1873.] 
*54:3 
mands of itinerant vagabonds who are too lazy to 
take fair wages for steady work. 
Barley , if a good crop, is best harvested by cut¬ 
ting with a reaper and binding it into sheaves like 
wheat. But if there is not time for this, cut it 
witli the reaper in the afternoon or evening. Let 
it lie in the swath or gavel all night, and the next 
morning as soon as the dew is off turn it. Turn it 
again before dinner; and if the weather is favor¬ 
able, and the crop free from weeds, it will be ready 
to draw in in the afternoon. If not, put it into 
cock and draw in the next day. 
Oats require much longer time to cure; other¬ 
wise they can be harvested in the same way. 
Have them well cured before putting in the barn. 
Indian-Corn .—It will not do to neglect this 
important crop during haying and harvesting. 
Whenever a man can be spared, let him take 
a horse and cultivate corn. Farmers are improv¬ 
ing in this respect, but even yet we rarely cul¬ 
tivate our corn half enough. We often cultivate 
our own corn as late as the first of August. “ It is 
the last blow that kills the cat,” and it is the last 
hoeing or cultivating that kills the weeds and in¬ 
sures clean land. Let the cultivator run shallow 
so as not to cut the roots. Put a muzzle on the 
horse to prevent his eating. He will go much 
more steadily, and the work will be better done. 
Go over the field with a hoe, and cut out or pull 
out any weeds that the cultivator can not reach. 
Potatoes should be cultivated as long as the teeth 
do not disturb the runners. Afterwards, keep the 
laud clean with the hoe, or by pulling out the large 
weeds by hand. You must get rid of the weeds or 
give up the hope of raising a good crop. 
Swede Turnips or Ruta-bagas should be sown 
without delay. Drill in from one to two pounds 
of seed in rows 2 to 2% feet apart. Thin out to 
ten or twelve inches in the rows. 
Common White Tarnip/s can be sown any time 
during the month. 
Mangel- Wurzel or Beets should now be ready for 
the second hoeing. Use the cultivator freely be¬ 
tween the rows, and do not suffer a weed to grow. 
Summer-Fallows should be plowed the second 
time this month; or, at any rate, kept entirely 
free from weeds by the use of the cultivator. 
Plaster maybe sown on clover as soon as the first 
crop is gathered—say one to two bushels per acre. 
Manure may be drawn out and spread on mea¬ 
dows or grass land, and harrowed with a smoothing 
harrow. Or it may be drawn out and spread on 
the fallows for wheat. 
Corn for Fodder , if sown in drills, should be re¬ 
peatedly cultivated. If sown broadcast, we have 
no hints to give. You do not deserve a good crop, 
and probably will not get it. 
Morses , if not worked hard, will be better at pas¬ 
ture than in the stable. A good clover pasture is 
best for them. If the horses are thin, and yon 
wish to get them in better condition, let them have 
in addition to the pasture all they will eat of a mix¬ 
ture of cut hay and oat or corn meal, in the pro¬ 
portion of a bushel of chaff' to 4 quarts of meal. 
Milch-Cows on our own farm are allowed the 
mixture alluded to above. When the pastures are 
good, they will not eat much of this cut feed, and 
we mix less chaff with the meal. We want each 
cow to get a quart of corn-meal twice a day, but 
want her to eat something with it. 
Sheep require comparatively little attention this 
month. See that they do not suffer for want of 
water. Do not let the butcher tempt you to part 
with your best ewe lambs. If not.already done, 
dip the lambs in a solution of carbolic soap to kill 
the ticks. Do not neglect this another day. 
Swine should have access to all the fresh water 
they can drink. If kept in a pen, there should be 
two troughs, one for food and one for water, and 
the latter should always be kept full of clean water. 
Give charcoal or ashes, sulphur, and salt. Keep 
pens and troughs clean, and wash them out ut least 
once a week with crude carbolic acid and water. 
If the pigs themselves could be washed, it would 
MERIC AN AGRICULTURIST. 
be good for them. Pigs running in the pasture, if 
intended to be fattened this fall, should have a 
liberal allowance of corn in addition to the pasture. 
Breeding sows will keep in good healthy condition 
on clover alone. Young pigs should always have 
all they can eat. Feed regularly, and keep clean. 
Now is a good time to secure a young boar of some 
well-established breed. 
--« » e— ---_ 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
The warm weather will give weeds as well as 
plants a new impetus, and only active measures 
will keep the weeds from surpassing the plants in 
growth. The hot sun will readily kill the weeds if 
the ground is hoed often. Where the crops are 
planted at a proper distance, a horse-cultivator 
proves the best implement for stirring the soil; 
but, at any rate, the soil must be kept light and 
open. In seasons of drouth, crops flourish better 
if the ground is constantly loosened, as the heavy 
dews have an opportunity to reach the roots, and 
thus keep the plants from suffering, as they would 
if the surface was baked by the sun. 
Orchard rVursery. 
Marketing of early fruits will be the principal 
work in this department, and the grower should 
make it an invariable rule to offer only good, mar¬ 
ketable fruit for sale. If necessary, make two 
qualities, and the increased returns will pay for 
the extra trouble in sorting. 
Peaches .—Pick when they are just firm enough to 
bear transportation, so that by the time they reach 
the markets they will be in good eating condition. 
