162 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
Contents for May, 1874. 
Animals—The Poitou Mare. Illustrated..VIZ 
Animals—The Wild Ass. Illustrated.. 173 
Bee Notes. 1T0 
Boys and Girls’ Columns—The Doctor’s Talks—Cur- 
rant Question—Aunt Sue’s Puzzle-Box—Notices to 
Correspondents — An Impersonation — Making an 
Acquaintance.3 Illustrations.. 187. 188 
Butter Factory.4 Illustrations. .175, 176 
Celery, Preservation of.181 
Cistern, Underground.— Illustrated. .177 
Crossing—Hybridizing.3 Illustrations ..181 
Ear-Marks lor Stock.3 Illustrations. 17S 
Farm Work for May. 162 
Flowers—Enormous Arad—Amorphophallus.it?. .181 
Flower Garden and Lawn in May.164 
Fruit Garden in May.163 
Greenhouse and Window Plants in May.164 
Grist-Mill, A Shetland. Illustrated. .18) 
House Built of Sods.2 Illustrations. .17!) 
Household Department — About Paper-Hangings — 
Home Topics—Closets in the House—Towns-Peo- 
ple’s Criticisms—Graham Gems—Chocolate Cake— 
Corn-Starcli Cake.....5 Illustrations.. 185, 1S6 
Hurdles, How to Make.2 Illustrations. .177 
Implements—A Smoothing Drag. Illustrated. .178 
Implements—The Grubber.3 Illustrations.. 176 
Kentucky Blue-Grass...171 
Kitchen Garden in May. 163 
Lard-Oil Press.. Illustrated. .177 
Market Reports.164 
Notes from the Pines—Forcing Plants—Greenhouse 
Pump—Primula Japonica, P. involucrata.182 
Ogden Farm Papers, No. 51—Large Aields of Butter- 
Feeding Dairy Cows—Manure—Abortion in Cows— 
Increased Sale of Jersey Bulls.171, 172 
Orchard and Nursery in May. 103 
Pigeons—National Columbariau Society’s Show. 
Illustrated.. 161, 171 
Plant.—Indian Strawberry.. Illustrated.. 1S4 
Plants—The Pale Corydalis. Illustrated. .183 
Plants—The Vanilla Plant. Illustrated. .183 
Poultry—Care of Young Chickens.3 Illustrations.. 177 
Trees—Weeping Poplar. 181 
Wagon Seat. An Easy.2 Illustrations. .172 
Walks and Talks on the Farm, No. 125—Corn Culture 
—Rotation—Lawes and Gilbert’s Experiments— 
Pasturing Pigs—Science in Farming—Wheat—Sell¬ 
ing Timber—Mallows—Fattening Grade Lambs— 
Thomas Harrow..174, 175 
INDEX TO ‘‘BASKET,” OK SHORTER ARTICLES. 
