1875.] 
207 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
pail full of warm oatmeal gruel will be useful, and 
if the foal needs assistance, it should be given. 
Nine or fifteen days afterwards the mare may be 
taken to the horse. Choose a well built sound 
stallion, but especially a docile, gentle, and well 
tempered one. These qualities are reproduced in 
the colt with great 'certainty. Never breed from a 
spavined, ringboned mare. These defects are 
hereditary, and are thus perpetuated. 
Ewes and Lambs .—Ewes from which early lambs 
have been taken, may be fattened very quickly. 
Give a pound of corn meal or oilcake meal, 
even when on good pasture. Keep sheep from 
swamps, ponds and streams. Water from springs 
or wells, given in wooden troughs, is the best for 
them. A handful of crushed oats and corn or bran, 
will force the lambs along, and nursing ewes should 
not be forgotten in the distribution. Give salt 
from the hand once a week, which will make the 
flock gentle and familiar with their owner. 
Swine should by all means have a run at grass, or 
in a clover field. Pigs are scarce this season, and 
pork will probably be a profitable thing to have on 
hand by and by. See article on ringing, page 220. 
Sundry Matters .—Wash sheep three or four days 
before shearing ; “ tag ” before washing, and dip 
them and the lambs afterward. See article on 
page 221. Give calves a little ^scalded bran or 
oats daily. Force all young animals judiciously, so 
as to keep them in vigorous growth, but not fat. 
Plow odd pieces of land that have not been planted, 
to be sown hereafter with buckwheat or turnips. 
Clean out the barns, and whitewash them inside. 
Return all tools, implements, etc., to their places 
when they have been used, and make hoes, cultiva¬ 
tor teeth, spades, and other tools sharp on the 
grindstone, and keep them so. Remember a work¬ 
man is known by the condition of his tools, and a 
sharp tool does good and quick work. Read hints 
for last month again. 
-- — «-- 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Early vegetables and small fruits are ordinarily 
by this time well advanced, but the cold, late spring 
has, at least in northern localities, retarded all 
crops. It is not yet too late to sow seeds of most 
vegetables for medium and late crops. There 
should always be several plantings of all quick 
growing vegetables, to secure a succession through¬ 
out the summer. Weeds will be the common 
enemy to every gardener, and if the best results 
are wished for, the cultivator, hoe, rake, and other 
implements must be used constantly. Never allow 
weeds to become large enough to require hand pul¬ 
ling, as this takes time which can be more profita¬ 
bly used in some other way. Yellow docks, and 
plants, the roots of which retain their vitality, 
should be removed at plowing time and burned, 
else they will be sure to grow, as will purslane, or 
“ pussley,” unless raked up and fed to the pigs. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
The main thing now is to keep the soil loose and 
free from weeds around the trees and between the 
rows. If the rows of small fruits are far enough 
apart to admit a horse and cultivator, the weeds 
can be killed in much less time than if the hoe and 
rake only can be used. In using a plow or cultiva¬ 
tor among trees, care must be taken not to bark 
the trunks or break the lower branches ; to avoid 
this, the end of the whiffle-tree should be protect¬ 
ed with a thick covering of cloth, and the trace 
chains covered with leather. 
Insects must be destroyed as they appear. Tent 
caterpillar nests should be taken off either at 
morning or at night, when they are all in one clus¬ 
ter, and either crashed or burned. Wild cherry 
trees are favorite breeding places for these insects, 
and some orchardists prefer to leave them around 
their orchards as a trap, thinking that caterpillars 
often resort to these in preference to the fruit trees. 
So far as we have observed there have been cater¬ 
pillars enough for both the wild cherry trees and 
the fruit trees in the orchard. 
Young Trees should be mulched, especially if 
planted last spring. By the judicious rubbing off 
of young shoots, a young tree may be brought 
into proper shape, and avoid much pruning. 
Slugs are often so numerous as to injure the 
foliage of the cherry, pear and other fruit trees ; 
lime or ashes dusted upon them, will destroy them ; 
even dry road-dust has been successfully used. 
Borers may be prevented from doing injury, by 
placing a strip of paper for a foot or more around 
the lower part of the trunk, and allowing its lower 
edge to reach an inch or so beneath the surface 
soil. The female insects usually appear this month. 
Some rub the lower part of the trunk with a com 
cob, to destroy the eggs. 
Seed Beds must be kept weeded. Young seed¬ 
ling evergreens must be shaded, and during dry, 
hot weather, the beds watered occasionally. 
Grafts set last month, must be looked to, and 
where shoots appear on the stock to rob the graft, 
they should be rubbed off, so that all the nourish¬ 
ment may go to the graft. 
Pruning .—June is one of the best months in 
which to prune, but it is the season at which few 
can spare the time. The wounds should be cover¬ 
ed with shellac varnish, or melted grafting wax. 
Fruit Garden. 
Grapes .—Tie up the young shoots as fast as they 
grow ; if allowed to become too long, there is great 
danger of breaking. Soft cotton twine, without 
starch, is the best and cheapest material. Thin out 
the fruit on vines just coming into bearing. Apply 
a top-dressing of ground bones or ashes to the soil 
between the vines, if not already done ; stimulating 
manures must be avoided. 
Strawberries .—Mulch as soon as the fruit sets, 
either with leaves, or cut straw, or hayif applied 
liberally, very few weeds will show their heads 
above it. If plants are wanted to set new beds, 
sufficient runners may be allowed to grow, if not, 
cut off as fast as they appear. 