Thinning may now be attended to, though rather 
late. The poorer specimens of apples and pears 
should be removed, so that only good fruit may 
ripen. Pear trees will sometimes need going over 
twice, as one seldom has the courage to remove a 
sufficient quantity the first time. 
Budding is to be done as soon as the bark of the 
stock will separate readily from the wood, and 
when good buds of the present season’s growth 
can be had. To hasten the maturity of buds, pinch 
the ends of the shoots. 
j Insects will continue to make their appearance. 
Even it great care has been taken to destroy those 
met with earlier in the season, a Tent-caterpillar’s 
nest will now and then be found. Red Spider 
often makes its appearance on fruit trees, as well as 
on ornamental ones, its presence being indicated 
by the brown tinge upon the leaves. To destroy it, 
syringe with carbolic soap-suds or whale oil soap. 
Cordon Trees trained upon trellises and wires 
will need frequent pinching to regulate their shape 
and insure an even and regular growth. 
Young Trees planted in nursery rows will need 
attention now to prevent their being overrun with 
weeds. If planted at sufficient distance apart, a 
horse and cultivator can be used to advantage. 
Beds of seedling trees must be hand-weeded. 
Fruit Garden. 
Strawberries .—Keep the runners cut upon beds 
which are to remain permanently. After the fruit 
is off, give the beds a dressing of fine manure, 
ashes, or guano, working it in between the k>ws. 
When weeds make their appearance in mulched 
beds pull them up. Plants struck in pots may be 
set out at any time after they are well rooted. 
Blackberries and Raspberries should not be allowed 
to grow higher than five feet; when the new canes 
reach this height pinch off the growing end. 
The lateral branches must be pinched back iu the 
same way when they are 18 inches long. Do not 
allow suckers to grow unless plants are needed for 
filling vacancies. 
Marketing .—Extended articles upon marketing 
the various small fruits were given iu June and in the 
present number, and are w*rth looking to carefully, 
as upon the condition iu which the various fruits 
arrive in the market is dependent the profit or loss 
upou them. 
Grapes .—As soon as mildew makes its appear¬ 
ance, sulphur should be applied ; it will appear in 
gray patches upon the stems and leaves, and if 
attended to at once it can bo prevented from ex¬ 
tending farther. Keep down weeds between the 
rows, and the soil light, so that whenever showers 
happen the rain can easily penetrate to the roots. 
Pinching the laterals and rubbing out superfluous 
shoots must be attended to. The labor is slight 
the thumb and finger onty being needed. 
Kitelien Garden. 
Asparagus .—Keep the weeds down by applying 
a good mulch of coarse manure. Let the tops 
grow until fall, when they may be cut and burned. 
Beans .-—Late plantings may be made for salting 
or pickling. See that the pole-beans are not al 
lowed to straggle away from the poles, as this will 
prevent their being cultivated with a horse 
cultivator. 
Carrots .-—Thin and weed the late sowings, and 
keep the ground between the rows loose by the 
use of the hoe until the tops cover the ground. 
Celery .—Set out plants for winter use, and keep 
the ground light and free from weeds. 
Corn .—Select the earliest and best-shaped ears 
for seed next year. If the plants are too thick in 
the drills, thin at once and dry for fodder. 
Cucumbers .—The insects will need looking after 
constantly, and if any plants die without apparent 
cause, the probability is that there is a borer at the 
root: dig out and destroy. Those planted late for 
pickles will need dusting with lime or plaster when 
the vines are wet, to hinder the Striped-bug Beetle. 
Egg-Plants will stand a great deal of forcing, and 
a watering of liquid manure once a week will 
hasten their growth. Kill the “ Tomato-worm,” 
which often attacks these plants. 
Leeks .—Cultivate the ground between the rows, 
and thin out the plants if too thick. 
Melons .—Cultivate the soil until the vines cover 
the ground. Remove all fruit that will not ripen. 
Save seed only from those plants grown at a dis¬ 
tance from other varieties. 
Onions .—When the majority of the tops fall over 
they are ready for harvesting. They should be 
first thoroughly dried, and afterwards stored in a 
cool, dry place where the air is allowed to circulate. 
Spinach .—Sow seed for fall crop in good rich 
land. The crop to winter over is sown later. 
Squashes .—Treat the same as recommended for 
cucumbers'and melons. When the vines root at 
the joints allow them to remain. . i 
Sweet-Potatoes .—Cultivate and keep clear of weeds 
until the vines cover the ground. Move the vines 
occasionally to prevent their rooting at the joints. 
Tomatoes .—A great deal may be done to improve 
this excellent fruit if attention is paid to select for 
seed only those specimens which are of good shape, 
with solid flesh. Some mode of training should be 
resorted to to secure the best fruit, and to do this 
will require care in pinching the shoots and cutting 
out useless branches. 
Turnips .—Dust the young plants with lime or 
ashes to keep off the insects. 
Flo \ver>Garde» and Fawn. 
Lawns .—The intense heat of the summer is 
likely to dry up the grass of those which were 
made in the spring, unless it is watered occasion¬ 
ally during drouths. Annual grasses v ill also 
most likely make their appearance ; these will leave 
a bare brown spot in the fall. The ground should 
be rolled and frequently mowed to cneouragie the 
formation of a close turf. 
Bedding Plants set out last month will need a 
good deal of care to keep the weeds down and the 
soil loose so that they may grow rapidly. It will 
be necessary to use the knife to give good shape. 
