[Ajpeil, 
122 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Contents for April, 1866. 
Agricultural Department at Washington.132 
Agricultural Education.HO 
Agricultural Societies—Hints on Management.134 
American Dairymen’s Association. .132 
Apples—Value for Food ....... .H8 
Barn on Fire. Illustrated. .\i2 
Barn Plans—Groesbeck Prize....3 Illustrations. .1Zi-]25 
Bedding Plant—Brilliant. ...Illustrated. .145 
Bees—Apiary in April.125 
Bone Dust as Manure . 136 
Books for Farmers and Others.127 
Boys and Girls’ 'Columns—Checkers—Puzzles for 
Sharp Eyes—Good Mottoes—How Shot are Made— 
How to Find an Unknown Number—Alphabet in 
one Verse—Puzzles and Problems—The Young 
Runaway—Landed at the Wrong Place—Curious 
Plaything....4 Illustrations..145-150 
Bulls—Leading Staff for. Illustrated. .139 
Catalogues, etc., Received...125 
Cattle—Fattening in Winter.137 
Cattle Plague or Rinderpest .132 
Cellars Poisonous.H8 
Christmas Rose... -:. Illustrated. .143 
Cisterns—To Prevent Overflow. Illustrated.. 138 
Coal Tar on Timber—Valuable Experiments.133 
Cotton Raising—Practical Hints.133 
Cows—Notes on Feeding, etc.137 
Cranberry Sauce.148 
Cultivators vs. Hand Hoes... 136 
Drawing-Teach to Chiidren... 148 
Fan Mills—Improvement in. Illustrated..13S 
Farm Work in April.122 
Farms—Selling and Buying. 137 
Fig—Cultivation of....'.141 
Flax Fields—Weeds in.3 Illustrations. .159 
Flour—Healthfulness of Unbolted.148 
Flower Garden and Lawn in April.125 
Forest Trees for Shelter.146 
Fruit Garden in April.123 
Garden—Kitchen in April..124 
Goplier Traps.3 Illustrations. .135 
Grain Bin—Convenient. .. Illustrated. .138 
Grapes—Cold Grapery in April.125 
Green and Hot-Houses in Aprii.125 
Horses—To Prevent Interfering. Illustrated. .130 
Houses of Unburnt Brick.135 
Humbug—Cheap Plated Ware, etc.127-148 
Insects’ Eggs—Resisting Cold. Illustrated. .143 
Insects—Setting up and Preserving. .6 Illustrations.. 144 
Leading Staff for Bull. Illustrated. .139 
Market Reports.127 
Orchard and Nursery in April.123 
Parasitic Animals in Pork.—3 Illustrations. .141 
Peach Orchard—Mr. Bolmar’s.145 
Pears—Manning’s Elizabeth. Illustrated.. 143 
Pork—Parasitic Animals in.—3 Illustrations. .141 
Plated Ware—Suggestions.147 
Premiums for 1866. 126 
Raspberries and Blackberries.145 
Seeds—Temper.ature for Germination.140 
Southern Agriculture—General View.140 
Timber—Coal Tar for Preserving.133 
Vinegar from Sorghum. 148 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 28.136-137 
Weed—Troublesome—Bur-grass. Illustrated. .145 
Weeds of the Flax Field. . 3 Illustrations. .139 
INDEX TO “ BASKET,” OH SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Advertisements, Good—127 Cow Milker.128 
Advertisers, Notice.127 Crows Killing Lambs. ..130 
Agricultural Dep’t.128 Death G. M. Beeler.129 
Agricultnra/ist, N. W—131 Dog and Moon.•. .128 
Agriculturist in ColoradoI3I Eggs, Transporting.-131 
Agriculturist, Notices_131 Erratum.127 
Ain. House Carpenter.. ..128 Feed, Lengtii of.130 
Aslies ana Piaster.130 Garden Compost.128 
Bank Bills, Cutting.131 Grain Drills.130 
Barley, Nepaul.130 Grapes in Steuben Co ...128 
Bees, Profitable.131 Gunpovsder, Harmless...131 
Beet Article.128 lloney Locust Seed.129 
Bone Dust, Caution.129 Horses, Interfering.130 
Book, Bowles’.131 Horses, Rest Needed... 129 
Book-Keeping, Farmeis.123 Humbugs, Seventy.127 
Book, Plant Life .128 Ice, Chaff Packing. ■ ....130 
Breck’s Flower Book. ..128 Land Drainage.128 
Broom Corn Culture . . ..129 Lands. N. J. vs. L. I..,!.131 
Broom Corn Planter.131 Laurel Poisoning.129 
Calves. Feeding.130 Lawn Maiiitre.128 
(.anarjrKeed.I.U Life Insurance.129 
Cancer, Wash for.131 Lime in Soils.129 
Catalogues Received.125 Live Slock Markets.130 
Cattle Bleeders’ Ass'n..,127 iManures, Composts.123 
Cellar above Ground... .ino.Mamires, Garden.127 
Chicken Docloring.131 Meteorological Fads...131 
Chicken Literatnre.!31 Milking Experience.130 
Chickens, Ale for .lOl Moles Eating Trees.130 
