226 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[August, 
Calendar of Operations for August, 1860. 
[We note down sundry kinds of work to be done during 
the month, to call to mind the various operations to be at¬ 
tended to. A glance 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 tile latitudes of 38° to 45° ; 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 North, later for the South. 
Explanations.—/ indicates the Jirsl ; m the middle ; 
and l the last of the month.—Doubling the letters thus:/ - , 
or n, or It, gives particular emphasis to the period indi¬ 
cated.—Two letters placed together, as fm or ml, signify 
that the work may be done In either or in both periods in¬ 
dicated ; thus, work marked/m, indicates that it is to be 
attended to from the Jirst to the middle of the month.] 
Farm. 
With August the heaviest farm work of the year closes. 
The plow and the cultivator have been succeeded by the 
reaper and mower, and these have completed their task, 
or are rapidly securing the ripened harvest. There is no 
time to be lost if the hay and grain are yet in the fields, 
Grass left to pass out of bloom and to ripen seed, becomes 
hard and w oody, more like ‘ browse ’ than the sweet and 
tender stalk so well relished by stock, and so well fitted 
for their Winter nourishment. Grain cut when each 
stroke of the cutting blade shakes out the fully ripened 
arid best kernels, is wasted in the gathering, and less 
viluable than if secured earlier. 
When the harvest is completed, the first work should be 
a general clearing up and improvement of the fields for 
next year’s cultivation, Draining, slump pulling, remov¬ 
ing stones, rooting out hedge rows, reclaiming waste 
land, or fencing, will profitably employ many days on 
most farms. Now too, while the mucky deposits are 
comparatively dry, there is opportunity to secure material 
for manure to be worked over at leisure. 
The roadsides where noxious weeds are ripening their 
seeds should be neglected no longer. The turf that may 
be collected while plowing out the weeds, will, if added 
to the manure heap more than repay the labor. Such 
labors will fully occupy the time before fall plowing 
commences. 
Barns, sheds and other buildings where hay and grain 
are stored, should have free ventilation. Repair where- 
evcr necessary to exclude rain. Keep the barn floor free 
from ‘ scatterings.’ Thresh out and olean gleanings from 
the grain fields. Exclude fowls from the floor or the hay 
mow—they add nothing to the cleanliness of the winter 
feed. Construct proper drains to carry the ‘wash of the 
yard to the manure ci6tern, or to distribute it over the 
fields—the roadside is fertile enough without enriching it 
from this source. 
Bushes and young sprouts left when mowing, should be 
rooted out. Tear out all hedge rows, or if time can not 
be taken for this, level them with the ax and bush hook. 
Butter to be packed for storing or transportation, needs 
extra attention during the sultriness of dog-days. Keep 
the milk room cool and well ventilated, and remove 
everything from the neighborhood of the dairy that would 
cause an unpleasant effluvia. Observe scrupulous clean¬ 
liness, and frequently scald utensils to keep them sweet. 
Cattle—Keep them in good condition by supplying de¬ 
ficiency in pasture with cuttirgs from the soiling patch. 
Allow them free access to water. If any show symp¬ 
toms of disease, separate them from the herd at once. 
Cellars-Give free ventilation and allow nothing to de¬ 
cay there. 
Corn if properly attended to during the season, w ill not 
be much troubled with weeds now. Plowing among the 
rows will be injurious by breaking the roots. If any cul¬ 
tivation is needed let it be near the surface, with the 
hand or horse-hoe. 
Draining—Improve the comparative leisure after hay¬ 
ing and harvest, by reclaiming swamps which are now 
dry, arid by laying tile or stone drains where needed. If 
there be not capital enough to bring all the land to high 
cultivation by this and other improvements, sell half the 
land and lay out Ihe money on the remainder. 
Fences—Erect new lines of permanent fence, using 
stones from the land If they can be obtained. Remove 
those around which hedge rows have sprung up, if the 
bushes can not be subdued otherwise. Keep all in good 
repair, especially about pastures. 
Forests—Now Is a good time to cut away the forests to 
increase the tillable land. After felling and trimming up 
the trees, draw out the heavy wood with oxen and spread 
and burn the brush, m, 1, to prepare the ground for Win¬ 
ter wheat or rye. 
Gleaning—Pass over the wheat and rye fields with the 
horse-rake after the harvesting, and secure the scatter- 
iugs. This is more economical than to turn in cattle and 
bags, which will glean but imperfectly. 
