AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
FOR THE 
ITarm, Grarden, and. Household. 
“AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, AND MOST NO RLE EMPLOYMENT OF M AN.”— Wuhimotok. 
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VOLUME XXIII-rn 11. NEW-YORK, NOVEMBER. 1«64. NEW SERIES-No. 214. 
Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1863, by 
Orange Judd, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of 
the United States for the Southern District of New-York. 
Other Journals are invited to copy desirable articles 
freely, if eacli article be credited to American Aariculturi.it. 
Notes and Suggestions for the Month. 
The frosts of October, and tbe bracing winds, 
now and then almost wintry, warn us to prepare 
for the cold weather, which approaches with 
such steady marches from the ice-caves of the 
North. The year has poured out almost all the 
contents from her “Horn of Plenty,” and man 
has garnered them. Our granaries are full and 
our barns crowded with the harvests. Fruits 
are gathered and roots are fast filling up the 
measure of the bountiful store. It now remains 
to make those final preparations for winter, 
which are necessary for us in order to take ad¬ 
vantage of its hours of comparative freedom 
from severe labor. See how each bud has its 
winter jacket, padded or furry, and of many 
folds. The leaves in the forest and. orchard 
protect the tender plants which seek the shelter 
of their moist shade. The cattle have their 
thick winter coats, the birds thicker plumage, 
and the wild animals have made provision in 
a much more remarkable degree. We subject 
plants and animals to very unnatural conditions 
of life when we domesticate them, and of course 
should conscientiously guard them from suffer¬ 
ing, and the evils of exposure to the cold. 
While we rejoice in the bounties of Heaven, and 
give thanks for our full harvests, and that, 
though in a fearful struggle for national life and 
integrity, our country still holds its place among 
nations, let us remember those whose barns are 
not full, because the strong arms that would 
have sowed and garnered the crops, have been 
reaping harvests of laurels on the battle field. 
Work for tlie Farm, Barn, and Stock Yard. 
Buildings. —Every tiling should be put in order 
for cold weather, which often comes as early as 
the middle of the month. Banking up earth 
against foundations, hoarding up stables inside, 
tightening the outside boarding, stopping leaks 
in the roofs, setting glass where panes are brok¬ 
en, are each important at this season. All 
stables ought to be provided with glazed win¬ 
dows, into which the sun may shine freely. 
Butter .—Feed the cows roots, pumpkins and 
meal, bran and oil cake, or something of the 
kind to keep up the butter product. This is as 
good as gold to pay debts in Europe,, and will 
bring high prices while foreign exchange is high. 
Cabbages .—Bury as described last month. 
They afford a very nutritious milk-making food 
for cows, and when no decayed leaves are fed, 
will not flavor milk, if fed after morning milking. 
Cattle .—Pusli forward the fattening of beeves 
as fast as possible. The best flesh is laid on 
before the coldest weather. Give the shelter of 
good warm sheds to young stock, and stable 
the milch cows. If this he not possible, give the 
best protection you can. The straw shelters de¬ 
scribed in the Jan. Agriculturist of this volume 
are now important to many Western farmers. 
Cellars. —See that there is perfect drainage, 
and that water cannot run in, even in the worst 
weather. Make tlieiii neat, healthy and light, 
by whitewash. Stop the rat holes with cement 
mortar filled with broken glass, and “point 
up ” cracks and loose spots in tlie foundations. 
Cisterns .—Protect against winter. It is not 
too late to make a good one. Durable farm 
cisterns are made by cementing right against 
tlie earth, as repeatedly described in the Agri¬ 
culturist. Empty foul cisterns and clean them 
out thoroughly, early in the month, that they 
may be filled afresh before the snow comes. 
Corn. —As early as possible have it all husked 
and placed in dry, airy cribs, or spread out on 
warm and dry floors.. Corn husks, well baled, 
meet a ready sale at high prices in Eastern cities. 
Draining. —So long as the ground continues 
open, if it he all winter, keep hands at work at 
this important business. It is much better for 
a farmer to bury liis money in tlie earth, in the 
shape of well laid tiles, 4 feet deep, than to put 
it in the best bank in the world, while the labor 
thus expended is that which can not be im¬ 
mediately converted into money. No one who 
does a little good draining will stop with that. 
Fences. —Poor fences are a temptation to peo¬ 
ple to steal rails for firewood, and the careless 
farmer is in part answerable for the crime. 
Fruit. —Handle carefully; one bruise rots an 
apple. Apples packed in barrels in dry leaves 
keep longer than packed in any other way we 
know, and will bear transportation better. 
Keep fruit in a cool place, but where it will not 
be frosted. Cider made from selected sound 
apples, and when special care is taken to have 
everything clean, is superior to most wines. 
Grain .—Rats, mice and other vermin have 
free chance at grain so long as it is in the sheaf. 
Get it all threshed and ready for market as soon 
as possible. Keep it always clean and bright, 
in the most marketable order for high prices. 
Hedges. —Thorns and other deciduous plants 
may be set so long as the ground is open. 
Hogs. —Keep clean, well bedded, and shelter¬ 
ed ; supply cooked food if possible. Litters of 
early pigs may now be provided for, allowing 
for the sow to go about four months with young. 
Horses. —See to it th^t the stables are well 
ventilated and light—easily cleaned out and 
warm. Blanket a horse when he is standing 
out of the stable, or when he first comes in, 
and at nignt; too much blanketing is injurious. 
Leaves furnish an excellent material for ma¬ 
nure. Collect all that you can. They answer for 
bedding, hut are not a good absorbentofliquids. 
Manures.— See notes in last number. Get out 
much muck to be exposed to tlie weather in 
winter, for use next year; collect every thing 
that may increase tlie supply in the hog pen, 
stables, barn yard, or compost heaps of manure. 
Plowing. —Fall plowing tells, particularly on 
land which is not well drained and is late in 
drying in the spring, also on foul land, and 
on heavy clays that are ameliorated by the frost. 
Potatoes. —Be sure that potatoes in pits in the 
open ground have good ventilation and drain¬ 
age, hut are well covered. Those in cellars 
should be dry and cool, hut not so cold as apples. 
Poultry in warm, light, clean quarters will, if 
the hens b,e well fed, secure plenty of eggs all 
winter. Feed freely those destined for market. 
Prices are usually best just before or after the 
holidays. Scraps from beef and pork are fat¬ 
tening, are much relished, and induce laying. 
Pumpkins. —See notes in October Agriculturist . 
Roots. —Store in cool cellars after sweating; 
free them from tops and dirt when put in. 
Sheep. —Provide comfortable sheds, give them 
a good range; if housed, free ventilation and 
clean quarters, not crowded. Each sheep 
should have 10 to 15 square feet surface room, 
(equivalent to a space 2J by 4 feet, or 3 by 5 feet 
for each one); not more than 100 to 150 should 
be confined in the same room. Turn in the 
buck this month for April lambs, hut they do 
better if dropped in May, in colder localities. 
Sugar Sorghum. —It bears some frost, but ri¬ 
pens little after the leaves are frozen. Such cane 
ferments rapidly and must he worked at once. 
Turnips and carrots. —Dig before the ground is 
liable to freeze, and store them after sweating. 
Winter grain. —It is better for it to have too 
much growth than too little. Never feed off a„ 
this late season. Look to the surface drains, 
that water may not stand in them, and that side 
hills be not exposed to washing by overflowing. 
Wood for fuel. —Much good fuel may be col¬ 
lected from that which has broken and blown 
down, dead trees, etc., both in orchard and 
forest, as well as from old fences, bridges, 
etc., which should he replaced with sound stuff. 
