16Q 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JlTTTE, 
well hoed. The work may be much facilitated by 
a carrot-weeder worked by horse power, or if hand 
labor be employed, by a broad-bladed hoe con¬ 
structed especially for the purpose. 
Cattle. —Keep working cattle in good condition 
through the season, by feeding grain as needed, 
and allowing plentiful pasture. Do not allow them 
to run m the road, away from your own premises. 
Corn. —Owing to the late season, much will 
probably remain to be planted early this month. 
The R. I. Premium and Improved King Philip are 
quick-maturing sorts, suitable for late planting. 
An early growth may be hastened by dropping 
ashes, superphosphate, or guano, in the hill. These 
should be mixed and covered with soil; the seed 
would be injured by contact with them. Soaking 
and tarring the seed, and drying with lime or 
plaster, will also hasten germination, and aid in re¬ 
pelling birds and insects. From its first appearance 
above ground, corn should be kept free from weeds, 
and the soil loose. Leave not more than four 
stalks to the hill, and replant all missing hills. A 
top-dressing of ashes and plaster upon the hills, 
and guano scattered between the rows and plowed 
in, will be of service in feeding the crop, especially 
upon light soils. Corn is a gross feeder, and 
worn-out soil can scarcely be too highly manured. 
Cotton. —Cultivate as directed above for corn. 
Grain-Fields. —Mark the earliest and best por¬ 
tions to be harvested separately for seed, and take 
out weeds by hand before the grain is headed out. 
In Southern localities cutting may commence be¬ 
fore the close of the month. Wheat and rye are 
ripe enough for harvest, when the berry is just out 
of the milk, and firm enough to bear moderate 
pressure of the thumb-nail without breaking. 
Haying is too often delayed until the grass is 
over-ripe. Cut grass and clover when just passing 
out of bloom. If left later, much of its nourishing 
substance is converted into woody fibre of little 
value for feeding. Mowing machines, horse-rakes, 
and horse pitchforks, will be of great service dur¬ 
ing the present year of scarce help. They will pay 
on ail farms where there is much grass to cut. Hay 
caps will in most instances pay for themselves in 
a single season. They not only save much damage 
from rains, but by their use grass can be cured 
without deterioration from dew, and kept unin¬ 
jured until hauling can be conveniently attended 
to. A good barometer will also be of great service 
in determining when it is safe to cut largely. 
Horses. —Give feed according to amount of work 
required. It is poor economy to keep a hard¬ 
working horse on grass. Mares with young foals 
do best upon green feed, with an allowance of oats. 
Manure- making is in order at all seasons. Keep 
the pigs at work composting. Pile up cattle-drop¬ 
pings in the yard and cover them with muck, or 
Bpread plenty of muck in enclosures, to be occa¬ 
sionally turned over with the plow. Add all weeds 
and refuse from the garden and the vicinity of the 
dwelling to the compost heap. Arrange the privy 
so that its deposits can be made available. When 
there is opportunity, dig out muck from swamps, 
to be dried during the season and carted to the 
barn-yard iu Autumn. 
Millet sown any time before the middle of this 
month will yield a supply of forage for feeding 
green in August, or it may be cured for winter use. 
Pastures. —Follow instructions in May Calendar. 
Peas sown the first of June will yield excellent 
food for swine, to be fed green with the straw, or 
ripened, aud fed alone or ground with oats. 
Potatoes. —Keep well hoed until blossoming. Hill 
moderately if at all. High hilling induces the set¬ 
ting of additional tubers along the stem, which 
yield only “small potatoes.” Top-dress liberally 
with ashes and plaster, or with lime alone. 
Poultry. —Keep them in the poultry-yard until 
after noon, that they may deposit their eggs in the 
appropriate place. Scattered hens’ nests are a 
premium to skunks and other prowlers. Allow 
none to sit after the middle of this month. Allow 
young chickens access to the garden and fruic-yard, 
to destroy insects. Cleanse and whitewash their 
apartments frequently. Liquid manure made from 
their droppings is an excellent application for 
vines and other plants in the garden. 
Rutabagas and Swedish Turnips should be got in 
during the latter part of the month. Read the 
article “117 a few Roots,” given on page 177. 
Sheep and Lambs. —Wash, if it must be done, as 
soon as the weather admits. Read article on this 
subject on page 170. Trim off all tag-locks and 
filth before shearing. Mark each ewe plainly, im¬ 
mediately after removing the fleece, aud designate 
superior ewes to be retained as breeders. Dock 
and castrate lambs if not already done, and guard 
against the fly by smearing the wounds with tar. 
See “Cure of Foot-Rot,” page 171, this number. 
Sorghum for forage may be drilled in or sown 
broadcast any time this month. Cultivate like corn. 
Sugar Beets and Mangels. —See article on p. 177. 
Swine. —Keep them growing with plenty of sour 
milk, and a little grain or bran. Allow them the 
range of the orchard, which they will cultivate 
sufficiently, and greatly benefit by destroying 
grubs and insects in unsound fruit as it falls. 
Tobacco. —Transplant about the middle of the 
month, according to season and locality. For full 
directions see Prize Article on page 108, (April 
number;) also, the work on Tobacco Culture pub¬ 
lished at this office, as noticed in the advertisements. 
Tools. —Save hired help by using the best imple¬ 
ments—those worked by horse power, as far as 
practicable. Provide all the necessary utensils 
before commencing the haying and harvesting. 
Weeds need only neglect to thrive vigorously. 
Orcliard and Nursery. 
