1866 .] 
AMERICAN AG-RICULTURIST. 
207 
Corn Fodder .—Dry weather may suddenly cut 
short the pasturage, and without a good supply of 
corn fodder many a farmer would find his milk 
running very low. Corn should be sowed on 
ground in good heart, iii drills 3 feet apart, ma¬ 
nured in the drill with compost if need be. About 
3 or 4 bushels is the usual seeding for an acre. The 
ground should be cultivated between the rows with 
a horse-hoe or cultivator once or twice.— 
Sorghum may be used instead of corn, but it is 
not nearly so good. Still the seed costs much less. 
Clover Seed. —Don’t forget that red clover on 
good land, cut early, will produce a crop of seed 
as good, or better than you can buy. Cut before it 
would otherwise be best to do so,—early in June,— 
and leave the stubble even as possible. If you can 
put on a light dressing of fine muck and ashes 
compost, you will see the advantage in it. 
Peas sowed after the 15th of May, north of lati¬ 
tude 41°, will be free from the Pea Weevil or Pea 
Bug. South of this latitude, peas sown earlier by 
several days or weeks, will usually be found free. 
Boot Crops .—We hope none of our readers will 
neglect to plant roots. Mangel wurtzels should 
have been planted in M.ay, but will make a crop in 
good soil now. The soil for Rutabagas should be 
rich and mellow, and 200 or 300 pounds of a good 
Superphosphate, or an equal quantity of bonedust 
will do the crop nothing but good. Sow with a 
good drill 24 inches apart, and thin to a foot apart 
in the drills, or 16 inches iu very rich laud. 
Cabbages do well on soil rich in organic matter, 
such as reclaimed swamps, in fact they will flourish 
on any rich soil. They need good previous tillage 
of the soil, and constant culture, that is, enough to 
secure an open, wcedless soil so far as practicable. 
They take the place of roots perfectly in feeding, 
and impart but very little flavor to the milk, 
provided no decayed leaves are fed. The seed of 
the Drumhead, Flat Dutch, Mason, and other late 
sorts may be sowed now in seed beds, and by and 
by the plants set iu tlie field 2 feet apart in rows, 
30 inches to 3 feet apart according to the usual size 
of the variety. Cabbages produce an immense 
quantity of food per acre on good ground.-One 
great use of hoed crops is to destroy the 
Weeds .—^Very weedy laud may be cleaned com¬ 
pletely by dilligently allowing no weeds to grow 
large, and frequently stirring the soil so as to cause 
new crops continually to sprout. Wet weather 
should be t.aken advantage of to 
Fidl deep-rooted Weeds both among grain and 
grass, where these crops can be entered without 
injury, and also in the corn field. 
Tobacco .—Set plants about the 2ud and 3d week 
in June in this latitude, and northward. The soil 
must be rich, iu good tilth, the rows 3 feet apart, 
and the plants 2)^ feet iu the rows. Shelter from 
the sun by dropping a little freshly mown grass 
upon the plants, keep close watch for grubs and 
cut worms, and reset as fast as plants fail, up to the 
second week iu July. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
He who has planted trees has done well, but he 
who has watched them and cared for their early 
growth, has done better. There would be very little 
to be said about pruning, were the young trees 
projJerly looked after. The rubbing off of a super¬ 
fluous bud here, pinching a rampant shoot there, 
and the judicious use of the pocket knife as oc¬ 
casion required, would soon put a young orchard 
in the way it should go. But as people will let 
trees have their own way until they need 
Pruning, we are obliged to accept pruning, the 
cutting off of large limbs, as one of the operations 
that must be done. This and the next are the 
months iu which to do it, as now in the growing 
season the wounds heal over ‘‘ kindly.” Never cut 
a limb from a tree unless something is to be gained 
by it. Indiscriminate hacking merely because it is 
the pruning season, is not to be commended. If 
the head is too crowded and there is not room for 
the light and air, thin it; if one branch grows so 
near another as to chafe it, take it out; if the tree 
is disposed to grow one-sided, balance it. Use a 
saw with a wide “set,” never an axe, though some¬ 
times a heavy chisel driven up from below, will 
prove efficient. Leave a smooth cut, by paring 
carefully with knife or chisel if need be. The 
wound will heal over all the better if covered from 
the air. The old solution of shellac in alcohol is 
an excellent applie.ation, but the price of mate¬ 
rials is too high to allow of their general use, and 
Grafting Wax, applied warm with a brush, is a 
very useful substitute. One part tallow, two of 
wax, four of rosin, melted together and applied 
while warm, will answer the purpose. The com¬ 
position may be made harder or softer by altering 
the proportion of tallow. In shaping 
Young Trees, to form low heads, if only for the pro¬ 
tection the overhanging branches afford tothe timnk. 
