“to improve the soil and the mind.” 
New Series. ALBANY, AUGUST, 1850. Vol. VII.— No. 8. 
Improvements on the Farm. 
The latter part of August and the fore part of 
September may be considered the most favorable 
part of the yearfor making improvements on the farm. 
At this season, the earlier crops have been secured, 
the cultivation of the later ones has been finish¬ 
ed, and the farmer is only waiting for their maturi¬ 
ty. In addition to the comparative leisure which is 
thus afforded, there are other circumstances which 
render this a suitable period for such operations. 
The ground is generally drier than at any other 
time during the year, which permits the labor of 
men and teams on places which at other times are 
inaccessible from wetness. This is particularly fa¬ 
vorable to the drainage of bogs, and to the exca¬ 
vation of peat or muck for manure. The growth 
of bushes and shrubs has also reached that particu¬ 
lar crisis in which they may be more easily killed by 
cutting or bruising. 
One of the first objects to which attention should 
be directed in the improvement of the farm, is the 
eradication of bushes and pernicious plants in fields, 
along lines of fences, roadsides, &c. These are 
not only great drawbacks on the beauty of the farm, 
being unsightly to the eye, and conveying an unplea¬ 
sant idea of careless and slovenly habits; but they 
are very detrimental to the pecuniary interest of the 
farmer. They draw nourishment from the ground 
which should go to the support of valuable plants, 
and by propagating themselves, are constantly in¬ 
creasing and spreading the injury. Thistles, docks, 
briers and thorns, are often allowed to flourish un¬ 
molested in the situations mentioned. On the bor¬ 
ders of fields they occupy the richest of the soil, and 
annually extend their encroachments. They are 
not unfrequently seen in good lands, that are devoted 
to various crops, and in pastures are quite common 
—many farmers being apparently regardless of their 
presence and effects. The great extent of ground 
that is occupied by these worthless pests, is a dead 
loss; but besides this,grass and other crops are robbed 
of moisture by them during drouth, and at other 
times are soured and diminished in growth by their 
shade and roots. 
It should be an invariable rule with the farmer, 
to prevent all injurious plants from seeding. This 
will at all events keep them from spreading—ex¬ 
cept such as increase by the root. Annual or bien¬ 
nial thistles are easily destroyed by being cut while 
in blossom and before any seed is matured; and even 
Canada thistles may be destroyed by following up 
this course for several seasons in succession. They 
should be cut close to the ground , and just at that 
juncture when they are in fullest bloom. A few 
will start, which if untouched will produce seed in 
autumn; but this second crop should be cut without 
fail, when in the same stage as the first. The rea¬ 
diest and most effectual mode of destroying Canada 
thistles, where they occupy ground that will admit 
of cultivation, is by frequently working the soil 
with the plow, or some implement that will entire¬ 
ly prevent the growth of the top. No plant can 
bear to be deprived of its leaves for a long time, 
and if thistle patches are worked over so often as 
to prevent the plant from appearing above ground, 
they will be mostly killed in one season. 
Docks and mullens may be pulled up any time be¬ 
fore they make seed, though it will be most conve¬ 
nient to pull them after they have shot into stalk. 
Those which break off may be dug up with a mat¬ 
tock. If cut off two or three inches below the sur¬ 
face, they will not start. The eyes or buds from 
which shoots proceed, are situated near the crown 
of the plant. If not cut below these, they will 
grow. The yellow dock is an exceedingly trouble¬ 
some plant in grain fields and meadows, and should 
be exterminated as soon as it makes its appearance, 
as it spreads very rapidly from seed. The burdock 
only grows in rich soil, but is frequently allowed to 
monopolize some of the best portions of the farm. 
When sheep are allowed to run among them in the 
fall of the year, the burs adhere to the wool, and 
occasion much injury by matting it. 
Briars and other bushes should be cut the latter 
part of August. They have then finished their new 
growth, and the sap is about to “turn,” as the ex¬ 
pression is—that is, a new set of buds is to be pre¬ 
pared for another year, and the new wood is to be 
ripened and perfected. If cut at this period, but 
few sprouts are sent up, and those few are easily 
bruised to death with a stout stick, while tender, or 
at the time when frost checks their growth. If sheep 
are kept on the ground, they will, if the feed is ra¬ 
ther short, crop the sprouts as soon as they appear, 
and if permitted to keep them down for two sea¬ 
sons. the roots will be principally killed. It is an 
advantage to sow on some grass seed—blue-grass, 
or red-top—as soon as the bushes have been cut and 
burned. The seed will take root with the first 
shower, and the growth of the grass will tend 
greatly to smother down the sprouts of the bushes. 
As with thistles, it is important that the bushes 
should be cut close to the ground. 
The reclamation of waste lands generally, but 
especially those of a wet and swampy nature, may 
be prosecuted with advantage at this season. With 
these, drainage is the first object. The water 
which appears in the form of springs should be first 
cut off by deep channels along their sources, and 
these channels should convey the water to such 
points as will best insure its discharge from the 
land. As the water is taken away, the soil will 
settle, more or less, and this settling will facilitate 
further operations in several ways. The solidity 
acquired will admit of taking on teams for getting 
