Q90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Calendar of Operations for Oct., 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 the latitudes of 36° 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, and later for the South. 
Explanations.—/ indicates the .first; m the middle ; 
and l the last of the month.—Doubling the letters thus:/', 
or mm, or ll, gives particular emphasis to the period indi¬ 
cated.—Two letters placed together, as fin 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 first to the middle of the month.] 
Farm. 
Most of the accounts with the fields are to be closed 
this month. There is yet a balance due the farmer of 
sundry potatoes, beets, turnips, etc., to be drawn from 
the ground, and if he have not been in season with his 
work, the unhusked corn will soon be suffering from rain 
and from vermin. Preparations are to be made for the 
approaching inclement season, and no time is to be los-„ 
There is comfort as well as economy in having even 
thing snug for the Winter. 
Buildings need thorough examination and repair befo:q 
the driving storms have damaged the gathered crop<. 
Every crack in the horse and cattle stalls, where the e rid 
wind can enter, will cost many pounds of hay be.rre 
Spring. See that roofs are tight, and put doors, shutters, 
hinges, fastenings, etc., are all in good order, /rovide 
sufficient shelter for all animals. If paint is needed, now 
is a good time to apply it. 
Cattle—Do not wait until grass fails entirely Defore 
commencing to feed. A gradual change to dr/food is 
Dest. There will be much refuse from the garden and 
root fields that can be turned to good account. Pump¬ 
kins are excellent for fattening purposes. P.emove the 
seeds before feeding. Beeves for slaughtering should be 
put up early, they will fatten more readily than in cold 
weather. Allow free access to water. 
Butter—Continue to pack for Winter eso. Keep up 
die (low of milk by daily allowance o: g een food and 
numpkins. 
Cellars—Attend to as directed last m rntli. Examine the 
drain, that no water remain. Good ventilation is partic¬ 
ularly needed where roots are stored, as they give off 
much moisture. 
Cisterns—A convenient supply * f water for the stock 
may be obtained by constructii g a cistern to receive the 
drip from the barns and sheds. This will also save much 
manure now wasted by washing away. 
Corn—Have all husked and under cover before incle¬ 
ment weather. Select tho best ears from the most pro¬ 
lific stalks for seed. Secure all stalks, leaves and husks, 
for fodder. Some of the husks may be selected for filling 
mattresses. Slitting the-n into shreds, for this purpose, 
will be good employ-neat for the boys on rainy days. 
See that corn is sufficiently dry before putting it into 
tight bins. Well ventilated cribs are safest. 
Draining may still be attended to until the Fall rains. 
See that the drain furrows in grain fields are well opened. 
Farmers’ Clubs—The lengthening evenings afford a good 
opportuni’y for these profitable meetings. Invite your 
neighbors to join you, if one be not already organized. 
Forest Leaves are excellent for bedding, and manure. 
Provide a large supply undercover, for use as wanted. 
Grain—Thresh out, ff, if not done. Secure the straw 
mder cover, or by careful stacking, for cutting and feed¬ 
ing, or for bedding and manure. 
Hemp—Harvest, ff, rn. 
Hogs—Commence feeding for fattening, ff, giving cook¬ 
ed food. Supply with leaves or straw for bedding, and 
keep the yard well covered with muck for manufacture 
of manure. 
Ice Houses—Build, convenient to the house and dairy 
room. A cellar is not needed ; one may be cheaply made 
in a corner of the wood-house or out-building. Provide 
for thorough drainage and ventilation. 
Manures—Continue to gather supplies of muck until 
sufficient is collected to absorb all liquids from the sla- 
hles, yards, pig-pens, and sink. Collect leaves for bed¬ 
ding and for composting. Throw all refuse turnip tops, 
and other trimmings of vegetables, with weeds and other 
waste matter, into the manure cellar or heap. 
Newspapers and Books—The long winter evenings will 
soon afford ample time for reading. No crop pays bet¬ 
ter than the thought crop. Subscribe for agricultural and 
other journals in which the whole family may bo inter¬ 
ested, and add useful books to the home library. 
flowing stiff clay soils in the Fall, leaving the field in 
ridges, secuies the beneficial action of frost in pulverizing 
the lumps and destroying insects. 
Potatoes—Complete digging, f, m, before they are in¬ 
jured by frost. Store in dry well ventilated cellars. Do 
not leave them exposed in the sun after digging. Remove 
tops and weeds to the manure heap. 