Grafts set this spring will now show whether 
they have “taken.” In common cleft grafting 
there are usually two cions put in, but seldom more 
than one is needed. Cut off the superfluous one, 
and if the upper buds of the one allowed to grow 
are disposed to starve the lower ones, shorten them 
by pinching. In short, treat a graft as if it were a 
newly planted young tree. Keep the wax or clay 
closely applied, until the wound is well covered. 
Insects will demand much of the attention of the 
fruit grower at this time. One of the most con¬ 
spicuous of these is the Tent Caterpillar. If, as 
we advised in season, the eggs were looked for and 
removed, the number of tents will be sensibly less. 
We haveprobably a dozen letters giving the writers’ 
method of treating this caterpillar; they all result 
in destroying the nest and kilting the inhabitants. 
Kerosene on a swab, soft-soap on a swab and a 
torch of kerosene to burn them out are among the 
remedies proposed. As good a way as we have 
ever seen, is to pull oflf the nest and trample on it, 
wearing gloves if you are squeamish about cater¬ 
pillars ; or, if the nest is, as is often the case, on a 
small twig, cut it off, but don’t omit the trampling. 
Fires iu the orchard at night will attract and des¬ 
troy many moths, and some place lamps or lanterns 
in large pans of water. The insects strike against 
the glass and fall into the water and are drowned. 
Now is the time to be on the guard against 
Borers .—See article on page 187, May number. 
Buds set last year will now be pushing a growth 
so vigorous, that there is great danger that it will 
be broken down by winds, or by its own weight. 
It should be tied to the stump of the stock left for 
that purpose, or if necessary to a stake. All 
Suckers, whether they appear on budded, or graft¬ 
ed stocks, or on established trees, should be rub¬ 
bed off when they first appear. If the 
Black Knot appears on the plum or cherry tree, 
cut it off and burn it. This is a regular fungous 
growth and should not be laid to insects who have 
enough other mischief to answer for. It has been 
ignorantly charged to the account of the 
Curculio, which will perhaps deposite its eggs in 
it in default of finding fruit. Treat the curculio iu 
the oniy practical way. Jar every tree early in the 
morning, catch the insects that fiiil, upon a sheet, 
and burn them. As soon as the new growth of 
shrubs gets firm enough. 
Layers may be made. Put the layer down in rich 
soil, and if at all disposed to dry out, cover the 
surface with a mulch of moss, or other material. 
Seed-beds of fruit and other trees will need weed¬ 
ing, and thinning, and often, especially iu the case 
of forest and evergreens, need shading. If seedling 
evergreens are disposed to damp off, sift over the 
bed an inch or so of dry sand. 
Evergreens may still be transplanted, if the roots 
are properly kept from drying. They may also be 
pruned into shape. Always keep the upper branches 
from overhanging the lower. They bear the free 
cutting, and may be dwarfed or shaped at will. Clean 
culture is as necessary for shrubs and trees as for 
corn and potatoes,and pays as well,therefore destroy 
Weeds, by the use of the cultivator, hoe, rake, or 
hand, weeding as circumstances require. 
