AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
1869. j 
ing the manure from the stables, together with 
sods, bog hay, weeds, and last year’s old cornstalks. 
Sheep .—See that they are not scalded by the hot 
sun on their bare backs after shearing. Give new 
shorn sheep good shelter, botli from cold and sun¬ 
shine, until they have become used to their naked 
condition. Two weeks after shearing, ticks will 
usually be found upon the lambs. These, at least, 
should be dipped twice or three times, a week apart. 
Once dipping the old sheep will commonly answer. 
The best dip is unquestionably carbolic soap. 
Cows .—Feed enough must be prepared to keep up 
the flow and the quality of the milk through wet 
weather or through droughts. Pea vines.or clover, 
cut and fed at evening in the yards, may fill out the 
time between the cutting of wheat and rye for 
soiling, and the time when corn is ready to cut, 
which will not be before the 1st to the 15th of July. 
Working cattle must have good, long noonings, if 
they are worked hard, and be well fed. Look out 
for yoke galls, and apply wet cloths at night and 
on Sundays. Foot-sore cattle must have rest in 
clean stables, where cut grass can be fed to them. 
Horses at pasture thrive at this season; later, flies 
torment their flesh off. Mares with their foals 
should be pastured by themselves. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
While the month of June brings abundant work, 
it gives us also rewards for our labors. Strawber¬ 
ries, early vegetables, and the choicest products of 
the flower garden, come with the warm days of 
June. The soil is now well warmed, and not only 
do established plants grow rapidly, but seed germi¬ 
nates with surprising quickness. Those who have 
been obliged to delay sowing, or who lost their 
early crops in the cold storms of May, can still sow 
seeds of most crops with good prospect of success. 
Orchard and IVnrsery. 
Young trees set this spring will. need looking 
after. Much can be done towards giving them the 
desired shape, by rubbing off shoots which start 
where limbs are not wanted. Stop the growth of 
useless limbs, and nearly all pruning may be avoid¬ 
ed. Shapeless trees, with crowded heads, come 
from neglect in their youth. 
Pinching is preventing the prolongation of a 
branch by nipping out its “ growing point,”—the 
young and tender end—by means of the thumb and 
finger. Where a shoot appropriates the nourish¬ 
ment to the detriment of others, pinch it. 
Grafts will need similar care to that required by 
young trees ; indeed, a graft is only a young tree, 
planted in the wood of another tree instead of in 
the soil. Where two cions were inserted, and they 
are likely to become crowded, remove the weaker. 
Govern the growth by pinching. 
Budded stocks need similar attention. The shoot 
from the bud is often very vigorous, and the newly 
formed wood is not sufficiently firm to withstand 
the winds without staking. 
Pruning .—This month is generally preferred for 
the removal of large limbs. We have, in previous 
numbers, given the precautions to be observed. 
Cultivate young orchards, and keep the soil mel¬ 
low. If there are crops between the rows, keep 
them well worked. 
Thinning cannot be too often advocated, as it is 
very generally neglected. There are but few trees 
which fruit at all that would not be benefited by 
the removal of one-half of the crop. The sooner 
it is done, the better. 
Seed-beds, especially of evergreens and deciduous 
forest trees, will require shading. This may be 
done by a frame of lattice-work, by sticking 
branches over the bed, or by placing a horizontal 
frame-work over it, upon which are placed 
branches of evergreens or brush. 
Insects are most numerous and destructive this 
mouth. Use vigilance, and let patent remedies 
alone. Go among the trees frequently, and remove 
nests of caterpillars. The eggs of some caterpil¬ 
lars are laid upon the leaves, and a whole colony 
may be found upon a small branch. It will be 
better to cut this off and destroy the insects, than 
to allow them to spread over the tree. 
Borers .—The parent of the borer deposits its 
eggs upon the trunk, near the ground, and the 
young hatch and eat their way into the wood. Oc¬ 
casional rubbing with a corn cob is practised, but 
a more certain preventive is to wrap the base of 
the tree with stiff paper, the lower edge of which 
should be below the surface of the soil. 
Curculio .—We must repeat the often told story. 
The curculio can only be successfully controlled 
by daily jarring the trees, catching the insects on a 
sheet, and destroying them. 
Slugs will appear on the leaves of the cherry and 
pear. They are small, green, and slimy fellows, of 
a repulsive aspect. Lime, or dry dust, shaken from 
a bag of loose fabric, will destroy them. 
Plant Lice .—See articles among “Basket” items. 
Fruit Giii'dcn. 
Strawberries , if they have not already been 
mulched, should have the surface between the 
lows covered with some material to protect the 
fruit from being soiled. Salt or bog hay, straw, or 
even cornstalks, may be used. Some useful direc¬ 
tions for those who pick fruit for market will be 
found on page 168, last month. 
Blackberries .—'The new canes should not be al¬ 
lowed to grow higher than 4 or 5 feet. Pinch 
them, and an abundance of branches will be thrown 
out, which are to be stopped by pinching when 
they are about 18 inches long. 
Raspberries .—Let only four new canes grow to a 
stool, and remove all others, unless needed for 
planting. Give the new growth a chance to de¬ 
velop, which may be done by a little care in train¬ 
ing. For several methods of training, see page 219. 
Currants .—Mulching around the bushes will be 
of great service if the weather is dry. The best 
remedy for the attacks of the currant worm is pow¬ 
dered white hellebore. 