Grain is safer when threshed and stored in the bin, 
than exposed in the stack to the depredation of rats and 
mice. Thresh early, and market as soon as remunera¬ 
ting prices are offered. Secure granaries from vermin. 
If weevil appear, fumigate with sulphur. 
Hay—Cut, ff, any remaining until now. Coarse wild 
grasses unfit for feeding *re valuable for bedding and 
manure. Secure salt marsh hay and sedge, m, 1, during 
the neap tides of this month, and draw to the sheds, or 
stack upon upland. 
Health—Hot weather is not necessarily unhealthy. 
Excessive fatigue, neglect of cleanliness, want of venti¬ 
lation in sleeping rooms, improper food and more fre¬ 
quently exposure to drafts of air when heated, are the 
causes of diseases incident to the season. Temperance 
in eating, drinking, and working, cleanliness of house and 
of person, and care to avoid exposure, will do more than 
pills or powders to preserve health. 
Horses keep in better condition for work in well ven¬ 
tilated stables with regular feeding, than turned loose in 
unshaded pastures to be tormented by swarms of flies. 
They may be turned out at night and put up in the day 
time. Keep their legs free from the eggs of bott flies. 
Do not overheat breeding mares suckling foals. Accus¬ 
tom colts to be handled while young. 
Insure barns filled with the year’s produce and other 
outbuildings as well as the dwelling. A single stroke of 
lightning may otherwise sweep away the whole. 
Manures will soon be needed for the fall plowed 
grounds. Turn every source for their manufacture to 
profitable account, Fork over the compost heaps under 
cover, to prepare them for carting out. Good and profit¬ 
able soil culture commences in the manufacture of an 
abundant supply of plant-food. Read the “Scientific 
and Practical Talks on Manures,” now in course of 
publication. 
Meadows—A top dressing of well composted manure 
applied to thin spots shortly after mowing, w ill serve as 
a mulch to piotect the feeble roots, and will give a vig¬ 
orous start for fall feeding. Keep stock from mowed 
fields until the grass has a strong start; it should not be 
fed too close. Remove rocks by blasting or sinking, and 
take out all bushes, sprouts and briers. 
Millet or Hungarian Grass—Cut for feeding green to 
stock, or for curing for Winter use. If intended for hay, 
it should be cut before the seed ripens. 
Muck—Draw out as large a quantity as can be used in 
composting with stable manure, and for saturating w ith 
the drainage of the stables, cattle yards and sinks. Store 
it in a heap near the barn, to be used as wanted. Ex¬ 
posure to sun and air will prepare it for use. 
Oats—Complete harvesting as soon as sufficiently ripe. 
The straw well cured, but not burned up by sunshine, is 
worth more for feeding than poor hay. 
Pastures—Allow no fields to be fed too closely. Pas¬ 
tures are ‘run out’ quickly by this process—unprotected 
roots are burned up during drouth. 
Potatoes—Harvest early sorts, and prepare Ihe ground 
for fall sowing. A crop of strap leaved turnips, or late 
cabbages may be secured in favorable locations. 
Poultry may be allowed to run at large as soon as the 
grain fields are cleared. They will fatten upon the 
scattered grain, the grasshoppers, and other insects. 
Root Crops—Run the cultivator between the rows suf¬ 
ficiently often to keep weeds down and Ihe soil light. Thin 
the turnips sown last month. Dust with soot, plaster or 
ashes to drive awaj the turnip fly. 
Rye- Harvest, ff, any remaining. Plow ground for fall 
sowing, next month. If sown too early, the growth will 
be too rank before Winter. Plow deeply, bringing up, 
say an inch of the subsoil. 
Seed Wheat and Rye—The earliest and best portions 
of the field should be left to ripen fully, and harvested 
separately. Remove all weeds from the swaths before 
binding. In threshing, which should be done with the 
flail, strike long enough to heat out not more than two 
thirds of the grain, which will be the plumpest and best 
part. The remainder can be threshed clean afterward. 
Sheep—Give good range of pasture, separate males 
from the ewes, and turn the lambs by themselves or with 
the yearlings, to give the ewes a chance to recruit. Ex¬ 
amine the udders of the ewes when weaning their lambs, 
to prevent their becoming caked. Salt freely, and apply 
tar to their noses to repel the fly. Read “ Sheep Hus¬ 
bandry," on a subsequent page in this number. 
Swine—Those kept in the pens should have grain suffi¬ 
cient to keep them growing and to prepare for early fat¬ 
tening. Late pork usually brings less per lb., and re¬ 
quires more fled to make it. Allow them a liberal 
amount of green food. Pea vines with the fruit, are much 
relished by them. 
