American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-09-21
The farmers department,
Farm Works for Sentemher.

VI BTOuHu lpT NHcdJ 10 All ihiPOl b"iiU
labor for this month. The ground
should be made mellow, that the
moisture may BE preserved and the
seed yegetate freely. 1t should be
clear from weeds and their seeds,
that the crop may not be choked, the
product rendered foul or impure, nor
thesubsequentgrass crop diminishedin
value. Experience only will teach
the farmer the proper degree of fer
tility there are very few farms, how
ever, where the addition of the fine
manure will not be advantageous.
an excellent mode of managing is the
top-dressing given in the direction
for last month. This top-dressing al
so assists the termination of grass
seed, thus affording the advantages.
of thick seeding and insuring a Wig
orous growth of the plants. limo
thy seed sown with wheat, or imme-
diateIy after, usually produces too
strong a growth, and lessons the wheat
crop, as well as interferes with the
harvesting; it is best, therefore, to
SOW it about a fortnight afterwards,
and the clover as early as possible the
following spring. This top-dressing
also protects the surface of the heavy
soils, and lessons the tendency to
freeze out. Sowing wheat early pro-
duces stronger plants and a better
crop, but does not cause earlier ripcn-
ing of the grain. The drill seeding
if properly performed, gives the best
crop, often from three to five bushels
more per acre-but much drill seed
ing is Improperly performed, the seeds
being deposited too decp-an inch
and a half on heavy soils, and two
inches on light ones, are better than
any greater depth; if the soil is
moist enough, less depth is better.
Any farmer may satisfy himself on
this point, and gain valuable practical
information, by few measured exper-
iments. Some who have set their
drills much too deep, have had light
er crops than with ordinary broad
cast sowing, and have hastily denoun-
ced all machines of the kind.
Seed wheat that is infected with
smut may be purified by washing in
brine, and then sprinkling and stir
ring in powdered and slaked lime.
SEED CoRN.-Improyed varieties
always tend to run backwards the.
farmer should therefore constantly
select the best ears for seed. This
should be irregular yearly business,
and if faithfully carried out will give
an increase of several bushels per
acre, in the long run.
SwINE.-The falling apples in or
chards may now be fed to swine, and
in connection with richer and drier
food will cause them to fatten rapidly.
Winter apples are often allowed to
over-bear, and the removal of a por-
ton of the crop for feeding these an
imals will improve the remainder.
No tree should ever bear heavy
enough to need propping. The yards
and apartments m which swine are
kept should be scrupulously clean, and
rendered comfortable by dry litter.
Experiments have shown that they
fatten faster under these circumstan-
ces. Great pains should be taken to
feed them with clock-work regulari-
ty, and not to give so much at time
that some would be left, and a dis
taste for food produced; neither
should they ever be allowed to squeal
off their flesh by waiting impatient
ly.
BUTTER.-This is usually the best
month for the manufacture Of butter
the great leading requisites for
success in which, are first and most
important, good, sweet rich, abund-
ant pasture; secondly, good COWS
thirdly, perfect cleanliness in the
dairy house, in all the vessels used in
it, and in the ar which surrounds it;
fourthly, general skillful management
throughout. Under the latter head
may be mentioned, shallow pans or
shallow milk in the pans, proper tenn
perature Of the cream, and working
out all the buttermilk.
ToP-DREssING MEADows.-The
best mode of manuring meadows is
thoroughly enriching the soil by ma
nure, applied to crops which precedes
But scarcely inferior, and perhaps
equal to this treatment, on clayey
soils, is autumn topdressing. The
manure for this purpose should be
broken fine, and very evenly spread.
Narrowing, some weeks after the ap-
plication of the manure, will often be
useful where the grass is short. The
manure, thus applied, causes strong
autumn growth, enriches the surface
soil by the washing in of autumn
rains, and both the manure and in
crease of grass protects the roots du-
ring winter, and give an early growth
in spring.
MANURE.-The hog-pens and COM
post heaps should receive everything
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