80,0, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
us at the point of the bayonet, no compulsory ac¬ 
quiescence in a creed that both head and heart re¬ 
ject. Here, every right is guarded by constitu¬ 
tional law, and protection is extended to reputa¬ 
tion, property, and person. Here, every man in¬ 
terprets the Bible for himself, and holds himself 
accountable alone to God for his religious opin¬ 
ions. This freedom is no doubt sometimes 
abused to license and infidelity, but this is an 
evil, infinitely less than the half smothered infi¬ 
delity of an established church, and the grinding 
despotism of a hierarchy. 
In the possession of all these rich blessings, 
we come to the close of the harvest, and the an¬ 
nual thanksgiving. Whose heart does not swell 
with gratitude to God, as he remembers his 
American birthright, if he be free born, or his 
adoption into this favored family, if he have come 
from abroad 1 The year has been full of blessings, 
and the husbandman has more occasion than all 
for praise. His harvests have been abundant. 
His barns are filled with hay and grain, his bins 
with wheat, his cribs with the golden corn, his 
stalls with sleek cattle, and his sheds with the 
peaceful flocks. With a glowing heart he may 
well exclaim in the beautiful language of the 
Hebrew poet : 
“ Thou crownest the year with thy goodness ; 
and thy paths drop fatness. 
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness ; 
and the little hills rejoice on every side. 
The pastures are clothed with flocks ; the val¬ 
leys also are covered over with corn ; they shout 
for joy, they also sing.” 
Calendar of Operations for November, 1859- 
[We note down sundry kinds of work to be done during 
the month, not so much to afford instruction to practical 
men, as to call to mind the various operations to be at¬ 
tended to. A glance over a table like this will often sug¬ 
gest some piece of work that might otherwise be forgotten 
or neglected. Our remarks are more especially adapted 
to the latitudes of 38° to 45° ; but will be equally applica¬ 
ble to points further North and South, by making due 
allowance for each degree of latitude, that is, earlier for 
the North, later for the South. 
Explanations.— / indicates the first; m the middle; 
and l the Inst of the month.—Doubling the letters thus iff, 
or mm, or U, gives particular emphasis to the period indi¬ 
cated.—Two letters placed together, as fin or ml, signifies 
that the work may be done in eithe.r or in both periods in¬ 
dicated ; thus, work marked/m. indicates that it is to be 
attended to from the first to the middle of the month-l 
Farm. 
November is the finishing month ofthe season. Indeed 
very little farm work, save digging and storing the late 
turnips, should be left until now. In some localities a 
portion of the corn is still unhusked, and the grain not all 
threshed. Both of these need early attention, and then, 
having put all the tools away, so that no unlooked for 
snow shall bury one here and another there, and having 
repaired the buildings against the biting wind and frost, 
the farmer may rest quietly even if the sleet comes driving 
against his window at night. He is prepared for Winter. 
Buildings, including those for man and beast, should be 
put in complete Winter order at once. This is one ofthe 
best months for outside painting of buildings and fences. 
See more full directions of last month. 
Cattle are now almost solely dependent upon man for 
their food at the North : let it be given them with regu¬ 
larity, just sufficient for their wants, but none to waste. 
A good hay or straw cutter should be in every barn, and 
if capable of cutting corn -stalks, so much the better. For 
twenty or thirty cattle and pigs, a steaming apparatus will 
pay. Complete fattening the beeves as early as possible, 
before half the food is exhausted in keeping them warm. 
Give all animals a good bedding of some sort, both to pro¬ 
mote comfort and increase the manure heap. 
Cellars—Keep ventilated as late in the season as can 
be done with safety. See that the water drain is perfect. 
Towards the close of “the month, make everything se¬ 
cure against frost. 
Cisterns and Wells for house and bam may well be 
built, f, m, if not already provided. 
Corn If any is standing, cut it up, ff. Finish husking 
as soon as possible, before cold weather and Winter rains 
set in. Save the fodder with care, and put away the 
husked corn where it will dry thoroughly. Seed should 
have been saved last month. If omitted, select it at once. 
Draining is always in season, when the ground “is not 
frozen or wet, until all swales, swamps, or low grounds 
are made the most productive portions ofthe farm. 
Forest Leaves—Continue the gathering commenced 
last month until all that can be gathered, are stored foe 
Winter bedding of stock, for which they are excellent, 
as well as for manure. 
Fruit—The late apples and pears must now be taken to 
the cellar, as a cold snap might freeze them. Keep dry 
and as cool as convenient without freezing. 
