306 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[September, 
Contents for September, 1866. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Aquatic Plants for Ornament. .Illustrated..322 
Bag-Holder—Simple and Cheap. Illustrated. .319 
Bees—Apiary in September .308 
Boys and Girls’ Columns—Where do the Weeds come 
From ?—One Way to Get an Autograph—New and 
Useful Sport—Amusing Play—The Crook—Dutch¬ 
man’s Temperance Lecture—Puzzle for the Eyes— 
Puzzles and Problems—Grand Musical Entertain¬ 
ment-Spicy Letter about a Picture—Something 
Besides Money Wanted. i Illustrations. .329, 339 
Bulbs, Dutch—Cultivation.325 
Cake—Cheap Sponge.327 
Columbine—Fine Variety. Illustrated.. 326 
Cooking Directions, etc.—Recipe vs. Receipt—Cream 
^ Beer—Wedding Cake — Jelly Cake — Bachelor’s 
Pone—Soft Gingerbread—Hasty Pudding—Indian 
Meal Pudding—Best Corn Bread—Brown Bread— 
Corn Dodgers—Preserving Green Corn—Meat Balls 
—Carrot Sauce—Heating Bottles for Fruit—Claret 
Wine Stains—To Color Scarlet—Red Ants.228 
Corn Fodder—Topping. 321 
Cows for Milk and Butter..... 319 
Cuttings—Striking in Sand.324 
Documents Acknowledged. 308 
Fairs—Agricultural—Time and Place.308 
Farm Work in September.306 
Ferrets and Weasels. ..2 Illustrations ..315 
Flower Garden and Lawn in September.307 
Fruit Garden in September.307 
Garden—Kitchen in September....307 
Grapes—Cold Grapery in September...308 
Grapes—Packing for Market.323 
Green and Hot-Houses in September.307 
Health—Things to be Remembered.327 
Hedges and Hedge Plants—Honey Locust.326 
Hollyhocks for Bouquets. 322 
Implement Trial at Auburn. 310 
Indigo Plant and .Manufacture. Illustrated..321 
Information Given—Home-made Ink — Extracting 
Wheel Grease, etc.—Removing Mildew—Old Brine 
—Toilet Soap—Pickles—Lard and Rosin—Prevent¬ 
ing Rust.327, 328 
Insects—Poultry Lice.4 Illustrations ..318 
Insects and Plant Fertilization. 4 Illustrations. .321 
Mississippi Levees.319 
Market Report.309 
Moisten the Air .328 
Northern Men for the South.317 
Orchard and Nursery in September...307 
Peach—Golden Dwarf.326 
Pomological Society, American.303 
Poultry Diseases—Lice.. ...4 Illustrations..318 
Privies—Needed Reform.2 Illustrations. .319 
Raspberry—Philadelphia. Illustrated. .323 
Roses—Protecting Monthly...3 Illustrations. .323 
.Sorghum Syrup Crop.316 
Southern Lands—Northern Men for.317 
Stone Fences—Ways of Building — 3 Illustrations. .318 
Subscribers—200,000 for 1807. ..309 
Sussex Co., N. J.308 
Tim Bunker on the Cotton Fever.316 
Turnips—Thinning and Hoeing.317 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 33—Onions for 
Seed—Harvesting Wheat—Potato Crop—Clover in 
Rotation—A’tificial Manures—Oat Crop— Barley, 
Drilled and Broadcast—Reaping Machines....320, 321 
Wine—'Treatment of...325 
INDEX TO “ BASKET,” 
Agriculturist Free .310 
Angle Worms.313 
Animal Carcasses.313 
Ants, Expelling.314 
Ashes on Orchards.314 
Beans Named...313 
Beef, Curing.312 
Beehives, Frame---..314 
Blackberry, Propagation 313 
Blackberries, New.314 
Book, Architecture.311 
Book, Lester’s. .313 
Book, Short-horn Herd..312 
Books, S. S. Question.. .311 
Bulls, Grade.312 
Canada Thistles.314 
Celery, Keeping.314 
Charcoal for Manure_313 
Cherry Tree Flies .313 
Chimneys in Stacks.312 
Clover Runout.311 
Cows, Caked Bag.312 
Currant, Golden.313 
Dogs for Sale.312 
5 Dogs, Training.312 
■■ Drains. Tile, etc.312 
Egg Plant, Cooking.311 
Extra Size.311 
Fence Nuisance.313 
Field, C. W.—Thanks to.311 
Fruit in San Francisco. .314 
Gate, Balance.312 
Grape Leaf Trouble_310 
Grapes, Pinching.313 
Grass for Grove.311 
Hams, Curing.312 
Hay for Oxen. 311 
Hog Cholera.310 
Humbugs, Sundry.311 
Land Olfices. .. ’..310 
3U SHOItTEll ARTICI.ES. 
