338 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[August, 
some pinehing and watering. Watch the approach of 
mildew, using sulphur to check it. 
Houses—Commence early to put them in order, before 
plants are brought in. Repair shelves and beds, glaze 
windows, cleanse the whole house thoroughly, have 
ropes, weights and pullies in working condition, look to 
the heating apparatus, and lastly paint those houses re¬ 
quiring it, being careful to empty from them all tender 
succulent plants at the time, else the poisonous gas from 
new paint will cause defoliation. 
Insects—Keep in check as recommended under “ Flow¬ 
er Garden.” If they have established themselves in Ihe 
houses, syringe thoroughly, and if not effectual, fumigate 
with tobacco. 
Manure—Give in liquid form to plants growing in pots, 
especially to those of unthrifty growth. 
Potting—This is the appropriate season for shifting gen¬ 
erally, and potting off seedlings. Complete early, that 
they may become established before Winter. See that 
a good heap of properly prepared potting soil is in readi¬ 
ness, as large quantities will be wanted before all the 
plants receive their final change for the Winter. 
Seeds—Collect as they ripen, and carefully label or 
plant according to their character. Calceolarias, cinera¬ 
rias, sweet alyssum, mignonette, pansies, daisies, etc., 
may be sown now for winter blooming. 
Tender Plants, and some of those intended for early 
Winter bloom should betaken to the houses, 11, before 
chilly nights come on. 
Water—Give abundantly inside, and to pots in the bor¬ 
der. Syringe the foliage and walls of the house both 
morning and evening, sprinkling the floors at the same 
time. 
Apiary in August. 
BY M. QUINBY. 
When surplus honey in glass boxes is intended for 
market, it should be taken from the hive before any of the 
darker honey, made from Buckwheat, is mixed with it. 
Boxes that are only two thirds or three quarters full, are 
often worth as much as if finished with buckwheat. This, 
being put in last, will be on the outside, and the box will 
appear as if all of that quality Forborne use, unless it 
is desired to have it purely white, it may remain till 
the combs are finished—sealed up—before removing it. 
Bees will collect buckwheat honey nearly all of this 
month, and where the crop is general, swarms may be 
expected occasionally from the 10th to the 25lii. Where 
they do not have access to these flowers, they will per¬ 
haps add nothing more to their stores. The honey in 
suoli boxes as are only part full—cells not sealed—will be 
likely to be carried down into the hive. This should be 
removed at once, unless additions to their Winter stores 
are needed. Full boxes, of course, should be removed 
without delay. 
When glass boxes are put on a hive, there should be a 
fur prospect, at least, of having honey stored in them. 
Weak colonies will often only go up into the boxes, and 
smear the inside with just enough propolis to injure its 
appearance another year. Moth eggs will not hatch in 
boxes of honey laid up for Winter, when kept sufficient¬ 
ly cool—a good cellar, if dry, w ill do—dampness injures 
the honey : keep dry even should the worms hatch. 
Watch for them, and smoke with brimstone on their first 
appearance.Divide any buckwheat swarm that 
may issue this month ; give the half containing the 
queen to any stock that remains queenless; and re¬ 
turn the other half to the parent stock. Particulars for 
the operation were given in the Agriculturist in August 
last year. Continue to place vessels filled with sw eet¬ 
ened water about the hives through this month. Any 
old stock very much reduced by over swarming, or 
other cause, that has a queen, and is otherw ise healthy, 
will probably need much assistance to recover strength. 
Lay some pieces of old refuse comb near the entrance, 
(if you have it,) lo induce the moth to deposit her 
eggs ihere, instead of on the combs inside; they are 
much easier destroyed in this way than when in the 
hive.... Where the buckwheat crop is not raised, hives 
are usually as heavy in the early part of this month as 
at any time : for although honey will continue to be 
brought in. the quantity is small, and it will be con¬ 
sumed about as fast as collected. Such stocks as are 
condemned, might as well be taken up now—it will often 
save such as are very weak from destruction by the 
moth. 
Cults vnlioii of Celery.—H. R. Angel, M. P. 
Smith, Westchester Co.. Pa., ami others. Celery is 
mainly raised for late Fall and Winter use. Sow in 
drills about the middle of May, hoe and thin, and finally 
transplant in trenches eigh'een inches deep, the last of 
June. Hoe only in dry weather, and begin to earth up 
the firs: of September, but pul the last and principal bank¬ 
ing about it just before frost. Draw in the branches and 
tie with soft matting to keep the earth from the heart. 
Harvest when perfectly dry, before hard freezing, and 
put in a cold cellar, or bury in dry soil, standing them up¬ 
right, closely packed with two or three inches of the 
leaves out of ground. Spread a little straw, or lay boards 
over the plants for a partial protection. 
---- . -- 
Scientific and Practical Talks About 
Manures.VII. 
(Continuedfrom page 197.) 
MODE OF APPLYING MANURES. 
