1866 .] 
AMERICAN AG-RIGULTURIST, 
343 
Sheep. —For butchers’ early lambs (March) use if 
possible South Down, Leicester or Coltswold rams 
this month. The better the sire, the better the 
stock. Yard the sheep on frosty nights, and as 
grass fails, give extra feed. Those intended for 
fattening during the winter should have a little 
grain while still on grass; they will fatten much 
quicker for it when shut up for feeding—and will 
gain more this month than at any other period. 
Check scours by isolating those ailing, and feeding 
milk porridge made with fine wheaten flour. 
Manure. — Watch the manure heaps with all 
jealousy. Get in stores of muck, leaves, and litter 
of all kinds, and either put it under cover in places 
convenient, or under any temporary roofing, which 
will turn the rain and keep it dry until needed .for 
use. The yards should be frequently cleaned up, 
and all droppings thrown into heaps, and com¬ 
posted with litter or soil. Dust gypsum over the 
stable fioors, and on fermenting manure wherever it 
is; bring to the hog yards potato tops, swamp 
grass, and any kind of vegetable matter which may 
he found, or fill low spots in the barn- 3 'ard with it. 
Stack coarse litter which the salt meadows or the 
upland swamps will cut for similar use during win¬ 
ter. Make provision to save liquid manure, and 
pump it over the solid manure as it is piled up, 
mixed with straw or other litter. This maintains 
fermentation, yet does not let it jiroceed too far 
and cause a loss of ammonia. 
Soiling. —To have a full flow of milk earlier than 
the grass is fit for grazing, manure heavily, sow 
rye early, and again as late as you dare to and ex¬ 
pect it to stand the winter. Unless the winter is a 
peculiarly open one, or unless the snow lies very 
heavy and long, there will be fully 10 days difference 
in the growth of the crops in May. This will afford 
the first green feed for the cows, and their milk 
will at once increase greatly, even though they have 
had roots.; spring rye, oats and peas, etc., follow. 
Winter Gram. —If not already done, spots In the 
wheat fields where the land is ijoor, may have a 
dressing of fine, well rotted manure, scattered on 
the surface. Rye may often be sown at the very 
last of the month, but much is risked by delay after 
the middle in our latitude. lu the earlier part of 
October, wheat is often sown to advantage, but do 
not delay after the 10 th, and even then there is 
great risk of a poor stand and of winter killing. 
Fall Plowing should not be neglected from pres¬ 
sure of other work, but hire an extra hand or two 
and keep all the teams going. This year’s corn 
ground intended for barley and oats next spring, 
should be plowed as early as possible. The stocks 
of corn should be set in straight rows, as far apart 
as ijossible, and the ground plowed between them, 
finishing after corn is husked, and stocks removed. 
Draining. —As other work is disposed of or be¬ 
comes less pressing, and as other farmers discharge 
their laborers, it is a favorable time to put a good 
force of men and teams at draining. With a little 
contrivance, and the use of long yokes or long 
eveners, the plow maybe drawn in the ditches, the 
horses or cattle walking on each side, and thus the 
labor be greatly lightened as well as expedited. 
Narrow ditches, 8 X or 4 feet deep, (not less,) as 
nearly level as possible, and yet with a regular 
slight fall, are best whether laid with stones or tiles. 
Study the lay of the land and drain with system. 
Corn should be husked as soon as cured, and not 
left in the shock, subject to the attacks of vermin 
and birds, and to damage by rain, causing mildew. 
Corn houses should be of open slats and rat proof. 
Before corn is put in bins, soft ears should bo thor¬ 
oughly sorted out, and all not sound should be cured 
by spreading thinly on the floor of a hot dry loft. 
Com Stalks bound in small bundles and set in 
stocks dry slowly, and ought to be taken down and 
re-stooked once in a week or ten days. When cured, 
stack near the yards, and top the stacks with straw. 