Lime on Wet Land.314 
Locations, Good.312 
Maize, Striped.312 
Might of Republic.310 
.Milk Pans.313 
Muck Swamps .311 
Osage Orange Hedges...314 
Peaches, Niagara Co_314 
Pear Tree Slug.313 
Peas, Carter’s GooJ.311,314 
Pickles, Making.311 
Pinks and Pansies.314 
Plants Named.314 
Pleuro-Pneumonia.312 
Plow for Deep Work...314 
Potato Bug.311 
Poudrette, Transporting. 313 
Poultry Lice.312 
Poultry, Marking.312 
Premiums, Good.310 
Pronouns, Mistake.312 
Rose on Apple Tree.313 
Saratoga, Views of.310 
Seeds, English.311 
Straw among Clover....314 
Strawberries Degen’ting.313 
Strawberries in Iowa... .314 
Thanks to Somebody... .313 
Thorn Apples, Grafting.313 
Thorn Seeds.313 
Timothy Grass.313 
Tongues, Pickling.312 
Vineland “Mare’s Nest'’,314 
Water Carrier.. 314 
Weigelia, Derivation....313 
Wheat Fertilizer.313 
Whitewash. Out-door...313 
Willow, White, Pences.314 
Woodchuck Medicine.. .212 
Woolen Waste.313 
NEW-YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1866. 
September comes witli the pTomise, and almost 
the full fruition, of abundant harvests of all kinds 
of crops. The summer harvests were reported 
variously from different sections, but on the whole, 
we believe, the amount of wheat, oats and barley 
is fully up to the usual average, as well as to just 
expectations. The hay crop is a little short on an 
average, and in some sections it will be imperatively 
necessary for farmers to make the most of the 
straw and corn fodder, and while we refer to an 
article on page 321 on corn fodder, let us drop the 
hint that it is easier and cheaper to buy straw at this 
season than at any other, especially if the buyer will 
take it away as fast as it is thrashed. Corn fodder 
is best bought at husking time, especially if the 
husking is done at the shocks in the field. 
This month and the first part of October is the 
time for Agricultural Fairs. Every day, “ Sunday’s 
excepted,” from the 4th of September to the 20th of 
November is devoted in some place or places to an 
agricultural fair. It is particularly unfortunate that 
so many are held upon the same days, so that 
people are in straights as to which to attend and 
which to neglect. This might all be obviated by a 
little correspondence, or if the Secretary of the 
United States Agricultur.al Society, which we be¬ 
lieve has existence enough to meet and elect of¬ 
ficers, would take the matter in hand. We can 
hardly urge too strongly upon farmers to plan to 
go themselves at any rate, and take one or more of 
their sons, to one or two of the best county fairs 
near their homes, and if possible to go to the State 
fair also. There is agreat deal to learn, the know¬ 
ledge of which will make a man a better farmer, 
help put notions of leaving the farm and going to 
the eity to be a merchant out of the boys’ heads, 
giving them an interest in their own profession, 
and an ambition to raise as fine grain, fruit and 
vegetables as they see, and to have improved im¬ 
plements and well-bred stock. 
We know that there are men who would rather 
not have their boys get such notions, and think 
that the old ruts are smooth, easy going, and good 
enough, but these are men who think in ruts as 
well as work and run the farm in them. The boys 
will think, and read and see, and it is harder to 
keep them in the ruts than the old fogys think. 
There is a great deal of work to be done in Sep¬ 
tember, but it is not all of that driving, hurrying 
kind like much of the summer and spring work. 
Hints aboBit Work. 
The crops that now require especial attention are: 
Buckwheat, which must be cut before frost hurts 
it, and if put up in neat gavels, the tops being 
bound to shed rains, will go on filling out, so 
that, though very few grains may have been fully 
formed at the time of cutting, there will be few 
not filled out at the end of a few weeks,—and 
Tobacco, which is hopelessly damaged by a slight 
frost. If tobacco has grown well, the greater part 
of it will h.avc been cut before the end of the first 
week in September. See hint about harvesting 
given last month. The way of hanging most eco¬ 
nomical of space of any we have ever seen, was 
described in March, 1864, and is well worth the 
.attention of tobacco growers. 
