238 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
Contents for July, 1869. 
AMERICAN AE Rif I! L T U RIS T. 
Bee Notes—By M. Quinby.246 
Birds—The Blue-bird. . Illustrated. .2-19 
Birds—The Pigeon Ilawk. Illustrated ..249 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns—The Rope-tying Ladder- 
Trick—Learn Something Thoroughly—Interior Gar¬ 
dening—Take Your Choice—The Way to Do it—Ac¬ 
commodating Goats —New Puzzles — Answers to 
Problems and Puzzles.0 Illustrations.. 263-264 
Button-hole Bouquets.2 Illustrations. .258 
California Horse Market. Illustrated..25 6 
Farm Work for July. ..236 
Fence—A Portable, Unpatented. Illustrated. .253 
Flower Garden and Lawn in July.237 
Fruit Garden in July.237 
Green-house and Window Plants in July.237 
Hay and Grain Wagons.2 Illustrations ..252 
Horse-radish—Flower and Fruit.. Illustrated.. 257 
Household Department—The Table—Order and Orna¬ 
ment-Soap Making—A Busy Day’s Work with Rec- 
jpes&Giugersnaps—“ Tip-top ” Cake—Lemon Pies 
—Household Talks by Aunt Hattie—Women’s Work 
—Papering — Raspberry Bread — Baked Custard— 
Husk Mats — Keeping Hams — To Wash White 
Woolens—Hints on Cooking—Baked vs. Roasted 
Beef — Short-cake — Japanese Cakes — Cream Pie 
—Lemon Meringue Pie—Rice Meringue Pudding- 
Bread Meringue Pudding—Blanc Mange—Potato 
Dumplings.261-262 
Implements—Plows and Ilay Sweeps.11 Illustrations ..254 
Implements—A Fallow Ground Harrow. .Illustrated. .253 
In with the New and Out with the Old.247 
Kitchen Garden in July.237 
Landscape Gardening. Illustrated.. 259-260 
Management of Agricultural Societies. .255 
Market Reports.238 
Notes from “ The Pines,” No. 2—Mulching, Rolling, 
and “ Firming ”—Planting out Unpleasant Objects 
—Many Acres to One Man.258 
Orchard and Nursery in July.237 
Pastures—How to Make Good. 248 
Pear Blight in Missouri.247 
Permanent Foundations—Dry Cellars.2 Illustrations. 253 
Pickerel Fishing... Illustrated. .235 
Roads and Road Making.217 
Rustic Pottery.3 Illustrations. 259-2G0 
Salvias or Sages as Ornamental Plants— Illustrated. .Wt 
Seeds—Intermixture of. . .248 
Smutty Corn. 4 Illustrations. .252 
Sowing Corn for Green Fodder.255 
Strawberries in Pots.25S 
Summering Young Calves.251 
Summer Propagat ion. Illustrated,. .257 
Swine—More about the Seftons.251 
Tim Bunker on the Jerseys.217 
Trees Do not Bear.258 
Turnips and Ruta-bagas.255 
Use the Rake....254 
Walks and Talks on the Farm—No. 07—Summer Fal¬ 
lowing—Farm Implements —Destroying Weeds— 
Fencing—High Farming.250-251 
INDEX .TO “BASKET” 
A Good Cause.245 
Almonds and Walnuts.. .244 
Am Ass. F. T. A. O. S..244 
Am. Entomologist . 243 
Am. Fruit Preserving 
Powder.215 
Am. Pomological Soc’y. .243 
Arlicles of Ass’n for 
Farmers’ Clubs. 241 
Asparagus Beetle . 214 
Barking Trees.. .245 
Bee Notes..... 246 
Best Breed of Sheep ... .245 
Best, Cows for Milk.243 
Black Raspberries . 244 
Bloodroot & Pennyroyal..244 
Buggy Peas.242 
Bull Harness.241 
Butter Powders.240 
Canada Thistle . 243 
Canned Peaches . 244 
Canning Peas . 214 
Cattle Show at Altona.. .241 
Castle Garden Labor Ex.247 
Century Plant Flowering245 
Clover with Peas....212 
Coal Tar on Shingles _ 213 
Col. Harris, A Word to..244 
Concrete Fences . 242 
Cl op Prospects.215 
“ Cut worms.”.213 
Dep’t of Agriculture_ 213 
Draining in Quicksand. .246 
Evergreen Named.215 
Fairs and Shows . 211 
Farming by Inches . 213 
Feeding'Cows . 242 
Fire Cracker Plant.244 
“ Five Acres too Much”..211 
Garget and Swellings _ 240 
Good for the “ Buckeye”.243 
Grape Cuttings . 215 
Grapes at IIammondsport216 
Grass . 2-42 
Grubs with Sprouts . 245 
Harrows . .215 
Hay I Slake Hay 1 . 243 
Hedging. 215 
OR SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Horticultural Patents_211 
Hybrid Corn.245 
Interesting Book.242 
Tron and Pear Trees... .213 
Lice on Cattle.242 
Lightning-rods.214 
Lime or Gypsum V.242 
Liveforever.244 
Loring & Jenny’s Archi- 
tecture . 
