Aunt Sue’s Puzzle 
Box—Puzzling Puzzle—My Pet Birds—Aunt Sue’s 
Chats—A Spring Day in the Country... .12 111. .185-4S8 
Catalogues Received.195 
Cattle for Home Use and Export—Short-horns and 
Devons.2 Illustrations.. 173 
Cattle—The Foreign Meat Trade.. 5 Illustrations. A61-1G9 
Cauliflowers. 183 
Clod-Breaker, Useful.. .Illustrated. 176 
Cotton-Seed, A New Huller.2 Illustrations. .177 
Dairy Barn for 25 Cows.3 Illustrations.. 175 
Farm Work in May.162-163 
Fertilizers, Artificial—What Farmers are Doing.165 
Flower Garden and Lawn in May. 164 
Forest Trees—Red, or Norway Pine.1S2 
Fountain Pump or Sprinkler. Illustrated _178-180 
Fruit Garden in May.163 
Fruit—The Berry Season, Preparation lor.Illustrated..VIS 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in May.165 
Hints and Helps for Farmers.—A Bar Fence—Water¬ 
ing Places for Stock—To Level with Square and 
Plumb-line..6 Illustrations. .176 
House Costing $1,000 .5 Illustrations. .171-172 
Household Department—Home Topics--Floor Clean¬ 
ing-Washing a Wood Floor —Bathing —Graham 
Bread—Sour Milk and Soda—Refrigerator, Home- 
Made—Vines at the door.2 Illustrations.. 183-185 
How Flowers are Fertilized.182 
Kitchen and Market Garden in May. Illustrated.. 161 
Manurial Value of Food .177 
Market Reports for May.165 
Mowing Machine, Improvement in.2 Illustrations.. 179-180 
New York Horticultural Society.169 
Ogden Farm Papers, No. 87.—Mr. Beach’s Herd— 
Cotton-Seed Cake... .. •.170-171 
Orchard and Nursery in May.163 
Orchards, Changing the Bearing Year.182 
Phosphates, Home-made.175 
Pig Pens, Portable..4 Illustrations.. 177 
Plant-Box, Adjustable.4 Illustrations.. 169 
Plauts — A Cruel Flower. The Bladder Flower, 
(Arauja) . Illustrated.. 180-181 
Plants, The Dropwort. Illustrated.. 181 
Post-hole Digger.2 Illustrations. .176 
Science Applied to Farming..171 
Sheep Shearing, Helps in.2 Illustrations. .170 
Talk on Farm Crops—No 3.—Corn and Mangels, 
2 Illustrations ...178-179 
INDEX TO “BASKET.” Oil SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Alsike Clover .194 
Am. Veterinary Review .168 
Ashes for Trees.168 
Ashton Salt.168 
Berkshire Record.194 
Black Quarter . 169 
Breeding Sows.195 
Brick Making.195 
Broom Machinery.195 
Bull, Infertile.194 
Butter Cows.193 
Calf s Nose, Color of.... 193 
California Plow.193 
Catalogues.195 
Cheap Farms.194 
Horse’s Swelled Legs... 195 
Land and Game Birds...168 
Mare Won’t Plow.194 
Marketing Produce.169 
Minks and Minkeries.... 195 
Mowers for Lodged Grassl95 
Muck and Marl.195 
National Repository.167 
No Milk in the Bag.195 
Over-reaching.195 
Phosphate, Value of.195 
Poke for Animals.195 
Polled Cattle.194 
Potash as Fertilizer.167 
Potato Beetle. 168 
Cheese and ButterFac’s..l95lPotato. Making Most of..168 
Chufas Again.160 Potato Premiums .166 
.194 
Coal Ashes for Poullry 
Concrete, Strength of.. 
