2 
AM Kill CAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January. 
Contents for January, 1870. 
Action of Frost on tlio Soil..16 
Animals—The Ferret. Illustrated. .13 
Annuals, Some New of Last Year's. .3 Illustrations.. 23-24 
Apples—The Sylvester. Illustrated . .21 
Asparagus Culture—The “ Colossal ”. Illustrated. .22 
Bee Notes.11 
Boxes for Starting Plants.23 
Boys’ anti Girls’ Columns—Rambles in China—A Fish 
Story—How a Palace is Lighted—The Magicians’ Bas¬ 
ket Trick—The Young Photographer—Artificial Duck 
Hatching in China—Answers to Problems and Puzzles 
—New Puzzles.5 Illustrations.. 27-28 
Breeding the Mink.17 
Cabbage—Early Wyman. Illustrated.. 22 
Caladiums as Garden Plants. Illustrated. .HO 
Climbing Fern.... Illustrated. .HI 
Cord-Grass or “ Spartina”_,. Illustrated. .17 
Farmers should take Enough Sleep.19 
Farm Work for January. 2 
Field Rollers .4 Illustrations. .17 
Flower Garden and Lawn in January. 3 
Fruit Garden in January. 3 
Geddes narrow..3 Illustrations. .16 
Green-House and Window Plants in January. 3 
Horse Papers for Farmers.12 
Household Department—An Efficient Rat-Trap—Winter 
Clothing for Little Ones—A Codfish Dinner—Cooking 
of Game Birds—Wedding Entertainments—Washing 
Fluids—Cleaning Coat Collars—Cooking a Beef Steak— 
Chicken Salad—To Restore Faded Black Lace—Im- 
Larch, Propagating 
Notes from the Pines, No. S—Christinas Rose—Currant 
Pruning—Evergreens. Illustrated.. 23 
Obituary Notice of R. L. Allen.10 
Ogden Farm Papers, No. 1—Description of Farm—Object 
to be attained—Butter Making—Manure.18-19 
Orchard and Nursery in January. 3 
Plow, Use of in Digging Ditches. Illustrated. .15 
Poultry—Dominique Fowls. Illustrated. AO 
Premiums. 4-5 
Severe*Weather. Illustrated.. 1 
Shut the Door. Illustrated. AS 
Stakes.23 
Tim Bunker on Trout Brooks and a Hatching House.. .11 
Tree Labels..:.. 2 Illustrations. .22 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 73—Labor of Hand¬ 
ling Manure—The Labor Question—Rotation of Crops 
—Value of Manures.14-15 
What Bull shall I Buy ?. 10 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 3 
INDEX TO li BASKET” OR SFIOETElt ARTICLES. 
A Horse Saved.8 
Am. Ag’l Annual.7 
Bark Louse.9 
Book Notices.8 
Cauliflower Seed.8 
Chess—More About.8 
Circulation South.7 
Corn at 50c; Potatoes 
•Jp at 25c.8 
Death of B. D. Walsh....7 
Dicentra and Dielytra—7 
Dwarf June Berry.9 
Early Rose Potato . 7 
Erratic Grass.9 
European Larch...9 
Fine Grapes.9 
Fruit in Mich.8 
German Edition. 8 
Good Premiums .6 
Hard on the Farmers’ 
Club .8 
Hawk and Owl Traps . 7 
Hedging.9 
Influence of Stock onGral't.8 
Land for Corn .9 
Large Yield of Grains _8 
Leucotho ■ raccmosa . 7 
“ Mexican Everbearing”..9 
Money at 0 per cent. 8 
N.Y. Fruit. Growers’Club. .9 
Norway Spruce Hedge_9 
Opium. .9 
Peaches.9 
Plum on the Peach.8 
Rabbits, Mice, & Trees...9 
Report of Department of 
Agriculture. 7 
Seed Peas.7 
Sign Your Name.8 
Single or Double Lines.. .8 
Smoking Plants.9 
Special Premiums.7 
Study the Adv. Columns..6 
Sundry Humbugs. 6 
Swindling Nurserymen.. .9 
The Cover.'.7 
The Kittalinny.9 
The Peacli Grub Man....7 
To Advertisers.7 
Trees and Rabbits.9 
Vines in Orchard.9 
Watering and Manure 
Water.9 
Water Rams.7 
Wis. Ilort’l Society.9 
liacli Volume* Supplied.—The back volumes 
of tlie Agriculturist, are very valuable. They contain 
information upon every topic connected with rural life, 
outdoor and in-door, and the last ten volumes make up 
a very complete library. Each volume lias a full index 
for ready reference to any desired topic. We have on 
hand, and print from electrotype plates as wanted, all the 
numbers and volumes for twelve years past.begi lining with 
3857—that is, Vol. 10 to Vol. 2S, inclusive. Any of these 
volumes sent complete (in numbers) at SI.75 each, post¬ 
paid, (or $1.50 if taken at the office). The volumes, 
neatly bound, are supplied for $2 each, or $2.50 if to lie 
sent by mail. Any single, numbers .of (lie past ton 
years will be supplied, post-paid, for 15 cents each. 
