AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
242 
farm makes it sell well. It raises the ex¬ 
pectations of the purchaser, as he flatters 
himself that he can manage quite as well as 
the present occupant. 
remodeling the old barn, 
or building a new one, will then certainly be 
good policy this Fall, if you have not already 
attended to it. Consider how many hundreds 
of loads of manure, what tons of ammonia 
have been wasted in the old establishment, 
and put a stop to this large leak in your ship. 
It is an old affair, but the timbers are yet 
sound, and by moving it a few rods you may 
put under it a cellar, and provide much bet¬ 
ter accommodations for your stock. Enlarge 
it if necessary, so that every animal may 
have shelter for the Winter. It is now 
simply a planked building, letting in all the 
winds at the cracks. It must be newly cov¬ 
ered and made tight, so that you can com¬ 
mand the circulation of the air with a venti¬ 
lator. Remember that wintering cattle at the 
stack-yard is as wasteful as it is barbarous, 
costing at least a fourth more of fodder to 
carry an animal through. Let this reproach 
of our husbandry be wiped out henceforth. 
If the old barn is rotten in its timbers, pull 
it down, and build anew. Consult some of 
your neighbors who have a good barn, for a 
plan, and make such additions as your loca¬ 
tion and the style of your farming suggests. 
ONE BARN TO A FARM. 
Some farmers err in having too many 
barns scattered about their premises. Some 
of them are a half or three-quarters of a 
mile from the house, and in the Winter, 
they have to take a journey twice, daily at 
least, in the cold to fodder the cattle. This 
is a great waste of labor, and the cattle 
usually suffer from neglect unless the own¬ 
er sees to the feeding in person. One barn 
indeed involves a good deal of carting of 
hay, and of manure, but this is a small evil 
in comparison with having the cattle at a 
distance in the Winter. Stock, in order to 
do their best, should not only be housed in 
Winter, but should be fed thrice daily, and 
at regular hours. Much of the fodder is 
wasted if they are fed at longer intervals. If 
fed at irregular hours they suffer from hun¬ 
ger, and become impatient. To lay on flesh 
or fat kindly, they should be kept quiet in 
the intervals of foddering. If these ends are 
t.o be sought, all the stock should have room 
in the home barn, and should be under the 
eye of the owner every day. 
THE CARTING OF MANURE 
may be saved, in part, by making a portion of 
vour compost upon the fields where you de¬ 
sign to use it. The meadow, for instance, 
that you design for corn next season, may 
be furnished with muck heaps for the mak¬ 
ing of compost this Fall. The manure may 
be drawn to these heaps and mixed now, or 
early in April. If covered immediately with 
the muck and protected from washing, the 
manure will lose little of its value, and the 
work in Spring will be hastened. 
I HE PIG STY 
should now have your attention every day. 
Feed regularly, and keep your porkers well 
supplied with muck and litter. A constant 
and full supply of food is essential to making 
cheap pork. Is your piggery dry and warm, 
and luxurious in its clean rye straw ? 
A MULCH FOR THE STRAWBERRY BED. 
We have found the hardiest varieties of 
this fruit to do better with a Winter cover¬ 
ing. It should not be too thick. Leaves 
mat down so closely that under the snow 
they prevent all ventilation, and the vines 
are killed. Old bog hay, or straw, will an¬ 
swer a good purpose. Dry sea-weed is also 
an excellent covering. The boughs of ever¬ 
greens, where they are convenient., afford a 
sufficient protection. 
. THE RASPBERRY CANES 
are best protected by a covering of earth. 
This is so little trouble that it is not a 
strong objection to a good variety that is only 
half hardy or tender. He must be a lazy 
cultivator who grudges the trouble of put¬ 
ting a few inches of dirt, upon his raspberry 
canes. The stools should be thinned out to 
about four canes. The smaller shoots may 
be taken up to make new plantations of, or 
to sell, or give away to your neighbors. 
THAT ORCHARD 
should certainly be planted this month. It 
is too bad that you had not the five hundred 
barrels of apples to sell this Fall, when they 
are in such demand. But it is never too 
late to learn, and you should learn wisdom 
now, and be ready for the next year of scar¬ 
city. They will always pay whenever you 
can get good fruit, and some years they will 
pay better than anything else upon the 
farm. Notice the often-repeated directions 
for tree-planting in the Agriculturist, and put 
out good sized, thrifty, well-rooted apple 
trees in your orchard. 
THE ROOT HARVEST 
should not be delayed much longer. Beets 
should go in immediately, and the mangel 
wurtzels, if you mean to keep them for 
Spring feeding. Carrots and ruta bagas 
should be harvested by the middle of the 
month. 
SAYE THE SOOT. 
This, though generally thrown into the street 
and wasted is one of the best manures. It is ex¬ 
tensively used in England, and when only 15 or 
20 bushels are applied to the acre, it induces the 
most luxuriant crops of wheat, and other grains. 