Grain—Thresh the remaining as fast as practicable, and 
save all the straw to feed or bed with through the Winter : 
it will be needed this year. Cut straw, moistened and 
mixed with Indian meal, forms excellent feed for cat¬ 
tle and horses. See that the best grain is kept for seed. 
Hedges—Plant deciduous, ff, m, if the soil is dry ; oth¬ 
erwise leave till Spring. 
Hogs—As with beeves, complete their fattening early. 
This will be the killing month in many parts of the 
country ; let the animals be fat when slaughtered. Pro¬ 
vide for early pigs by turning a male among the breeding 
sows, m, 11. 
Horses and Mules—Feed with cut hay and straw, ad¬ 
ding a little meal or carrots. Have them well shod as 
icy weather approaches, at the North. Provide blankets 
and use them. Give a good bedding at night. If standing 
on a plank floor, cover with several inches of muck, spent 
tan or sawdust both to absorb the moisture and make a 
soft standing place. Ventilate well, using plaster to take 
up the strong smelling ammonia. 
Ice Houses—See that they are all ready to receive the 
first thick ice of the season, which is usually the best. 
It is not too late to construct ice-houses or rooms. 
Indoor—The long evenings and stormy days give an 
opportunity to read and think. Get down the back num¬ 
bers of the Agriculturist and re-read those articles which 
a more hurried season caused to be lightly pondered at 
the time. Sympathize with the children as they pore 
over their evening lessons, and lend them the assist¬ 
ance they require. A little interest in their studies will 
be of material benefit to them. Make home so attractive 
that they prefer it to going abroad where they may meet 
with vicious companions. 
Manures—Follow the directions of last month, adding 
large quantities of muck, tan, leaves, loam, saw-dust, 
etc., to the contents of the yards and stables. 
Permanent improvements may now be made to good 
advantage, while waiting the approach of Winter- A few 
rocks need sinking or blasting ; stumps may be removed ; 
stones may be picked up and laid into permanent fences, 
hedges cleared up, etc. These labors can profitably use 
up all the spare time. 
Plow clayey lands just before the Winter sets in. In¬ 
sects will be turned up to frost, and the freezing and 
thawing of the tops and sides of the furrows will pulver¬ 
ize the soil. 
Poultry—Provide them with warm quarters for Winter. 
A barn or other cellar where they can have gravel to 
scratch in, is desirable, allowing them access to the sun. 
Give them animal food, refuse meat, with boiled potatoes 
and raw cabbage. Keep roosts clean. See article on 
fattening poultry on a subsequent page. 
Pumpkins—Feed out freely to fattening animals and 
milch cows. Put. some of the best in a dry place and be¬ 
yond the reach of frost, for Winter keeping. 
Schools are about commencing for the Winter, in many 
places. Have the out door work in condition to spare the 
boys at the beginning, to take their places at once in 
classes. Nor should they be kept at home except on im¬ 
portant occasions. Regularity is essential to progress. 
Sheep still find some green food in the pastures, but 
will soon need a foddering at night, in colder localities. 
Let them begin Winter in good flesh. Where early lambs 
are desired, turn the buck with the ewes, say, m, 1. 
Stack Yards—Instead of making them cattle yards, save 
time, labor, and your reputation for humanity, by carting 
the contents to the barn to be fed under cover. 
Sugar Cane—Complete the cutting and manufacturing, 
ff. If it can not be evaporated sufficiently fast, put some 
ofthe stalks under cover, to be ground and boiled down 
as needed. A moderate freezing does little injury when 
syrup only is made. 
Tools, Implements, Carriages, Harness, Sleighs, Sleds, 
etc.—Put away those no longer wanted, first repairing 
the broken ones. Do not leave a plow to freeze in the 
furrow, nor any tools to be covered by a premature snow. 
Have the harness cleaned and oiled, and put sleighs and 
sleds in running order. 
Turnips—Dig the remaining crop, m, 1, also any carrots 
left out until now. Store them in pits as described in the 
“ basket,” or put in cellars beyond the reach of frost. 
Water pipes—Give an extra covering, 11, where there is 
danger of freezing. 
Winter Grain—Permit none of it to be eaten off at this 
season. The late growth is needed to protect the roots. 
See that no water stands, or can stand on the field. 
Wood for fuel, especially “ down stuff,” may be col 
lected and piled this month much better than after a 
covering of snow. Pile it convenient to load upon a sled, 
or cart it home upon wheels while the traveling is good 
OrclEard ami Wtsrsei-y. 
