122 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[AEBHi, 
Contents for April, 1872. 
Apple-Worm Trap, Thomas Wier’s. .Illustrated. .143,143 
Bee Notes for April.130 
Boys’ and Girls’ Columns—Something about Rebuses 
—About those Picture Stories- What shall wo Learn ? 
—Aunt Sue’s Puzzle-Bos—IIow He came to Pull 
her Nose. .2 Illustrations .. 147, 143 
Breaking up of the Ice .... .Illustrated. .121,129 
Brick-Makin" ....3 Illustrations . 136 
Bridge, Wooden. Illustrated. .136 
Chinese Primroses . Illustrated. .144 
Buck, Mandarin. Illustrated. .133 
jm,Parm.2 Illustrations.. 131, 132 
Farm Work in April.121,122 
Blower Garden and Lawn in April.124 
Blower-Garden Plans. Illustrated. .141 
Bowls, Silver-spangled Polish. Illustrated. .133' 
Bruit Garden in April.123 
Gate Hinge. Illustrated ..130 
Grafting the Chestnut.142 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in April.. —124 
Hay for Market, Raising. Illustrated.. 138 
Household Department—Hints on House Cleaning- 
How to Paper a Room—Pot., Pan, and Kettle Scraper 
—Homo Topics—Batter Molds and Stamps. 
7 Illustrations.. 145,146 
Jersey Cattle Club, New Rules of. 138 
Jersey Cows for Butter.139 
Kitchen Garden in April. liU 
Lady’s-Slipper, White. Illustrated. ,141 
Meadows, Irrigating. 2 Illustrations. .137 
Ogden Farm Papers, No. 27—Personal Litters—Lec¬ 
turing—Ayrshire Cattle.130, 131 
Onion Sets, New Plan of Raising..143 
Orchard and Nursery in April.123 
Our Forests—Great Waste..138 
Potato, Thorburn’s Late Rose.142 
Rack for Shoeing Unruly Animals. Illustrated. .139 
Report of the Department of Agriculture.130 
Sheap Shearing and Washing.2 Illustrations. .140 
Stanchions and Stalls.4 Illustrations. .137,138 
Strawberries in Missouri.144 
Sulphur to Kill Vermin in Nests.130 
Tree Planting, Hints about it.143 
Uneven Pulling of Teams. Illustrated. .139 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 100—Letters— 
White Mustard — Does Farming Pay ? — Wintering 
Stock—Selling nay.133, 136 
Wild Yam... Illustrated.. 141 
INSEX TO “ BASKET,” On SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Agricultural News Items.158 
Apple-tree Borers.128 
Artichoke, Jerusalem... .126 
Ashes Wanted.127 
Barry’s Fruit Garden.... 125 
Berksliires. 127 
Berkshire and Essex Pigsl29 
Blue Lice.126 
Bones, Hen Manure, and 
Ashes.125 
Canada Thistles.128 
Gattie Markets.124 
Cattle Show at Boston 
Proposed.128 
Cattle, Wood-eating.126 
Cheap Sewing Machine. .157 
Chinese Yam.125 
Chinese Yam for Stock. .125 
Churn, How to...128 
City Boys that want to 
Learn Farm i ng.129 
Clover-seed Straw, What 
to do with.125 
Colorado.127 
Corn Fodder.127 
Corn in the Crib, to Mea¬ 
sure .128 
Corn, New.126 
Cows, Spaying.126 
Cranberries.126 
Cranberries on nills.126 
Creamery. Deep Cans for.127 
Cure for Ringbone.126 
Cuttings, Inverted .125 
Draining a Flat on High 
Land.129 
Draining by Subsoil Plowl26 
Earth-closet, Goux’s Pat¬ 
ent.125 
Egg-plants.123 
Ksparccttc.126 
Essex or Berkshire Pigs. 129 
Barm-gardening and Seed 
Raising .127 
Feed for Calves and Coltsl26 
Fruit-trees.120 
Gooseberries. . .125 
Grade Dnrhams as Milk¬ 
ers .12X 
Grape, Eumclan.125 
Grapes in Michigan.127 
Grubs in Horses.127 
Hams in Ashes, Packing.127 
Hay-caps.126 
Heeling in .126 
Hog Swindler .. .125 
Hollow-Honi. 128 
Honey. 125 
How many Horses make 
a Team?. 127 
Humbugged.126 
Humbugs, Sundry... 125, 120 
Insect on nouse Plants. .125 
“ Items,” Seo the.125 
Jorsey Cow.127 
Kansas . 126 
Lamps, Non-explosive.. .125 
Letters, Useless.125 
Libel Suit, Our Great... .129 
Liquorice . .125 
Manure Advertisements. 125 
Manure for Grass on 
Drained Swamp Lands.128 
Manure. Green Crops for.128 
Maple, Ash-leaved.125 
Measurement of Poland- 
Cliina Hogs.129 
Milk, To prevent Souringl27 
Mittens, To Tan Buck¬ 
skin for.126 
