AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
105 
light, for cheerful conversation or pleasant reflection. 
Annual, quick growing flowers may be sown, IT, on 
ground occupied by bulbs or early blooming plants. 
Bulbs—Lift, ff, m, those which are to be divided and 
reset, filling their places with annuals. 
Carnations, Pinks, Picotees and Pansies—Continue 
to layer and put in cuttings, ff, m. Water in dry weather, 
and keep flower stalks neatly tied up. 
Dahlias—It is not too late to set out plants started last 
month in pots or otherwise. Prune side branches and 
firmly stake tall plants. 
Flower stalks are unsightly after completing their 
bloom. Cut them away and plant annuals to occupy the 
space. 
Gravel Walks should be kept scrupulously clean from 
grass or weeds, and be often raked to prevent packing. 
Renew any thin spots. 
Hedges—Finish the first pruning or clipping, IT. Plash, 
or weave in to fill up weak places. 
Iloe grounds often. Even if there are no weeds, the 
soil should be frequently stirred with a hoe or rake, to 
prevent crusting. 
Insects—Look after the rose slug, dahlia borer, leaf 
hopper, etc. They still require some care. 
Lawns and Grass Edgings look best w hen covered w ith 
a growth of only a few' inches in hight. Mow or shear 
often, trimming smoothly. 
Neatness and order should be prominent features of the 
flower borders. Allow no weeds to grow; cut away 
decaying stalks, leaves and branches ; tie tall growing 
plants neatly and securely, put the walks in good order, 
and have everything about the grounds as attractive as 
possible. Remember these gardens are the appropriate 
“ Pleasure Grounds ” of the farm house or cottage. 
Potted Plants—Keep them watered, and the soil well 
stirred and free from moss. Turn the pots occasionally, 
to disengage any roots which have penetrated into the 
soil through the hole at the bottom. 
Prune trees and shrubs as recommended on page 211. 
Many plants now growing vigorously may be improved in 
shape by cutting back and pinching in. 
Rhododendrons now make a fine show of bloom. Wa¬ 
ter freely and hoe often, or mulch about them. 
Roses are still in full flower and fragrance. This is 
the proper season to bud and layer in order to change 
the variety and increase the stock. New growth, lay¬ 
ered now, will root sufficiently to be removed another 
Spring. Keep pillar and climbing varieties tied to stakes, 
or trellis. Use the oil soap solution freely to destroy 
slugs and leaf hoppers. Even the rose bug evidently dis¬ 
likes the odor. 
Seeds—Collect any of the early varieties now ripening. 
Stake or otherwise confine all tall growing plants liable 
to be broken down by high winds. 
Transplant the remainder of the biennials and peren¬ 
nials sown last month. 
Verbenas—Increase stock of Fall blooming plants by- 
layering. 
Water any plants needing it during dry weather. 
Weeds—Keep down by frequent hoeings. 
Green aaed Mot Menses. 
These are comparatively empty now, save in extensive 
propagating houses, or where there are large collections 
of tropical plants which are more conveniently managed 
under cover. Ot course the houses are now open most of 
the time, excepting during cold or heavy rains. An 
abundant supply of freely circulating air is indispensable, 
and sprinklings or syringings should be frequently given 
in addition to copious waterings. If transparent glass is 
used in the houses, shade them during sunshine. 
Budding may now be performed upon many of the 
woodv plants. 
Callas—Repot towards the latter part of the month, wa¬ 
tering less freely. 
Camellias—Bud, ff, m, repotting at the same time those 
requiring it. Shape to a good head. 
Cinerarias—Divide the roots of old plants to increase 
the stock. 
Cissus—Arrange in convenient positions for training 
near the glass. They will bear a high degree of heat. 
Cuttings of a large number of plants may be made, ff, 
m. Insert them at once in pots of prepared mold. 
Earth for Potting—Provide a good supply and have it 
well mixed against a time o-f need. 
Fuchsias—Repot, f, m, where large plants are wanted. 
