AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR THE 
Farm, Grar-den, and. Honseliold. 
** AGRICULTURE IS THE HOST HEALTHF U L, MOST USEFUL, AND MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN.»-W*«ii»oiob. 
ORANGE JUDD, A.M., 
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 
Office, 41 Park Row, (Times Buildings.) 
VOLUME XXIII—No. 6. 
Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1863, by 
O range Judd, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of 
the United States for the Southern District of New-York. 
33=/' Other Journals are invited to cop'- desirable articles 
freely, if each article be credited to American Agriculturist. 
American Agriculturist in German. 
Each number of this Journal is published in both 
the English and German Languages. The two Edi¬ 
tions are similar, and contain, as nearly as possible, 
the same Articles and Illustrations. The German Edition 
is furnished at the same rates as the English, singly or in 
clubs. A club may be part English, and part German. 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
Steadily the sun climbs higher and higher up 
his shining path. The shortened shadows each 
succeeding noon mark his progress, until the 
full glory, of the summer solstice is reached. 
Fays and fairies and the witches and spirits of 
the Brocken hold high carnival on the short 
midsummer night,' and then the days begin to 
shorten and the nights to lengthen again. The 
sun “ takes the back track ” after the 21st of 
June, hence, appropriately, the crab which goes 
backward as well as forward, is the emblematic 
sign of this part of the Zodiac. The constella¬ 
tion Cancer is not brilliant like Taurus and 
Gemini, but still is distinctly marked by a 
quadrangle of stars with a nebulous (or cloudy) 
group in the centre. Our artist has taken the 
opportunity to teach a lesson in his way, and 
inserts a warning against agriculturists taking 
the backward road. Let us cultivate intelli¬ 
gence in our calling, temperance and virtue, and 
then agricultural progress shaliknow no retro¬ 
grade, and shall meet with no check either in 
the experience of the country, or of individuals. 
Work for tlie Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
We look forward to the coming season as like¬ 
ly to be one of severe trial to many farmers. 
At the West the spring was extremely backward, 
and this has crowded spring and summer work 
together most uncomfortably. The great scar¬ 
city of labor everywhere, is but to a very small 
extent supplied by a most unexpected im- 
ESTABLISHED IN 1842, 
Published both in English and German. 
NEW-YORK, JUNE, 1864. 
migration, and the very high wages demand¬ 
ed will lead many farmers, perhaps unwisely, 
to “get along” with very little hired help. 
Nevertheless it is likely that prices for farm pro¬ 
duce will rule high, and that the husbandman’s 
labor will be well rewarded. It should be the 
farmer’s constant aim to keep well to windward, 
beforehand with his work, so as to allow him¬ 
self plenty of leeway. Then if any thing goes 
wrong, if a week of rainy days comes, he will 
be able to weather the danger and not get set 
back very much. The importance of constantly 
stirring the soil at this season is very great. 
Weed seeds sprout rapidly and the young plants 
are tender and easily killed. After a few days 
growth it will be hard to destroy them, and 
their shade will prevent the starting of other 
seeds. It is much better to have weed seeds 
sprouted than dormant in the soil, and ready to 
come up just when it will be impossible to kill 
them, as occurs where the ground carries some 
sowed crops—grass or grain. Deep tillage and 
frequent stirring are next to thorough draining, 
the surest preventives against the evil effects of 
drouth. We have known crops of both corn 
and potatoes greatly benefited by running a lift¬ 
ing subsoil plow drawn by a pair of horses 
driven tandem , deeply between the rows. 
Barley is sometimes sown with profit as late 
as the first of June, though it is seldom best. 
Barns ought to be cleared out and put in order 
for the crops soon to occupy them. Attend ear¬ 
ly to all repairs, that damage do not accrue to 
crops that the proper buildings should shelter. 
Barn- Yards. —Look out for the drainage of the 
yard; if possible collect every drop of water that 
falls upon it, in a good cistern, which can be 
pumped out so that it will never waste anything 
by an overflow. Begin to cart into the yard all 
vegetable accumulations of the garden and farm. 