Calendar for January. 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
wash’n. 
cha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
-20 
ID. 
H. M. 
H. M. 
ir. m. 
H. M. 
H. M. 
23 
New. 1 
7 22 ev. 
7 10 ev. 
0 58 ev. 
f. 46 ev. 
G 16 ev. 
1st Quart..! 9 
4 18 ev. 
4 0 ev. 
3 54 ev. 
3 42 ev. 
3 12 ev. 
3 
Full.il7 
10 1 m. 
9 49 in. 
9 37 m. 
9 25 m. 
8 55 m. 
9.1 
3d Quart...124 
5 39 m. 
5 27 hi. 
5 15 111 . 
5 3 ill. 
4 33 m. 
.6 
New.131 
10 57 ill. 
10 45 111. 
10 33 m. 
10 21 111 . 
9 51 in. 
Boston. NEnn- 
A r .l 
r . City, Ct., 
Washington, 
land, N. 
York 
Philadelphia, 
Maryland , 
State, Mich i- 
Xew Jersey, 
Virqinia.Ken- 
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, Wiscon- 
Penn., 
Ohio , 
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sin. 
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Indiana 
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and 
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Illinois. 
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PHASES OF THE MOON. 
A M E R IC AN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, JANUARY, 1870. 
It was wise in the Ancieuts to begin their social 
year in January. The Jewish year begins in Sep¬ 
tember ; the Mohammedan in May; the Ecclesias¬ 
tical at “Advent,” about the first of December; 
and our National or Civil year on the 4th of July. 
At no time have farmers, gardeners, professional 
or business men so much leisure to wind up the 
affairs of the closing year, and to begin aright 
the new as at this season, when traffic is, in 
a measure, suspended, when the ground is frozen, 
when the hours of light are few, and the even¬ 
ings are Jong. We are receiving the income 
from the harvest in one way or another, or know 
what to calculate upon, in a measure, at least; 
weeks must pass before the activity of field work 
presses us again, and we have tii^c to prepare for 
a successful year. Success docs not come unsought, 
at least not to farmers following their ordinary 
avocations. It must he won b) r well-studied plans, 
and thorough preparations, judiciously carried out. 
To plan and prepare is, therefore, the most import¬ 
ant work for January. Perhaps we ought to make 
an exception to this statement in favor of that 
mental culture for which the winter offers such 
opportunities. Nothing is so important to a 
farmer, as a man, as to be well informed,—as a 
farmer, ho may he tolerably successful, without 
education except in the routine and labor of his 
profession, but every year makes it harder for those 
farmers who depend exclusively on native wit and 
innate shrewdness, and easier for those who study 
fanning, and follow their profession with all the 
aids they can get, with the printed experience of a 
thousand neighbors, the best thoughts of >non of 
science, and the best implements and methods they 
can afford to gut and learn, and can carry out to use. 
BHiciSs About Work. 