The backwardness of the Spring has prolonged 
the season of filling orders much beyond the usual 
time, but with the exception of sending out ever¬ 
greens, the business is well over, and the nursery¬ 
man can give his attention to the remaining stock. 
Nursery rows will need the plow or cultivator to 
be run through them and the hand hoe should be 
used between trees. Good nurseries show no weeds. 
Birds slionld be looked upon as the friends of the 
fruit culturist and no mischievous boys should be 
allowed to molest them on their nests. 
Budded Slocks should be looked after, and the 
vigorous growth from the bud securely tied before 
it is broken by the winds or by its own weight. 
Remove all suckers that start from the stocks. 
Evergreens. —As noted on page 179, may still be 
removed if the roots are kept from drying. 
Grafts should be examined and grafting wax re¬ 
placed where needed. Remove all suckers which 
spring from the stock ; they will rob the graft. 
Insects. —Especial vigilance is needed this month. 
We have given elsewhere articles on the eurculio 
and scale insect. The tent and other caterpillars 
should be watched for, and their nests destroyed. 
A brush made for the purpose is very useful in re¬ 
moving them, or a swab wet with kerosine oil may 
be used. Look after them early in the morning 
when they will be found “at home.” 
Layers may be made of evergreen and deciduous 
shrubs and trees—a good way to get strong plants. 
Manure. —Give to bearing trees a generous quan¬ 
tity of that well decomposed. Our best cultivators 
are yearly more in favor of surface manuring. 
Mulch all newly planted trees, evergreens espec¬ 
ially, by covering the ground as far as the roots ex¬ 
tend, with straw, sawdust, chips, or other litter. 
This will keep the soil moist and save watering. 
Pruning. —For deciduous trees, next month is 
preferable, though it may be done at the last of 
this month. Attend to young orchards, cutt ing out 
all limbs that cross and chafe others, and thin out 
the center. Do not cut for the sake of cutting, but 
with an object. Aim to leave the tree compact and 
well balanced with the center, not too much crowd¬ 
ed. Do not trim off the lower limbs so as to leave 
a long naked trunk. Many evergreens naturally 
take a pleasing shape, while others need the knife. 
Straggling shoots should be shortened in, and all 
shoots which have a tendency to interfere with the 
main leader should be removed. Do not trim off 
the lower branches unless injured or diseased. The 
most beautiful evergreens are those which have 
their lower limbs spreading out near the ground. 
Seedlings of nursery stock, especially evergreens, 
need shading. This can be done by branches laid 
across a rude frame, 3 or 4 feet above the bed, or by 
sticking leafy twigs rather thickly over the surface 
of the bed, to give partial shade to young plants. 
Pinching should be done upon such shoots of 
pear and peach trees as tend to grow too long; 
this will induce the formation of more fruit buds. 
Thinning. —Where more fruit has set than can be 
well grown and well ripened, thin them out freely. 
Weeds. —The nursery should he kept entirely free 
of weeds, not only between the rows, but among 
the plants in the rows. Small weeds die easiest. 
Black Knot. —Cut off infested limbs as soon as 
the knot appears. Free use of the knife, and burn¬ 
ing the cuttings will eradicate this if done in time. 
Hitdicn Garden. 
[The hints offered in these pages are adapted to the 
latitude of New-York and westward to and through 
central Iowa. The slight variation needed will be 
made by those residing northward or southward.] 
This month brings abundant labor, but it is 
cheered by the rapidly increasing returns which the 
garden is making. The table should every day pre¬ 
sent a pleasing variety afforded by the garden. As¬ 
paragus, greens of various kinds, lettuce, cress, and 
radishes, and an abundance of rhubarb for sauce 
and pies, contribute to our present enjoyment, 
while the later crops are full of promise for the fu¬ 
ture. Whoever would know what good vegetables 
are, should have them seasoned with his own labor. 
Asparagus. —The cutting should not be continued 
beyond the middle of the month or the roots will 
be injured. Hoe off weeds and let the shoots grow. 
Beans. —Continue to plant. See article on page 
177. Limas, if planted early this month and stimu¬ 
lated by liquid manure, will ripen the crop. 
Beets. —The main crop should be put in by the 
middle of the month. Hoe, weed, and thin those 
planted earlier. The young beets, roots and tops, 
are by many persons preferred to all other greens. 
Cabbage and Cauliflowers. —These, together with 
the rest of the tribe, such as kale, broccoli, and 
brussels -sprouts, need similar treatment. Trans¬ 
plant as soon as large enough. Seed put in as late 
as the first of the month will in most seasons make 
a crop. All these plants are subject to the attacks 
of various insects, as mentioned in an article on 
page 172. Give all frequent hoeings. When there 
is a spare moment, hoe cabbages, etc. ; it will pay, 
and so W'ill a frequent persuasion of liquid manure. 
Carrots. —If the backward season has prevented 
an earlier sowing, seed put in now will make agood 
crop. Hoe and thin early. Thin from four to 
six inches in the rows. Work this and all other 
root crops before the weeds get the start.- 
Celery. — Prepare trenches and set out early 
plants as directed last month, on page 146. Some 
cultivators raise the plant upon the surface and 
blanch it by earthing up after it is grown It is 
found that the flavor is much less delicate when 
treated in this way. To get stocky plants for the 
late crop prick out the seedlings into another bed. 
Corn.— If long cold rains, such as have pre¬ 
vailed around New-Tork, have injured the early 
planting, loose no time in reseeding the ground. 
Continue to plant for succession every ten days 01 
two weeks until the 1st of July. There is nothing 
better than the Stowell for the late and main crop. 
Manage to have a full supply to dry for winter. 
