CALENDAIUAL INDEX. 



1235 



FmtrOi week: the yellowhammer (Embertza Citrtnfella) and 

 |[reen wood-pecker (i^cus vfridia) slnjj ; rooks, ravens (Corvi), 

 and house pigeons (C'olumba;) bnild ; the goldfinch (fringi'lla 

 Cardudlis) sings. Field-crickets (icarabaj'i) open Uieir holes ; 

 and the common flea (Pdlex irritans) appears. 



2. Calendar of Vegetable Nature round London. 

 In the first week : various species of the pine, larch, and fir 



tribe in full flower; the rosemary (Hosmarinus officinalis), the 

 willow (Ai'alix) and bay (Laiirus nobilis) in blossom ; various 

 trees and shrubs beginning to open their buds. 



Second week; the common honeysuckle { Lonic&ra Pericl/me- 

 num), and some roses In leaf; cSdcus vdmus, and other sub- 

 species, and some ScfUae in flower. Pilewort (Ficaria), and 

 creeping crowfoot (/ianunculus ripens), Hepatica, and elder 

 (^'ambticus nigra), sometimes in leaf. 



Third week ; Saxffraga oppositif olia, Draba v6ma, Mphne 

 (><Sntica,and collina ; and ionic^ra nigra, in flower. 



Fourth week: the peach, nectarine, apricot, C(5rchorus ja- 

 pdnicus, PJrus japdnica, crown imperial, i'axlfraga crassifblia, 

 uxus sempervirens, and other plants, in warm iituations, in 

 flower, or just advancing to that state. 



3. Fartn-yard. (2902.) 



Wintering cattle should be liberally supplied with food from 

 this time, till they can be wholly turned to grass : as straw and 

 hay gets drier at this season, more should be given, and the 

 supply of turnips, or other roots, rather increased than dimi- 

 nished. Where oil cake, brewers' grains, and similar articles 

 can be obtained, they are va'uable auxiliaries. Fatting cattle 

 (6852.) and milch cows (6863.) require continued attention to 

 food, cleanliness, and moderate exercise. Working horses 

 must be kejJt in good condition ; if they fall off now, they will 

 not recover themselves for several months. Potatoes may now 

 be cut into sets preparatory for next month. 



4. Live Stock. (6216.) 



Sheep now drop their lambs freely ; and none pay better 

 than such as are turnip fed at this time, and finished off in 

 April, on forward pasture. As turnips begin to run to flower 

 about this time, they are apt to prove more than usually laxa- 

 tive, and therefore the stock s 

 an extra supply of hay. 



5. Grass Lands. {5QiQ.) 



Meadows intended for mowing (57C8.) should now be shut 

 up, their surface having been freed from stones or other extra- 

 neous matters, the furrows or water gutters made completely 

 eflective, and, if the weather will permit, the surface bush-har- 

 rowed, and rolled. Mejidows which have been flooded during 

 winter will, in favourable situations, show a considerable croji 

 of grass by the beginning of this month. Turn off the water a 

 week or ten days, till the surface gets firm ; then feed with 

 ewes and lambs, giving a little hay in the evening. Calves may 

 also be turned on these mendows, but nothing lieavier. The 

 best mode is to hurdle off the grass in strips, in the manner of 

 eating turnips or clover in the places of tneir growth. Moles 

 (7631.) and worms (7704.) are best destroyed at this season. 



6. Arable Lands. (4925.) 



There are few hardy seeds, whether of agriculture or garden- 

 ing, that may not be committed to the soil during this month. 

 Spring wheat of the common kind (5001.) may still be sown ; 

 but if possible, not later than the middle of the month ; oats 

 {5120.y. rve (5069.), barley (5080.), canary corn (5169.), buck- 

 wheat (6111,), beans (.5222.>, peas (5121.), tares (5257.), &c. 



allvl 

 applied with them sliotild have 



Clovar and rye grass (5621.) may now be eown .'uiotsr yotBig 

 wheats after naked fallows, or among spring com in lands m 

 good heart and fine tilth. 



Field lieet (5482.), carrots (5443.), parsneps (5471.), and 

 Swedish turnips should be sown the last fortnight of llie njontli, 

 provided the land is dry enouRh to be sutHciently cleaned, and 

 nulverised to the depth of at least a foot. It more fieoutntly 

 happens that this cannot be got done till the beginning of^ April, 

 and hence tills class of seeds is seldom got in before the mid- 

 dle of that month. The carrots should be first sown, and the 

 Swedish turnip will bear to be the latest. Lands intended for 

 potatoes, carriages, turnip.^, transplanted Swedish turnip, anil 

 other plants of the Brissica kind should be brought forward by 

 such ploughings, cross p!oughings,and workings with the gi-ub- 

 ber, as their nature and state may require. It is one great ad- 

 vantage of the common white turnip, that it admits of two 

 months more time for preparing the soil than other root or 

 Crds.sica crops. Summer or wheat fallows require at least te 

 furrow in course of the month. 



7. Fences (2960.) Roads {359^.), and Drains. (4213.) 

 Thorns and other hedge plants may be put in, but the earlier 



in the month the business is completed the better. This is an 

 excellent season for making or repairing roads (3727.), drains, 

 ponds, embankments, &c., the ground being still moist, and the 

 days sufficiently long to admit of a man's labouring ten hours, 

 or from six to six. In January, the ground is often too tvet, or 

 frozen, or covered with snow, and the days too short for advan- 

 tageous day labour. In July and August the ground is too dry 

 and hard for spade work, and day labour high on account c tUu 

 proximity of hay. time and harvest. 



