AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOU TIIE 
IT arm, GrarcLen, and HouseliolcL 
“ AOKICULTUIIE IS TIIE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, ANII MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN.”-W,,«ii.qto». 
orange .nr»D, A.M., ) ESTABLISHED IN 1842. 
EDITOR. AND PROPRIETOR. > 
Office, 41 Park Ilow, (Times Buildings.) ) Published both In English and Germa, 
VOLUME XXIII—No. 8. NEW- YORK, AUGUST, L864. NEW SERIES—No. 211. 
$1.00 PER AUUUM, IN ADVANO® 
SINGLE NUMBER, 10 CENTS. 
For Contents, Terms, etc., see nage 35G. 
Entered according to act of Congress in tlie year 1883, by 
Obangk Juni>, in the Clerk's Cilice of the District Court of 
the United States for the Southern District of New-York. 
ti?~ Other Journals are invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, i/'each article be credited to American Agriculturist. 
American Agriculturist iu 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. 
The sun enters the sign Virgo, in August. 
The constellation of the Virgin is not particu¬ 
larly conspicuous in the heavens. In its course 
the month usually gratifies the husbandman 
with copious and refreshing showers, and this 
the artist may have in view when he repre¬ 
sents the farmer maid as the bearer of re¬ 
freshments to the weary workers in the field. 
It would be very remarkable if the drouths 
which have so seriously damaged the crops in 
many sections of our country, should continue 
during the present month. The total amount 
of rain which falls oyer any extensive region, 
is very nearly the same year after year. The 
smaller the region the less accurately does the 
rain-fall correspond, one year with another, 
or one month with the same month of another 
year. Our first reports of drouths, and of any 
wide spread damage to crops, are always exag¬ 
gerated. We hear first from those sections where 
the damage is most severe, and it is the interest 
of a certain class of the mercantile community 
to magnify such reports and increase the fears 
that the crops will be short in order to secure 
an advantage in their speculations. The dry¬ 
ness of the months of June and July, up to the 
time of our going to press, though no doubt 
exaggerated, leads us to consider how best at the 
1st of August, to counteract the effects of drouth. 
It is too late to sow cereal grains, except mil¬ 
let aud buckwheat, the former being sowed for 
fodder. It is not considered advisable, howev¬ 
er, to sow millet so late as the first of August. 
In case it is very desirable to have an addition 
to the available grains, buckwheat may be sown 
with winter wheat in August, and cut before 
frost. The wheat is said to receive but little 
damage; for after the buckwheat is cut, it has 
still 4 or 6 weeks of good growing weather. 
Turnips are, however, the great staff and stay 
to fall back upon. Sown the first week in Au¬ 
gust, the probabilities are in favor of a fair 
crop. Sown a week later than that, the crop 
will probably still prove remunerative, if the 
soil be good, if insects do not interfere, and if 
severe freezing weather bolds off. The amount 
of food which may be raised upon an acre of 
good ground after the first of August is great, 
amounting to between 250 and 400 bushels per 
acre. It is hardly worth while to sow rutaba¬ 
gas after July, for their growth is slower and 
they can not be expected to mature sufficiently 
to make a profitable crop, though if they do fill 
out they make an excellent table vegetable. 
Before the end of July, if the weather has 
proved favorable, the great bulk of the hay and 
grain crops of the country will have been se¬ 
cured, hoed crops will have advanced so that 
hoeing will be of no advantage, and farmers will 
have a few weeks of comparative leisure. This 
should be conscientiously embraced, and used to 
promote health of body and mind. This too 
close “ sticking to work,” shortens the lives of 
many farmers. Recreation of some sort is a 
genuine life insurance. The drying of the soil, 
the subsidence of water in the swamps, and the 
drying of wells and springs in the midst of a 
drouth afford opportunities for planning for 
drainage and irrigation, observing levels, dig¬ 
ging muck from holes and sinks, and ditching in 
low land not otherwise accessible, which ought 
not to be neglected. All these things will occur 
to a wide-awake farmer, and though lack of 
“ help” may prevent his carrying out his plans, 
still plans for future labor, in time may be so 
well matured, being viewed in all their hearings, 
that much labor will he saved when he really 
comes to execute the work thus thought over. 
