1872.] 
203 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
weeds from starting. When the stems begin to 
run, set the cultivator narrower, and put on wings, 
to throw a little soil towards the plants. Repeat 
this two or three times, at intervals of a few days, 
and thus make a broad hill. If the land is tolerably 
clean, and the harrow was used freely, the cultivator 
will kill and keep down the weeds with a little aid 
from the hoe. Any weeds that escape, should be 
pulled out of the hills by hand. A weedy potato- 
field is a disgrace. The weeds retard the growth of 
the plants, and greatly increase the cost of digging. 
As a rule, farmers make a mistake in not planting 
their potatoes earlier. But a fair crop of some early 
variety may be obtained when planted the first week 
in June. 
Cultivating Corn. —This is the most important 
work of the month. Great improvements are yet 
to be made in our methods of cultivating. But What¬ 
ever method is adopted, the great point is to mellow 
the soil and kill every weed. It is no exaggeration 
to say that, taking the country through, the weeds 
rob us of half the profits of our corn crops. Study 
to kill the weeds in the most expeditious and least 
costly manner—but kill them. Do not wait for 
them to grow above the ground. The best time to 
kill weeds is as soon as the seeds begin to germi¬ 
nate. Use harrow, cultivator, or any other imple¬ 
ment you prefer—only use it early and frequently. 
Our hot sun will kill the young plants by the mil¬ 
lion in a few hours. Weeds are like fire, easily 
controlled if taken in time, but if they get the start 
of us it is difficult to subdue them. 
Mangel-Wurzel. —These may still be sown. Drill 
in rows, 2)4 to 3 feet apart. Four pounds of seed 
is required per acre. If the land is rich and the 
plants come up early, single out the plants in the 
rows, 15 inches apart. Later crops should be left 
thicker, say 12, 8, or 6 inches apart, according to 
the time the plants have to grow. 
Ruta-Bagas. —Make the ground very mellow for 
this crop. Drill in rows 2% feet apart, 2 to 3 pounds 
of seed per acre. When in the rough leaf, thin out 
with a hoe, leaving single plants 12 to 15 inches 
apart. Sow as early this month as the land can be 
got in good condition. It is very important to sow 
the seed immediately after the land is plowed for 
the last time. The best, if not the only remedy 
for the turnip-beetle or “ fly ” is to have the land 
rich and mellow, and to deposit the seed in fresh, 
moist, warm earth, not over half an inch deep. The 
main point is to get a quick growth until the plants 
are in the rough leaf, when there is little danger 
from the fly. Dusting the plants while wet with 
rain or dew, with slaked lime, helps to check the 
ravages of this great pest of the turnip-grower. 
Summer-Fallows for Wheat. —Tenacious clay loams 
are the soils most benefited by summer fallowing. 
To make thorough work snch soils should be plowed 
three times. Either early in the spring (or, better 
still, the fajl previous), and again the middle or end 
of June, and again just before sowing. The culti¬ 
vator, roller, and harrows should be used freely, to 
kill weeds and mellow the soil. On light land, once 
plowing in June, and merely keeping the land clean 
with a cultivator and harrow, makes a good seed-bed. 
Whatever plan is adopted, it should be understood 
that no vegetation of any kind, in our dry climate, 
should be suffered to grow, as the plants pump up 
large quantities of water from the soil, and the 
land will be nearly as dry as if a spring crop was 
grown. See article “ On Fallowing ” in this num¬ 
ber of the Agriculturist. 
White Mustard. —The land for this crop must be 
made as fine and mellow as possible. If intended to 
plow under or feed off, and to sow winter wheat, it 
should be sown the early part of this month. But 
it will mature if sown as late as the middle of July. 
Sow from four to six quarts per acre, broadcast, 
and cover with a light harrow or roller. 
Winter Rape or Cole-Seed requires the same treat¬ 
ment as mustard. It is a crop intended to be eaten 
off on the land by sheep. It is not injured by frost. 
For winter feed, sow from the middle of June 
until the middle of July. From 3 lbs. to 5 lbs. per 
acre is sufficient seed. It is better to drill it in and 
cultivate, but a fair crop can be obtained by sowing 
broadcast. It is worthy of more extended culti¬ 
vation, especially by breeders of mutton sheep. 
Morses. —Give the horses some green clover, at 
noon, and cut it with a mowing machine, and rake 
it up with a horse-rake. It is little trouble, and as 
hay is scarce and high, it will pay. It is a great 
mistake to suppose that horses will not eat hay if 
they are allowed any green food. We have an ob¬ 
ject in advising you toleut itwith themachine. You 
will then have your machine in readiness for haying. 
Cows. —If the pastures are scant, or the grass too 
succulent, it is a good plan to allow the cows all 
the hay they will eat at night. And if cut, moist¬ 
ened, and a little bran or corn-meal mixed with it, 
so much the better. 
Sheep. —It is a good time to weed out old and 
poor-bred sheep from the flock. If in fair condi¬ 
tion, they can be sold to the butcher at good prices. 
Swine. —If possible, let all the pigs, old and 
young, have the run of a clover or grass pasture. 
Breeding sows of a good breed will keep plenty fat 
enough on clover alone ; but young, growing stock 
should have some corn, every day, in addition to the 
clover. See that they have an abundant supply of 
fresh water, and let them have access to a mixture 
of salt, ashes, charcoal, and sulphur. Get a good, 
thorough-bred boar now for next winter’s use. 
Many farmers who intend to do so, put it off until 
it is too late. Order at once. The best thorough¬ 
breds can now be had for $20 or $25 each, and they 
will pay for their cost ten times over. 