Chloride of Lime.130;Muok Subslilufe. 128 
Compo.sts, Quick.128 Nail. Drawing.130 
Compo.st.128,Newspaper Writing.131 
Cotton Manual.123 Oil, Keeping Liquid.131 
Osage Orange Seed.129 
Over 100,000 .-...127 
Pages Increased.127 
Pear Culture, Field’s.. .128 
Peat Land.131 
Petroleum Advertisem’ntl2T 
Pigs. Protecting Young.. 130 
Planes, How to Set.131 
Plants Named.127 
Plum Orchard.125 
Potato Fertilizer.128 
Pure Air Needed.131 
River’s Miniature Fruit 
Garden. .127 
Rural Economy.128 
Seed Drill.128 
Seed Queries.131 
Slieep, Feeding.130 
Sorghum Sugar.129 
Stone Fence, Building.. 130 
Story, Good .128 
Swine, Essex, etc.131 
Trees, Staking.128 
Vetches or Tares. 129 
Wall Builder.127 
Wall Paper, Designing131 
Wheat, California.129 
Wheat, Drilled in.129 
Wheat, Hoeing..129 
Winter in Oregon.131 
Work, Good Hints .127 
Wool or Grease.130 
AMEIlIC.45f AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW-TORK, APRIL, 1866. 
The sun has passed the equinox, and already the 
earth warms with solstitial anticipations. The 
fields, though they early lost their snowy bl.ankets, 
.and were exposed to the furious and cold blasts of 
March, tardily indeed, but still surely, are, one after 
another, putting on their garments of verdure. 
Whatever fate befalls the Fenians, we all can unite 
in their chorus, “ God s.ave the Green." AVhatever 
February and March may do to browm and blast the 
grass and grain, the warm sun and showers of April 
always save the green. It matters little how much 
work may have been anticipated, and with how 
much so ever forethought and industry the prepar¬ 
ations for April work may have been made, there 
is always just as much to do as can be attended to. 
He that has been tlioughtful, and is ready for work, 
will keep up with it, but otherwise he will be driv¬ 
en by it, and loose opportunities that might well be 
those tides in his affairs, which, if taken at the flood-, 
would lead to fortune. Our readers would do well 
to run over the hints for previous months, espe¬ 
cially about planning beforehand for all kinds 
of work, stock and crops. Keeping no accounts 
and working without plan, no wonder some say 
they have bad hick. Tlie results of work without 
plan may well be called luck, —with plan and knowl¬ 
edge, they may be anticipated with a great degree 
of accuracy. 
Mints abniBt Wwk. 
Working Stock.— All kinds of stock ought to 
come through the winter in good condition, but 
animals that are to he put to hard work should 
come out in a little better order than they went in. 
Every ton of hay sold is money out of pocket if it 
prevents this result. 
Oxen.—It may be a very pleasant thing for a man 
whose cattle have lost 100 or 300 pounds of flesh 
the past winter, to say that “ they are just in good 
working order.” But if cattle or horses are run¬ 
ning down in flesh, they are in just the worst 
condition for being put to hard work. They must 
he well fed now .at any rate,and thoroughly groomed 
Give a pair of cattle a peck of corn meal daily upon 
hay or corn stalks, cut up and soaked 8 to 13 hours, 
with all the good hay they will eat. Allow them a 
long nooning, water regularly three times a day; 
see that the yokes do not pinch or gall them, and 
if they do, or their necks are tender, first wash and 
then lay or hind folded cloths, wet with cold water, 
upon the spots for an hour or two after work. The 
same treatment is good for g.alls upon 
Horses. —Tho.se tliat have not been much exposed 
during the ■winter should be blanketed when out 
of the stable, kept out of draughts, and rubbed 
down well if wet, with even greater care tlian is 
used at any otlier season. Wliile the animal is re¬ 
newing his coat he is particularly sensitive to 
changes of weather, .and liable to t.ake cold. Feed 
liberally and groom well, and this r.ather critic.al 
period will pass qnickl)'. Horses turned into the 
fields for exercise, enjoy it so thoroughly that it is 
a great temptation to turn several loose together. 