Root Crops m.ay generally at this se.ason receive 
some .attention. Weeds shonld be pulled when 
they appear, and the ground kept clean. The soil 
may often be stirred, especially among carrots, to 
great advantage, and the best w.ay is to run a sub¬ 
soil plow midway between the rows. Turnips need 
hoeing and thinning, and c.abbages constant hoeing. 
Botatoes. —The decay of the vines indicates the 
maturity of the potatoes, and earlj’ sorts may be 
dug and housed at once; but if there is any appear¬ 
ance of rot, leave them in the ground. It m.akes 
less work to dig only the sound ones, and the de¬ 
caying will be chiefly over before the last of Octo¬ 
ber ; however, it may pay to dig and market caid}’. 
Com, which promised so very little in July, 
probably never looked better in August than this 
year. It is only a little late. Do not top it so as 
to expose the ears to the frost, certainly not until 
it is thoroughly glazed. Read an article on page 
321 on corn fodder. Go through the best pieces to 
Select Seed Cbm.—Trust this to no hired man, but 
do it yourself. Select by feeling ears a little above 
medium size (no monstrosities), close, firm, well 
tipped over, tight and full at the butt. Mark these 
in some way, as with a dab of paint, or by tying a 
string around the ear. Then in the husking these 
m.ay be unhusked, or broken off and then husked, 
leaving the husks attached. Finally select from 
these the well ripened ones, and those with fewest 
irregularities, false or short rows of kernels, and 
braid them up in strings for thorough drying. 
Sorghum. —See article on page 316. 
Seeding to 6?rass.—Grass seed maybe sowed alone 
on good soil, on whieh fine compost has been har¬ 
rowed in, and, if the ground is not both poor and 
chayey, will stand the winter well and do much 
better than if sowed with winter grain. Oats and 
buckwheat are occasionally sown as a protection to 
grass. The grain should be sparingly sown. It 
dies in the winter, but affords the grass a mulch. 
Soiling. —Wheat and rye are sown this month for 
early soiling crops. Next spring, as soon as the 
rye is fit to be mown, its feeding daily will produce 
a very great difference in the yield of milk. This 
is the earliest erop. Wheat follows soon, then 
very late sowed rye, then spring sowed oats, corn, 
etc. The rye and wheat will be off the ground in 
time for summer crops, and as they do not seed, do 
not exhaust the soil perceptibly. It should be in 
good heart and tilth, however. 
Wheat. —Sow wheat early. The soil should be 
well worked—not plowed below its natural depth. 
If sowed upon clover turned under, work in a 
liberal dressing of fine compost with a Shares’ har¬ 
row, cultivator, or harrow. Guano, well mixed 
with fine muck or peat, brings forward rapidly that 
sown a little late, and causes it to tiller well this 
fall. By all means drill in the seed, if the ground 
be of even quality and consistency. If it is hard 
and claye}’, and sandy or light in spots, sow by hand. 
Weeds. —Burn every weed that has gone to seed. 
If fed to hogs, you fill the manure with the seeds. 
Stacks of either hay or grain should be watched, 
and if they settle unevenly or the tops become dis¬ 
arranged by the gales, brace them and retop them. 
See article on page 277, last vol. (September, 1865.) 
Vermin. —The granaries should be early freed 
from vermin, which will generally collect as soon 
as grain is stored. Insects must be removed before 
the grain is put in, when thie bins, ete., should be 
most thoroughly cleansed and whitewashed inside 
and out. Rats are easily disposed of by using 
liberally the phosphorous paste. This has also 
some effect on the mice, but not so much, because, 
though it is poison and kills them, the mice do not 
go in communities as rats do, and can not be 
“stampeded.” The paste gives some of the rats 
a severe colie and they alarm the rest, and so all ai'e 
cleared out. This paste is very fatal to fowls. 
Braining. —The better the ditcher, the narrower 
does he make his ditch; broad ditches are only 
made by green hands. A ditch 3 feet deep should 
not be more than 14 inches wide, and one 4 feet 
deep (which is the best for common tile drains) not 
more than 2 or 3 inches wider. To do this, a set of 
good ditching tools is needed. Use round tiles if 
you can get them. Drain.age water may often be 
used upon me.adows lying on lower lands for 
Irrigation. —The water of brooks, springs, etc., 
(the more permanent, of course, the better,) may be 
made the vehicle of untold fertility upon grass 
lands properly arranged to receive it. The water 
must never stand, nor fiow over the soil, but through 
it, if benefit would be derived from irrigation. 
This is a source of wealth, as great as that which 
lies in the peat swamps, and one quite unheeded. 
Heat Stock require no especial attention this month 
other than good care and good feed to prepare them 
for winter. None should be allowed to run down. 
Though cows coming in late for winter milking 