Kitclieii <^ai'den. 
Most people have a time of “making garden,” 
and then let the thing take its chances, and we 
often see a belter crop of weeds than of anything 
else. In a well kept garden a weed is never allowed 
to get larger than can be killed by a rake. Much of 
the tillage may be done with a good steel rake fre¬ 
quently applied. Still, the hoe must be used, and 
iu large gardens the horse cultiv.ator kept moving 
between the rows. The time to perform these 
operations is just before the ground needs weeding. 
By working frequently early in the season, all the 
seeds of weeds that are near the surface, are made 
to germinate, and the young plants are destroyed. 
Those who have had their early plantings destroyed 
by cold rains, or who have neglected to sow many 
things they would like to have, should not let the 
lateness of the season deter them. There are but 
few things that will not make a crop if planted the 
first of June. Things that are soon over may have 
their duration much prolonged by sowing again. 
Asparagus. —Do not continue the cutting too 
long. When peas come, give the asparagus bed a 
rest, and keep off all weeds until the tops cover it. 
Beans of the bush sorts may be planted for suc¬ 
cession, and for dried beans. It is not too late to 
plant Limas and other runners. The White Run¬ 
ner is sold in many places as the Lima; though a 
very good bean, it is inferior to the Lima, and may 
be distinguished from it by its greater plumpness, 
and more shining surface. 
Cabbages, Cauliflowers, and Broccoli. —Plants of 
these may still be set out. The growing ones need 
to have the soil frequently stirred, and they will be 
greatly forwarded by the use of liquid manure. 
Find the holes of the cut worms and destroy them; 
kill caterpillars when young, and if lice are trouble¬ 
some, sift on air slaked lime or ashes. 
Beets. —Hoe and thin freely those that are grow¬ 
ing, and sovv the Long Blood for the main crop. 
Carrots. —Keep ahead of the weeds by working 
the ground as soon as the plants can be seen. Thin 
to six inches. It is not too late to sow seed. 
Celery. —Set early plants iu well manured trenches, 
or if flat culture be preferred, in rows three feet 
apart, the plants six inches distant in the rows. 
Plants for a late crop should be watered as needed, 
and be cut back to make them grow stocky. 
Corn. —Good sweet corn may be had until frost 
comes, by planting a patch every two weeks. 
Capsicums. —These, like all other plants of tropi¬ 
cal origin, need a warm exposure and rich soil. 
Cucumbers. —Plant as directed last month. Be¬ 
sides the striped bug, there is a yellow bug with 
spots like the lady bug, that is most destructive. 
Fortunately they are not numerous; the only 
remedy we know is hand picking early iu the 
morning. When the sun gets warm they are very 
lively, but in the cool of the morning they are quiet. 
Egg Plants. —Forward them by all possible means, 
rich soil, warm exposure and frequent hoeing. 
Draw the earth towards the stems to support them. 
Endive affords an acceptable substitute for lettuce 
ill the hot months. Sow and thin, or set out the 
plants so that they will stand a foot apart each way. 
Lettuce. —Sow seed frequently to keep up a suc¬ 
cession, and transplant to a cool and shady place. 
Melons. —Treat the same as cucumbers. 
Onions. —Thorough weeding and thinning are 
more necessary to success with this crop than to 
any other. Every weed must be kept down, and if 
good bulbs are desired, thin to 3 or 4 inches in the 
rows. Boiling water poured through a colander is 
one of the best remedies for the maggot. When 
the tops of potato onions fall over, pull them. 
Parsnips. —Weed, thin and hoe as soon as plants 
are large enough to handle. 
Peas. —Stick with brush as soon as well up, as 
when the plants fall over, it is very difficult to get 
them to stand up. Late planted peas should be put 
iu deeply worked soil. If seed is to be saved, the 
earliest and best vines should be reserved for this. 
Potodoes. — Hoe, and at the same time give a hand¬ 
ful of plaster to each hiU. 
