AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Contents for October, 1870. 
Bee Notes for October. 370 
Birds—Divers and Grebes..... Illustrated. .373 
Boys and Girls’ Columns.—Jugglers in India, by Carle- 
ton—The Corn-Stalk Fiddle—Eyes made to serve for 
Ears—Answers to Problems aiid Puzzles—Rebuses 
•1 Illustrations. .387-388 
Bulbs and Bulb-Peddlers. *383 
Cheap Draining. Illustrated ..378 
Chestnuting—-The Chestnut-Tree. Illustrated. .379-380 
Eradicating Weeds—Fallow vs. Hoed Crops.378 
Fairs to be held in October and November.384 
Farm Work for October.362 
Flower Garden and Lawn in October. 364 
Flowers—The Japanese Iris.. Illustrated. .384 
Forcing Rhubarb. 381 
Frosts. 384 
Fruit Garden in October.363 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in October.364 
Hints and Notions about Poultry Raising.378 
Horse Papers for Farmers—No. 9.370 
Horseshoe, or King-Crab. Illustrated. .373 
Household Department. —Household Ornaments— 
Grass Bouquets— Mending and Making over, by 
Faith Rochester—Water in the House—Preserving 
Crab-Apples—Hair Dyes—The Hair—Rolliehes— 
Tripe—Odd Washing-Fluid Recipes—Hints on Cook- 
in g, etc . Illustrated.. 385-386 
How to Start or Back a Heavy Load. Illustrated. .377 
Ice-house and Summer Dairy Combined.4 Illustrations .376 
Injection Apparatus for Animals... .2 Illustrations. .376 
Inland Water-Carriage in a Small Way.379 
Insects on Evergreens.383 
Insects—The Gigantic Digger-Wasp. Illustrated ..382 
Kitchen Garden in October.363 
Locust and Ailanthus Trees.384 
Make the Pigs Fat.,. .379 
Market Reports.365 
Milk—or Milk and Water?.. -. Illustrated ..377 
Muck Mines. 379 
New Milk. 361 
Notes from the Pines—Coleuses—The Glory Pea— 
Double Geraniums—Tritomas—White Zinnias—Tro¬ 
phy Tomato—Garden Tools.382 
Ogden Farm Papers.—No. 10—Fighting the Drouth— 
Irrigation—Transplanting Mangels and Ruta-bagas 
—The Foundation of SuccessfuIFarming.371-372 
Orchard and Nursery in October.363 
Plants that will Bloom in Winter .382 
Potato—A Native . Illustrated. .384 
Premiums for 1871.392-395 
Saving Fodder.377 
Shrubs—The Pvracantb Thom for Hedges. Illustrated. .381 
Shrubs—The Virginia Itea. Illustrated. .SSI 
Straw Crop Rye.376 
Treatment of a Diseased Pear-Tree. 382 
Trees on Sandy Soil without Manure.383 
Walks and Talks on the Farm—No. 82—Sheep-letting 
in England— 1 Thatching Stacks—Steam-Plows—What 
to do with Straw—Improving Sheep—Corn in Mis¬ 
souri—Steel and Cast-Iron Plows—-Cultivators and 
Harrows—“ Thin Rind Hog.’’—Sheep and Dogs— 
Crossing Swine—Weight of Cotswold Sheep—Feed¬ 
ing Lambs. Illustrated. .374-375 
basket” or smaller articles. 
List of Ag'l etc. Societies.369 
INDEX TO 
Ailanthus Unhealthy.369 
Black or Barn Weevil... .367 
Book—Beautifying Coun¬ 
try Homes.365 
Box-Trees.369 
fSirtiw 
Chestnuts in iilinois... .367 
Cranberries upon Upland 365 
Dahlias... ..367 
Death of J. G. Vietch.. .305 
Descriptions of Grapes..366 
Does Fish Culture Pay ?..367 
Draining a Barn Cellar.. .369 
Draining a Pig-pen.369 
Enthusiastic Farmer... .369 
Evergreens from Seed. ..369 
Fairs in Oct. and Nov... .365 
Fair of the Am. Institute.365 
Farmers’ Clubs.369 
Flowers in Church.367 
Fruit Crop in Euglaud. .366 
Grape Culturist and Far¬ 
mers’Club. .. 367 washed or Unwashed 
Grapes—What, is the mat 
ter?.307 
Hedge in Connecticut.367 
Killing Sassafras and Per¬ 
simmon Trees.369 
Lice on Cabbages.367 
Mark on ray Paper.367 
Mason’s Fruit Jars.365 
Moles.367 
New-England Fair.366 
New Peach.367 
Our Annuals.365 
Patent Humbugs.366 
Percherou and Norman 
Horses.369 
Personal.369 
Plants by Mail.367 
Petroleum as Paint..369 
Popular Names of Fruits.367 
Publishers Astir.365 
Richmond Peach .367 
Salt and Asparagus.369 
Stable Floors, etc.367 
Sumach.366 
Sundry Humbugs.365 
Tobacco Stems forMan’e.367 
Vine Lock. 367 
Butter. .. 369 
Weeping Trees.367 
Western Gardener.366 
White Leghorns.367 
W. J.”. 367 
Wood-Ducks and Falcons367 
Take Notice. 