German Stocks—Plant for Winter bloom, f, m. 
Grapes—The early houses have ripened their crop and 
the vines require plenty of air to complete their growth. 
Later vines may still need pruning, pinching in, and thin¬ 
ning of the bunches. Guard against insects and mildew. 
Insects of all kinds need especial looking after now. 
The whale-oil soap solution will prove sufficient in most 
cases, although it may sometimes be necessary to resort 
to tobacco fumes. 
Layer and inarch many of the woody plants to increase 
the stock, ff, m. 
Oranges and Lemons—Complete budding, ff, m. 
Pines are now ripening, and require a moderate 
amount of water, with an abundance of air. Plant 
well-ripened and partially dried crowns for a new sup¬ 
ply. Side suckers may be set out for the same purpose. 
Potting—Many of the seedlings are now large enough 
to pot. It is usually belter to put them in pots of sufficient 
size for growing the remainder of the season. 
Prune Plants, ff, m, to bring them to a good form. In 
some of the plants the old wood requires cutting away 
to renew the growth. 
Seeds—Gather any ripening, and save with care, or 
plant at once. 
Verbenas, petunias, geraniums, &c — Get up a Winter 
stock, by cuttings and layers, f, m. 
Water—Give copious supplies during the warm, dry 
weather of this month, sometimes both morning and 
evening. Wash freely with a syringe. 
Apiary m July. 
BY M. QUINBY. 
Those bee keepers who are so far behind the times as 
to destroy their bees with brimstone, to get the honey, and 
who live in sections of country where but little buck¬ 
wheat is raised, will do best to take up their hives the last 
of July, as the bees store but little afterward in such 
places. The best pieces of comb maybe selected for the 
table ; they must be kept in a cool place or the moth 
worm will hatch out and spoil them. They should also 
be kept dry, otherwise the honey will absorb moisture 
and make it thin, and sometimes sour.Honey that is 
strained out in warm weather, should be kept dry, and 
cool if possible. After standing awhile, a thin portion 
will rise to the top : remove this carefully, and the re¬ 
mainder will be good for cold w eather.To keep while 
honey pure, all surplus boxes containing it should be re¬ 
moved before the dark honey from buckwheat is mixed 
with it.. Boxes expressly for buckwheat honey, may be 
put on afterward if needed ; examine them, and if found 
to be so, drive out the bees to begin anew, any time be¬ 
fore the flowers fail. Three weeks after the first swarm, 
is the proper time, but it is better to do it late than not at 
all. Any stock tnat has swarmed out freely, leaving 
too few bees to cover the combs properly, should be close¬ 
ly w atched for the first appearance of the moth worm, 
whose presence is indicated by numerous small black 
shining specks like powder, on the floor of the hive. 
When nothing more can be done to save the stores, or 
the dry combs, for the bees, it is best to secure the con¬ 
tents of the hive at once, before the moth destroys all_ 
Set about the hives at night, shallow dishes filled with 
sweetened water ; moths by hundreds will often thus get 
drowned ; they may be fed to the chickens.It is un¬ 
necessary to watch for a second swarm from a hive, later 
than eighteen days after the first swarm.The season 
must be very backward, when any swarms issue later 
than the middle of July. 
-«>-.-- - -— 
Eo\y Cotton is grown and Prepared for 
Market*.I. 
The familiar proverb, “ Cotton is king ” 
shows the importance of this crop in our agri¬ 
culture, and in our financial exchanges. Though 
inferior to some other crops in pecuniary val¬ 
ue, it is more largely exported, and its influence 
is more immediately felt upon the finances of the 
country. Meats, breadstuffs, and forage crops are 
largely consumed in the immediate vicinity where 
they are produced, while cotton is almost exclu¬ 
sively sent abroad for a market. So few are the 
cotton manufactories in the southern States, that 
the amount consumed by them would hardly be 
missed from the aggregate. About three-fourths 
of the crop are exported to Europe, of which 
England is much the largest purchaser, and the 
balance is mainly manufactured in the northern 
Stales. This feature of the cotton crop has a 
marked influence upon the whole region produc¬ 
ing it. As it is all sent abroad, there are no home 
markets fostered by this kind of husbandry, and 
the region is more exclusively agricultural than 
any other part of the country. 