Currants .—Cultivate the soil between the rows 
often, unless the ground is heavily mulched. 
Baspberries and Blackberries .—The new canes 
should be tied up to stakes as soon as they are 
long enough, otherwise a high wind or driving- 
storm may break them off. Leave only three or 
four canes to grow to each stool, and shorten them 
when 4 feet high for raspberries, and 5 feet for 
blackberries. 
Gooseberries are more profitable when marketed 
in the green state, and should be picked as soon as 
large enough for use. If mildew appears, use sul¬ 
phur freely. 
Thinning fruit pays in increasing both size and 
quality, and if practiced judiciously, will prove 
profitable, and with young trees just coming into 
bearing, is often absolutely necessary. 
Kitclien Garden. 
Too much can -not be said on keeping the soil 
free from weeds, and allowing none to go to seed. 
Extra care in cultivation, will tell in a few years in 
the diminished crops of these pests of the garden. 
If it were only known how easy young weeds may 
be destroyed, we should hear fewer inquiries how 
to get rid of this or that weed after it has taken 
possession of the soil. A scratch of the rake at 
{he proper time, will kill weeds that later require a 
spade for their removal. 
Asparagus .—Do not cut after peas have become 
plenty, as the roots need time to recover from the 
exhaustion of continued cutting. If there is well 
rotted manure on hand, it will pay to give a dress¬ 
ing before the tops are allowed to grow. Keep the 
beds free from weeds until the tops shade it. 
Beans .—Plant bush sorts for a succession. It is 
not yet too late for Limas, if put in at once. Keep 
the ear-ly plantings free from weeds, and provide 
poles for the running varieties. 
Beets and Carrots require thinning as soon as 
large enough to handle; the young beets make 
capital greens. 
Cabbages of the early plantings will be ready this 
month for use or market, and the ground may be 
made ready for celery or other late crops, as soon as 
cleared. Set out plants of the late sorts from the 
seed bed. Cut worms and the more common cab¬ 
bage worms must be watched and destroyed as 
soon as they appear. 
Celery. —Thin out the seed bed, and transplant 
into good soil, until wanted for setting out per¬ 
manently. July is early enough for the main crop. 
Corn. —Sow every week or ten days until July; 
sown even as late as the middle of that month, with 
a remarkably warm fall, a good crop may be had 
until late frosts come. If more than enough for 
family use is planted, dry the surplus for winter. 
Cucumbers. —Hoe and weed the early plantings, 
and sow for pickles ; the young plants must be 
kept free from insects, by the use of covers of net¬ 
ting, or a liberal sprinkling of ashes and plaster up¬ 
on the leaves when wet. 
Egg Plants must not be set until the ground is 
well warmed, and all danger of frost is past; then 
give them a good, rich soil, and hoe often ; if wa¬ 
tered occasionally with liquid manure, they will 
produce extra large fruit. 
Lettiice , unless the plants can have shade during 
a portion of the day at least, they soon run to seed ; 
the north side of a fence or building is the best 
place for the summer crop. 
Melons of all kinds should be planted at once, if 
not already done, and the same precautions taken 
to destroy insects, as recommended for cucumbers. 
Onions. —Weed and thin. Near city markets it 
pays best to sell onions before they are ripe. 
Parsnips. —Thin before the plants become too 
large, and cultivate between the rows, until the 
leaves are large enoirgh to cover the ground. 
Peas rarely do well when planted at this late sea¬ 
son. If tried, cover at least four inches with earth 
in planting; as soon as up and hoed, give brush. 
Clear oft' the .ground from which the early plantings 
have been gathered,and set cabbages or other plants. 
Bamshes are hardly worth growing at this season, 
as they seldom come tender. 
Bhubarb. —Do not exhaust the roots by too late 
pulling. Cut the flower-stalks as soon as they 
appear. 
New Zealand Spinach is the best for summer use, 
and should be planted in hills three feet apart, but 
not until the weather is warm ; the Round Leaved 
soon goes to seed, when planted late. 
Salsify and Scorzonera must be treated the same 
as parsnips; thin to three inches in the row. 
Squashes. —Treat the same as melons and cucum¬ 
bers, and keep clear of weeds. 
Sweet Potatoes. —If not set, do it at once, and plant 
in well manured ridges, three feet apart. 
Tomatoes. —Set out early this month, and give 
supports of some kind to the vines, otherwise there 
will be danger of rotting. Many plans of trellises 
have been given in previous numbers. 
Turnips. —Sow the Ruta-baga kinds this month ; 
the black fly will seldom do much damage at this 
season; if the insects appear, use road-dust or 
ashes upon the leaves when wet. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
Annuals, sown in the open ground the first of 
June, in northern localities, do better than when 
planted earlier, as the ground is seldom warm 
enough for the most rapid growth before this time. 
Bulbs of Hyacinths, Tulips, and other autumn- 
planted bulbs, may be taken up, and stored in a dry- 
place, and the beds occupied with annuals or bed¬ 
ding plants. Set out Tuberoses and Gladioluses, 
which have been started in the greenhouse or win¬ 
dow, after the weather becomes warm. 
Lilies should be kept carefully weeded, and the 
flower-stalks tied to stakes. 
Cannas do best when started in the greenhouse, 
and then planted out. If dry roots are planted, it 
takes much longer to make a fine show with them. 
Bicinus .—Single plants make a fine appearance, 