Mutton, Woolly Taste in 128 
Northern Pacific R.R.125 
Norway Oats .. 128 
O Dear!.125 
Oil for Harness, Best.... 126 
Onion Sets—Correction..127 
Onions, To destroy Wild. 127 
Our Basket.124 
Owls, Catching.126 
Peaches and Frost.128 
Peach, Plowden .123 
Plasteron OakOpenings.126 
Raspberry Leaves, Scald¬ 
ing.125 
Rats and Mice.127 
Roup>'or Cholera.129 
Sal-Soila.127 
Sauerkraut.126 
Sheep, Scab in....127 
Spawn of Trout and other 
Fish...127 
Spring Wheat.127 
Spring-wheat Sections.. .126 
Spnrry .126 
Tiles, Where Procured. .123 
U. S. Signal Service.126 
Variegated Japanese Ho¬ 
neysuckle.126 
Vineland.123 
Western Interests.128 
What. Beets to Raise.128 
Wheat, Tonzelle.128 
Calendar for April. 
Boston. NEna- 
N. Y.City, Ct. 
Washington , 
land, N. 
York 
Philadelphia , 
Itam/land, 
State, Michi • 
Iveio Jersey, 
virginia,Ken~ 
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Wiscon- 
Penn., 
Ohio . 
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PHASES OF THE MOON. 
MOON. 
BOSTON. 
N. YORK. 
wash'n. 
cha’ston 
CHICAGO. 
In- 
New Moon; 7 
1st Quart.. 15 
Full.23 
SdQnart. >30 
H. M. 
7 43 ev. 
5 27 ev. 
8 53 m. 
8 37 m. 
FI. M. 
7 36 ev. 
5 15 er. 
8 41 m. 
8 25 m. 
n. m. 
7 24 ev. 
5 S ev. 
8 29 m. 
3 13 m. 
H. M. 
7 12 ev. 
4 51 ev. 
8 17 m. 
3 1 m. 
H. M. 
6 42 ev. 
4 21 ev. 
7 47 m. 
3 31 m. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
NEW YORK, APRIL, 1873. 
At the present writing, it is impossible to form 
any definite opinion as to the condition of the win¬ 
ter wheat crop. So far as our observations extend, 
the indications are generally unfavorable. Through¬ 
out a large extent of our country the soil last 
autumn was remarkably dry, and when winter set 
in the wheat looked small and thin on the ground. 
We are disposed to think, however, that the wheat 
had made a good root growth, and that the plants 
on good land were healthy, hardy, and vigorous. 
On our own farm the wheat is apparently uninjured. 
The weather-wise people are telling us to look out 
for a wet summer. Of course they know nothing 
about it. But we will unite with them in advising 
the farmer readers of the American Agidculturist to 
look out for wet weather—and prepare for it. We 
do not base this advice on the fact that we have had 
and arc still having a great drouth, and therefore 
that it is reasonable to expect a great rain. There 
is something in this; but we urge our readers to 
prepare for wet weather simply because we know 
that farmers suffer much loss every spring from 
failing to expect and prepare for rainy days, muddy 
roads, and wet fields. 
We fear this advice will not do much good. 
Good, prompt, energetic, thinking, sensible farmers 
prepare for all kinds of weather and for all emer¬ 
gencies ; but there are thousands who are constitu¬ 
tionally indisposed to do anything to-day that can 
be put off until to-morrow. They never clean the 
leaves or other impediments from the gutters on 
the roof of the house until it rains; never plow 
until they are ready to plant, and never get or 
clean up the seed until the field is prepared and 
waiting for it. Such farmers rarely get a new 
plow-point uutil the old one is worn out, and 
never get the teeth of the harrows sharpened 
until the day they want to use them. Blit why 
multiply illustrations ? Nothing that we can say 
will rousa such men. A11 that we can hope for is 
to persuade young farmers to cultivate the habit 
of promptness—of doing things at the best time, 
and especially of disciplining themselves to do first 
those things which they like to do least. Indolent 
people often busy themselves in doing something 
that they specially like to do. We have known a 
farmer’s son too weak to sort potatoes or milk a 
cow, but quite strong enough to break a colt or 
feed a thrashing machine. 
