AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
315 
1808 .] 
top them. Spots on large stacks which sag down 
and do not shed rain may be built up even, by 
simply laying on hay or straw, and then pinning on 
a thatch, using hooked or pronged sticky as pins. 
Sorghum .—The sorghum crop is, according to the 
reports we have, small. It is the more important 
to make the best use of it. The use of Clough’s 
method of clarifying enables farmers to produce 
marketable syrup at once, which will eventually 
add greatly to the wealth of the country. 
Draining .—Deepen and clean out open ditches in 
low land, beginningat the outlet and making the wa¬ 
ter follow back, thus securing the greatest possible 
depth. In laying tile or stone drains, remember 
to make the bed of a true grade, and the soil for a 
foot or more above the drain as impervious to water 
as possible, covering the joints, putting in clay or 
the stiffest soil you can get, and ramming it hard. 
This secures permanency, as well as efficiency. 
Soiling Crops .—Sow wheat and rye for soiling in 
the spring. Make two sowings, a month or six 
weeks apart, the first sowing to be between the 
first and middle of September, the other about the 
middle of October; at each time sow a patch of 
wheat and a patch of rye. The rye will be fit to 
cut first, one patch will follow the other, and then 
the first wheat will come in cutting condition. 
Laud used for soiling crops should be thoroughly 
enriched by either yard manure, guano, or stimu¬ 
lating manure of some kind. 
Stock require no especial attention at this season, 
except that constant care that all their wants arc 
supplied which they should always have. Animals 
to be fattened this fall should have slightly in¬ 
creased feed, as the time approaches when the 
harvesting of corn gives a supply of immature ears 
and nubbins, which are first to be fed out. If old 
corn is at hand have it ground, and use it moderate¬ 
ly before and after the nubbins come. Give cows 
that are to be milked through the winter the choice 
of the pastures, and feed a little (more or less) oil¬ 
cake daily, to keep the flow of milk profitably large. 
Manure .—The season is favorable for increasing 
the manure and compost heaps by all sorts of 
vegetable matter,—potato tops, weeds, swale-grass, 
reeds, and rushes. Use no weeds the seeds of which 
are ripe, or will ripen, and follow directions in 
previous numbers in regard to composting, etc. 
Commercial Fertilizers .—Peruvian guano will pay 
applied broadcast and harrowed in before sowing 
wheat. Use about 200 lbs. per acre. It may be 
mixed with its weight, or three times its weight, 
of plaster, usually with marked benefit. At the 
South, they use equal parts Peruvian and Swan 
Island, or some good phosphatic guano, which sup¬ 
plies the place of the gypsum and adds phosphoric 
acid. Fish manure and bone dust, applied at the 
rate of about 400 lbs. of each, is a good substitute. 
Bone-du-t is an excellent application to pastures 
at this season. Mix with equal parts good lively 
wood-ashes, pound the mixture solid, or moisten 
slightly, and after lying a week shovel over on a 
floor, and break any caked lumps before sowing. 
Weeds .—Mow and burn wherever found, if they 
have matured their seeds, clearing up the fence 
rows and sheltered places, as well as open grounds. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Ripeness is the characteristic of the month ; not 
only do fruits mature, but the new wood ripens. 
Autumnal flowers bloom in the borders, and the 
cool nights and warm days are particularly con¬ 
genial to the growth of the later crops of the 
kitchen garden. It is the month of fairs and pomo- 
logical gatherings. Go to your nearest fair, as a 
matter of duty, and take such fruits, flowers, and 
vegetables, as you have. Let premium taking be 
the second tiling in your thoughts—helping make 
a creditable display, the first. The home fair 
being attended to, visit as many others as pos¬ 
sible. One is always sure to learn something, if 
not from examples, at least from warnings. If the 
neighborhood warrant it, have a fruit club, or its 
scope may be extended to include all branches of 
horticulture,and now is the time to found one. Have 
someway of getting the neighbors together to tell 
experiences and rub off the rust that always accu¬ 
mulates upon those who plod along by themselves. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Autumn Planting of trees is best where there is 
likely to be a long, mild autumn, but where the 
winter shuts down suddenly, it is belter to plant 
in spring. Next month the trees will be ready to 
remove from the nursery, and the ground should 
be prepared for their reception. A deep, well- 
drained, but not over-rich soil is best. Plow and 
subsoil, and if possible make the whole piece in¬ 
tended for the orchard so well prepared that a 
tree will grow in one place as well as in another. 
Selecting and Ordering .—Order early, but make a 
well-considered selection first. Selections of best 
varieties for States are not always safe guides. Ex¬ 
perience of those in the neighborhood is best, and 
its value decreases as the distance from which it 
is derived increases. Visit fruit growers, go to 
flairs, talk fruit with everyone who has any knowl¬ 
edge of the subject, and follow that advice which 
seems most reliable. Do not aim at too many 
varieties, unless you have time and means for 
carrying on an experimental collection. Twelve 
kinds of apples or pears are enough for family use, 
and six are a plenty for market purposes. 
Picking and Packing require care, judgment, and 
conscientiousness. Some hints on packing are 
given on page 334. Autumn fruit requires more 
experience in picking than that which matures 
later. It should be mature and yet not mellow. 
Drying and Canning fruit for winter use must be 
attended to. We have figured some drying houses; 
patented ones are for sale. A spare room, with a 
stove in it, should be in readiness when open air 
drying is depended upon. The fruit can be re¬ 
moved to this during damp or rainy weather, and 
the drying go on without interruption or damage. 
In back numbers hints on canning various fruits 
are given in the Household Department. 