Poultry—See that the houses are cleaned of all vermin 
and accumulations of manure. Give them a good coat 
of whitewash. Provide a good supply of gravel for Win¬ 
ter use. Feed them meat chopped fine with their grain, 
and also green food, as cabbage leaves, etc. Pack a full 
supply of eggs in salt, or pickle in lime water for Winter. 
Pumpkins—Store them, f, m, before injured by frost. 
Handle with care to prevent bruising. Feed plentifully 
‘o milch cow s and other stock. 
Roads—Put in thorough repair before the rains and 
frosts make them almost impassable. Better to work a 
few days extra, than suffer the inconvenience and damage 
if broken bridges and slough holes through the Winter. 
Root Cellars are easily constructed as described on a 
subsequent page. It is preferable, however, to have an 
apartment for this use under the barn. 
Sheep—Keep them in thriving condition by an occa¬ 
sional allowance of hay, roots, and grain, as the grass 
fails. A gradual change of food is best. Salt them at 
least once a week. The males should not be turned with 
the ewes until later in the season. 
Sorghum, Sugar Cane—Cut as soon as fully ripe, and 
manufacture syrup and sugar. It is better to express the 
juice immediately after cutting, but if the stalks are pro¬ 
tected from rain and frosts, they will yield a good article 
for several weeks. 
Tools—Collect and put all implements in their proper 
places under cover. Put all in good repair during rainy 
w eather, repaint wood-work, clean all iron and steel sur¬ 
faces, and coat them with a mixture of oil and resin to 
keep from rusting. 
Trees—Plant for ornament, for shelter, and for shade, 
about the buildings, along the roads, and in waste spots 
in the fields. 
Winter grain may still be sown at the South. In this 
latitude it should have been finished by September 20th. 
©i'dBard and Kam’sery, 
Trees and shrubs have now completed their season’s 
growth, and are preparing for the Winter rest. The fall 
of the leaves gives the signal that the time for transplant¬ 
ing has arrived, and the nurseries will soon present a 
busy scene. If every man who ought to plant a tree, 
should send in his orders this Fall, there would be such 
a demand as has never been witnessed. Thousands of 
homesteads need them for shade and for shelter. Many 
farms, perhaps the majority, have no orchard worth the 
name, and hundreds in the vicinity of cities, who now 
barely make ends meet by cultivating grain, might, in a 
few years, acquire wealth by raising fruit. We urge all 
our readers who have available space, to at once com¬ 
mence the work of tree planting—raising living monu¬ 
ments that shall long keep their memories green. 
Apples for cider-making and for Winter use are to be 
gathered this month. Handle with care all that are to be 
kept—every bruise insures speedy decay. Spread them 
in a cool place to sweat before packing in barrels. The 
inferior kinds are valuable for drying. Read articles 
“ Save the Fruit ” and “ Frames for Drying Apples,” on 
page 310, this No. Save seeds for planting, and cover 
them with earth before they dry. Set additional trees in 
vacant .spots in the orchard, and at convenient points 
along lanes, etc. 
Cider—Use none but sound apples for making cider, 
and see that all are clean apd free from leaves, etc., be¬ 
fore they are crushed. It is not advisable to use sulphite 
of lime to keep cider sw eet, it makes an unwholesome 
compound. 
Evergreens are best transplanted in May. If any must 
be removed now, use extra precautions to avoid injuring 
the roots. 
Insects—It is not yet loo late to examine for the borer, 
and other destructive insects. Follow directions of pre¬ 
vious months. 
Labels—Attach plainly marked labels firmly to all 
trees sent from or brought into the nursery, and also keep 
a record for reference should the label be lost. 
Lands for Orchard or Nursery Planting—Manure thor¬ 
oughly, plow and subsoil or trench well drained land, and 
prepare it for early Fall or Spring planting. 
Manure orchard trees by spreading about them a com¬ 
post of yard manure, muck and lime, or ashes. The 
Winter rains will carry it to the roots. 
Mice are often destructive to young trees, by gnawing 
the bark. Break up their Winter quarters by removing 
all grass, weeds and rubbish from about tho trunks. 
'Where these, or rabbits are very troublesome, sheets of 
thick paper covered with coal tar and wrapped about the 
trunks, will be a good preventive. 
