AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR TIIE 
Farm, Garden, and. HomselioXcL 
“AGRICULTURE 18 THE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, ANI> MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN.”_Washington. 
ORANGE .¥5JBI>, A.M.j ) ESTABLISHED IN 1842 ($1.00 PEB AraUM, IN ADVANCE 
publisher AND proprietor. > 1 -j SINGLE NUMBER, 10 CENTS. 
Office, 41 Parfc Row, (Times Building.) ) _ Circulation ranges from 90,000 to 100,000. ( For Con(cnts Tcrmg? ^ scc pagc 30 
VOLUME XXIII—No. 10. NEW"YORK 5> OCTOBER. 1864. NEW SERIES-No. 213. 
Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1S63, by 
Orange Judd, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of 
the United States for the Southern District of New-York. 
E3T" Other Journals are invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, if each article be credited to American Agriculturist. 
TERMS—!SPECIAJL UTOTICE .—The 
terms of the English Edition of the Agriculturist will 
remain at $1 a year for subscriptions received during 
October. The f uture terms will depend upon the Cur¬ 
rency , expenses, etc.—The German Edition is now 
$2 a year; or: Four Copies for $7: s9t Copies for $10: 
Ten or more Copies for $1.50 each. Single numbers 
20 cents, post-paid.—The German Edition will contain 
all the prominent Articles and Engravings of the Eng¬ 
lish Edition, besides a separate department specially 
adapted to German-Americans. Our readers will con¬ 
fer a favor both upon the Publisher and their Gemman 
neighbors, by making this Edition more widely known 
among them.—See other business items on page 304. 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
October in America is the golden month of 
the year. Poets sung of “golden corn” long 
before the golden eared Maize gave the words 
the force which they now convey to those fa¬ 
miliar with this most golden of yellow harvests. 
The progress of agricultural science and good 
practice are fast depriving our landscapes of the 
charm of topped corn fields upon which the eye 
used to rest with such satisfaction, seeing the 
rich treasures of the grain showing out from 
among the weathered husks, as if Nature re¬ 
pented herself of having covered up so much 
wealth. So we must content ourselves with 
knowing that the stately but awkward stooks 
represent all the value and more too, and thrift¬ 
ier farming besides. Compensation is Nature’s 
law;—and the. stooking.of the corn brings to 
view the still more golden show of pumpkins, 
which outside of New England are a crop too 
much neglected. Orchard fruits, golden and 
red, in variegated pyramids under the trees, or 
drifted around the cider mills, repeat the hues 
of the frost touched forest. Abundant game 
tempts hunter and sportsman, and this perhaps 
placed the Archer as the October zodiacal Sign. 
The Indian of the great plains and rocky moun¬ 
tains is the Sagittarius of our Western World. 
Work for tlie Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
Agricultural Exhibitions, etc., no matter if too 
much given up to horse trots and jockeys, should 
he attended by farmers, for there is always some 
good to he gained and new facts to be learned; 
and at any rate, there is a chance to exert a 
good influence to redeem the societies from 
evil ways into which so many have fallen. 
Barns and Buildings .— Look over hints for pre¬ 
vious months in making ready for winter. This 
is a very favorable season for all general repairs 
that do not require the getting out of heavy 
frames, etc., which is properly winter work; at 
all events prepare good protection for all live 
stock. Pine boards are not so expensive an out¬ 
side protection, as an inside lining of provender. 
Beeves .— Soft corn, pumpkins, and grass at this 
season, fatten cattle faster than corn, roots and 
oil cake in winter. The bulk of flesh should be 
laid on now, preparatory to the later finishing off. 
Butter. —Secure as full a flow of milk as pos¬ 
sible, by feeding roots or pumpkins as the pas¬ 
tures fail, and add oil-cake, bran, soft-corn or the 
like to produce a. maximum yield of butter. 
Cabbages .— See note under Kitchen Garden. 
Cellars. —Keep constantly open for good venti¬ 
lation, look to the draining, if there is any 
chance for water to get in by springs in the 
bottom, or through any part of the. found ation. • 
Carrots. —Dig before there is danger of the 
ground freezing even very slightly. Keep in 
the cellar and away from frost. The tops be¬ 
fore they are frosted are good feed for cattle. 