Root Crops. —The treatment roots receive de¬ 
pends much upon the location. Dig potatoes when 
they have done growing. Turnips make their best 
growth in this month, so leave them to the last. 
Carrots are injured more easily than other roots, 
and so should be pulled early enough to be out of 
the way of hard freezing. Ruta-bagas and Mangels 
must be gathered before the ground freezes. See 
valuable article on preserving vegetables, page 362, 
remembering that the season at Bergen is at least a 
month later than that of the Northern tier of States. 
Apples and Cider. —Handle fruit without bruising. 
Lime barrels are excellent to pack it in. The best 
kept apples we ever saw were packed in barrels be¬ 
tween layers of leaves raked up dnj. Cider may be 
concentrated on any good sorghum evaporating pan, 
to a delicious jelly, which, without addition, keeps 
perfectly for years. We have seen some made 
last year on Cory’s evaporater which is excellent. 
Weeds. —Collect and burn, and cut so as to 
prevent their maturing seed. 
Orchard and Nsirsery. 
The promise of the spring’s blossoms is not 
generally borne out by the autumn’s harvest, and 
many an orchard that seemed good for a thousand 
barrels, will not give fifty. While we may not be 
able to say that fruit is scarce, it is certain that the 
supply is so inadequate that good prices must rule. 
Whoever has a moderate ci-op of fruit, should 
manage it so as to get the most from it. Careful 
picking,'Selecting, and packing are needed. If “ a 
few scabby sheep spoil a whole flock,” so a few 
badly developed mis-shapen apples spoil the looks 
of a barrel. Pick all the fruit by hand, take care 
that none is bruised in handling, and pack in clean 
barrels. For shipping, apples should be headed up 
under pressure. It is found that there are only a 
few of the top apples bruised when the head is 
pressed on, and the damage as a whole is much less 
than when the fruit is left loose enough to rattle, 
and all get more or less bruised. Several patent 
presses are sold for use in barreling fruit. They 
consist of a clamp to go over the barrel, and in the 
clamp is a screw for pressing down the head. Any 
ingenious man can, with a rail or bit of scantling, 
rig up a lever press to answer the purpose. Fruit 
should not be picked until it is “ tree ripe;” that is, 
until it has obtained all the nourishment it can 
receive from the tree. This period varies greatly 
with different fruits, and nothing but experience 
can serve as a guide for the orchardist. Late sorts 
may be kept on the tree until light frosts come. 
Autumn Planting is generally to be preferred for 
apples and pears, provided it can be done early 
enough. The soil of the proposed orchard should 
have been prepared in advance. Whether trees are 
to be planted in the spring or this fall, order at 
once and heel them in, as noted on page 363. 
Drains are needed in many orchards, and if the 
operation was neglected at the time of planting, 
drains may be put now between the rows. Tile 
drain is the best, but where stones are abundant, it 
is often more economical to makegood stone drains. 
Drying of fruit should be continued, according to 
hints given last month, and 
Cider may he made as soon as the fruit is ready 
Good fruit, and care, and cleanliness in all steps of 
the operation, are essential to the production of 
good cider. If the juice be fermented with the 
same care directed for wine, (see last month, p. 
325) a superior article will be the result. 
Buds set late, will, especially if the autumn 
should be warm and the stocks continue to grow, 
need to have their tyings loosened or removed. 
Seeds for nursery stock are to be secured this 
autumn. Apple seeds are obtained by washing the 
pomace from the cider mill. Spread thin and diy, 
and keep in a cool place until spring. 
Ornamental Trees. —Set the deciduous ones as 
soon as the leaves drop ; the earlier the better. 
For other hints still in season see last month. 
Kitelieii CJardeis. 