Corn, Compost.195 
Corn Drills.195 
Corn on Fall-Plowing_195 
Cow, a Good.194 
Dairy Farms.194 
Diseases of Swine.194 
Docking Horses.194 
East India Pea Tree ... .166 
Exporting Barley.194 
Fall Wheat in Spring... .193 
Fertilizers for Mangels. .195 
Fertilizer, Wheat_194-195 
Filling in Buildings.169 
Poultry Matters.167 
Questions, A Variety... .194 
Sawdust in Poultry-housel94 
Sawing a Log True.194 
Seeding to Clover.193 
Sheep Gnawing Trees... .194 
Shed, Movable Roof.195 
Short-horn Prices.195 
Soil for Mangels.195 
Stubborn Cows.193 
Stumps, Clearing.194 
Sundry Humbugs.167 
Sweet Potato', “ Early 
Peabody”.167 
A=.._....jui.iTechnical Education_195 
Gambling at Ag’l. Fairs. 194 Three-Horse Eveners ...195 
Grasshopper Commissionl67 Tobacco Trade Directory.168 
Hogs, Feeding for Profit. 194ITo Puzzlers.166 
Holstein Cattle.193|Western Kansas.195 
Home Building.168 What is Thoroughbred ?.194 
Horse, A Sick.194'Wide-awake in Australia.167 
Xo Prevent a Cow bucking Her. 
self.— “ V. D. Van N.,” Hightstown, N. J., uses the fol¬ 
lowing method of preventing a cow from sucking her¬ 
self. A surcingle is buckled around the cow’s body, and 
a piece of sack-cloth is hung to it in front of the udder. 
With this cloth in the way the cow can not suck herself. 
Calendar for May. 
MOON. ; 
BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
WASH’N. 
cha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
8(1 Quart. 
New M’n 
1st Quart 
Full M’n 
5 
13 1 
19 
26 
H. M. 
6 35 mo. 
0 45 mo. 
11 21 ev.' 
H. M. 
6 23 mo. 
0 33 mo. 
8 0 ev. 
11 9 ev. 
rT. M. 
6 41 mo 
0 21 mo 
7 4* ev. 
10 57 ev. 
IT. M. 
5 59 mo. 
0 9 mo. 
7 36 ev. 
10 45 ev. 
H. M. 
5 29 mo. 
7 6 ev. 
10 15 ev. 
AMERICAN AG III C U LT U R 1ST. 
NEW YORK, MAY, 1877. 
Needs for the Future—Tile Prospect. 
It is very evident that raising and feeding animals 
for meat, must receive more attention than has 
hitherto been given to this branch of farming. The 
speculation in pure bred live stock, if it has been 
an evil at all, or has been carried to excess, as many 
persons have believed, has not been an unmixed 
evil by any means. As we have thought, and have 
frequently said, the speculative furore excited pub¬ 
lic interest, and the undoubted merits of the ani¬ 
mals themselves, have fastened attention upon 
them, and by their means vast improvement has 
been effected in our herds and flocks. If some 
people have gone in too heavily, and have sunk 
money out of present sight, they have at least 
gained wisdom, and by and by the increase of their 
stock will bring ends to meet again. The vast in¬ 
crease of wealth contributed to the agricultural in¬ 
terest by these improved animals, is now being 
manifested. As good stock is coming forward from 
the prairies and plains of Kansas and Colorado, as 
have hitherto come from Illinois and Kentucky 
pastures. The value of the product is thus doubled. 
This is but the beginning of the shower, which 
must by and by become a torrent. Achannel seems 
to have been opened for the increased supply of 
largely improved beef, mutton, and pork, now be¬ 
ing produced, which promises to be highly profita¬ 
ble. Thus the long hoped for opportunity of 
changing our system of farming, has probably ar¬ 
rived, or is very near. While we wait and hope, 
events shape themselves by force of circumstances 
which we cannot control, and which seem to be 
mere accidents. Thus the experimental shipment 
of a few carcasses of beef to England, a year ago, 
seems to have opened a way for us to change our 
exhaustive system of farming. Let us avail our¬ 
selves of the opportunity ; feed as many animals as 
we can, and raise root and fodder crops for this 
purpose. At first we must use artificial fertilizers 
freely, and afterwards as may be needed, to keep 
crops up to the highest limit. “High farming” 
must now be the rule if we are to make money. We 
must get rid of our scrubs : of beeves, that don’t 
make beef; of cows that neither give milk nor 
yield butter ; of sheep that afford neither wool nor 
mutton ; of pigs that make no pork or lard, and of 
poultry that lay no eggs. We must keep only the 
[Mat, 
best, that is, grades from pure bred males ; we must 
feed high and mature quickly, make rich manure, 
grow heavy crops, cultivate thoroughly, turn off 
from one acre as much as we have done heretofore 
frbm two, three, or four, and then American Agri¬ 
culture, which is the freest industry in the world, 
will be the most profitable. 