Mexican Strawberry.. 
. .241 
Milking Machines_ 
..210 
Mrs. L. M. Spencer... 
..241 
New Potato from an Old.214 
Ohio Grape Growers’ As.215 
Ohio State Fair. 
Personal Knowledge. 
..212 
Photographs of Cattle 
. .241 
Plants Named. 
..241 
Potato Essays. 
..241 
Potato-llies. 
Potatoes, Tops, and 
no 
Tubers. 
Poudrette. . 
. .212 
Poudrette with Dry Earth241 
Poultry Book . 
..244 
" Rascally ” Seedsmen 
. .241 
Reconstructed Fanner 
.. 24 1 
Red Sorrel. 
Remedies. 
..215 
Rose Bug. 
Sassafras Shoots. 
Self-milking Cow. 
..212 
Slabs for Strawberries 
. .214 
Smallest Calf.. 
..242 
Sundry Humbugs. 
..241 
Swco’ Potatoes . 
The Crows . 
..245 
The New West. 
..245 
Tree Borers. 
. .214 
Trouble in Milking... 
.,.212 
Ville’s System. 
..212 
Vinegar. 
Whitewashing Shingles . 213 
Wine Making. 
Work on the Ilorse... 
..245 
NEW-YORK, JULY, 1S69. 
This month finds the farmers over the length and 
breadth of the land overwhelmed with work, 
especially where liay is an important crop. The 
commercial value of the grass crop, and perhaps 
we may confine the remark to hay, exceeds that of 
all others, taken together, on most of the farms 
over the Northern States. As ivc now practice, it 
is the life of our live-stock for six months of the 
year. Though corn fodder may be substituted for 
it, though many forage crops may be raised which 
will supply deficiencies in the crop of hay, yet this 
is very little done, and a short liay crop brings 
want to hotli the farmer and Ids cattle. It is 
fortunate that the hulk of the crop is cut when it is 
not too late to provide other supplies in case of its 
partial failure. See paragraph below under the head 
of forage crops. Facilities for cutting and curing 
hay are increasing every year. Mowing machines, 
tedders, liorse-rakes, and liorse-forks, save hands 
and lighten labor, besides enabling us to cure the 
liay better, and get it in with less damage from rain 
and sun—for the injury produced by oversunuing 
is often quite 'as great as that caused by showers. 
Our care in securing the liay often leads us to 
neglect manuring the land as soon as the crop is 
off. This is the best time, and not a day ought to 
he allowed to pass before the top-dressing is ap¬ 
plied, if the greatest benefit would he received 
from the manure. 
Stolen cropis arc often a source of considerable 
profit. Those which may he slipped in at this 
season among corn and potatoes, are beans and 
turnips, and if the land is in good heart, and the 
exposure sunny, it will often pay well to sow one or 
the other, or both, calculating to cut the corn up 
at the ground as soon as it is glazed, and let them 
have the sun. 
Whatever the plans for work may he, do not 
overwork. Do not crowd the hoys. They should 
he quick and steady at light work, hut we have 
seen so many-fine boys of 16 or 18 twisted out of 
shape for life by working themselves too hard dur¬ 
ing haying and harvest, that we cannot forbear 
warning hotli farmers and their sons against too 
hard, straining labor. 
Mints Ahoiit Work. 
Barns.—H the barn was not cleaned out in Juno, 
6et this down as a job for the first rainy day. 
Sweep np the grass and clover seed, brush down 
the cobwebs, swallows’ nests, and accumulations 
on the beams, under the eaves, and in cracks and 
crevices; put the old hay where it may he first used. 
Haying and Harvest .—It requires a good general 
to manage the cutting and curing of a large grass 
crop, and the liarvesting of several fields of grain 
of different kinds, avoiding injury from rains and 
thunder showers, if they prevail, unless a large 
gang of hands and teams stand ready all the time to 
do whatever is most needed. Good plans are 
worth much, and should he made, knowing the 
order in which different fields of grass and grain 
will be fit to cut, where the product of each is to 
be stored, permanently or temporarily, the use 
to which the hay, grain, or straw is to be put, and 
the amount of work that can be done eaclt week. 