Timber—Improve spare time this month in cutting 
building, or fencing timber for future use. It is a favor¬ 
able season of the year for its durabilitv. 
Timothy sown by itself this and the first of the follow¬ 
ing month, will, under ordinary circumstances, give a good 
yield next season. Many successful cultivators prefer 
this to sowing with Winter grain. If the latter be done, 
the fol owing month, or early Spring is pieferable. Use 
from eight, to twelve quarts of seed per acre, according 
to circumstances. 
Tobacco will need cutting, II, in sqme localities. 
Turnips—Strap leaf or flat varieties may still be sown 
ff, among corn, after early potatoes, or on other unoccu¬ 
pied ground. 
Water—The present is a favorable time for digging 
wells. Water reached now will probably remain perma¬ 
nent. If possible, have the barn and sheds supplied wilh 
drinking troughs to which the animals can have free ac¬ 
cess in Winter. Where good drinking water can not bo 
obtained from springs or w ells, filtering cisterns w ill be 
found of great value. We prefer water from this source 
to that from any other. 
Wheat—Prepare grounds for sowing early next month. 
At the north it may be put in, 11. 
Orchard asset Warsery, 
The abundant yield of almost every variety of fruit the 
present year has been most encouraging. Northern 
markets have generally been w ell supplied with good 
fruit, but the prices for the best sorts are still such as to 
keep them beyond the reach of thousands. There is yet 
abundant room for fruit growing. Now that such facili 
ties are possessed for preserving fruits cheaply for Winter 
use, there is little danger of an over supply. 
Budding is now in season. This method affords a ready 
means of securing improved varieties. Commence the 
work as soon as the bark will peel readily, and the buds 
are fully matured. Pears, apples, cherries, peaches 
and nectarines, are about the order in which the dif¬ 
ferent trees are ready to be budded. Select in all cases 
strong healthy stocks and fully developed buds. By 
way of curiosity, a few specimens may be budded 
upon stocks differing from their own kind, as the ap¬ 
ple, the pear, and quince, upon one trunk; the peach 
upon a plum stock, etc. For dwarfing the apple, choose 
the Doucain or Paradise stock ; for the pear, the Angers 
quince stock. Label all budded trees plainly, and also 
keep a record of them. Round off stocks budded last 
year, ff, if not done previously. 
Fences—Keep in repair. By a little neglect maraud¬ 
ing cattle may in an hour destroy, or greatly injure, the 
choicest young trees. 
Hoeing should be continued between Ihe nursery lows 
and around the trunks of trees in the orchard as long as 
weeds continue to start, or w hen the surface of Ihe ground 
becomes dry and crusted. 
Inarching may now be performed upon many tree 
and shrubs. 
Insects—Borers are busy in the apple and peach trees 
Examine frequently for their marks, and destroy them 
Late caterpillars abound in many sections, and the sec 
ond crop of many insects infest the branches and leaves 
Apply whale oil soap and other suitable remedies. 
Layering—The growth of the present season is now 
sufficiently advanced for this operation. Peg down 
f, in, stools and plants intended for propagation in this 
manner. 
Overloaded trees should have the fruit thinned, or the 
branches properly supported by tying lo stakes. Peach¬ 
es, especially, are liable to have the branches split down 
from the trunk during sudden 'gusts of wind occurring at 
this season. Used forked sticks, with cloth, matting, or 
hay bands to prevent chafing. 
Peaches, pears, and other fruit now ripening, if for 
market, should be picked before softening, to prevent 
bruising. They may be disposed of to better advantage 
if left lo ripen in the care of the dealer. Have all bask¬ 
ets properly marked. There is nothing gained in the 
end by such deception as “topping” baskets of inferior 
fruit, with a better sort. “ Honesty is the best policy.” 
Pruning—Complete this work this month, according lo 
directions given in the previous number. 
Seedling trees of all kinds should be kept free from 
weeds. Partial shading with screens made of slats, or 
with branches of trees is beneficial, particularly with 
evergreens. 
Evergreens may be transplanted during the latter part 
of this month, though May is preferable. If done now, 
mulch and give plenty of w ater if drouth prevails. 
Water seedling beds when needed, applying it at even 
ing. Choice trees suffering from drouth should also be 
supplied. Dig near the tree, to a depth of six inchos o. 
more, pour in the water, cover the place with dry earth, 
and apply mulching to retain the moisture. 