It contains, in small compass, almost all the in¬ 
gredients of the coal or wood used for fuel. It 
also contains several salts of ammonia, magnesia, 
lime and muriatic acid. Its components are the 
natural food or stimulants of plants, and it can be 
used to great advantage as a concentrated fertil¬ 
izer, to stimulate germinating seeds in the drill. 
It is not only sown broad-cast with the grain, but 
it is applied to the root crops with the best results. 
Potatoes and carrots, especially, are benefitted 
by it, Six quarts o soot to a hogshead of water 
make an excellent liquid manure for the garden. 
It can he applied with safety to all garden crops, 
and will pay well for saving. In putting the stoves, 
furnaces and fire-places in order for Winter, bear 
it in mind, that soot is valuable, and will be wanted 
for Spring use. One, two, three or more bar¬ 
rels can be saved easily in most families, espec¬ 
ially where wood is burned 
Leaf Manure.— The best manure, says Liebig, 
for almost every plant is the decomposed leaves 
and substances of its own species; hence when 
the small onions or scullions, as they are called, 
are left upon the bed, and turned under the soil, 
they greatly benefit the succeeding crop. An an ¬ 
nual dressing of salt in moderate quantities, sown 
broad-cast Over the whole garden early in Spring, 
is beneficial, destroying the germs of insects and 
acting on the foliage of plants, retaining moisture, 
&c. Ten bushels to the acre will answer the 
purpose. 
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 
NOVEMBER, 1857. 
[We note down a summary of various operations, 
many of them very common ones, it is true, but a simple 
catalogue like this will often suggest a piece of work that, 
would otherwise be forgotten. The Calendar is adapted 
to the latitudes of 39° to 45°. A little allowance must be 
made for each degree of latitude—earlier north—later 
south. This table will be made out anew every month, 
and adapted to the season of each year. 
Explanations. —Th'e letters, f. m. 1., refer to first, mid¬ 
dle , and last of the month. 
Doubling the letters thus : ff., mm., or 11., gives emphasis 
to the particular period indicated-! 
FARM. 
Now that the crops are chiefly gathered, and the Win¬ 
ter cereals sown, it is time to cast about and see what 
permanent improvements can be made upon the farm, 
what can be done to forward work another Spring, and 
more than all, see whether anything is lacking to make 
stock comfortable during the approaching Winter. Look 
well to the 
Earns and see if sufficient room is provided to shelter 
all cattle and horses at night, and during storms, with shed 
or hovel room for the sheep. Have racks so arranged 
that no fodder will be wasted either In the yards or stalls. 
Unless all the stock can be accomodated by buildings now 
up, construct a rude shed as described under this head 
last month. 
Beeves—Hasten the fattening of those intended for the 
butcher. Do not wait until a large portion of the food is 
needed to keep up animal heat. With the corn or meal 
give pumpkins, beets, carrots and turnips. 
Buildings of all kinds that were not closely inspected 
last month should be looked to now, and made storm and 
cold proof. Painting may very pioperly be done at this 
season. 
Cabbages—Harvest the late crop before the ground 
freezes the roots in, and protect as recommended in the 
October number. See page 2G2. 
Carrots—Dig ff. any remaining in the ground. 
Cattle—As grazing food is fast failing, cattle look to the 
barns for a partial supply of what they must soon depend 
upon entirely. Remember that a long Winter is before 
them and only give them what they eat up entire, even 
though you may seem to have abundance. Use all de¬ 
caying vegetables and their tops before they waste upon 
the ground. Milch cows should have a goodly supply of 
green fobd including pumpkins, turnips,beets, &c , to keep 
up the supply of milk. Every animal should come to the 
barn at the opening of Winter in good flesh. See that all 
are stabled at night and during cold and stormy weather. 
Cellars are now receiving important stores Protect 
them from frost by banking up, and secure the windows 
and door way, so that cold can not. enter ; but provide 
for suitable ventilation. 
Cisterns—Unless already provided, lose no time in 
constructing for both house and barn. They are easily 
made and save abundance of labor and manure, to say 
nothing of broken bones on icy paths leading to the spring, 
pond or brook. 
Draining is always in season, when the ground is not 
frozen or wet, until all swales, swamps, or low grounds 
are made the most productive portions of the farm. At¬ 
tentively peruse the chapters on this topic, as they appear 
from month to month. 
Fowls—Warm inclosures, sand or gravel, cooked veg 
etables, meat, grain and water are essentials for poultry 
during the Winter season, to keep them in a laying con, 
dition. 
Grain—Thresh any omitted last month, and carefully 
save the straw for feed and bedding. 
Hay and Straw—Cut as much of these as possible 
When wet and mixed with meal or bran cattle eat the 
whole, where they would waste a part without being cut. 
Astrawcuttershouldbeoneof the indispensables of the 
farm. 
Hogs—Bear in mind the advice of last month and com 
plete fattening early. Cook the food in all cases where 
practicable. 
Ice Houses—Build f. m.; directions for a cheap struc 
ture are given on page 251. 
