1876 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
363 
is suitable for shipment. It will be wise then to 
weed out all poor stock which costs as mucji to 
keep as the good, and keep only the best. Then 
these should be kept in the best manner. Just now 
is a good time to study over this matter and lay 
plans for the future. Good grades of all sorts of 
stock are without doubt the best kind of animals 
to have on any ordinary farm. 
Cows. —As the feed out of doors falls off, some¬ 
thing must be done for the cows. The leaves of 
root crops, or some roots, will be useful to keep up 
the flow of milk with cows that are still milking. 
But unless a special business is made of winter 
dairying, it will be well to have the cows dried off 
before the cold weather arrives. Frozen half-de¬ 
cayed green food is not healthful, and makes poor 
milk. It would be better to put the cows upou dry 
feed at once, than feed waste rubbish to them. 
Cows forward in calf should be kept in fairly good 
condition, and no more, for safety. 
Calve, s and Yearlings. —Nothing pays so well as to 
keep young stock growing all the time. Good feed 
and good care are sure of a satisfactory reward. 
And now is the time to keep a sharp eye on the 
young animals and treat them generously. 
Sheep. —Wool is low, but good mutton sheep still 
pay a good profit. The business of raising early 
lambs is likely to be always profitable. It is ouly 
where wool is the principal object that sheep keep¬ 
ers have reason to complain, and they even would 
be unwise to throw away their flocks because of a 
temporary depression in wool. It would be better 
to weed out the poor ewes and half-bred rams, pro¬ 
cure full-blood rams, and grade up the flock. Then 
it will not only be easier to get through the hard 
times, but when the turn comes, as come it will, the 
profit will be the greater. See hints for last month. 
Fall Plowing. —While hand-work presses, it will 
be wise to hire extra help to keep the teams at work 
plowing stubbles, drawing out and spreading ma¬ 
nure on the sod intended for corn, hauling swamp 
muck, and doing other necessary work. 
Labor am be procured cheaply now, and it is pos¬ 
sible cheaper than for several years to come. Im¬ 
provements that need to be made, drains, clearings, 
etc., may now be done at reasonable cost, and if 
any idle hands are around, they should be set to 
work as far as possible. In hiring men, give the 
preference to near-by residents rather than wander¬ 
ers. It is to the farmers interest to encourage a 
steady supply of respectable laborers around him. 
Hoads. —Before the fall rains occur, roads should 
be repaired, holes should be filled up, hollows lev¬ 
eled, and what is most important of all, the drains 
should be cleared and put in good order. The sur¬ 
face of the road should be made smooth and suffi¬ 
ciently rounding to turn the water into the side 
drains, and these should not have so much declivi¬ 
ty as to become washed by the current. 
Wagons and other vehicles. —While wagons and 
carts are dry, they should be painted, or if that is 
inconvenient at this season, they should be put un¬ 
der cover when not in use, until they can be paint¬ 
ed. A carriage should not be kept so near a stable 
that the pungent fumes of ammonia can reach the 
varnish. These deaden the varnish, and in time 
cause it to peel off; then the carriage builder is 
blamed for that for whictf he is not responsible. 
Fuel. —The winter’s fuel should now be laid in. 
Coal should be hauled and stored, and wood cut 
and split, and piled ready for hauling. Wood cut 
now, if split fine, will dry thoroughly by Christmas. 
----—«® ——-—• -— 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
After the harvest is over, and the late crops of 
roots stored, there will still remain the work of pre¬ 
paring the ground for next year’s crop. The severe 
drouth of the past season ought to be a warning 
to horticulturists to underdrain their land, and to 
make preparations for irrigation where it is possi¬ 
ble. The first outlay for irrigating will be con¬ 
siderable, but the almost absolute certainty of good 
crops every season will make it a profitable invest¬ 
ment. There should also be arrangements for 
storing in a convenient place all drainage from 
the house, wastewater from the roofs of buildings, 
and all chamber slops and liquid manure ; these, 
if applied to the small fruits, vegetables, grass, 
etc., will prove very valuable, and utilize what 
would otherwise prove a nuisance. The storing of 
roots for winter must not be done before the 
weather becomes moderately cool, else there will 
be danger of decay. A root cellar, separate from 
that of the house, should be provided for vegeta¬ 
bles, to avoid the bad odors, if not danger of dis¬ 
ease, which may come from vegetables stored in 
the house cellar. 
Orchard and Mursery. 
In all localities where the autumns are long and 
mild, it is decidedly better to plant trees, except 
stone fruits, in the fall. The soil is in better condi¬ 
tion, and the work can be more thoroughly done 
than in the uncertain weather of spring. The trees 
should be set as soon as the free falling of the 
leaves shows that their duties are over ; if set soon, 
the trees will become well established, or “ get a 
good hold of the soil,” as gardeners say, before 
winter sets in. Even if spring-planting is preferred, 
it is better to procure trees now and heel them in, 
to be in readiness for setting next spring; trans¬ 
portation is much safer at this season, and this 
plan will save much anxiety and hurry. A mound 
of earth h foot high, raised around each tree before 
the ground freezes, will serve better than a stake, 
and help protect it from mice. Prepare the land 
for spring planting. 