Apples in Sawdust.169 
Ashes for Wheat.167 
Baiking, Cure for.167 
Beans for Feed.167 
Bee Stings.168 
Black-Ash Shingles.165 
Bois d’Arc.168 
Bones.167 
Bots in Horses.166 
Brahmas, Light.167 
Bugs on Grapes.165 
Buried Pork.165 
Butter for 3 cts. per lb.. .168 
Butter from Suet. . 168 
Butter from Sweet Cream 169 
Butter-working Machin¬ 
ery.166 
Cabbages for Seed.168 
Calf at Seven Months....166 
Cancer in the Eye...168 
Chicken Lice.168 
Chickens, Nests for Earlyl67 
China Geese.169 
Clevis, Three-Horse.168 
Concrete Pipe.169 
Corn in Egypt.168 
Corn, Shallow Plowing. .167 
Corn, Shrinkage of.168 
Corundum.168 
Cross-bred Fowls.166 
Cross-bred Pigs.169 
Crout Cabbage. ..165 
Curculio. 169 
Ecraseur.169 
Eggs all the Year.166 
Egg within an Egg.168 
Flax. 169 
Farm, Renting a Small. .168 
Flowers, Easter.168 
Gardening for Profit _165 
Gate, Slide.167 
Harrow, Cultivating.168 
Hennery Wanted.168 
Hogs, Coughing.169 
Hogs, Poland China.167 
Hops as Manure, Spent. .164 
Horse, Rough-Coated... .169 
Horses. Hitching.168 
Horse Talk.168 
Japan Pea.169 
Jersey.and Alderney. .. 169 
Jerseys in Dairy.169 
Lampass. 169 
Lice on Cattle.166 
Lice, To Destroy.167 
Lucern.168 
Lyons Hort. Exliib.165 
Manures uponPoorLands 167 
Meat in Summer.168 
Meat, Slow Killing of.. .167 
Mich. Bee Ass’n...165 
Milk. Curdy.167 
Milk Fever....166 
Milk, Turnip Flavor in.. 167 
Millet for Soiling.167 
Moles.168 
Muzzle for Cribbers.169 
Neivburgh Hort. Ex.165 
Northern Spy in N. J _16S 
Old Roofs... .169 
Patent Phosphate.166 
Peach Prospects.169 
Peas.167 
Pigs, Feed for.167 
Plants by Mail. ..165 
Plant Trouble.168 
Plaster, Agricultural.167 
Plaster for Gardens.167 
Plow Mole or Drain.168 
Pork in California.169 
Potato Blight. 168 
Poultry House for Chicks 167 
Poultry Yard.167 
Prize Lawn Essays.165 
Reclaiming Swamp.169 
Rhubarb, Forcing.168 
Ituta-Bagas, After...169 
Scab.169 
Scab. Duration of..167 
Sheep and Lambs. Food.167 
Sheep, Catarrh in..167 
Sheep in Orchard. 167 
Size of Acre.165 
Sorghum.168 
South Carolina, For.168 
Spent Hops.166 
Stable Floors.168 
Stables.169 
Star Thistle...169 
Sundry Humbugs.168 
Swamp Muck.. .169 
Swamp. Reclaiming.169 
Swine-Breeders’ Conven¬ 
tion .168 
Time for Plaster.169 
Turkeys’ Eggs.167 
Underdraining.169 
Waste from Wool-Scour¬ 
ing Vats.167 
Western Office. 165 
Wheat Growing in Ky.. .168 
Wheat in Minn.166 
Calendar for May. 
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A M E It I ( AN AGRICULTURIS T. 
NEW YORK, MAY, 1874. 
May is a busy month. In fact we know of no 
month in the year when a farmer can not find 
plenty of work that ought to be done. When we 
speak of winter being a season of comparative 
leisure, we simply mean that we can, if we choose, 
postpone our work for a few days or weeks. On 
a well-managed farm there is always work that can 
he done to advantage. Farmers often complain 
that their work is never doue. We would not wish 
it otherwise. Without honest work there can he 
no honest pay. He that won’t work neither shall 
he eat. How often does a man say, “ if I could 
only get work I should be happy.” A farmer need 
never say this. He is never in the condition of a 
briefless lawyer, or a minister without a charge, or 
a doctor without a patient. His store never lacks 
customers. His factory need never be run on half 
time. For this let us be thankful. 
On our own farm, and we presume it is so on 
others, it is almost impossible to get ahead of the 
work. The seasons are short and the weather un¬ 
certain. The land is too wet to plow this week 
and too dry and hard to plow the week after. We 
must be prompt. We must be systematic and 
orderly. Plows, harrows, rollers, cultivators, 
drills, stone-boats, crow-bars, chains, 6pades, forks, 
wagons, carts, harness, hags, pails, baskets, ropes, 
whippletrees, devices, holts, monkey-wrench, ax, 
hammer, nails, and a score of other things that are 
likely or unlikely to he wanted should be all ready 
for use and just where you can lay your hand on 
them in the dark if needed. We must be ready at 
any moment to change from out-door to iu-door 
work—to plow and harrow or grind hoes and oil 
harness; to draw off stones, sow plaster, build 
fence, dig, underdrain, or to cut feed, sort pota¬ 
toes, repair tools, whitewash walls, or paint imple¬ 
ments. To do all this without loss of time, and a 
hundred other things connected with good farm¬ 
ing, requires a clear head, great patience, much 
self-denial, untiring energy, systematic and prompt 
industry, and constant personal supervision. 