2 Mouths’ Subscription for $0,00. 
Every \ew Subscriber to the American Agri¬ 
culturist, for 1§7 9, whx. ;e subscription comes to 
hand during October, will be presented with the pa¬ 
per the rest of this year willioul 
i f the name be marked new when sent in. 
....Take Notice, that this offer extends to All 
jVew Subscribers, whether coming singly, or in Pre¬ 
mium Clubs , or otherwise. (This will help those who 
now begin to makeup lists for Premiums, for they 
can offer to each new subscriber a bonus of two months , 
free, ancl still count these names in Premium Lists.) 
Calendar for October. 
Boston,NEna- 
N. 
Git 
(/, Cl., 
Washington , 
land , 
N. 
1 ork 
Philadelphia, 
Maryland. 
State, 
Michi - 
New 
Jersey. 
Virginia Ken. 
gan 
Wiscoji- 
Pen 
n. 
Ohio. 
tacky. Mission- 
© 
I 
sin. 
Jowa, and 
Bui 
tana 
and 
rL 
and 
Cali- 
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egon. 
Illinois. 
forn 
ia. 
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H. M. 
H.M 
II 
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H- M. 
XI 
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H.M 
H. M. 
I 
S 
5 57 
5 
42 
10 43 
5 5G 
5 
43 
lJO 48 
5 
55 
5 43 
10 53 
2 
$ 
5 58 
5 
40 
11 43 
5 57 
5 
41 
11 48 
5 
5G 
5 42 
11 53 
3 
M 
5 59 
5 
39 
morn 
5 58 
5 
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morn 
5 
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5 40 
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4 
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6 0 
5 
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0 47 
5 59 
5 
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0 51 
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10 
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PHASES OF THE MOON 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
N. YOKE. 
wash’n. 
cha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
D. 
Ho M. 
Ho M. 
H. M. 
H. M. 
I?. M. 
1st Quart.. 
1 
•1 35 ev. 
4 23 ev. 
4 11 ev. 
S 59 ev. 
3 29 ev. 
Full . 
9 
9 59 m. 
9 47 in. 
9 35 m. 
9 23 m. 
8 53 m. 
3d Quart... 
17 
1 29 cv. 
1 17 ev. 
1 5 ev. 
0 53 ev. 
0 23 ev. 
New Moon 
24 
10 52 m. 
10 40 m. 
10 28 in. 
10 16 m. 
9 46 ill. 
1st Quart. 
31 
3 17 m. 
3 5m. 
2 53 m. 
2 41 m. 
2 11 m. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORkToCTOBER, 1870. 
We have passed through a season of terrific heat, 
long continued, and little relieved by rains. The 
storms of the summer and early autumn have borne 
great blessings to the thirsty land, but they have 
been accompanied by violent winds and wonderful 
exhibitions of electricity, which have wrought lo¬ 
cal damage to the great distress of many farmers. 
These violent storms are usually quite circum¬ 
scribed in their destructive effects, and around the 
outer sides of the tempestuous centers the blessed 
rains have fallen, moistening the parched earth and 
reviving drooping vegetation. Parts of New Eng¬ 
land, judging from our correspondence, suffered 
more than other sections. The cattle have been fed 
on hay; youug stock on weeds and the undergrowth 
of the woods,and sheep on bushes and swamp grass. 
Late crops have suffered ; corn, in some places, po¬ 
tatoes, almost everywhere, turnips, generally; nev¬ 
ertheless we are not likely to want. The great gran¬ 
aries of the West will feed the East, and there are 
many things we can do without. The modern hay 
presses put hay into such small compass that it 
can be as economically transported as corn. Bulk 
makes little difference, provided a railroad car can 
receive its full load of 10 or 15 tons, and this can 
be accomplished. While, therefore, the canal still 
competes with the railroads, it might lie well to 
secure the transportation of hay to Eastern mar¬ 
kets where there is likely to be a dearth. Cotton¬ 
seed cake, linseed cake, and other forms of concen¬ 
trated provender will be used extensively this 
winter, and contracts should be early entered into 
for them, or a stock laid in. 