8. Orchards (4079.) and Hop Grounds. (5997.) 

 Finish pruning fniit-trtes (4111.), and also digging round 



their stems, if that is practised. (4119.) Where young orchards 

 are grazed, see that the guards or fences to the single trees are 

 in repair. 



Form plantations of hops (5997.), and oiien up and dress the 

 hills of established plants, returning the mould to their ruot<>. 

 (6025.) 



9. Wood-lands and Plantations. (3906 ) 



In the tree nursery, finish sowing acorns, keys, nuts, mast, 

 berries, stones. Sow also the Ugnter trees, as poplar seed 

 (where it can be got), willow, birch, alder, elm, &c. Trans- 

 plant from the seed bed, or from narrow to broader intervals, 

 and attend to other paits of the usual routine culture. 



New planiatimit may still be planted, endeavouring if possible 

 to finish putting in deciduous trees with the month ; using the 

 puddle in dry weather (.3940.), and fixing by water. (3952.) 

 Where large trees are introduced, the latter generally require 

 to be staked. 



Evergreens of the harder kindR,as the Scotch pine, spruce fir, 

 &r. may be transplanted in the last week of the month, but not 

 safely before. They are often put in during aiw of the winter 

 months, but the result shows the impropriety of the practice. 



Fill up blanks (3983.) in young plantations anil hedges, and 

 fell timber, cut over coppice woods, and thin out young woods 

 as in last month. When plantations are to be raised from seed 

 where they are to remain for timber (3926.), this is the month 

 for most seed, but April is better for the pine and fir tribe. 

 Sow the others in the second or third week of the month ; and 

 If resinous trees are to be mixed, a sprixikling of Uieir seedk can 

 be sown over the others in April. 



APRIL. 



1. Calendar of Animated Nature round London. 

 In the firet week: the viper (Cdluber bdrus) and woodlouse 



(Onfecus ^sellus) appear ; the misseltoe thrush (Tvirdus viscf- 

 vorus) pairs ; frogs (itance) croak and spawn, and moths (Pha- 

 Ite'na;) appear. 



Second week : the stone curlew (Charhdrius (Edion^mus) cla- 

 mours ; young frogs (fiana temporiria) appear. The pheasant 

 (Phasianus) crows, the trout (Siilmo Tnlita) rises, and spiders 

 (/Ir&neffi) abound. 



Third week : the crested wren (JV/otacflla Rfegulus) sings ; the 

 blackbird (Turdus J/erula), raven (C<5rvus C6rax), pigeon (C'o- 

 lumba doraestica), hen (Phasianus Gillus), and duck (^'nas 

 bc5scha) sit; variou> insects appear; and the feldfare (Turdus 

 pilkris) is still here. 



Fourth week .- the swallow (/Tinindo riSstica) returns ; the 

 nightingale (ATotacflla Luscfnia) sings ; the bittern [A'Tdea ro- 

 tellaria) makes a noise; the house martin (ffinindo lirbica) 

 appears ; the blackcap (MotacfUa Atricapflla) wliistles ; and 

 the common snake (Cdluber iVatrix) appears. 



2. Calendar of Vegetable Nature round London. 

 In the first week: the daffodil (iVarcfssus Pseiido-narcfssus), 



the garden hyacinth (Hyacinthu* orientalis), the wallflower 

 (Cheirdnthus Cheiri), the cowslip (Primula officinalLs), the peri- 

 winkle (Klnca), sloe (Primus spinosa), and various other herbs 

 and trees in flower. 



Second week: the ground-ivy (Glech6ma Aedericea), gentia- 

 nfeUa (Genti^n/x acaiilis), PulmonJiria virglnica, the auricula, 

 ib^ris sempervirens, Omphalddes verna, and most of the com- 

 mon fruit-trees and finiit-shrubs in flower. 



Third week: some RoWnza, Andrrfmedff, K4Imj>, and other 

 American shrubs ; Daphne Laur^ola, L'lmus campestris.Chry- 

 sospl^nium oppositlfoUum, Mercuiialis perennis, and other 

 plants in flower. 



Fourth week : the beech (Fkgus) and elm (U'lmus) in flower : 

 ivy-berries drop from the racemes ; the larch in leaf, and the 

 tulip and some white narcissi and fritillaries in flpwer. 



3. Farm.yard. (2902) 



This month will in most situations terminate the wintering 

 of cattle in the straw-yard. Straw is now very dry, therefore 

 tumi|)S, or other green food or roois, should be added in pro- 

 portion. 



Horses should be kept in high order, on account of the hard 

 work and extra exertion often required of them during this 

 month. If there are carrots or i>ofatoes to steam for them 

 once a day, that will greatly aid hay and com ; if not, steam a 

 part of the hay- 



The accidental supplies of food for store pigs and poultry are 

 less abundant during this month, because less time can be 

 spared for threshing. Theie are fewer wintering cattle, and 

 the yards are generally now cleaned out for the field dung- 

 hills. 



4. Live Stock. (6216.) 



The end of this month is a good time for mares to foal (C629.), 

 and they should have the horse accordingly. (6631.) Attend 

 at the proper periods, first to mo<terate working, and then to 

 entire ease before foaling time. (6641.) 



Cows must still be well fed with roots or steamed food, within 

 doors, letting them taste the grass occasionally towards the end 

 of the month. (6863.) 



Sheep and lambs generally require a good deal of .-artificial 

 food during the first half of this month. When the turnips are 

 expended, clover hay, grains of barley which have been malted, 

 rape cake, or linseed cake, are the r.ext ri sources. (6094.) 

 About the end of the month they may he turned on the iKt- 

 turcs, and then it is that mutton generally drops in price:- a 

 hint to the farmer to sell all he can in the early part of April. 



4 K 2 



