American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-06-27
Tarm A<ss.. Garden.
Brief Notes of Useful Things

Weeds.--Be careful to gather all
the troublesotne weeds on your farm
or garden before they are in blossom,
and throw them into large piles so
thatsthey may ferment and decay
rapidly, and form very rich manure.
If the weeds should already have run
to seedf, your gathering Of che weeds
whenstbey dafe wet Or well covered
with dew will prevent their seeds
from falling out. It's better TO spend
day or two Mt this work at the
proper season than to spend weeks in
the ensuing ssascE to kerp down and
destroy with the hoe and harrow
those weeds that must, otherwise,
spring from sucb ripcncd and scat
tered seeds.
P1ming.-We are obliged to ac-
cept pruning, the cutting off of large
limbs, as one of the operations that
must be done. This and the next
are the months in which to do it, as
now in the growing season the wounds
will heal over kindly" Never cut
limb from tree unless something
is to be gained by it. Indiscrimin-
ate hacking, merely because it is the
pruning season, is not to be commen-
ded. If the head is too crowded;
and there is not room for the light
and air, thin it if one branch grows
so near another as to chafc it, take it
out; IL the tree is disposed to grow
one-sided, balance it. Use saw
with wide :'set, never an ak, tho
sometimes heavy chisel, driven up
from below, will prove efficient
Leave smooth cut, by pairing care
fully with a knife or chisel if need
he. The wound will heal over all
the better if covered from the air.
The old solution of shellac in alcohol
is an excellent application, but the
price of materials is too high to al
low of their general use, and grating
wax, applied warm with a brush, is a
very useful substitute. One part tai
low, TWO of wax, four of rosin, melt
ed together and applied while warm,
will answer the purpose. The COM
position may be made harder or soft
CT by altering the proportion of tai
low.
Grape Hildew Preyented.-A gen.
tleman who has visited the expert
lnent grounds at Washington, informs
IFS that some experiments for preren-
ting the mildew of the grape, by
erecting cheap roof over them,
seemed to answer the purpose per-
fectly. The roof, he states, may be
simply board sixteen inches wide,
nailed to the pests. On hundred
varieties treated in this way. not any
Inildew was seen; while all the rest
in the same yard we're entirely ruin
ed. Further experiments are neces-
sary.-COuntry Gentleman.
TO Keep Cream Street. good
deal depends upon the proper man.
agen.ent of the cream, if the churn-
ing does not take place every day, as
it ough, to where the dairy is large
enough to warrant it. If it is to be
kept till the quantity is sufficient to
make up IA ehurning, put it into a
stone jar, in cool place, and when
fresh cream is added, let it be thor
oughly stirred in, and very little
fine salt added. In this way it may
be kept sweet several days.
Cattle.-It can never be too much
impressed upon the minds of agri-
culturists, that with dung there is no
corn-without cattle there is no dung.
Every means should, therefore, be
used to encourage the breeding and
feeding of cattle, and mono can be
more effectual than to show that the
profits of farm are always proper
toned to the number of cattle kept,
and the abundance of food prepared
for them.
The First Grape Grower. The
earliest account of the cultivation of
the vine is found in Genesis tx, 20 /:
=" And Noah began to be hus-
bandman and planted a vineyard -
We are not informed as to the kind
or quality of the grapes he planted,
but we have abundant testimony that
they made good wine in which the
alcoholic element was amply develop
ed, as Noah's own testing Of its quail
tiles showed. The country in which
Noah resided is supposed to be Ar
menia, a land still famed for its grapes
and wine. Ftles1l l1-t.
10 Dry CAelries.-Having stoned
the desired quantity of good cherries,
put a pound and a quarter of fine su.
gar to every pound; beat and sift
soyer the cherries, and let them stand
all night. Take them out of the su.
gar, and TO every pound of sugar put
two spoenfulls of water. Boil and
skim it well, and then put in the
cherries; boil the sugar over them,
and next morning strain them. and
to every pound of syrup put a hall
pound more sugar boil it till it is a
little thicker, then put in the cherries,
and let them boil gently. The next