The Fairs this year are held so that there seems 
to be less collision than usual, and persons can go 
from one to another, which, with exhibitors as well 
as Agricultural Editors, is very desirable. 
Now is just the time of the year to start Farmers’ 
Clubs. There is little enough social enjoyment in 
most rural neighborhoods, and a well-managed 
Farmers’ Club exerts a civilizing and refining in¬ 
fluence among the farmers’ families. It makes 
people think of something besides the humdrum of 
the daily routine of work, eating, and sleeping. It 
promotes a taste for reading and thought about 
the daily pursuits of life, ancl in every way is im¬ 
proving and pleasurable. A good form for a, con¬ 
stitution was given on page 287 (August), ancl one 
for a simpler organization, by some thought to be 
more elastic ancl better adapted to a Farmers’ Club 
is given on page 369, of this number. 
Hints alntaii Work. 
- Farm Buildings. —Animals will soon need shel¬ 
ter, if they do not already, and should be regularly 
stabled at night, as in winter. In putting the sta¬ 
bles in order, look well to the floors, and to the 
timbers in contact with manure, or the liquids of 
the stable; renew those which are in any degree 
weak. Tighten weather-boards, patch roofs if 
leaky. See that all buildings around the barn-yard 
have good eavestroughs ancl gutters, so that no 
more water than necessary enters the barn-yard 
Road mending at this season must be done with 
clean gravel and sand, otherwise the mended spots 
will be very soft, and will cut into ruts in fall ancl 
spring. This material, with small, broken stones 
in some places, is the only tit substance for mend¬ 
ing roads, where it can be obtained. Make good, 
hard turnouts for water, on roads upon descending 
grades, distributing the road wash upon meadows 
or pastures, if possible. Bridges and embank¬ 
ments should be well looked to, and put in order 
for winter before cold weather sets in. 
Ice-Houses. —Experiment has proved that though 
it. is really cooler uuder ground than above, during 
most of the year, yet, that if the wooden walls of 
ice-houses be properly constructed they will prove 
a better protection to the ice above ground than 
stone walls, with a lining of plank and non-conduct¬ 
ing filling below ground. Besides it is decidedly 
cheaper to build above than below the surface. 
We give a plan for an iee-liouse and dairy on page 
376. The manner of constructing the ice-house 
portion is applicable to one used simply for keep¬ 
ing ice. The points to be borne in mind are simply 
these. 1. Perfect drainage. 2. Close, strong, non¬ 
conducting, double walls of plank on the inside, 
having the space between them not less than eight 
inches wide, aud this filled with some dry, porous 
material, like saw-dust or spent tau. 3. An op¬ 
portunity for a change of air above the ice—en¬ 
tirely avoiding drafts. A house 12 x 12 feet square 
on the inside, is the best size for a private family. 
10 x 10 feet square will generally keep the ice well, 
but it will waste badly, and soft ice, such as we had 
last winter, will not last through the summer. 
Poultry Houses. —We think it well to dig out for 
henneries, and set them a few (say 3) feet below the 
ground level, provided perfect drainage can be se¬ 
cured. Cement the bottom; set the studs upon 
the cemented floor; board up upon the inside above 
the ground level and fill in behind the hoards with 
cement concrete. Outside nail hemlock boards 
against the studs as high as you have earth enough, 
or think best to raise an earth bank. We have 
given many plans for henneries in our back num¬ 
bers: Light, warmth, cleanliness, and good feed¬ 
ing, will secure a supply of eggs all winter. • 
Potatoes. —A dry, warm spell will start potatoes 
growing, especially early sorts. All should be dug 
at once. We prefer to place them on the barn 
floor, or in some dry out-building, where they will 
“sweat” before bringing them into the cellar. 
When this cannot he done, place them in small 
piles in the field, and cover with straw or hay 
for a few days. When the whole heap in the 
bins or the cellar becomes moist from the sweating 
which is sure to take place without these precau¬ 
tions, rot is very likely to supervene. In digging 
leave the potatoes upon the surface and exposed to 
the sun only long enough to become dry. Then go 
through and pick up only those of marketable size, 
larger than a hen’s egg. Afterwards pick up the 
rest, not missing one if you cau help it. A potato 
as big as a filbert is worth something; if left in 
the ground, it may become a nuisance next year. 
Turnips. —Keep free from weeds and stir the 
ground occasionally and the cr«p will pay ypu for it. 
Carrots and Beets must be harvested before the 
ground freezes so as to form a stiff crust; and it is 
best not to risk too much in the hope of a warm, 
moist spell in which they will grow. These should 
sweat also before storing, and though carrots are 