Hints about Work. 
Com .—This is our great national crop, and ever 
will be. No known vegetable production can take 
its place with us. This month the thoughts and 
labors of the majority of American farmers are di¬ 
rected to this crop. But in by far too many in¬ 
stances an insignificant amount of either thought 
or labor is given to it. This is shown by the very 
poor average yield of the crop. We set our figure 
at 75 bushels per acre. Sometimes we have reached 
or exceeded this, but more frequently have fallen 
short. But this is no reason for despair. It is rarely 
that any person fails that he can not see how he 
might have succeeded, had he only been more care¬ 
ful. The main points for success are: plant on 
freshly stirred soil, the planting following closely 
on the plow; use some active fertilizer in the hill 
or drill—Peruvian guano or blood fertilizer will be 
found excellent; use well selected, sound seed, and 
begin to cultivate, if the ground is hard or baked, 
before the young corn is seen. For the rest we shall 
have something to say next month. 
Crows and Cut-worms .—We believe the crow is a 
much abused bird. No one doubts about the cut¬ 
worm. If the seed corn is washed in warm water, 
in which some fresh pine tar is well stirred up, and 
then dried iu plaster, the cut-worms will rarely dis¬ 
turb the sprouts, and if there are no cut-worms 
about the hills, few crows will disturb the crop. 
Quick planting on a newly turned sod will give 
the worms work enough on the grass roots. 
Boots .—Sow mangels this month. Mr. Harris 
“Talks” about this crop this month, and recom¬ 
mends 8 lbs. of seed per acre. This is very heavy 
seeding ; 4 lbs. will give a good stand if the seed is 
good. The cost of the extra four pounds saved, 
will buy 50 lbs. of nitrate of soda, or 70 lbs. of 
guano, and the saving of labor in singling a few 
thousand plants on an acre, will buy more fertilizers. 
Some farmers favor heavy, others light seeding; and 
very few who grow roots thin the crop enough. If 
8 lbs. of seed is sown, the plants must be thinned 
vigorously. Those who have grown roots will 
follow their own method ; those who have not had 
better try both quantities of seed, and decide by 
their success which is best. The points essential 
to success with corn, apply to root crops as well. 
Clover .—Those who have neglected to dress the 
clover fields with 100 pounds of gypsum per acre, 
should do it at once. If the ground is poor, 100 
pounds per acre of either Peruvian guano, or 80 
pounds of high grade muriate of potash, would 
help the crop greatly. The money will be returned 
in the seed which may be saved at the second cutting. 
Meadows .—There are meadows that have been 
pastured since they were green up to the present 
time, that will be expected to give a crop of hay 
in June or July. The homely old adage, “ you 
canH have your cake and eat it too,” will apply to 
this unprofitable practice. It is cheaper to buy 
hay than to pasture meadows in spring. 
Manure. —See that the manure in the yards is not 
washed by the rains. Pile all of it up neatly, and 
keep the sides square, and the top flat and dishing. If 
for want of rain the pile heats and becomes too dry, 
turn it over. The labor will be well expended. 
Add in every possible way to its bulk and quality. 
Potatoes .—Plant the bulk of the crop as early as 
possible, to get ahead of the late broods of the 
Colorado beetle. Procure a supply of pure Paris 
green in readiness for active warfare as soou as 
the enemy appears. Devoe makes a Paris green 
which is warranted pure; procure this in the 
original packages. A few farmers may club to¬ 
gether aud get a 14-lb. can from headquarters. 
Beans .—This crop deserves better treatment than 
it frequently receives. Those who know its value, 
give it a fair chance. There is more profit in 25 