Hints a1t>o ut Work. 
Horses need to be well looked after at this season. 
Much depends on their ability to do a good day’s 
work now. They require not only good feed, but 
good digestion. Neither man nor horse can work 
well unless he eats well, sleeps well, and digests 
his food. Horses suffer more from indigestion 
than from any other one thing. At this season we 
are apt to keep them too many hours in the field. 
We know horses that are taken out to plow at six 
o’clock in the morning, are brought to the stable 
at noon, the bits taken out of their mouths, but 
the harness not removed. They are given a few 
ears of corn, and have some long, dry hay thrown 
into the racks; are again taken to the field at half¬ 
past one, and kept there until half-past seven at 
night. The horses are tired and exhausted when 
brought in at noon, and before there is time for 
the process of digestion to commence they are 
again put to hard work. 
Three-Horse Teams are becoming more and more 
common, and can not be too earnestly recom¬ 
mended. A man can drive three horses as easily 
as he can two. Where it takes the strength of one 
horse to draw the empty wagon, three horses have 
double the effective force of two horses. 
Plowing is often hard work. This is especially 
true in striking out the first furrow. In sod land 
we should always put on three horses, or else strike 
out a light, narrow furrow. On stubble land we 
throw up a light furrow and then turn it back 
again. This plows the whole land and does no* 
overtax the team. 
When the Horses are Brought Home at Noon, give 
them a pail of water with a pint of corn or oatmeal 
stirred in it. Take off the harness. Wash the 
shoulders. If sweaty, rub them dry with straw, 
curry off the mud aud dry sweat, and rub them 
down with a brush. Then feed them, and let them 
eat while you are at dinner. 
Better Grooming in the stable and less idle time 
in the field is what we aim at on our own farm. 
Cut Feed , moistened with water and mixed with 
meal and a little bran, can be eaten more rapidly 
than long hay, and leaves more time for rest and 
digestion. We mix a bushel of cut hay, four 
quarts of corn-meal, and two quarts of bran toge¬ 
ther, and let the horses have all they will eat of 
the mixture, and give them a little long hay in 
the racks. 
Keep the Mangers Clean and Sweet .—As soon as the 
horse stops eating the cut feed remove all that is 
left from the manger. This is very important. 
Give a little salt in the manger every day. The 
horses will not eat too much if they have it 
regularly. 
For Chafed Shoulders wash with warm soft water 
and castile soap and then dress with crude petro¬ 
leum. If ulcerated, wash them with carbolic soap 
and apply petroleum afterwards. If possible, let 
the horse rest a few days. 
Planting Corn is the important field work of the 
month. Corn is not likely to he as low next year 
as it has been for a year or two past. We think it 
a good time to plant freely. 
Better Cultivation Is, however, more desirable 
than a larger area. Wei land and weeds are the 
great enemies of the corn crop. 
Early Planting is desirable, provided the land is 
warm and in good order. 
On Bough Land we would plant in hills 31 or 4 
feet apart. We can then cultivate both ways and 
dean and subdue the land with little hoeing. 
On Clean, Smooth , Ilich Land we think it pays to 
drill in the crop. When the stalks are valuable 
for fodder, and the land is rich enough, we are 
sure that drilling is more profitable than planting 
in hills. 
Drilling has one great advantage. The work is 
not only done much more expeditiously and 
cheaply, but you can put in the seed every day as 
fast as the land is plowed and harrowed, and thus 
avoid delay from wet weather. A drill that would 
drop in hills so as to have the rows straight both 
ways would enable us to do the same thing, hut we 
have never yet found a drill that will drop the seed 
exactly in the hills. 
_ '.aster can bE sown eithei broadcast or dropped 
