1874 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
203 
harrow thoroughly lengthwise of the furrows. In 
a week or-so put on a two or three horse cultivator, 
and in a few days follow with a harrow and then 
cultivate again as soon as any weeds appear. 
Whether it is best to plow only once, or two or 
three times, is a disputed point. Whichever plan 
you adopt, let the work be done thoroughly. That 
plan is best, other things being equal, which causes 
the most weed seeds to germinate and then kills 
the plants. 
Rainy Days can he turned to good account in 
getting ready for haying, in cleaning and white¬ 
washing cellars, in repairing brokeu tools and im¬ 
plements, and putting everything in order. 
Jiang Things up. —Do net throw plow-points, 
cultivator-teeth, wheels, coulters, harrow-teeth, 
chains and pieces of chain, rings, clevis, extra 
whippletrees, neck-yokes, etc., into some dark and 
dusty corner, but put some wire round them and 
hang them up where they can be seen. 
Grind Roes, and keep them constantly bright 
and sharp. Spades also, and if you have a power 
grindstone it will pay well to grind coulters, culti¬ 
vator-teeth, and plow-points. 
Clover should be cut for hay as soon as the earli¬ 
est blossoms begin to get brown. There can be no 
doubt that early cut hay is more nutritious, or at 
any rate more readily digested, than when the grass 
or clover is allowed to get ripe. 
Timothy and other grass, if intended for con¬ 
sumption on the farm, should also be cut early. If 
to be sold for city horses, you will get more hay, 
and a better price, by letting it grow until the seed 
is beginning to form. 
In Curing Clover Hay, our own plan is to start 
the machines in the afternoon and keep cutting 
until dark. Dew or rain will not hurt grass while it 
is green. The next morning, after the dew is off, 
rake the partially dried grass into small windrows 
with a steel rake. Turn them immediately after 
dinner, and towards night rake into larger wind¬ 
rows and put into cock. Turn or spread out the 
cocks the next morning, and draw in the hay in 
the afternoon. 
Milch Cows should now furnish a full pail of rich 
milk. See that they have access to plenty of fresh 
water. Unless the grass is unusually rich, from 
one to two pints of corn-meal stirred in a pail of 
water and given twice a day will often prove 
profitable. 
Calves and young stoek%hould have the best of 
pasture and more or less corn-meal soaked in water 
or cooked. The quantity will depend on the age 
and other circumstances. As a rule, from half a 
pound of meal to one pound for each 100 lbs. of live 
weight will not be over-feeding. 
Sheep. —The above rule will apply to sheep. The 
English farmers find it profitable to give grain or 
oilcake to their fattening sheep and lambs even 
when running in rich pastures. 
Ewes and Lambs should have good pasture and 
access to water. The lambs will pay well for a 
little grain fed in an inclosure separate from the 
ewes. For scours, change the pasture and let the 
sheep have what hay they will eat. 
In Washing Sheep, be careful to keep the nose 
and mouth of the sheep out of the water. Tag the 
sheep before washing. 
Lambs should be dipped in a solution of carbolic 
soap to kill ticks. Repeat in two or three weeks. 
Swine should have access to fresh water and the 
run of a good clover or grass pasture. Let them 
have coal or wood ashes, salt, sulphur, and char¬ 
coal—all they will eat. 
Young Pigs are unusually scarce, and pork is 
likely to bring good prices. Feed liberally. Give 
the young pigs all the milk. The old ones can get 
along without it. The secret of producing good 
and cheap pork is to get an improved breed and 
feed liberally, especially while the pigs are young. 
Nothing will Pay Better than to cross common 
sows with a thorough-bred boar of a well-estab¬ 
lished and highly improved breed, such as the 
Essex, Suffolk, or Berkshire. Now is the best time 
to order a young, two months’ old boar. He will 
be ready for moderate use next fall and winter. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
June will bring its abundance of fruits and flow¬ 
ers ; strawberries, raspberries, currants, and other 
small fruits will follow each other in quick succes¬ 
sion ; the early vegetables should also yield an 
abundant supply. Weeds will grow rapidly in the 
now warm soil, and should be destroyed as soon as 
they appear. Some crops may have failed owing 
to too early sowing or too wet weather; all such 
should be replanted at once before it is too late. 
In a favorable season seeds will germinate very 
rapidly, and it is not too late to sow and expect a 
fair crop of most things. Succession crops ought 
to be sown all the season ; corn if sown every two 
weeks, even until July, will generally pay, for if it 
fails to produce a crop of ears the fodder is the 
best possible food for cows. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Trees set out this spring will need attention, to 
see that they acquire proper shape. Where buds 
appear which are not needed for branches rub 
them off. Do not allow the trees to be displaced 
by the wind; to prevent this, two or three large 
stones placed around the roots are better than 
stakes for keeping them in place. See that the 
trees have open heads; low heads are better than 
high ones. 
Grafts set last month will require attention. Re¬ 
move shoots which start on the stock, so that all 
the nourishment may be given to the graft. If two 
cions have been put on the same branch, remove 
the smaller if there is danger from crowding. 
Budded Stocks. —Sometimes the shoot from the 
bud is so vigorous that the newly formed wood is 
not strong enough to withstand the winds; when 
this is the case they should be staked. 