Hay-making .—Cut with the machine when the 
dew is off. If heavy, and a tedder is used, as soon 
as well wilted stir constantly until cured enough to 
cock up ; then throw into windrows or cocks while 
the sun is still high and the hay is hot. It is best 
to use the hay caps every night, and to apply them 
before dew begins to fall. On eastern slopes, litis 
is before five o’clock, usually, and the men will 
have an hour to mow away hay, lioc corn, or 
other work. Let the hay cure as much as possible 
in the cock ; and after the first day keep it in heaps 
or windrows, turning and loosening thciji up fre¬ 
quently, but never spreading them thin,—that is, 
if you have caps, to protect against showprs. 
Cutting and Curing Grain .—It requires g. fanpef 
of some experience to decide exactly flic best mo¬ 
ment to put in the sickle—(McCor¬ 
mick, or Buckeye). Both grain and 
straw are worth more if cut early. 
The weight of grain is greater if 
allowed to stand until fully ripe. 11 
cures quicker, also, if ripe, for it 
may be bound at once, and shocked 
ten sheaves, up with much sunning. Do not 
delay binding if the weather be at all “ catching,” 
and make good, substantial shocks, that will sited 
rain, and stand through a smart 
blow, such as we are likely to 
have at this season, often ac¬ 
companied by hail. The most 
compact and well-braced up¬ 
right shocks are made of ten 
or twelve sheaves, set together 
as shown, and capped each twelve sheaves. 
with two sheaves, bound together by an extra 
strong hand. Shocks made by laying two, 
three, or four sheaves, witli the heads to¬ 
gether, and piling others, heads in, upon and over 
them, are very good for temporary use, to stand a 
day or two, when rain threatens, but the others 
permit much more circulation of air, shed rain bet¬ 
ter, and will stand without serious harm a long time. 
Pastures .—Be careful not to feed too close. Top- 
dress in rainy weather with plaster, ashes, bone- 
dust, lisli manure, guano, or any good fertilizer. 
Grass Land .—The best time to manure grass land 
is as soon as the hay is off, and though “ hand ” 
fertilizers are best applied now, they have much 
more effect if well mixed with dry muck or soil, 
spread with a shovel from the tail of a cart, and 
brushed in. The best dressing for mowing lots 
or lawns is well-rotted barn-yard manure. 
Hoed Crops .—The pressure of other work leads 
often to neglect of these crops, and they are not so 
thoroughly weeded and attended to as they ought 
to be. For this reason every thing that can he hoed 
by liorse-power should be. Corn that may he in 
danger of neglect should be in rows both ways, so 
that there will be little work for the hand-lioes. 
The rows of Swedish turnips, beets, etc., should, 
on the same principle, he wide apart, so that the 
horse-hoe may be used freely. 
Corn .—Stop hoeing as soon as the ground is well 
shaded. The plow may still he used with care, for 
the sake of loosening the soil; and the little one- 
horse subsoil plow is often run between the rows, 
If you have a strong horse, with great advantage, 
especially in dry weather. 
Forage Crops to be Sown in August .—Indian corn is 
probably the best crop for obtaining a supply of 
green or dry forage for neat cattle, provided the 
soil is rich. On light, pretty good soils turnips 
may he sown thickly, and give an abundant and ex¬ 
cellent green fodder. Peas may he sown alone or 
with oats, and furnish nutritious green forage for 
hogs, horses, sheep, or cows. Hungarian grass 
may he put upon inferior, dry ground, and yield a 
good crop of excellent hay; or it may be fed green, 
or, if desired, allowed to ripen seed, which it 
yields abundantly, and is excellent for horses, 
sheep, or poultry. 
Potatoes ought not to be disturbed after the tubers 
have begun to form. Willi the early sorts this 
takes place early, hut with the late ones not before 
the middle of this month. After the tops interfere 
with the use of the cultivator, turn a light furrow 
towards the hills, add leave them, pulling weeds by 
hand as they appear through the season. 
Turnips .—Sow Swedes early in the month ou 
good mellow soil. Common turnips may be sown 
any time during the month. It is best to sow in 
drills, putting in superphosphate with tlie seed, at 
the rate of about 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. per acre. 
Summer-fallows, if to be of real advantage, must 
he plowed and harrowed after rains, and during dry 
weather, so as to kill weed seeds, mellow the clods, 
and give all parts of the surface soil the benefits of 
sun, air, dew, rain, and harrow teeth. 
Slieep.— See that the feed is abundant, and that 
