1871.] 
^AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
363 
and tbe crop of 1871 will probably not pay so well 
for keeping until spring as that of a year ago. If 
you have not good conveniences for storing them, 
better sell them directly from the field. If kept 
in pits over winter, select a dry spot, cover with 
dry straw, and then throw over it three or four 
inches of soil. Let them remain so until winter is 
about to set in. Then put on another layer of straw , 
six or eight inches thick, and cover with soil as be¬ 
fore. This middle layer of straw, acting as dead 
air, will do more to keep out frost than a foot of 
solid earth, and saves a great deal of hard work. 
: Live-Stock .—In the hurry of fall work, we must 
not neglect our stock. Because beef, butter, cheese, 
and pork are low, many farmers are cruel and fool¬ 
ish enough to neglect and half-starvc their calves, 
steers, cows, and pigs. "We hazard nothing in say¬ 
ing that those who give their young stock good 
feed and the necessary care are sure of their reward. 
The present low prices are only temporary, and 
now is the time to prepare for the reaction which 
Is sure to follow. Select the best cows and sows for 
breeding; use only thorough-bred males; feed 
liberally and take good care of the young stock ; 
when the market changes for the better, you 
will have something that will bring a good price. 
Sheep are again in the ascendant. At present 
prices, wool is more profitable than any other 
animal product. And there is little prospect of a 
decline, at any rate, for two or three years. In sec¬ 
tions where there is no demand for mutton, there 
can be little doubt that Merino sheep are the most 
profitable to keep. They require less care than the 
mutton sheep. But where mutton and lambs are 
in demand, it is equally certain that as long as 
combing and delaine wool brings as high a price as 
fine wool, Cotswolds or Leieesters, and their grades, 
inay be made to pay far more than Merinoes. It is 
simply ridiculous, however, to suppose that these 
sheep, which grow with great rapidity, require no 
more food than a Merino, which does not grow half 
as fast. A good-sized common Merino ewe, if well 
fed, and put to a thorongli-brcd Cotswold or Leices¬ 
ter ram, will produce a lamb weighing 12 lbs. at 
birth, and which the spring following, if well fed, 
will weigh 100 lbs., and shear 7 lbs. of washed wool, 
that will bring more per lb. than the best Merino 
wool. But this can not be done withoutgood food 
and fair treatment. 
Fattening Sheep in Winter .—The indications are 
favorable for this business. Select the best three 
or four-year-old Merino wethers that can be found, 
give them good grass and, if need be, a little grain 
this month, preparatory to shutting them up to 
fatten. They should gain more this month than 
during the two next. The profit comes, not from 
the increase in weight, but from the extra quality 
and the increased price of the mutton next spring. 
Much money has been made in this business, but a 
person who has had no experience should not rush 
into it on a large scale. 
Do not Overstock .—This is a common error. Make 
an estimate of how much grain, hay, straw, and 
corn-stalks you have to feed out. Taking wheat, 
oats, peas, beans, barley, and corn together, you 
will not probably be far wrong in estimating that 
for every 100 lbs. of thrashed grain you have left 
150 lbs. of fodder. Cattle, horses, and sheep will 
eat per day, per 100 lbs. of live weight, 3 lbs. of hay 
or its equivalent—say % lb. hay, 2 lbs. of good 
straw, and % lb. of grain. Such a ration will keep 
animals in good growing condition, and % lb. more 
grain per day will make a full-grown sheep quite 
fat. It will be well to estimate that half of the 
straw and fodder will be wasted in the form of 
butts, tops of stacks, litter, etc. Do not over¬ 
stock. If you have any hay or straw to spare 
it will bring a good price, and if you are short you 
will be very apt to put the animals on a short allow¬ 
ance—than which nothing is more unprofitable. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
In most localities the harvesting of the crops 
will be completed in October; but after this is 
finished there is still an abundance of work to do 
in preparing for the next year’s crop. The abund¬ 
ant harvest this year of nearly all kinds of fruits 
and vegetables, will give the gardener fresh en¬ 
couragement to persevere. If some mistakes have 
been made or some experiment has failed, he 
should profit by them. The aim of the gardener 
or orchardist should be perfection, and he should 
never rest satisfied until he has the best varieties 
of vegetables and fruits that cau be procured. 
Orchard, and IVursery. 
Planting of all kinds of fruit trees can be made 
now, as well as in the spring, and it will save much 
time when the early spring work is pressing. 
When trees are set in the fall they should have a 
good mulch. It is a common impression that stone- 
fruits should not be set in the fall. However this 
may be in colder localities, we find that in the great 
peach districts of Delaware and Maryland they set 
in the fall or spring, as most convenient. 
Labels .—In planting see that the labels attached 
to the trees are not so tightly twisted as to cut the 
bark. Make a plan of the orchard and mark the 
position of each variety; do not rely upon labels. 
Shade Trees .—Plant shade trees, except ever¬ 
greens, as soon as the leaves fall; if done carefully 
they will hardly feel the effects of "their removal. 
Manure. —If the orchardist wishes for a good 
crop of fruit, he will find it necessary to give his 
trees a liberal supply of manure. Manuring not 
only pays in the larger quantity of fruit, hut also in 
the finer quality. 
Nursery Stock .—Keep the nursery rows clear of 
weeds. A dressing of well-decomposed manure, 
placed in furrows between the rows, will be of 
great benefit to growing trees and shrubs. 
Seeds .—Save a supply of tree seeds, and keep in 
sand during winter. 