Beans. —Plant on any soil not top rank from 
fresh manuring. (See article in last No., p. 138.) 
Beets, Sugar and Mangels.—Sow as early as 
possible if the sowing has been so long delayed. 
For more convenient horse culture, place the 
rows 30 inches to 3 feet apart. 
Buckwheat may be very profitably sowed at 
this season for plowing in as a green manure 
crop. Two crops may thus be turned under in a 
season. The grain sowed now will not fill well. 
Butter. —June butter is commonly the best of 
the year. The grass is fresh and sweet; the 
weather is not so hot that butter making is inter¬ 
fered with, and the flow of milk is larger than 
at any other period, so that butter may ordi¬ 
narily be made in larger quantities, and better. 
Milk should not be disturbed at all after it is 
set, until it is skimmed. It should be kept at a 
temperature not lower than 55° F., and not 
higher than 60°. Though, without a cool, 
spring dairy-room, this is seldom practicable. 
( $1.00 PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE ; 
■J SINGLE NUMBER, 10 CENTS. 
( For Contents, Terms, etc.. See page 198. 
NEW SERIES—No. 209. 
The cream ought to be-kept as cool as possible 
and thoroughly stirred every time any new 
cream is added. Scrupulous cleanliness, the 
use of tin or earthen pans scalded daily and 
most thoroughly, good ventilation and perfect 
freedom of the air from any odors of cooking, 
putrefaction, or any thing else, but clover blos¬ 
soms, or new mown hay, churning at the low¬ 
est natural temperature, never touching the but¬ 
ter with the hands, working out the buttermilk 
very thoroughly, and salting moderately, will 
secure butter of an excellent quality, which if 
well packed will keep the year round. Scald 
new firkins or tubs with buttermilk, and subse¬ 
quently with strong brine. 
Cabbages. —At the time of setting out, dip the 
roots in strong brine to kill the white worms. 
The application also benefits the plant. De¬ 
lay setting out the main crop until next month, 
and then if possible put them upon new ground. 
Carrots may still be sowed for main crop as 
early as possible, or between rows of onions, to 
succeed them. If the onion rows are nearer 
than 2 feet leave every third space vacant to 
cure the onions in. 
Cheese. —Use all means to improve the quality; 
visit some of the associated cheese dairies. 
Cattle. —Do not over-work oxen, but feed bran 
or shorts if much labor is required of them. 
Provide shelter for beef animals at pasture, es¬ 
pecially during storms, and give at such times 
extra food, if it be not given regularly. Cows .— 
It will pay to stable them nightly and feed oil¬ 
cake meal, shorts, brewers’ grains, or the like, 
with cut hay; or use, so-called, “ slops.” Calves 
fattening for market may either run with the 
cow, or being at grass, get two or three feeds 
daily of skimmed milk thickened with a little 
bran, oil meal, oat and corn meal, etc., in judi¬ 
cious mixture. Take good care of calves and 
young stock, and keep well fed and growing. 
Corn. —It is much better to plant the first 
week in June than a few days too early. Steep 
the seed until it nearly sprouts. Tar and plast¬ 
er it. Blue vitriol in the water will kill smut. 
Keep weeds down, and stir the soil frequently. 
Fodder Crops. —Com, horse-tooth or sweet, 
sowed in drills or broad cast, Sugar sorgum 
treated in the same way, millet, Hungarian 
grass, etc., are all worthy of attention in. case 
there is any danger of failure of the grass crop. 
For soiling or feeding green in case of drouth, 
either corn or sorgum are invaluable. 
Grain in southern sections will be fit to har¬ 
vest; cut as soon as the grain is out of the milk. 
Grass. —It is better to cut grass of last sum¬ 
mer’s seeding, if it is not very stout, early, and 
give it a top-dressing of plaster of fine compost, 
than to wait until hot weather, when a drouth 
following, haying might do serious damage. 
Top-dress meadows immediately after mowing. 