Heeling-in. —There is a wrong and a right way 
with this. If a bundle of trees is dumped into a 
hole, with some earth thrown carelessly over the 
roots, probably the majority will be found dead in 
the spring. The right way is to open a wide trench 
12 or 18 inches deep, place in the trees singly at an 
angle of 45° or more, and cover the roots of each 
with mellow soil, taking care to fill in around com¬ 
pletely, leaving no spaces, and finish by banking 
up well, and provide a channel for the water to run 
off. The trees should lean towards the south, so 
that the branches will shade the trunks; if mice 
are troublesome, it is better to stand the trees up¬ 
right, and bank the earth all around them. When 
heeling-in is well done, the trees will pass the win¬ 
ter as safely as if in the nursery, and they are at 
hand whenever planting can be done. 
Seeds. —Prepare beds for sowing seeds of such 
fruit and ornamental trees as require to be sown at 
once, as many require the action of the frost to in¬ 
sure their germination. Seedlings from seeds 
sown last spring, may be taken up and lieeled-in, 
to prevent injury from the heaving of the soil, or 
be well mulched with leaves. 
Nursery Hows may be manured by opening a fur¬ 
row between them, into which well rotted manure 
is put and covered. Turn light furrows towards 
the rows, to throw the water away from them. 
Harvest the late apples and pears, and barrel them, 
but do not put them in the cellar until the weather 
becomes cold. This year much of the fruit must 
be examined and assorted before sending to market. 
Drying of Fruits should be continued; where 
there is no drying apparatus, arrange racks near the 
kitchen stove to use in damp weather. 
Shade Trees— Most -varieties of shade trees, ex¬ 
cept Evergreens, may be set out now, for the rea¬ 
sons given for fall-planting fruit trees. Don’t for¬ 
get to plant a “ Centennial ” tree. 
Manure. —People are slowly learning that fruit 
can not be taken from the land year after year with¬ 
out making a return, and that unless the orchard 
is manured, it in time becomes nearly useless. 
Stable manure, ashes, lime, or bones, are all valu¬ 
able, and may be applied now or in spring. 
Fruit Garden. 
The late varieties of pears, and grapes, and the 
quinces having been harvested, the main work now 
is to prepare for the next season’s crop. 
Pears .— Store in a cool room on shelves or in shal¬ 
low boxes, not exposed to light, and consume or 
market as they ripen. The late sorts may be treated 
like winter apples ; when they begin to soften bring 
them into a warmer room to finish. 
Grapes. —Only a few varieties keep well, and are 
best kept by packing in 5-lb. boxes, after they have 
been picked a few days ; keep at an uniform low 
temperature. After the fruit is gathered, the vines 
should be pruned before cold weather, and tender 
kinds laid down and covered with earth. 
Strawberries. —If cultivated in rows, the runners 
should be kept cut off. Apply a dressing of well 
rotted manure between the nows. Set out plants 
for new beds in rich soil. 
Currants and Gooseberries. —Prune by shortening 
the new wood, and thinning where too crowded ; 
make cuttings of new- wood, and cut into lengths 
of 6 or 8 in., and set out in rich soil 4 in. apart, 
with one bud above ground. Pack the earth close 
around the cuttings. 
Blackberries and Raspberries do best when set in 
the fall, that they may get well established and 
commence growing early in the spring. Set black¬ 
berries in rows 8 ft. apart, and six feet in the rows. 
Raspberries need not be planted so far apart; four 
feet each way is a convenient distance. 
Kitciieaa Wan-dlesa. 
Harvesting the remaining crops, and preparing 
for those of next season, will make this a busy 
month. Plow or spade all land intended for vege¬ 
tables this fall, turning under a heavy coating of 
manure. It is not too late to drain, and it is not 
probable there will ever be a time when it can be 
done more cheaply, materials and labor being low. 
Asparagus. —When growth has ceased, cut the 
tops and burn them, unless seeds are wanted for 
new beds. Apply a heavy dressing of manure, 
which should lie until spring. 
Beans. —Gather all ripe beans. The ripe Limas 
are much superior to the common field bean for 
baking. Salt down the late crop of string beans. 
Beets. —Pull before the frost has injured their 
sweetness. Pack those for table use in sand or dry 
earth, to keep them from shriveling. The tops are 
^excellent for milch cows, and may be kept fresh 
several weeks at this season, if not put in large heaps. 
Cabbages. —Leave the winter sorts in the ground 
until freezing weather is at hand ; then take up 
and store in a cool cellar or in trenches in the open 
ground. If stored in the open ground, they may 
be stood upright in trenches, and covered with 
straw and boards when really cold weather comes ; 
or they may be 6et on the surface, roots up, and 
then be gradually covered with earth as the weather 
becomes colder. 
Cauliflowers. —Set any which are likely to head 
in a cellar or cold-frame. 
Carrots. —Dig and store those for family use in 
dry earth or sand in the root cellar. Those for 
feeding out may be put in pits or trenches. 
Celery. —Earth up gradually, taking care not to 
allow the earth to get into the heart of the plants. 
Cold-Frames. —These should be made ready at 
once for the reception of cabbage and other plants 
which are to be wintered over. 
Hot-Beds. —Prep are a supply of light rich earth 
for next spring, and store where it can be got at 
readily when needed. 
Lettuce. —Sow in cold-frame for wintering over, 
and a few rows in the open ground; cover with 
hay or straw before freezing weather. 
Onions sown in the fall require to be covered 
with bog hay or litter, to keep them from being- 
thrown out by frost. 
Parsnips. —Dig enough for winter use, and store 
in earth ; the rest leave in the ground until spring. 
Rhubarb. —Divide old plants and reset in fresh 
soil, which has been previously heavily manured. 
A root or two may be put in the cellar and then 
started in the hot-bed early. 
Salsify and Scorzonera. —Treat same as parsnips. 
Spinach. —Sow for spring use in rich soil, and 
]ieep that sown last month free from weeds. 