Drying Fruits .—Where there is a full supply, 
a quantity may be dried for use next summer. 
Fruit Garden. 
Plant all small fruits as soon as possible, in order 
that they may get established before winter. 
Blackberries .—Set in rows eight feet apart and 
four feet in the rows, so as to give plenty of room 
to work between them. Before planting cut the 
canes off about six inches above the ground. 
Some hoed crops may be raised between the rows 
during the first year, for economy. The ground 
ought to be well manured before the plants are set. 
Currants and Gooseberries .—Set out in rows five 
feet apart each way. Make cuttings as soon as the 
leaves fall off, and plant in good soil. Prune old 
bushes into shape. 
Grapes .—Allow those that are intended for wine 
to remain upon the vines until thoroughly ripe. 
Pick those for market and keep in a dry, cool 
place, where there is no danger from frost. Prune 
as soon as the leaves have fallen. The vineyard 
ought to be shallow plowed, and if any fertilizer 
is used, apply ashes or ground bone. Remove 
tender varieties from the trellises, and cover with 
earth before the ground freezes. 
Strawberries .—Where plants have been struck in 
pots, set out as soon as possible, otherwise it 
is best to defer the planting until next spring. 
Materials should be collected for covering the 
strawberry-beds during the winter, but the cover¬ 
ing should not be put on until the ground begins 
to freeze. Leaves or straw make the best cover¬ 
ing, though hay, corn-stalks, and branches of ever¬ 
greens are often used. 
Pears .—Pick as soon as matured, and before they 
begin to soften, and allow them to ripen upon 
shelves in the fruR-room. 
Kitchen Garden. 
After the crops are harvested, preparing the soil 
for the next season’s planting will occupy the gar¬ 
dener as long as the ground is capable of being 
worked. In most places it is not too late to lay 
drain-tile, and thus prepare the land for earlier 
working. Where the soil is stiff and difficult to 
work, it might be greatly benefited by throwing 
into ridges, and allowing the frost to ameliorate it; 
in fact, all land ought to be plowed in the fall, as 
this often makes a difference of a week or more in 
the time of working it in the spring. Apply the 
manure in the fall when the plowing is done. 
Asparagus. —As soon as all growth has ceased, 
cut off the tops and burn them, to prevent their 
seeds from being scattered. Cover beds with 
coarse stable manure. 
Artichokes. —Draw the earth around the stems, 
and throw over the tops a little litter. 
Beans. —If there is a crop of late string beans, pick 
and salt them as before recommended. Pick the 
late Limas, and if more ripen than are wanted for 
seed, try them baked in “pork and beaus;” they 
are much superior to the common field beans. 
Beets. —Pull before the frost has injured them, as 
this impairs their sweetness. They are much 
better packed in sand, as this prevents wilting. 
Cabbages. —Allow the winter sorts to remain in 
the ground until hard frosts, when they may be 
taken up and stored in trenches in the open ground, 
or remove them to a cool cellar. A good way to 
store them is to dig a trench wide enough for 
three rows, and, after removing the outside leaves, 
pack the cabbages closely together and cover with 
six or eight inches of eayth. Dig a drain to carry 
off the water, and when the earth over the cab¬ 
bages is frozen, cover with 5 or 6 inches of litter. 
Cauliflowers. —These will usually head if set out 
in a cellar or cold-pit. 
Carrots. —Preserve in sand or soil as recommend¬ 
ed for beets. The tops are good for cattle. 
Celery. —Continue to earth up, using care that 
no earth gets into the center of the plant. 
Cold-Frames. —Prepare these for the reception 
of cabbages, cauliflowers, etc. 
Cucumbers. —Gather for pickles as long as the 
vines continue to bear, and salt dowu, as previ¬ 
ously recommended. 
Fndive. —Take up the plants, with a quantity of 
earth attached, and set close in the cellar for a 
winter supply. The bitter taste of the endive will 
prevent its very general use as a salad plant, and 
no amount of blanching will entirely remove this. 
Hot-Beds. —A good quantity of earth must be 
provided in the fall, as in the spring it can not be 
obtained without a good deal of difficulty. Store 
it in a cellar or shed. 
Lettuce. —Plants can be set in a cold-frame, or in 
mild situations they will stand the winter well if 
only covered with a light layer of straw. 
Manure .—No adequate returns can be expected 
from a garden unless plenty of manure is applied, 
and to do this the gardener ought to save every¬ 
thing that is capable of making manure, with the 
utmost care. All house slops, small weeds, sods, and 
in fact all rubbish may be mixed with the compost 
heap. Store a supply of dry earth under cover for 
use in the privy, and to mix with fresh manure. 
Onions. —Cover the late-sown beds with an inch 
or two of straw. 
Parsnips .—Dig a supply for winter use before the 
ground freezes hard, and allow the rest to remain 
in the ground until spring. 
Jlhubarb. —Old plants may be divided in the fall. 
Set out the plants in well-manured soil four feet 
apart each way, before the ground freezes. Cover 
old beds with a thick layer of stable manure. 
Salsify. —Treat as recommended for parsnips. 
Spinach. —Keep the weeds down by the constant 
use of the hoe and rake, and cover lightly with 
litter before very cold weather. 
Squashes. —Store before the frost has a chance to 
injure them, where they will not be subjected to 
great changes of temperature. Use the greenest 
specimens first. 
Sweet Potatoes. —Harvest as soon as the tops are 
touched by frost. They must be dug on a warm 
day, and allowed to dry in the sun before storing 
them. Pack in barrels with cut straw. Use care 