Grape Vines .—It cannot be too often repeated 
that, to get a strong and vigorous vine, a newly 
planted one should, the first season after planting, 
bear but one shoot. Rub off all the rest, and keep 
the one shoot tied to a stake. Do not let young 
vines overbear. Two bunches to a shoot are 
enough, and one is generally better than two. Use 
sulphur freely upon the first appearance of mildew. 
Insects will be troublesome. Hand-pick for the 
large beetles and worms that are found upon grape 
vines. See notes on the Orchard for other hints. 
Kitchen Garden. 
Hoe and Rake will be in constant requisition. 
Several forms of hand weeders are preferable to 
the common hoe. Whatever the implement se¬ 
lected, let the work be thoroughly done, and be¬ 
fore a stubborn growth of weeds makes it hard 
work. A sharp steel rake used frequently will 
save much hoeing, as it will kill the weeds just as 
they are germinating. 
Seeds of many things will need to be sown to 
keep up a succession as well as to replace those 
which have failed. Even as late as the first of 
June the majority of garden vegetables may be 
sown at the North, and produce fair crops. 
Asparagus .—Stop cutting when peas are ready, 
and let it grow. Hoe over the bed, if weedy, and 
if there is any manure to spare, apply it. 
Beans .—Continue to plant the bush sorts. See 
article on Lima Beans on page 217. 
Beets .—Keep well weeded, and thin as soon as 
large enough to handle. The market gardeners 
sell the young beets that are thinned out for enough 
to pay for the labor. They are much prized as 
“ greens ” by those who know how good they are. 
Cabbages .—Transplant the early sorts from the 
seed-bed, and sow late varieties. Those that were 
properly forwarded will be ready for the market or 
table. As soon as the crop is off, prepare the land 
for some other. 
i£>y 
Carrots may yet be sown. This crop, wliexi 
young, needs especial care to keep free from weeds. 
Celery .—The young plants in the seed-bed should 
not become crowded or weedy. 
Corn .—Sow for a succession every two weeks. 
If late in the .season, sow early varieties. 
Capsicums, or Tippers. — Set in rows, two feet 
apart, with fifteen inches between the plants. Se¬ 
lect a warm and rich spot, and give good cultivation. 
Cucumbers .—Make well-manured hills, about four 
feet apart, and put in a plenty of seed. When the 
plants are strong enough to be beyond injury by 
bugs, thin out to three in each hill. We have 
given so many devices for keeping off the “striped 
bug,” that it is unnecessary to repeat them. 
Egg Plants, like peppers, need rich soil and a 
warm situation. They repay extra manure and 
care. The same “green worm” that attacks the 
tomato will prey upon the egg plant. 
Endive. —Transplant, and sow for a late crop. 
Lettuce for summer use does best in a somewhat 
shaded and moist place. The India is the best. 
Melons need the same treatment as cucumbers. 
Onions .—No crop needs more careful cultivation. 
See article in April last. Where onions are market¬ 
ed, they often pay better if sold when half grown 
than if allowed to ripen. 
Parsnips .—Continue to cultivate until the growth 
of leaves prevents working between the rows. 
Peas .—Plant succession crops. Put brush or 
other support to those that need it. 
Radishes .—Seed may be sown for a late supply. 
Rhubarb .—Cut away the flower stalks as soon as 
they show themselves. Stop pulling, and let the 
plants l-Qst as soon as fruit conies. 
Ruta-bagas, or the French turnip, may be sown 
late in the month. Dust the plants with plaster 
and ashes as soon as up, to keep off insects. 
Salsify ,may still be sown, but the roots will not 
be so large as if put in earlier. The treatment is 
in all respects the same as that of carrots. 
Spinach .—-The common sorts are not so well 
suited to hot weather as the New Zealand, but a 
fair crop may be had if the weather is not too dry. 
Squashes .—See last month’s notes for directions. 
Sweet, Potatoes .—At most places at the North the 
first week in June is early enough to set them. 
The preparation of the ridges was given last month. 
Tomatoes .—Set out plants. Keep well hoed. In 
the garden, some support is required, which may 
be a slat supported upon crotched stanes, a low 
wire trellis, or the plants may have a hoop support 
like that shown on page 219. In field culture, the 
plants are allowed to fall over by their own weight. 
Flower <»al-tlen and Fawn. 
Lawns .—To obtain a velvety surface, the grass 
must be clipped frequently. See last month’s 
notes for remarks on lawn mowing machines. 
Annuals may be sown, and the tender ones will 
come on rapidly, now that the soil is warm. Trans¬ 
plant or thin out those already up. 
Bedding Plants, of the more delicate kinds, flour¬ 
ish better if put out now than if planted earlier. 
This is especially the case with Heliotropes, etc. 
Specimen Plants, from the green-houses, may be 
used to ornament the grounds. The pots should 
be set in the ground up to their rims. Oranges, 
Oleanders, and the like, may be turned out of the 
pots and planted- in the borders, but they must 
be taken up and potted quite early in autumn. 
Fuchsias are only satisfactory in the open ground 
where they have considerable shade. 
Tuberoses .—Procure bulbs that have been started 
under glass, if possible, but if dry bulbs are set, 
give them a warm and rich place. 
Bulbs. —Tulips, Hyacinths, and other spring 
blooming ones, may be left from year to year, if no 
regard is had to the quality of the bloom. To ob¬ 
tain the finest flowers, the bulbs should be taken 
up as soon as the leaves show signs of decay. 