Fallen Fruit usually contains insects. Do not 
allow it to decay upon the ground and thus propa¬ 
gate a brood for another year. Gather and feed to 
hogs, if these animals do not have the run of the 
orchard. The best use to make of fallen apples is 
to convert them into vinegar. Gather, grind and 
press as for cider, and allow the juice to ferment, 
with free access of air, in a warm place. The addi¬ 
tion of the lees or mother of vinegar, or a quan¬ 
tity of old vinegar, will expedite the process. 
Budding may continue as long as the bark of the 
stock will lift or “ run,” which it will do with 
peaches and quince stocks this month. Examine 
previous buddings and loosen the bandages if need 
be. Where buds failed, put in others, if not too late. 
Seeds, especially of the stone-fruits, must not be 
allowed lo get too dry. They are best preserved 
in sand or sandy earth, just perceptibly moist, 
which should be mixed in sufficient quautity lo 
preclude drying or heating. A box in a cool and 
dry cellar or shed will answer as well as to follow 
the European plan of burying or stratifying. 
Manuring .—Nurserymen who raise the best trees 
pass between the nursery rows with a plow and 
turn a shallow furrow, in which a well-decomposed 
compost is distributed and the earth thrown back. 
In this way the land is kept in excellent condition. 
Prune young trees, to form a proper head. 
Weeds .—Let none of them ripen their seeds. 
JFrniit Chus-deii. 
Prepare the soil for fall planting. A rich, fine, 
deeply-worked soil is needed for successful fruit 
culture. The hints under “Orchard,” apply to 
such trees as are grown in the fruit garden. 
Pears are to be picked as fast as they mature. 
When fully developed, the stem will part readily 
from the tree. Ripen them in the house. 
Blackberries .—Remove the old stems as soou as 
the fruit is off. See hook for this purpose on another 
page. Pinch the side shoots of the new growth to 
about 18 inches. This will induce the wood to 
ripen, and prevent injury by winter-killing. 
Black Caps .—If it is desired to propagate plants, 
the tips of the canes should be layered. The tip is 
to be covered with only enough earth to hold it in 
place and prevent it being blown about by the 
winds. Too deep covering is injurious. 
Raspberries in garden culture are best if kept in 
place by some kind of trellis or support. Keep 
the ground clear of weeds and allow no suckers to 
grow, except such as are wanted for new plants: 
Grapes. —Market-growers often gather the fruit 
as soon as it is colored and before it is fully ripe. 
Some varieties, like the Diana, are eatable when 
only partly ripe. Full maturity is shown by the 
stem assuming a ripe appearance and losing its 
stifTness, allowing the bunches to hang directly 
down from the vine. Use scissors in gathering, 
and handle the fruit as little as possible. 
Strawberries .—New beds are to be kept clean, and 
no runners allowed to grow. Beds may be set 
now, taking the plants up carefully and removing 
all the large leaves, to prevent evaporation. Where 
plants have been struck in pots, this precaution is 
unnecessary, as the roots of the plants are scarce¬ 
ly disturbed by turning them out of the pots. 
Kitchen Grarden. 
Beans .—If the Limas set more than can be used 
in the green state before frost, shell and dry for 
winter. Soaked over night before cooking, they 
are nearly as good as when fresh. Salt string beans. 
Cabbages and Caidiflower .—Around New York the 
seeds for plants to be kept over winter are sown 
from the 10th to the 20th of this month. Sow 
Wakefield, Early York, or other early cabbage, and 
Erfurt or other early cauliflower, in well-prepared 
seed-beds, in the open ground. Keep the soil 
stirred among the late crops. Sprinkle lime if 
troubled with slugs—ducks will destroy them. 
Borecole or Kale for spring greens or “ sprouts” 
is sown this month, in drills a foot apart. The 
kind callcd.Gennan Greens is the hardiest. 
Corn .—Continue to dry for winter use. See 
article on page 203, July, on salting green corn. 
Cucumbers .—Go over the vines at least every two 
days and gather forpickles; remove the overgrown. 
Celery .—Continue to earth up for blanching. 
That grown in flat culture, i. c. not in trenches, re¬ 
quires to be earthed up about ten days before it is 
blanched sufficiently for use. The main winter 
crop is not earthed up until later in the season. 
Endive .—Blanch as directed last month. 
Manure .—The compost heaps should now grow 
rapidly from the addition of garden refuse. All 
but very young weeds should be dried and burned. 
Melons .—Young fruit that will not ripen is to be 
picked and used for stuffed pickles or mangoes. 
Onions .—See that those stored are so thinly 
spread that they will not become heated. Take up 
sets, if not already done, and spread in thin layers 
in a cool, dry loft. The same with top onions. 
Radishes .—Winter sorts may be sown early in 
the month, witii a prospect of a fair crop. 
Shallots .—This is a species of onion which is 
multiplied by dividing the clusters of small bulbs. 
Set single bulbs six inches apart, in rows a foot 
asunder. It is hardy, and gives in spring what are 
usually sold as young onions. The flavor is much 
stronger than that of the onion. 
Spinach.—Sow for the winter crop before the 
middle of the month, in rows 12 or 15 inches apart. 
Thin and weed the young plants when large enough. 
Sweet Potatoes .—Some of the larger roots may be 
taken by carefully removing the earth from the 
ridges, and the smaller ones left to grow as long as 
frost will let them. Dig with the first frost. 
Tomatoes will still be infested by the “worm,” 
and will need to be looked over occasionally. 
Preserve and make catsup while the fruit is plenty 
and better than it is later in the season. 
Turnips .—The Ruta-bagas or Swedes will need 
