1G2 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
Calendar of Operations for June, 1860. 
[We note down sundry kinds of work to be done during 
the month, to cull to mind the vnrious operations to beat- 
tended to A ghince over a table like this will often sug¬ 
gest some piece of work that might otherwise be forgotten 
or neglected. Our remarks are more especially adapted 
to the latitudes of 38° to 43° ; but will be equally applica¬ 
ble to points further North and South, by making due 
allowance for each degree of latitude, that is, earlier for 
the South, later for the North. 
Explanations,—/ indicates the Jirst ; m the middle ; 
and l the last of the month.—Doubling the letters thus:/', 
or mm, or It, gives particular emphasis to the period indi¬ 
cated.—Two letters placed together, as frn or ml, signify 
that the work may be done in either or in both periods in¬ 
dicated ; thus, work marked fm, indicates that it is to be 
attended to from the Jirst to the middle of the month.] 
Farm. 
The hoe and the cultivator would be appropriate em¬ 
blems of the work for the farm this month. Vegetation 
now pushes forward with rapid growth. Not only are 
the staple crops taking firmer hold of the soil, and expand¬ 
ing with cheering promise, but ragweed, daisy, dock, 
thistles, and a numerous horde of foul weeds also feel 
the quickening sunshine, and send out their hardy roots 
to rob the field and vex the husbandman. These are to 
be subdued ; and, scarcely less important, the soil needs 
frequent stirring, to keep it in right mechanical condition. 
The roots of plants require airand water. If the surface 
become crusted, evaporation is obstructed, the moisture 
from the deeper layer of the soil does not rise freely, and 
the air and dews can not readily enter from above. The 
organic matter decomposes but slowly under such cir¬ 
cumstances, the plants are stinted for nourishment, and 
their growth is checked. Hoeing by hand or by horse 
power, is the remedy for weeds and for a hide-bound soil. 
There may also yet be vacant spots to replant wilh corn, 
or to fill wilh other seasonable crops. He who has a mind 
to work, will now find enough to employ him. 
Barley usually succeeds best sown early, but may still 
be put in, ff. It prefers a gravely soil, which should be 
deeply worked, and free from weeds. It may well follow 
a hoed crop. Sow from two and a half to three bushels 
per acre, and harrow in thoroughly. 
Barns and Sheds—See that they are in order before the 
busy having season comes on. Arrange the bay-way 
platforms to keep the hay from the ground and allow ven¬ 
tilation. If hay has spoiled, remove it to the manure heap. 
Examine grain bins, w ool closets, and cattle stalls, for 
vennin, and cleanse if necessary. 
Beans—Plant, fl, w here corn has failed, if seed of King 
Philip or other early variety of corn can not be obtained 
Bees—Head full directions under “ Apiary ” on anoth¬ 
er page. Be cautious in adopting “ patent ” hives ; many 
of these traps puzzle the bees sadly. It will be time 
enough to procure Italian bees when they have been 
thoroughly tried by those who can afford to experiment 
with them. It is possible to be stung by handling them 
too freely while held tit the present high prices. 
Beets—Sow Mangel Wurzel and Sugar varieties, ff, m. 
Bead “ Hints on Root crops," page 175. 
Boys will be ambitious to do men’s work. Do not al¬ 
low them to exceed their strength. Give them good tools, 
allow them frequent rests, and remember “All work and 
no play, makes Jack a dull boy.” Make farm life attractive 
if you would have them remain in the business. 
Buckwheat yields a quick return, and is an available 
crop for lands loo wet for Spring plowing. It may also 
replace corn destroyed by worms or other casualties. It 
may be sown, II, but the first or second week of July is 
preferable in this latitude, as it then has the cooler weath¬ 
er of September for filling. Make the soil fine and mel¬ 
low, and use half a bushel to three pecks of seed per acre. 
Butler—This is one of the very best dairying months, 
both for quantity and quality. The new growth of grass 
is plentiful and tender, and the cows if well cared for, 
have come up to full condition. Observe scrupulous 
cleanliness in every department. Keep the milk and 
cream a! a temperature of from 62° to 05° Fahrenheit. 
Lit all butter be vicll worldd. See that the cows are milk¬ 
ed rapidly, and perfectly dry. Let butter for market be 
pul up neatly, and plainly marked with the owner’s name. 
Read article on page 175. 
Cabbages—Cultivate among the rows frequently—they 
tan scarcely be hoed too much. Plant out for late crops, 
ii, 1. They may be set between the rows of early pota¬ 
toes. which are to come off, 11, or the first of July. Good 
alter culture w ill bring them forward in season, and thus 
two crops will be secured. Use plenty of stable manure, 
'ml none from the pig pen. Sprinkle the plants with air- 
slacked lime or leached ashes, to prevent green lice 
(aphides) and other vermin. 
