Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-10-16
THE EVENING STAR.
Work on the Farm.
From the American Farmer !

TOBACCO.
The work Of securing the Tobacco crop
should now be hurried up with all diligence.
Any advantage TO be expected from having it
stand over the first week of October, is more
than counterbalanced by risk of frost or of
freezing In the house while still green. Let
the Tobacco in the house have all the benefit
of sun and air that you can give it but close
doors and windows in wet and foggy weather,
and when the nights are very damp. When
you cannot put FIRE under the Tobacco, much
damage to its quality may be prevented by
little care in shutting up the houses closely in
anticipation Of the fogs which are sometimes so
Injurious. Occasionally during the curing, you
will ind II necessary too, to close the doors
against very high winds which bruise and
break such parts as are exposed to it. The use
OF FIRE in curing of the crop quickly has always
been practiced to some extent. The danger
OF burning, however, and the injury from
smoke when open fres are used, have deferred
the planters of some sections from its use. In
portions Of Virginia and North Carolina the
wood Is first converted into charcoal, which is
used with safety and success in curing. If the
furnace TO which we allud ed in our last, as now
being made by Bibb i Co., shall be successful,
II will place this valuable but dangerous ele-
ment in curing, so entirely under the command
OF the planter that there viii be few who will
be content to do without il.
VeHtiLatoTS 1t is matter of surprise that
such thing as a ventilator on the top of the
Tobacco house is scarcely known. When the
free cireslation of air is known to be the first
elem Mt If success in curing, one would sup
pose that no house would be destitute of so
necessary an sppendage,
WHEAT SEEDING
1t is hardly necessary to repeat our constant
IL Jlnctions on the Importance of early seeding.
Yet we ind there Is no one point of manage
ment 80 necessary to be insisted on. Those
who have suffered evidently and seriously some
excused by such catastrophe, so long as they
have never been able TO estimate the loss of
the other line years from late seeding. Yet
even they need not delay beyond the 5th of
the present month, and fifty to a hundred
pounds OF Gusno in the drill, will be an equiva-
lent for the ten days lost Let them hurry up
then and be IN resdiness for that day.
MATURING.
Presuming that you are already provided
with such vi the commercial fertilizers as You
mean ts use, We have only to suggest to those
WHO pave domestic manures to apply, that they
Will experiment in top dressing, at any period
of fall or winter that may suit them.
TIMOTHY.
sow Timothy Immediately after wheat
sowing, and cover with q brush if the weather
be dry.
GRASS SOD.
Top-dress Grass Sod of any kind when it may
suit you, but the earlier the better for next
years crop.
The CORN FIELD.
Tops and blades should be secured at once,
IN the best method at comm and When house
room Is not abundant, the old fashioned fodder
house made Of tops affords shelter for shuckS.
blades, &c, and ready mode of preserving
the tops themselves. Do not begin gathering
corn IN large quantity too early in the season
PUMPKINS.
Gather Pumpkins and secure them from the
weather, unless they are to be fed out imme.
diately. In that case, heap them where they
VIII be most convenient for feeding.
POTATOES
In the latter part of the MONTH before hard
frost, dig and put away your Potatoes. Ifthey
are to be kept in kilns out Of doors, they are
better preserved on than TN the ground.
Select dry spot thoroughly drained. 1t is
water rather than cold that destroys them.
FEEDING HOGS.
AVOID the too common practice of leaving
your hogs TO SHIFT on sosnty fare, until within
q few ueeks Of slaughtering time, when they
are taken up into close pen and fed excessive
ly with corn. Rather begin to feed early and
bring them gradually to full fare on the most
nutritious food The best bacon is made from
hogs fsttened IN small clean grass lot, with a
stream Of running water. The most economi-
cal method is in close pens. When fed in this
way, especial attention should be paid to clean
llness, and to saving the manure which will be
abundant and rich.
CARE or CATTLE.
Cows, Oxen &C., should, at this season, be
taken from the field Mt night, and allowed the
protection Of an open shed, with dry bed to
sleep on.
SEED CORN.
We call attention to the propriety Of select
Ing now your Corn for next years seed.
Choose from prolific stalks only the best
grown and best filed out ears, and let them be
thoroughly ripened and dried, and put out of
reach Of rats and mice.
OCEANSTEAMERS' SAILING DAYS