Pears—Pick late varieties carefully, and lay them upon 
shelves to ripen. This iruit is excellent, preserved in 
bottles according to directions in previous numbers. 
Pruning is better performed in July and August, but 
the present season is preferable to Spring. 
Quinces—Gather and preserve or market as they ripen. 
Seeds and Stones of Fruit—Sow early or put in boxes 
of earth, the seeds of apples, pears, plums, cherries, 
peaches, walnuts, chestnuts, butternuts, filberts, thorns, 
acorns, holly, beech, ash, maple, etc. Allow none ol 
them to become thoroughly dry before planting. 
KitcEaesa aa&d Fo’aaat Gardest. 
The remaining garden crops are mostly to be secured 
this month, before they are injured by frost. Winter 
Squashes, Cabbages, Potatoes, Beets, and other vegeta¬ 
bles are to be marketed or housed, and a general clearing 
up of the grounds is to be made. Next Spring’s work can 
be greatly forwarded now, by plowing, trenching, spad¬ 
ing and preparing manures. Land trenched now, will be 
ready for early w'orking next season, and the beneficial 
action of the elements through the Winter, will be much 
more effectual by turning it up loosely. 
Asparagus—Make new beds if needed. Spade up the 
ground 18 inches deep, and dig in 4 to 0 inches of stable 
manure. Plant two-year-old roots a foot apart each way 
about 4 inches below the surface. A bed made jn this 
way now, will afford a good supply in one year from the 
following Spring. 
Beets—Pull before hard frosts, twist offthe tops, and il 
the weather be fair, leave them to dry a day or two before 
storing. Feed the tops to milch cows. 
Blackberries—Now is the best time for transplanting 
except in very cold latitudes. This fruit pays large re¬ 
turns in locations accessible to market. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers—Harvest, 11, except those 
planted latest. Set young plants in cold frames, m, 1. 
Carrots— Dig, cut off tops and carry to the cellar, m, 1. 
Celery—Earth up, ff, while dry. Keep the earth from 
falling between the stalks, by tying with soft strings 
which will not bruise the stalks. Harvest, 11. 
Cold Frames—Prepare, m, 11, if not already done, to 
protect lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, etc., in Winter. 
Currants and Gooseberries—Transplant, in, 1. Intro¬ 
duce improved varieties. 
Fruit Trees—Plant hardy sorts, m, 1- 
Grapes—Those for Winter keeping.should remain upon 
the vines until hard frosts are expected. Gather cafeful- 
ly ; cut out defective berries, and pack in cotton batting 
or between newspapers, in shallow, close boxes. Put in 
a dry place away from frost, and they will keep qqttl 
January. See article on page 308 this No. Grape roots 
may be set out, m, 1. 
Mushrooms—Beds may be made any time during this 
month. Protect with a covering of straw any exposed 
beds, upon the approach of heavy frosts. New beds are 
better made under cover at this season. For full direc¬ 
tions to make beds, see Volume XVI, page 202. 
Onions—Those sown as directed last mpfith, will need 
protection by covering with straw or litter, 11, say, an inch 
deep. 
Parsneps are improved by remaining in the ground un¬ 
til Spring. Dig, 11, and bury in sand in the cellar those 
wanted for Winter use. 
Raspberries arc better planted in Spring, though hardy 
varieties may be put in, in, 1. The tender sorts should bp 
laid down and covered with an inch or two of earth 
Rhubarb—Plant roots or crowns of the Linnaeus vari¬ 
ety, mm, 1. 
Salsafy requires the same treatment as parsneps. 
S ce j s _Collect and preserve any now ripening—see 
that all are properly labeled. 
Spinach—Cover, 11, that sown last month, and stjw 
seed, f, m, in cold frames. Weed and thin former sow¬ 
ings, cooking the surplus plants. 
Squashes—Take in before they freeze, and keep in a 
cool dry place as long as may be, previous to putting in 
the cellar, or other Winter quarters. Handle carefully 
and they will keep until Spring. 
Strawberry beds may still be set out, ff'- Cover .beds, 
11, with tree leaves, or fine manure, to afford a partial pro¬ 
tection, but do not smother by too thick a layer ; an inch 
is sufficient. 
Tomatoes—Preserve an abundant supply in bottles or 
cans for Winter and Spring use. .lust before frost, take a 
few vines having unripened fruit, transplant them to box 
es and set in the cellar or other protected place, where 
much of the fruit will mature. The sound green fruit 