Wo assume that the regular labors of the field 
are suspended by cold weather; if otherwise, and 
we occasionally have winter’s when, even in Penn¬ 
sylvania, plowing may be done in every month of 
the year, no hint from us will be needed to remind 
farmers that there arc some kinds of properly 
called spring work, which may he done, greatly to 
the relief of the men and teams in March and 
April. Now and then, however, times occur when 
the ground is bare, and stones are loose, and these 
offer an opportunity not to be lost sight of, to pick 
up stones and lay them in heaps, or haul them off 
at once from the fields to where they may he used. 
The Workshop .—The winter affords time to work 
a good deal at repairing tools, making and mend¬ 
ing articles, and if one has a room which may be 
warmed and lighted, and with a good work-bench, 
furnished with common carpenters’ tools, a solder¬ 
ing iron, a little kit of saddlers’ tools, some leather, 
rivets, etc., it will be found a very attractive place 
for the boys ; and not only would there be a good 
deal of good work done, but good habits formed, 
and skill gained, worth,a great many dollars more 
than an expensively fitted up work-shop would cost. 
Frost and Snow .—Never delay path-making and 
road-breaking after every fall of snow. The work is 
much lighter, aud it is better done. Never trust 
to mild nights, and leave the water standing in 
pumps or pipes. Sudden changes of weather, with 
accompanying damage, occur without warning. 
Building may often be done by contract in winter 
cheaper than in warm weather, especially if the 
contracts be made in the autumn; but builders 
will give moderate figures for good work, if one 
can present well-made plans and specifications early 
in the new year, and give them time to do the fin¬ 
ishing after the house is enclosed, and the roof on, 
when their other work does not press upon them. 
Timber .—Cut and haul to the saw-mill. In se¬ 
lecting trees, take such as have nearly stopped 
growing, but are still sound and healthy. Such 
wood is quite as good as that which is growing 
fast, aud stiffer. Young timber is elastic, old is 
stiff; that which has stopped growing, and has 
many dead limbs, is brash, though good for fuel. 
Ice .—Those who have ice-houses should not neg¬ 
lect to fill thcm.whenever sufficient thickness of ice 
forms to make it possible to handle it economically. 
At the lowest latitude where ice-houses are found, 
and where ice is usually gathered, it often happens 
that good ice can be obtained only for a very few 
days. Ice one inch thick may he very profitably 
handled, being dragged out upon a clean platform, 
running into the water, and from this shoveled 
into carts. It should bo packed by pounding into 
as solid a mass as possible in the ice-house. An 
intermixture of a moderate quantity of pure, 
fresh-fallen snow is an advantage if it bo well 
pounded. When thick ice can he obtained, chip 
off all flic porous snow-ice, and pack only flic 
clearest, filling the crevices with fine ice chipped 
from the top of each layer. Cut 'the cakes to fit. 
Horses ought to have good cleaning and regular 
exercise. If there is nothing for them to do, give 
them a run of an hour or two in a well-fenced lot, 
one at a time—if there is any danger of their kick¬ 
ing each other—every fair day. Don’t scrimp in 
bedding; you will lose nothing, but gain, in the 
less amount of food a horse will need if kept warm. 
Close stables must be well ventilated. Direct the 
blacksmith to put the best and toughest steel into 
the caulks, so welded on that they will not tear out. 
The caulks should be thick, so t hat they may be 
sharpened when necessary several times without 
the necessity of renewing the shoes. 
Marcs and Colts .—Brood mares are liable to injury 
from slipping on the ice, and they ought to be 
kept sharp-shod if used, and kept off from icy 
paths when exercised or led to water. Similar care 
must bo had for colts in giving them exercise. The 
winter is a favorable season to break and train 
young horses. In all exercise for the purpose of 
training a horse, remember lie is an animal of con¬ 
siderable powers of reason, of great natural cau¬ 
tion, of excellent memory, and of almost uncon¬ 
trollable curiosity, and work upon these faculties. 
Tlie horse is never satisfied with his knowledge of 
a new and strange thing unless he smells and rubs it 
with his nose. This lie must do voluntarily. 
Oxen , if used upon snowy or icy roads, must be 
well shod, and kept sharp. 
Cows .—Feed well, so as to keep them in good 