Rainy Days. —Get ready for harvest. See that 
the machines, rakes, scythes, etc., are in perfect 
order. Get a barrel of crude petroleum, and wash 
or paint all the wagons, plows, harrows, and every¬ 
thing that is exposed to the air. They will last as 
long again. Do not mix anything with the oil. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
The warm weather of June brings an abundance 
of flowers and fruits. Care and labor are necessary 
to keep the ground in proper order, so that the 
growth of the plants is not checked. Constant cul¬ 
tivation and stirring of the soil is necessary for all 
crops, whether of the farm or garden, but this 
labor is abundantly repaid by the large crops of 
fruits and vegetables, which reward the careful 
gardener. The crop of strawberries will be ready 
this month, and then will follow in rapid succession 
the other small fruits, so that there is a constant 
series of agreeable surprises in the ripening of 
some choice fruit or the flowering of a rare plant. 
©rcliard and Nursery. 
The principal work this month in the established 
orchards is to thin the fruit and keep the trees free 
from insects. An orchard should be carefully 
plowed several times each season, and if any crop 
is raised between the rows of trees, an extra quan¬ 
tity of manure should be applied, so that the 
growth of the trees will not be interfered with. 
Thinning , though not generally practiced among 
fruit-growers, ought to be more regarded, as the 
fruit from a tree thus thinned is much finer, and 
will easily briug a higher price than if the tree 
is allowed to ripen all that sets. After the fruit is 
fairly set, one third to one half should be thinned 
out, and the sooner the better. 
Insects. —Do not allow any caterpillars to remain 
upon the trees long enough to destroy the foliage. 
Nests of the Tent-caterpillars can be removed 
either early in the morning or at night, by the bare 
or gloved hand, and nests that are on the extrem¬ 
ities of the branches can be reached by means of a 
long-handled brush, dipped in petroleum. 
Slugs which attack the leaves of pear and cherry 
trees may be destroyed by dusting lime upon them. 
Grafts. —Look to the growth of grafts set this 
spring, and if there is room for only one, remove 
the second one entirely, and pinch back the growth 
of the remaining one, if very vigorous. 
Pruning. —June is thought by many to be the best 
month for pruning, as the wounds heal very readily. 
Others think that the removal of so much foliage 
checks the growth of the tree. If one can spare 
the time now to prune his orchards, it may be done 
at the present as well as at any other time. 
Young Trees , if carefully watched and kept in 
proper shape by pinching, will seldom need prun¬ 
ing, or at least more than can be done with a knife. 
Seedlings will need to be kept clear of weeds, 60 
that they may make a healthy growth. Young seed¬ 
lings of evergreens and deciduous forest trees will 
require shading for the first season. 
Fruit Garden. 
Strawberries. — If the strawberries were not 
mulched last spring, place cut hay or straw around 
each hill, to keep the fruit from touching the 
ground, else the rains will wash the dirt upon the 
berries, and render them gritty and unfit for use. 
Gooseberries. —The ordinary way for marketing is 
to pick them when green, as the ripe fruit seldom 
amounts to much in this country. The fruit may be 
freed from sticks and leaves by allowing them to 
roll down a trough, slightly inclined. 
Currants. —Place a mulch of hay around the 
roots; it will save much time in destroying the 
weeds, and also give a much finer quality of fruit. 
Cuttings planted out last month will need to be 
hoed, and kept free of weeds. 
Grape-Vines planted this springshould bo allowed 
to produce only one cane, and this must be tied to 
a simple stake, taking care not to injure the buds. 
Bearing vines require to be pinched during the 
growing season, and the fruit thinned, to prevent 
the vine from exhausting itself. Apply sulphur 
with a bellows, on the first appearance of mildew. 
Raspberries and Blackberries. —■ Tie the canes to 
stakes, or, what is better with raspberries, stretch a 
wire along the row, and secure it firmly by means 
of a strong post at each end ; the canes can then 
be secured to the wire, and so spread out as to allow 
the sun and air to reach all parts. 
Dwarf and Cordon Fruit Trees. —Keep these care¬ 
fully pinched and tied to their supports, and if they 
are old enough to fruit, thin out when fairly set. 
KitcSaeai 
June is a month for weeds, and only by constant 
cultivation can we keep the crops free from them. 
Where the cultivation can be performed by horse¬ 
power, much trouble is done away with. During 
a dry season, if the soil is frequently stirred, much 
good is done to the crops. 
Asparagus. —Do not allow the bed to become filled 
with weeds, as much of the good effect of manuring 
is lost. It requires but little time to hoe up the 
weeds when small. The weeder described in the 
December number of last year is an excellent tool 
in a soil tolerably free from stones, as more work 
can be doue with it in the same time than with 
any other implement we have ever used. 
Beans. —Bush and pole varieties may still be 
planted early this month. Hoe those already up. 
Beets. —Weed and thin ; the young plants pulled 
ont will make good greens, if cooked as spinach. 
Cabbages. —The early sorts will now be ready for 
the table or market, and the later kinds will be 
ready to transplant. Sow seed for late sorts, and as 
soon as large enough, transplant to ground from 
which early peas and potatoes have been taken. 
Carrots. —Keep the ground well cultivated be¬ 
tween the early sorts, and sow seeds for general crop. 
Celery. —The plants in the seed-bed must not be 
allowed to get weedy. 
Corn. —Sow once in two weeks for a succession ; 
the late sorts are more prolific than the early kinds. 
Keep free from weeds, and break away suckers. 
Cucumbers. —Plant in hills, 0 or 8 feet apart each 
way, and use plenty of seed, to allow for the bugs. 
Egg-Plants require plenty of heat, frequent hoe¬ 
ing, and occasionally a watering of liquid manure. 
Lettuce does not usually do very weil when sown 
so late, unless it can be in a partially shaded plaee. 