Do not do it. They often strike or kick one an¬ 
other upon tlie head so as to produce swellings, 
diseases of the bone, or other permanent deformity. 
For hints about ; 
Brood JIares, see previous numbers. Colts, if drop¬ 
ped thus early, may he left chiefly to the care of 
the mares, kept clean,e.arly accustomed to wearing a 
halter headstall, and taught to lead so that at a few 
weeks old they may be led by the sides of their 
dams on the road or at the plow. 
Cows and Calves. —Cows that have had to “ rough 
it,” if fed a little corn on the ear, or perhaps simply 
liave the quality of their feed a little improved 
just before calving, notoriously pass this period 
successfully, while the better attended animals of¬ 
ten have a hard time. The re.ason lies in the well 
cared for cows having too little air, sunshine, exer¬ 
cise, etc.,—perhaps in being made too fat. Give 
cows the tonic of the wind and the light, plenty of 
sweet hay, clean stables, the card with a few roots 
daily, if you have them, and a handful or two of 
ears of corn if you please, (which some of our 
friends consider a specific against slinking), and the 
calves will come along in good condition, and the- 
flo*w of milk will be abundant. If there are signs 
of caking or feverishness in the bag, bathe with 
warm soap snds, and afterwards wash with dilute 
tincture of arnica. 
Beeves intended for grazing, should be kept con¬ 
stantly on tlie gain by feeding corn meal or oil 
meal upon cut straw, wet up. 
Sheep need dry, well-littered sheds and yards, 
with a feed of roots dailjq if possible. Boughs of 
hemlock or pine thrown to them two or three 
times a Aveek, promote the health of the flock. 
Yeaning ewes should have close, well ventilated 
sheds, littered Avith str.aAV cut 8 inches long, and 
warm yards. The long t.ags of avooI should be 
clipped off around their te.ats, so that there Avill be 
no difiiculty in the lambs finding them. Should 
the lambs become chilled, bring them into the 
kitchen, near a good fire; if badly off, give Avarm 
baths, rub them dry, wrap them in bl.ankets, and 
feed fresh ewe’s milk, warmed. A feAV spoonfuls of 
mild milk punch (say one tablespoonful of proof 
spirits in a teacup of milk, SAveeteued) Avill often re- 
A'ive them at once. 
Swine. —RaAi^roots fed daily before farroAving, is 
one of the surest preventives of constip.ation, and 
consequently of th.at depraved state of the stomach 
and bowels Avhicli leads a soav to cat her own j’oung. 
See “ basket ” item on soaa's overlying the pigs. 
Look out early for a good stock of pigs, or store 
hogs for manure makers. The markets are dull noAV 
on account of the hog panic about the trichina 
dise.ase, which is described on page 147. 
PomW)-?/.—W hoever Avill giA’e proper care to early j 
chickens, may set the hens as early as the first of i 
April. Early chickens are particularly useful as 
insect killers, for the first insects are the parents of 
future swarms. Give seldom more than 13 eggs. 
Select those of perfect form, of medium or not ex¬ 
tra large size, and strong shells. Mark each egg j 
Avith a lead pencil, and on several put the date at , 
Avhich they are put under tlie hen. Let hens lay in 
moA’able boxes, so that when they begin to set they j 
may he removed aAvay from the laying hens. Feed I 
regularly, and keep Av.ater ahvays before them. Feed || 
may always be kept before sitting hens if rats arc f 
not troublesome. Turkeys should bo-confined and |, 
made to lay at home in a low box or basket, Avherc ' 
they can he controlled, so that AA'hen their young 
liatch they may he kept in doors for a Aveek or ten ' 
days, as they are very apt to die if they get Avet, 
Set Bucks' eggs under hens. Geese take care of 
themselves, but should not ho forced to go far 
for food Avhile sitting. 
jPrds .—AVren and Bluebird houses should be put 
np early, but those for the different birds kept apart, 
they quarrel. Robins, tliongh tlicy arc great thieves, 
m.ay be attr.acted, if it is desirable, by m.ak- 
iiig a basis for a nest in the crotch of a tree, and 
putting a bo.ard a fcAV inches above it for protec¬ 
tion. Prepare for only one robins’ nest in one part 
of tlie grounds. The quarrels of robins, too, are 
annoying, and occupy tlicir time which should be 
spent in killing insects. Cat-birds can’t be coax¬ 
ed by nesting places, hut Avill perversely find their 
own in hedges, etc. Let tliem severely alone, and i 
one will have no better fi iends. 