The skillful breeder is careful to give his young 
animals a good “start.” He recognizes the fact 
that if the young colt,calf, or iamb, be supplied with 
suitable nourishment to early develop large feed¬ 
ing organs, the animal will be better able to pro¬ 
vide for its own wants afterwards. The same 
rule holds good in regard to plants. If the young 
wheat or corn plant be so nourished that large, 
vigorous feeding organs (roots) are developed at 
the beginning of its growth, these roots will gath¬ 
er food more rapidly for its future wants. For 
the same reason the manuring of seed, is a sub¬ 
ject of no little importance. All kinds of seeds 
contain, along with the germ, more or less of nu¬ 
triment (starch, gluten, etc.,) to supply the first 
wants of the expanding roots. If there be a defi¬ 
ciency of food in the seed kernel, the roots will 
not be developed far enough to reach out into the 
surrounding soil where they can gather other 
food. Here is an important reason why, other 
things being equal, large plump seeds will yield a 
larger product than those which are small or 
shriveled. If a plump “ meaty ’’kernel of wheat 
he put into the ground, the food it contains will 
nourish and develop long, strong roots, and these 
will in turn more rapidly gather large supplies of 
sap and food from the soil But if, on the con¬ 
trary, a poor shriveled kernel be planted, weak 
shoots will he developed, and a much longer 
time will he required for the plant to obtain abund¬ 
ant food from the soil. It is true that favorable 
soil and weather may sometimes conspire to pro¬ 
duce rapid development of roots, and poor seed, 
small potatoes, <*r even the eyes of potatoes, may 
yield a fair crop. But this is not the common re¬ 
sult. The largest, plumpest grain kernels, and 
large potatoes, should he selected for sowing and 
planting, for precisely the same reason that lib¬ 
eral supplies of nourishment are given to the 
young animal after birth, as well as to its dam 
before birth. 
Lot ns apply the above to the manuring of seed. 
Manures are artificial supplies of food. The seed 
kernel lias, at most, only a limited supply of nour¬ 
ishment. If we take three or four kernels of 
corn or wheat, and bruise them so as to kill their 
germs, and then place them in the soil around a 
single whole kernel of the same kind, we thus 
supply four or five times the usual amount of 
starch, gluten, etc., for the use of the germ of the 
one whole seed, and it is reasonable to conclude 
that its first growth must be accelerated ; that 
the plant will start off' more vigorously ; that it 
will send off larger and longer roots in search of 
food from the soil; and that the after growth of 
the plant will be larger and more rapid. We see 
here a reason for always applying a portion of the 
manure used, directly to the seed. Suppose 
twenty five or fifty loads of manure to he mixed 
with a soil: unless the intermixture he far more 
thorough than is usual, or even practicable, a part 
of the seeds sown or planted, will fall into portions 
of the soil where it can receive no benefit from 
the manure, until it has sent out roots of consid¬ 
erable length. Other seeds will fall in direct con 
tact with particles of manure, and these will'ho 
fed or stimulated, and take a more rapid start. 
This effect will be, in part, counteracted when the 
manure has been in the ground long enough to 
have become pretty evenly diffused by the water 
circulating in the soil. As a rule, however, we 
advise putting some manure directly, or nearly, in 
contact with the seed in the hill m drill. Where 
seed is sown broadcast, it should be previously 
coated with manure, by soaking in a strong ma¬ 
nure water, or by wetting it, and then rolling it in, 
or dusting it with some fertilizer. This last 
method is usually advisahle. If barn-yard ma¬ 
nure be used, it is advisable to secure a strong 
liquid by leaching, or by taking drainings from the 
heap or manure cistern, and wetting the seed 
with it, drying it off with plaster, or even with dry 
soil. The more manure of any kind you can get to 
adhere to each kernel of seed, the better. 
The use of tar with all kinds of seed is in vogue 
with many cultivators, and the practice is to be 
commended. Mix water with the tar to make it 
barely thin enough to use conveniently; then 
stir the seed up with it until thoroughly coated. 
Shovel it over with plaster, or, if this is not at 
hand, use dry soil. The coating of tar and plas¬ 
ter thus obtained will act as food for the growing 
germ, and the tar not unfrequently protects the 
seed from destructive insects. As a general 
thing, a mixture of equal parts of lime or ashes, 
and plaster, or even lime alone is advisable for 
drying the coating of tar. Most soils contain 
considerable quantities of undecayed vegetable 
matter, which the alkali of the lime or ashes will 
decompose and prepare for immediately nourish¬ 
ing the young plants. On wet, heavy, cold, or 
sour soils, it is always desirable to coat the seed 
with lime. 
Manure water is the best soak for seed. 
Where this is applied, it is not usually advisable 
to add lime or ashes, except in very small quantity 
mixed with the plaster or dry earth, because the 
alkali will set at liberty the ammonia before the 
roots are far enough developed to appropriate it ; 
yet in this case, if the soil be damp, it will gen¬ 
erally retain much of the ammonia. Ort wet, 
heavy soils, the use of lime or ashes is always 
desirable. The alkali around the seed not un- 
unfrequetitly saves it from fermentation and de¬ 
cay. When fine bone, (bone sawdust,) is obtain¬ 
able, this is excellent for smearing over seed pre¬ 
viously damped with manure drainings, or tai 
water, or even with simple water • 
On fertile ground, where much manure is not 
needed, it is still advisable to us.,: a little with the 
seed, for the reasons above given. The plants 
get a more vigorous start, and afterwards draw 
more freely upon the surrounding stores of plant- 
food already present. On poor land, while the 
first care should he to have manure enough near 
the seedtostait it vigorously, additional sup¬ 
plies, mixed with the soil, generally are needed to 
afford constant food to the expanding i« ots. To 
sum up we trtay lay down the following 
GENERAL RULES FOR APPLYING MANURES: 
1st—For all kinds of soils put some fertilizer 
near the seed when it is planted or sown in open 
lulls or drills, to produce rapid development of 
the first shoots. 
2 nd—When seed is sown broadcast, or drilled 
in with a machine, let the seed be previously well 
coated with some fertilizer. 
3rd—On poor soils, in addition to the manure 
upon or around the seed, let there be additional 
supplies of manure mingled with every part oi 
the surface to furnish future supplies of food to 
the expanding roots. 
When practicable, it is better to make the gen 