This is an excellent time to prepare the ground; 
drains may be laid and the soil manured, plowed 
and sub-soiled. The way market gardeners put on 
the manure would astonish most cultivators. We 
were recently in the grounds of an amateur friend, 
who pointed to his manure heap with the exclama¬ 
tion, “ there-is my head gardener.”—Now is a good 
time to engage the “head gardener” for next year, 
and the size of the compost heap should show that 
a favorable engagement has been made. Not only 
stable manure, but brewer’s hops, sweepings of the 
malt floor, bone, whalebone waste, and hair and ani¬ 
mal matters of all kinds, may be made available ; 
nor should home-made poudrette, from night soil, 
be overlooked. We have frequently described the 
preparation of this important fertilizer. 
Preserving Vegetables for the winter. The article 
on page 362 gives useful hints. Small roots may be 
put in a cool cellar in bins and boxes with sand, 
or light soil, enough to keep them from drying. 
Asparagus .—Cut the tops when growth ceases, 
and burn them. Cover the beds with littery ma¬ 
nure or leaves. 
Beets should be taken up before the advent of 
hard frosts, else their sweetness will be impaired. 
Cabbages. —Plants sown for wintering over, should 
be set in cold frames about 2 )^ inches apart; set 
deepl)', and do not cover until cold weather. To 
winter cabbages, cover with earth, in the manner 
mentioned on page 362. We have had better suc¬ 
cess in this way than with setting them upright in 
roofed trenches. Savoys, and other late kinds, may 
be left out until the ground is crusted with frost. 
Cauliflowers. —Treat young plants the same as 
cabbage plants. Old plants that have not headed, 
should be put in a cold frame, or a light cellar. 
Celery .—This is best preserved out of doors in 
trenches a foot wide, and as deep as the plants are 
tall. The celery is packed closely in the trench in 
an upright position, and as cold weather comes on, 
the tops are to be gradually covered with straw, 
leaves, or other protection, adding to the covering 
as the weather becomes colder, until it amounts to 
about a foot in thickness. To be more readilj' ac¬ 
cessible, a portion may be put in a box in the cel¬ 
lar, and packed in moist sand to keep from wilting. 
This will not do if the cellar be warm. 
Hot-beds. —Gather a good heap of rich loam and 
put it under a shed, or cover it with boards, so that 
it may be got at in February and March, for use. 
Parsnips. — Aa many of these may be dug as are 
required while the ground is frozen, and placed in 
the cellar or in pits ; the rest are left as they grew. 
Rhubarb. —Make new plantations bj' dividing the 
old roots, securing a bud to each portion of the root, 
any time before the ground closes. The richer the 
soil, the better. Cover beds with coarse manure. 
Salsify is to be treated the same as parsnips. 
Spinach. —Heep the late jdantings free of weeds, 
and when hard frosts come, give a light covering. 
Squashes will not bear frost without injury. 
Gather in time and keep at an even temperature. 
Sieeet Potatoes. — As soon as the vines are 
blackened by frost, dig on a bright day and let 
them dry before housing. Pack in cut straw or 
very dry sand; do not bruise them, and keep where 
the temperature does not fall much below 60°. 
Tomatoes. —The green ones that will not ripen be¬ 
fore frost, should be picked for pickles. 
Fruit Garden. 
Prepare the soil by draining, manuring and plow¬ 
ing or trenching. Most small fruits like a rich soil. 
Planting is to be done as early as possible. 
Blackberries are set six feet apart each way, or in 
rows 8 feet apart, plants 4 feet distant in the rows. 
Currants and Gooseberries. —Bushes may be set 
and cuttings made. See page 364. Training currant 
bushes to a single stem, like a small tree, is now 
abandoned, and 3 or 4 main stems allowed to grow. 
Grapes for wine or for keeping are allowed to re¬ 
main on the vines until there is danger of frost. 
For boxing see last month on page 323. To pre¬ 
serve them for use, put in small boxes and keep at 
a uniform low temperature. Vines may be set as 
soon as the leaves fall, and pruning done; if the 
wood is wanted for cuttings, bury it before it dries. 
Strawbemes.—^e-^ plantations may be set early 
this month ; see notes given last August. Do not 
