272 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURE 



Sow oats and barley on dry lauds, and during dry 

 weather ; also Spring wheat, vetches, peas, beans, 

 and flax-seed. Sow lucerne on well-prepared land, 

 trenched, or very deeply ploughed, and ricnly-dunged. 

 Sow carrots and parsnips —best on good warm sandy 

 loams, in good condition from previous usage, with- 

 out the present application of fresh manure, or 

 applied in Autumn, and ploughed underground. 

 Steep the seeds in leys of ariuc, and dry them with 

 lime. Sow sainfoin, and dress the young plants with 

 gypsum. Apply artificial manures as top-dressings 

 on young wheats, barleys, and clovers — soot and 

 salt, malt-combs, rapcdust, nitrate of soda, pigeons' 

 dung, and gypsum. Sow cabbage- seeds for Summer- 

 plants ; aud lay composts on grass lands. 



Plant hops iu hills six feet distant each way : use 

 well-rotted dung, aud place four sets in each hill — 

 one in each corner, and cover lightly with earth, 

 leaving the upper end of the set just in light of day. 



Continue the planting of forest trees, aud of 

 young hedges ; but cease if dry weather sets-iu. 

 The cutting of underwoods will now be finished. 



Watered meadows may now be stocked with light 

 animals. Set traps for vermiu ; and spread mole- 

 hills. 



Plough fallows for green crops, and clay lands for 

 bare fallows, if the weather be dry. Shut-up the 

 fields that are intended for hay ; and finish laying 

 composts on grass lands. During wet weather thrash 

 grains, aud carry dung from the cattle yards to the 

 heaps in the fields. 



In some, or rather in many, situations this month 

 will be the busiest with ewes dropping lambs. Feed 

 amply with juicy succulent food, as beet, cabbages, 

 and turnips ; aud use the necessary shelter, which, in 

 many situations, is as necessary as food itself. The 

 shelter-sheds must be littered frequently, to keep 

 them dry — best with chaff or short straws. Remove 

 the ewes and lambs to the pasture-fields from the 

 lambing-paddocks, regularly, as the lambs get strong. 



Keep the poultry-houses dry and warm, and set 

 all kinds of eggs for hatcliing : feed amply, aud pro- 

 vide clear spring water. 



Finish the killing of hogs for bacon ; and keep all 

 young pigs for Summer stores, and for early feeding 

 next Winter. The latest fattening bullocks must 

 now be sold, or pushed forward by superior feeding. 

 The long days will now require a greater supply of 

 food, as daylight always induces animals to eat 



CALENDAR OF GARDENING. 



March is the month of business, and eveiy favour- 

 able moment must be seized, because the varied 

 character of the weather is not only likely to per- 

 plex, but it frequently happens that drought sets-iu, 

 for the Spring, about the third week, aud then it 

 will be too late to hope for the success of mauy of 

 the lighter seeds. Begin, therefore, early to dig, 

 manure, and sow plots for the main crops of peas, 

 beans, aud all the summer vegetables, remembering 

 that carrots require pure and very sandy loam, 

 without interspersed manure ; that beet and parsnips 

 do well on stronger land, but require the dung to be 

 placed low in the ground. 



The soil should be rich for cabbages, Brussels 

 sprouts, broccoli, cauliflowers, and kailf s. Caidiflow- 

 crs must have very rich ground, with much manure 

 lying in the trenches below the roots. Guano-water 

 is an excellent liquid manure for them. 



Transplant and sow for Sunmier-hearting cabbage. 

 Sow some Dutch seed of red cabbage, and green- 

 cui-lcd savoy, for Michaelmas. 



Sow the best French lettuce seeds, round spinach, 

 aud repeat this, in small quantity, every three weeks 

 henceforth : in the meanwhile, the Winter prickly- 

 spmach will yield freely for some months, if the 

 weather prove showery. 



The true Spanish onions for large bulbs, and the 

 Strasburg for more common kitchen use, should be 

 sown early, in deep aud rich ground. Leeks are 

 sown to be transi)lanted. 



To produce good radishes, the ground must be 

 light and rich, with moisture and warmth suflicicut 

 to push them on rapidly— a frame aud lights are al- 



ways advantageous. A sprinkling of Dutch turnip; 

 a little celery for succession. Small salading, nas- 

 turtiums for pickle, parsley, basil, and pot-herba, 

 namely, fennel, dill, borage, burnet, sorrel, are to be 

 sown during the month. 



Plant mint, thyme, sage, marjoram, lavender, rose- 

 mary, and rue. 



Get in early potatoes; none surpass the ash-lcaved 

 kidneys; the second early, as the Champion, pro- 

 lific, aud others that ripen in August ; and, avoiding 

 manure, select or prepare peaty or sandy ground, if 

 po.ssibl?. The disease prevails less on poor dry soils 

 than on richer grounds ; thence the mildew may con- 

 stitute a cause of the disease. 



FRUITS. 



Prune fruit trees and currant bushes ; mulch the 

 roots, aud prepare the Summer-growth. Dig the 

 ground between the rows, and cover with compost 

 of leafy dung. Do the same round the rhubarb 

 plants. 



FLOWERS. 



Sow hardy annuals after the middle of the month, 

 as pinks — including the Indian kind — larkspur, and 

 mignonette -. the half-hardy are raised in frames. 

 Herbaceous plants may be set or divided, and put 

 into new situations. 



Cut box; plant edgings; turn over gi-avel, or put 

 down fresh ; sweep lawns ; and keep all things iu a 

 neat clean order. 



Uave a pit, bricked or cemented, to receive all 

 vegetable refuse, straws and horse -droppings— baled 

 over by liquids and soap-suds from the kitchen, A 

 good manure may be got by careful collecting. 