Work for the Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
As the season advances, farmers will he able 
to estimate the quantity of produce they will 
have at disposal. Prices are likely to fluctuate 
so much that it will be impolitic to contract far 
ahead, to deliver produce. The best way will 
he to sell at the market price at the time of de¬ 
livery—every other course will create dissatis¬ 
faction. The demand for all kinds of produce 
will be almost limitless, at very good prices. 
Buildings .—The sheds and stables for stock of 
all kinds, especially for such as are to be fatted 
during the fall and winter, should be looked to 
at this season—renewed if necessary, made tight 
and comfortable, ventilation provided, and 
painted if they need it. Straw sheds and straw 
roofed sheds (see article in January Agriculturist) 
may be most easily made at threshing time. 
Buckwheat may he sown even so late as the 
15th of the month, south of lat. 41°, with reason¬ 
able hopes of a crop. If you get any crop it 
will probably be a very good one, for buck¬ 
wheat fills plumper the later it is in the season. 
The risk is from the occurence of early frosts. 
Butter .—The butter yield may he essentially 
increased by feeding oil-cake meal in moderate 
quantities. At present prices at home, and the 
ready market it finds abroad, every ounce of 
butter made, should be of quality fit for export. 
Cattle .—It is important to keep all kinds of 
cattle in good flesh; if they lose fat at this sea¬ 
son it will he hard to regain it so that they will 
begin the winter in good condition. Give salt, 
and look to the water in the pastures, not only 
to have it there, hut that stock have good water. 
Cheese Making .—See article on this subject 
(p. 235). Tlie production of this excellent arti¬ 
cle of food ought to be greatly increased, and in 
the heat of summer it is usually more profitable 
to make cheese than it is to make butter. 
Corn in the field should be let alone after this 
season—even if it blows down, let it right itself. 
Keep the fowls out of the field. Sweet corn 
forms a delicious addition to our table veget¬ 
ables, and as it matures in succession, it should 
be dried for winter use, taking care not to 
let it get too old and tough before picking. 
Draining .—There is much land which may bo 
drained at this season, hut at no other. This 
work should be pushed forward as tlie rains 
may fill the low lands any day. If labor can 
be obtained for the purpose, go also into the 
thorough draining of uplands—it pays. 
Fallows are relics of the agriculture of a form¬ 
er generation, and fast becoming obsolete as 
they ought to he. The best fallowing decent 
land can have, is a crop of roots. No man 
ought to take from land more than he gives to 
it. The whole object of tlie fallow is to enable 
men to skin the land more effectually. Let no 
land that is good for anything lie idle. If it 
needs fallowing, put on turnips in drills and plow 
and hoe them; or plow in growing buckwheat. 
Fences .—Do not let them harbor weeds; dis¬ 
pense with every rod of fence possible, but main 
tain those that must stand, in good order. 
Grain Fields are apt to he full of foul weeds 
ready to go to seed. Glean thoroughly with a 
horse rake, and it will often pay to rake in two 
directions, it the stubble is long, and feed the 
gleanings to the hogs or poultry; then bnm 
over the stubble so as to kill the weed seeds. 
Grass .—August is probably the best month in 
the year for manuring grass lands. Apply fine 
manure of any kind, soon after mowing. 
Hay .—Push forward the haying with all dis¬ 
patch, for the grass is generally injured by delay. 
Horses .—Let them stand when not in use, in 
dark hut airy stables during tlie day, and turn 
them into the pasture at night. This will be 
grateful to them, and they will keep in much 
better condition, and secure freedom from hot*. 