Gather late apples and pears slill hanging upon the 
trees, ff, and then having scraped offthe rough bark, ma¬ 
nured and dug over or plowed the ground, there is little to 
do in the orchard until Spring. In the nursery, however, 
the tree grower is now in the hight of his semi-annual 
harvest, and we hope very busy in taking up, packing, 
and sending away trees and shrubs, as well as in planting 
stocks and putting every thing in Winter order. 
Apples—Plant trees, ff, m, both for a new orchard and 
to fill vacancies in the old. Set fruit trees also along the 
lanes, avenues and road-sides, planting Winter varieties in 
exposed situations. 
Cherry Trees may now be set in this latitude and 
south. We prefer Spring planting at the North, on ac¬ 
count of a liability to Winter kill. 
Cider—Finish making before apples freeze or decay 
and put the juice in clean sweet casks with an open vent. 
Fruit—Gather, ff, any still upon the trees. Examine 
pears upon the fruit shelves, as they do not keep long 
after fully ripening. Keep apples in a dry airy place 
until severe weather, when they must go into Winter 
quarters. No fruit keeps well in a damp atmosphere. 
Grapes—This (ff,) is one of the best seasons to plant 
grapevines. Cover the tops lightly for Winter protec¬ 
tion, and lay down tender varieties fr'om the arbors 
and trellises. Even the Isabella and Catawba do better 
when laid upon the ground during Winter—a light cov¬ 
ering is still better. This is the pruning month for the 
vine. See fill! directions on page 337. Make cuttings 
for planting while pruning. 
Insects—Complete the destruction of borers and scale* 
that there be no stock to begin with next season. 
Manure both orchard and nursery, adding lime or ash¬ 
es to the compost. Manure applied now is washed into 
the soil during the Winter, and is ready to be taken up by 
the roots in the Spring. 
Mice—Bank up about exposed trees, or cover the lower 
part of the trunks with tea-chest lead, tarred cloth or pa¬ 
per. Good cats are about the best protectors. 
Nursery Rows—As soon as you are done taking up 
trees, go through with a plow and turn furrows towards 
the trees both to protect them, and open drains to carry 
off surplus water. Transplant as many as possible of the 
seedlings this Fall. 
Orchard—After planting out the new trees, doctor the 
old to keep up their usefulness awhile longer. Scrape off 
rough bark, cut away dead branches, and above all dig 
in a good coat of manure about the roots—not for 3 feet 
merely, but over a circle of 10 feet each way from the trunk 
Pear Trees especially need thorough manuring. A 
mulch of coarse manure spread over the roots to be forked 
in early in Spring, serves a double purpose. Plant more 
trees of select kinds. 
Pruning—If not attended to in the Summer, better do 
it now than next Spring. In warm climates, the present 
is a good pruning month. 
Quinces—Plant trees, ff, m, and gather fruit now upon 
the trees, making a portion into jelly and marmalade, and 
putting more into air-tight cans or bottles. 
Scions—Cut at anytime this month, when not frozen, 
and bury in dry earth, either out doors, or in the cellar. 
Seeds of Apples, Pears, Quinces, Plums, Cherries, 
Peaches, and the various nuts and hard shelled seeds—if 
not already in, plant, ff, m, as directed last month. 
Selling Nursery Trees—See that only good trees, true 
to name, are sent out properly labeled and packed. Bet¬ 
ter burn a poor tree than sell it for half price. 
Stocks—Transplant all the hardy ones into nursery 
rows. You can spare the time better now than in Spring. 
Others may be heeled in over Winter. 
Tender Seedlings, especially evergreens, need some 
protection in the nursery. Sift in dry sand to protect the 
stems, and cover with forest leaves, straw, or evergreen 
boughs, for the first Winter. 
KitcSaesa aiad Frnit harden. 
In the ordinary farm garden there is something yet to do, 
while the market gardener will find plenty of work, in 
finishing the labors of the present season and preparing 
for the next. 
Asparagus—Plant new beds, ff, m, and sow seed. Cov¬ 
er the beds, m, 1, with several inches of coarse manure. 
Bean and Hop Poles, Raspberiy, Blackberry and other 
Slakes—Collect and store under cover for another season. 
Beets bear but little freezing, harvest, ff. 
Blackberries do best planted early, although they may 
be set as long as the ground is open. 
Caobages and Cauliflowers—Harvest the remainder and 
store in Winter quarters, m, 1. Place t.ho young plants 
in cold frames, ns directed below. 