The cotton region, though much larger than the 
s-ugar district, is still a narrow belt of country not 
* This series of articles, like others on Southern Crops, is 
trom the pen of one of the Editors of. the American Agricultur¬ 
ist, who commenced an extended Southern tour of observation 
at the beginning of the present year.—P ub, Ed.] 
over three hundred miles across, and lying on 
both sides of the thirty-second degree of latitude. 
In passing down the Mississippi, it is reputed to be¬ 
gin at Columbia, in Arkansas, and to extend 
about down to the mouth of the Red River. In 
this region little else is cultivated, except partial 
supplies of corn, sweet potatoes, ahd bacon, for 
the forces upon the plantation. To the south of 
this region, sugar is the main crop, though con¬ 
siderable quantities of cotton and other articles 
are raised. Cotton is also raised largely north of 
this belt, but it takes its place with other crops, 
as corn, tobacco, wheat, bacon, and hemp. In 
this narrow belt the climate seems to be exactly 
adapted to the wants of the plant, and cottons of 
the finest quality are raised. 
CAPITAL, BUILDINGS, AND MACHINERY. 
Much less capital is needed to work a cotton, 
than a sugar plantation. The best of forest lands 
for this plant, in the State of Mississippi, can be 
bought for from ten to thirty dollars an acre and 
in the newer States for a much less price. Lands 
much worn are frequently sold for five to ten 
dollars an acre. The dwelling upon the cotton 
plantation is a much less expensive affair than 
the farm house of the North. It is often made of 
logs, rudely finished, and almost invariably with¬ 
out any cellar. The chimneys are often made of 
mud and sticks, and as a rule, upon the outside 
of the building. In the case of very wealthy pro¬ 
prietors, the mansion is of course more expen¬ 
sively built and furnished. The dwellings of the 
slaves are stiil more rude, generally consisting of 
one small room, and without any other provision 
for lighting the apartment, than the door and a 
window in the rear, closed by wooden shutters. 
The gin-house and mill for grinding corn are 
generally under one roof, and the machinery in 
botli cases is moved by mule or horse power. As 
the timber is furnished upon the spot, the princi¬ 
pal part of the expense is for the machinery, which 
is generally limited to a few hundred dollars, and 
rarely exceeds a few thousands. The barns and 
hovels for the mules and stock, are generally of 
home manufacture, and do not require a large 
outlay. 
The largest part of the capital is almost inva¬ 
riably in slaves, and as these are usually born on 
the plantation, inherited, or gained by marriage, 
the planter is prepared to grow cotton in a new 
region, without any very large extra investments. 
As soon as the buildings are put up, the process 
of girdling and clearing commences. 
SELECTION AND OPENING OF PLANTATIONS. 
The favorite sites for building are bluffs, or 
elevated spots, near bottom lands. The planter 
who has opportunity for selection, is guided some.- 
what by the character of the timber upon the 
land. The post-oak and water-oak indicate a soil 
rather too cold and heavy for his purpose. The 
pines indicate a soil too light to yield many crops 
without manure. The beach, white-oak, white- 
wood, or poplar, the magnolia, and the white and 
black gums are the surer signs of good cotton 
lands. The reed cane and the cypress also grow 
upon rich lands, but these generally want more or 
less drainage to fit them for cultivation. 
The moving almost always takes place in Win¬ 
ter, and the first work after building is the gird¬ 
ling of the primitive forest trees. The small trees 
and underbrush are cut down, and either burned 
upon the spot, or saved for firewood. A few' of 
the large trees, white-oaks and poplars, splitting 
freely, are also cut and rived for fencing. The 
trees frequently put out after girdling, but the hot 
suns of July and August generally finish them. 
The ground is plowed, and planted either with 