Riming. —June, by most oreliardists, is consid¬ 
ered the best month in which to prune, especially 
where large limbs are to be removed. Cover the 
wounds with liquid grafting-wax, paint, or other 
protection to prevent decay. 
Orchards containing young trees should be cul¬ 
tivated in such a manner as to keep the soil mel¬ 
low ; this may be done by planting crops between 
the rows, to w'hich plenty of manure is given. 
Thinning can hardly be too severely practiced 
upon young trees, and older ones are greatly bene¬ 
fited if half or more of the fruit is removed. The 
quality of the remaining fruit will be enough im¬ 
proved to repay the trouble. Thinning will give a 
crop of fruit every year. 
Seed-Beds of evergreen and deciduous trees will 
need shading with screens of lattice-work or ever¬ 
green boughs. The shading must be so arranged 
that air can circulate freely around the plants. 
Insects. —He who w'ould have good fruit as well 
as healthy trees must keep a sharp lookout for 
every species of injurious insect. Caterpillars of 
all kinds will have to be looked after sharply. 
Another very destructive insect is the 
Borer. —The parent deposits the eggs near the 
base of the tree, where they are hatched, and the 
young borers work themselves into the tree. To 
prevent this, wrap a piece of thick paper around 
the tree, the lower edge of which should be below 
the surface of the soil. 
Slugs appear on the leaves of the pear and 
cherry, and are small, green, and slimy. Lime 
or ashes dusted over will destroy them. 
Frmit Warden. 
Strawberries. —If not mulched before this, attend 
to it at once. Any material which will keep the 
fruit from being soiled will do. If the crop is to 
be marketed, provide plenty of baskets and crates 
for shipping. 
Blackberries. —Do not allow the new canes to 
grow over five feet; when they reach this hight 
pinch off the end. This will induce the growth of 
side branches ; these ought to be stopped when 
they reach a length of eighteen inches. 
Raspberries. — Four new canes to a stool are 
enough, unless more are wanted for planting. 
A good plan for training is to tie the canes to a 
wire stretched along the row, and attached at each 
end to a firmly-set post. 
Currants. —Apply a heavy mulch of litter to 
keep the weeds down as well as to keep the ground 
moist. Give the bushes a dusting with powdered 
white hellebore if attacked by borers. 
Grape-Vines. —If vigorous, healthy vines are 
wanted, do not allow but one shoot to grow the 
first season after planting. Rub off all other 
shoots, and keep this one tied to a stake during 
the season. Young vines should not be allowed to 
overbear; two bunches to a shoot are enough. 
For training older vines there have been recom¬ 
mended a great many plans. Any may be adopted 
which keep up a supply of bearing wood down 
near the ground. 
Insects will be troublesome here as well as in the 
orchard, and should be carefully looked after, and 
the larger beetles and caterpillars removed by 
hand-picking. 
Kitchen Garden, 
Work will be lively here from the constant hoe¬ 
ing and cultivating required to keep the weeds 
under subjection. 
Hoe and Rake. —These are both necessary imple¬ 
ments in the garden, and should be kept sharp. 
The wheel-hoe described in a former number of 
the Agriculturist is a great improvement over the 
old form ; with this a man will do twice as much 
work and do it better than with a common hoe. 
The bayonet hoe or its improvement, the lance- 
head hoe, are very useful in weeding and thinning 
out the rows of carrots, parsnips, etc. 
Seeds of many things can be sown now and with 
the prospect of a good crop. Beets sown now will 
make a rapid growth, and even until the first of 
July the prospect of a crop is good. 
Asparagus. —Do not cut after the peas are plenty. 
Hoe over the bed occasionally to keep down the 
weeds, and if there is well-rotted manure to be 
had apply now. 
Beans. —Continue to plant the bush sorts for 
late snaps. 
Beets. —Keep the early sorts well hoed, and thin 
as soon as large enough to handle. The thinnings 
make good “greens.” Sow early sorts now for 
succession. 
Cabbage. —Transplant the early and medium sorts 
from the seed beds and sow for late. The cold- 
frame and very early hot-bed plants will now be fit 
for the table or for market. When the early crop 
is harvested the land should be plowed and man¬ 
ured for other crops. 
Carrots. —It is not yet too late to sow, but it 
should be done at once. Keep the young plants 
free from weeds. 
Celery. —Young plants in the seed-bed should not 
be crowded or allowed to become weedy. 
Corn. —Sow every two weeks for a succession ; 
later in the season sow only the early sorts, as the 
others will not have time to grow. 
Cucumbers. —Prepare well-manured hills four feet 
apart each way, and use plenty of seed, and manure 
in the hill. There are many devices for keeping 
off the “striped bug,” but some simple covering 
answers. 
Egg-Plants require a rich soil, and should not be 
planted until the ground is warm and dry. The 
“green-worm” which attacks the tomato also 
preys upon the egg-plant; the only remedy is 
hand-picking. 
Endive. —Transplant and sow seeds for late crop. 
Lettuce seldom does well in summer unless plant¬ 
ed in a shady, moist place. 
Melons need the same care as cucumbers, except 