Carrots may still be sown, ff, for Winter use—they will 
pay as food for rattle or horses. Iloe and thin early, leav¬ 
ing them six inches distant in the row. Some extensive 
cultivators drill in carrots between the rows of onions, 
after the second or third hoeing of the latter. If this be 
done, leave every third space vacant, to give room for 
curing the onions when pulled. 
Cheese—Read again the Prize Articles on the Dairy 
published in last Vol. Watch carefully those in the 
cheese room, to keep out flies. 
Corn-King Philip or other quickly maturing varieties 
may be planted, ff, to replace failures or otherwise. Ma¬ 
nuring in the hill will give it a rapid start. Thorough 
culture should be given to the grow ing crops this month, 
to subdue grass and weeds before the corn roots have 
extended far from the hill, when later plowing and 
hoeing would injure them. Leave the .surface near¬ 
ly level. Allow not more than four stalks to a 
hill—many successful growers leave but three. If the 
pasture ground is limited, put in a good quantity of corn 
broadcast or in drills, for feeding green. See article 
“Remedy for Short Pastures” page 175. 
Fences—An occasional survey of all on the premises is 
necessary for the safety of the growing crops. 
Grain Fields—Cockle, thistles and other weeds may 
now be seen plainly. Pass through the fields after rain 
w hile the ground is soft, and root them out. This should 
be done especially in the best parts of the field, from which 
seed for future sowing is to be selected. Winter grain 
will be ready tor the reaper in some localities, 11. Cut it 
before fully ripe—w hen the berry is advanced enough to 
bear moderate pressure of the thumb nail without break¬ 
ing, or just after it leaves the “ milk” stage. The weight 
will be greater, and the flour better than from grain ripe 
enough to shell. 
Haying should commence as soon as the seed begins to 
form on grass, or clover, that is just as the bloom passes 
away. After this, part of the nourishing matters of the 
stalk change to woody fiber. Hay, especially clover, 
cured without much exposure to the sun, will be sweeter. 
Put it up in narrow cocks, and provide hay caps for pro¬ 
tection from rain. A farmer having much meadow, who 
has no mowing machine, is behind the times. The horse 
pitchfork will also expedite the work. 
Hoeing will be the main wo’rk of the month, on many 
farms, as already noted. Use horse power where the 
ground will admit of it. 
Manures—Roadside weeds, and sods from waste cor¬ 
ners w ill add much to the manure heap, if properly pre¬ 
pared. Keep a supply in the pig pen, and also in the cow 
yard. They will absorb and save the liquid excrements, 
and wash from the droppings. If an animal die, turn it 
to account, by covering w ith a mound of muck -r loam. 
Millet—Sow, ff, m, if nat done previously. It will af¬ 
ford a supply of green fodder, or add to the store of Win¬ 
ter feed. 
Peas fed green with the straw, or ripened and ground, 
are considered excellent food for sw ine. They will at 
least affo-d a change relished by the animals. They may 
still be planted, ff 
Potatoes—Keep free from weeds, but leave the roots 
undisturbed by the plow after blooming. Hill them up 
only moderately if at all. 
Poultry—Allow them to range, if no injury is done to 
the garden or growing crops. Collect the eggs regularly. 
Fowls will lay more freely if allowed a little grain daily. 
Break up the nests of those that show an inclination to 
set; the chickens will in most localities he too late for 
profit. If they are confined to the poultry house or yard, 
give them plenty of green food to peck at, or allow them 
to ramble an hour before going to roost. Keep their 
apartments clean, and use the droppings mixed with plas¬ 
ter, in the garden. 
Pumpkins—Put in vacant spots, ff, they will have a 
chance for ripening, though somewhat late. 
Sheep—Washund shear, ff, if net already done. Read 
article on page 170. Ewes and lambs will do better sep¬ 
arated from wethers and from all other stock. Keep bur¬ 
docks and thistles from the pastures. Examine lambs 
that have been docked or castrated, for maggots. If any 
are found, apply tar, or spirits turpentine. Have every 
sheep markel immediately after shearing. Lampblack 
wet wilh turpentine and mixed with oil, is a cheap and 
serviceable mixture. Give a special mark to ewes yield¬ 
ing the best fleeces, and reserve them for breeders, Sul- 
phur fed with salt, will, it is said, expel licks and other 
vermin. Guard against dogs by attaching a small bell to 
every tenth sheep. 
Sorghum—Drill or sow broadcast, ff, for cutting and 
feeding green. Cultivate that, planted last month, the 
same as corn. It a crop is in cultivation for syrup, ex¬ 
amine apparatus best adapted for grinding and evaporat¬ 
ing. Much was lost last year by improper manage¬ 
ment. 