Cattle .— As the nights grow long and cold, 
.give shelter to all kinds of stock. The manure 
alone will pay for taking them up at night. 
Cisterns and everything laid in cement should 
be finished in time to harden before freezing 
weather. Make sure of a sufficiently thick cov¬ 
ering of earth over underground cisterns, etc. 
Corn .— Push forward the husking. Place the 
garnered corn in the ear in good airy cribs, so 
that it shall dry rapidly. Bind up .the stalks in 
firm bundles and make good stooks, left open 
for circulation of air, yet strong and shaped to 
shed rain. Well cured corn fodder is worth as 
much as good ordinary hay. See note in last 
month’s Agriculturist about sowing seed corn. 
Braining .— The lessons of the drouth should 
make every farmer in favor of thoroughly drain¬ 
ing (4 feet deep, drains 2 rods apart,) all land 
subject to suffer either from drouth or excess of 
moisture. Try this experiment on both kinds 
of land—not in a sand hank or a gravel bed. 
Farmers' Clubs. —See Basket item for a model 
constitution—and if possible organize and keep 
up an active club in your own neighborhood. 
Grain and Granaries.—Leave no grain in 
stacks after this month. Clean thoroughly and 
store in vermin proof granaries, or -market at 
once. . We hold to selling whatever we have 
to dispose of whenever we can get a fair' price. 
In the long run this averages the most prof¬ 
itable results, as it saves anxiety, wastes, los¬ 
ses by vermin, and trouble in various ways. 
Eogs .— Feed with perfect regularity. Soft 
corn may be fed on the car, and so with sound 
corn before it hardens, though when it is con¬ 
venient it is always best to cook hog feed. Hogs 
fatten faster in October than in any other month. 
Ice-Houses. —See page 290, and Basket item. 
Manures. —Preparations should he made this 
month for a supply of litter, muck, etc., which 
used first as bedding or as absorbents, shall con¬ 
stitute the chief hulk of the manure heap. 
The manure pits, cellars, and yards, should he 
.cleared out, and that which can not be used on 
the land this autumn, piled up in well laid 
heaps. Strawy manure being mixed with' the 
fine, or the fresh composted with muck or sods. 
This makes room for the winter manure, which 
should be augmented by every means possible. 
Painting. —The present is a most favorable 
time for painting buildings, implements, etc., 
especially such tools as are used in early spring. 
Plowing .— See article on page 293, present No. 
Potatoes .— See page 288, also article in Basket. 
Poultry .— Provide warm, light, winter quar¬ 
ters—if possible where the sun will shine in. 
Arrange for saving all droppings and sweepings. 
Pumpkins furnish an excellent, nutritious food 
for a comparatively short time.. Cook the im¬ 
mature ones for the hogs. Feed ripe pump¬ 
kins to milch cows, only after removing- the 
seeds. Bear in mind that the effect of eating 
the seeds is to diminish the secretion of milk, 
while that of the kidneys is increased. The 
soundest pumpkins may be kept into the winter. 
Roots. —In harvesting, cut and bruise as little 
as possible. Top them so as to be able to feed 
the tops to cattle. Let them have a few days 
to “ sweat” before housing. Gather.in this order: 
carrots, beets, mangels, soft turnips, rutabagas: 
Rye may be sown with advantage any time' 
before the middle of the month—better earlier. 
Sheep .— Keep salt always before them; let 
there be no lack of feed, that they may be in 
condition to meet a severe winter. Keep the 
bucks from the sheep, unless you are so situated 
as to be able to raise very early market lambs! 
Sorghum.- —Top, harvest, and work up any 
not cut last month. Save the leaves for fodder 
and also the second growth if any has started. 
Timber cut at this season, better just before 
the leaves fall, is durable and less apt to decay. - 
Wheat .— It is late to sow wheat north of lat. 
40°. Still it may be done on good ground not 
given to heaving by the frost. That which has 
too rampant a growth may be fed off by young 
cattle, but not too close. It promotes tillering. 
