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[ (©^Entered according to Act of Congress, in January, 1SG7, by T. A. Bland, in the Clerk's Ofiicc of tho District Court of the Culled States for the District of Indiana.
Volume II—No, 10,—Terras, SI.50 per Tear.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, 0CT0BEK 1,1867.
T. A. BLAND, Editor and Proprietor.
Contents of October Number.
Work for the Month 185
Scientific Farming, No. It 186
Letter from E. Reynolds 187
Grazing—By Dr Stevenson 1S7
Management of Farm Stock No. 2 18S
Keeping Apples in Ice 188
Soils and Sub-Soils 188
Picking Up Stones 189
Domestic Economy 189
Fashionable Invalidism 18!)
Hardy Spring Flowering Bulbs 11)0
Manuring With Green Crops 190
Talk About Grapes 190
A Remedy for Grape Hot  191
Another Xew 6rape 191
Our Native Stock     191
Agriculture and Manufacture 193
Hard Times 793
Leasing Farms Bad Policy 194
Indiana Soldiers Home 194
Literary Notices 194
Our Terms—Premiums for All 193
Educate the Whole Man 195
Preserving Sweet Potatoes 195
Utility of Birds 195
Protection Against Drought  195
Now Ready—Our Annual 195
Letter from Ellis Lawrence 196
Letter from Alfred Hadley 190
Doty's Clothes Washer 196
Book Not ices 197
Song for Autumn (Poetry) 197
Meeting of the American Pomological Society. .197
Prize Electoral Buck—Engraving 198
Farms and Farm Scenes at tlie West 198
Dodging the Question 198
. The Author of Garden Seeds 199
Special Notices 199
Common Salt as a Manure 200
A Chaxgk.—Just as we wore sending tlie
last form of our paper to press for this
montli, we closed a contract with Messrs.
Branson & Ilussel of Chicago, proprietors
of the celebrated Branson Family Hand
Loom, by which we are able to place this
highly popular and useful machine before
our readers as a premium for clubs to the
Farmer on very favorable terms. The
lowest cash price for this loom is one
hundred and twenty-five dollars.
AVe will give one of these looms all complete and warranted perfect, to any person
who will send us one hundred names at one
dollar and fifty cents each for the Farmer.
The BromwoJl Hand Loom will be withdrawn after this month. It had been our
wish to oiler the Branson at first but did
not close the contract. The Bromwell
Loom is a good Loom, but the Branson is
very far superior to it, in our opinion, and
we are glad to be able to offer tlie very
best, and on such exceedingly easy terms.
For the Xorth "Western Farmer.
Work for the Month.
As the days grow shorter and cooler, the
bracing atmosphere reanimates the exhausted energies occasioned by the heavy
labor of harvest, in the hottest season of
the year, and now the husbandman feels
like taking hold of work in good earnest.
The prudent farmer will not find this a
season that will overwhelm him with
work, yet he will find enough to do in
preparing for the comfort of his household
as well as farm stock through the coming
winter; for next to his own family, he will
look after the various animals under his
care, by providing such means as will be
most likely to conduce to their comfort
and thrift.
The present, too, is an auspicious time
for any little repairs or improvements
that require attention. A quarter of a
century ago the timbered portions of Indiana and other western States at this season was enveloped in a haze of smoke from
the clearings that were so rapidly redeeming the forest, or rather the numerous
deadenings, from a state of nature, and dedicating them to agriculture. With an occasional exception, these days of log-rollings, clearing, trash-picking, and burning
off, arc rapidly passing away, and but little remains in that line of improvement,
except to burn a log here and there, or
consume an old stump that has held its
own for so many years, and thus remove
one more obstruction to the plow, wheat
drill, reaper and mower.
Buildings.—As the leaves of the deciduous shade trees begin to fall, the eavc-
troughswill catch them and become obstructed if they arc not removed. A lodgment of this kind loads tlie trough with an
unnecessary weight, besides inducing its
premature decay. Examine the roof, and
if leakages arc detected stop them at once.
Replace broken window lights with good
ones. If the old putty should be dillicult
to remove, give it a light coat of soft soap,
which will soon render its removal quite
easy. Repair fireplaces and Hues—in a
word, ''set your house in order." for icinter
is coming.
Cabbage,—that is, early varieties,—Will
require marketing. Late varieties should
be allowed to grow as long as they will be
safe from cold weather.
Cellar.—Do not delay repairs or improvements until it is wanted for storing such
articles as are to be kept in it.
Cement.—A little hydraulic cement should
always be on hand for tho purpose of
mending cracks in plastering or breaks in
walls. One part good cement and two
parts sharp sand make a good proportion
to mix the material, to which should be
added water enough to make the mortar
of tlie right consistency for work. Small
batches should be made' at a time, as it begins to "set" as soon as it is read}- for use.
A little practice with a trowel will soon
learn one to do this work quite well, which
is often easier done than to hunt up a
workman in the country.
Corn,—toward the last of the month, if
early and well ripened, will do to crib.—
Husking 011 the stalk is the least work altogether, but "pulling"' or "snapping*' is
the quickest way to house the crop, and
where time is the main object the latter
plan does very well; but corn in the husk
is so bulky that it requires too much room
—will not dry out so speedily, besides it is
about as much trouble to husk as when on
the stalk. The practice of "cutting"' corn
for fodder is not quite as prevalent with
us as it was twenty years ago; but it is an
incontrovertible fact that more cattle can
be wintered on ''corn fodder' than on the
same amount of stalk pasture. A few
things are to be taken into consideration
in shocking corn. First; it is the most laborious, dirty and disagreeable of work.
Second, if the fall and early winter should
prove wet, it is liable to rot; and third, no
matter how good the weather may be, if
not husked soon it is quite subject to loss
from rats and mice.
Hogs, of course, are on/nil feed. In addition to corn, a partial feed of boiled potatoes or pumpkins once a day answers a
good purpose iu facilitating tlieir fattening.
Ice-house.—Sow is a good time to erect
an ice-house, if such a building be not al-
readv completed. Ice in summer is a luxury that comparatively few farmers enjoy,
while it is certainly as much within their
reach as anv other "class.
Manure.—"For this valuable aid in increasing the feitility of the soil, the farmer
should "devise cveiy available experiment
for its formation. Therefore feed all stock
in such a way as to save the most manure.
Ploiriiif;—in Fall—is very serviceable in
reducing heavy clay lands, by the action
of the frost in the winter, to a more friable
and lively condition.
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