Stock—Seek to improve hy constantly selecting the best 
for raising, and by using none but good males. 
Swine—Keep them out of the highway. Every farm 
should, if practicable, have an enclosure w ith running 
water, for their use. Allow them the range ofllie orchard 
to devour grubs and fruit infested with worms. If kept 
confined, give them plenty of green food, with sods, 
muck, leaves, and straw, to amuse themselves in rooting 
and manufacturing manure. Have no more than can be 
kept grow ing. Mix ground feed w ith wash from the 
dairy, and allow it to ferment before using. 
Tanner’s Bark—Peel from hemlock and oak, m, 11, and 
stand it up so as to afford protection from rain and allow 
to dry rapidly. 
Tools, particularly for haying and harvesting, should all 
be put in readiness. A poor implement wastes the strength, 
does poor w ork, and is a constant discouragement. 
Turnips do better sown next month. 
Weeds—Nip them before they bud. A day's work in 
subduing them now, will accomplish more than double 
that time spent after weeds have become established, be¬ 
sides the better chance afforded to the growing plants. 
©B’cltKi’d a esc! Nsai’scry, 
Cultivating is the main work of the month in these de¬ 
partments. The same conditions of soil which promote 
the growth of corn and potatoes are favorable to the pro¬ 
duction of vigorous trees and perfect fruit. Many or 
chards which now bear only in alternate years, would, if 
properly treated, yield a full crop yearly. A heavy sod, 
or an exhausting burden of grain will not allow free 
grow th,6 f the orchard. Root crops are 1< ss injurious, as 
the marmrmg and hoeing will be of partial benefit to the 
trees. 
Fruit culturists nave special interest in the preserva¬ 
tion of birds. As forests diminish, insects make their 
w ay to the orchard, and are kept in check with extreme 
difficulty, unless the birds are permitted to pursue them 
unmolested. Encourage the robin, the sparrow, the wren 
and other feathered friends to make their homes in the 
orchard. 
Budding is better done next month in this latitude ; at 
the South it may be commenced, 11. Remove suckers 
from trees budded last year, and keep the growing buds 
tied up, to prevent their being broken off by their own 
weight, or the wind. 
Caterpillars if left unmolested until now, are plainly 
visible; their nests disfigure the trees, and their depre¬ 
dations on the leaves are serious. Destroy them at once 
Evergreens already planted, will receive much benefit 
from mulching, particularly if the weather be dry. They 
may still be safely transplanted, ff. Observe the precau¬ 
tions noted last month. Read pages 178 and 179. 
Fruit injured by insects, falls easily from the tree, and 
should be gathered and fed to swine, or destroyed, to pre¬ 
vent multiplication of the young vermin. Allow swine 
the range of the orchard and fruit yard. Thin out fruit 
that has set too thickly. If very fine specimens of any 
sort are desired, leave but few to be ripened. Protect 
choice cherries from birds by netting or gauze spread 
over the branches. The occupants of a wren house set 
in or near a fruit tree, will aid in keeping away strange 
birds. 
Grafls—Examine and loosen any bandages culling into 
newly grafted trees. Replaco cement or grafting wax 
that lias cracked or peeled off. Remove suckers. 
Hoeing—The plow, horse-hoe, or cultivator will al¬ 
most entirely do away w ith work by hand in the nursery 
rows and the orchard. Avoid barking the trunks of trees 
by passing too closely with the plow. Use the hand 
hoe to remove grass and weeds immediately about the 
trees. 
Inarching or grafting by approach, as described last 
month, will bo in season. 
Insects—Read “Insects and Fruits” in this paper, and 
follow suggestions. 
Layer, 11, new growth of deciduous and evergreen 
trees. It wms fully described and illustrated last month. 
Manure should be spread on the surface as far as the 
roots extend. Given generous quantity of well decom¬ 
posed muck, or composted l arn yard manure, to be man¬ 
ufactured into good fruit, 
Mulching is beneficial on open soils, especially for new¬ 
ly planted trees, and in a drouth. Cover the whole ground 
or as far as the roots spread, with half a:i inch of short 
straw, tan bark, or oilier suitable material. 
Pruning—Leave it mostly, except for evergreens, until 
next month. The shoots of bearing trees may he pinched 
back to induce fruit buds, or to ensure a good shaped 
head. 
Scale—The young are now exposed, and may be easily 
removed by scrubbing with strong soap suds or potash 
and water. Strong lye will answer. A tree can not 
thrive where they arc present, and they spread rapidly. 
Seedlings, especially evergreens, will require shading 