Hints about Work. 
1 Start the Plows the moment the ground is dry 
enough, but not before ; and where it can be done, 
harrow and sow as fast as you plow. Do not wait 
to finish the field. We know there is some loss of 
time in changing work so often, but it is nothing 
compared with the extra time and labor required 
to prepare plowed land that has been exposed to 
heavy rains, and then had to lie for several days 
uutil the surface was crusted over before it was dry 
enough to barrow. Our springs are so short, and 
the weather so uncertain, that our rule should be 
never to leave the field until all the land that has 
been plowed is harrowed and sown. 
Sod Land can be plowed after a soaking rain ear¬ 
lier than fall-plowed or stubbles. And a steel plow 
will make a clean furrow slice where a cast-iron 
plow will clog. But it is doubtful whether it is or 
is not advisable to avail ourselves of these facts. 
Sod land is just as wet as the stubble land, and if 
one would be injured by plowing it is not easy to 
understand why the sod land would uot bo injured 
also. It is one of those points, however, ou which 
we need more light. Our own practice is based on 
the practical fact that we have a good deal of plow¬ 
ing to do and little time to do it in, rather than on 
any theoretical considerations as to what is the ab¬ 
solutely best condition for the soil to be in when it 
is plowed. A farmer must not be a “one-idea” 
man. He has many things to take into considera¬ 
tion, and has need of experience and good judgment. 
A safe rule is to avoid running to extremes. 
Barley is with us the first crop that we aim to sow 
in the spring. We say “aim,” because, in point 
of fact, it not unfrequently happens that we are 
able to plow a clover sod, and drill in peas or oats, 
before we can plow a com-stubble and prepare it 
for barley. But when the weather is favorable we 
should get in the barley at the earliest time possi¬ 
ble. So good a farmer as John Johnston, however, 
differs with us on this point. With him, later 
sown barley has frequently proved a heavier crop 
than that sown earlier. And in our own experience 
wo have sown part of a field of barley the last day 
of March, and the remainder of the field a week or 
ten days later, and the one was as good as the 
other. But in this case both were “sown early.” 
We have had two crops of barley in different years, 
one of which was over 50 bushels per acre, and the 
other 49 bushels, and one was sown two or three 
weeks earlier than the other; but both were sows 
as early as gwssible. We have never had a good crop 
of barley that was uot sown early. 
Oats can be sown on a great range of soils, from a 
black muck to the heaviest clays. Of all the small 
grains they will stand the greatest neglect, but well 
repay good cultivation. They are often sown on 
new plowed sod land, and occasi«nally do well 
enough to induce farmers to continue the practice, 
notwithstanding the fact that in nine cases out of 
ten the result is anything but satisfactory. Better 
plant corn on the sod land, and sow oats after the 
corn. We have 6een great crops raised where the 
land is rich by fall-plowing a corn-stubble, and 
then sowing a6 early as the land could be harrowed 
in the spring, and when the frost was not suffi¬ 
ciently out of the ground to plow. Sod land 
plowed late in the fall may be got into fair condi-j 
tion for oats by the use of a Shares or Nishwitz! 
harrow, when the sod is not sufficiently rotted in 
the spring to admit of cross-plowing. When the 
sod was plowed early, say in August or September, 
and the land was what we call “fall-fallowed,” the 
sod should be well-rotted, and when plowed in the 
spring would be in excellent condition for oats, 
and if the land is rich enough a great crop may be 
expected. From to 3% bushels per acre is the 
proper quantity of seed, according to the condition 
and fertility of the soil—the richer the soil, the less 
seed is required. As a rule, we do not sow oats 
thick enough, or make the soil sufficiently fine and 
mellow. When sown with a drill, which is by far 
the better plan, harrow the land thoroughly, and 
then roll before drilling, and if there are still aiay 
clods roll again after the drill. 
Peas in many sections are so much affected by 
