MONTHLY CALENDAR 277 



needed, and that which remains will grow all the better. 

 Old apple trees that have badly decayed trunks or are 

 of the cider-apple variety make the best of fire-wood 

 and should be cut down. They are only breeders of 

 insects, and the other varieties would be much improved 

 by destroying them. The greatest fuel value is obtained 

 from wood that is cut and split while green, allowed to 

 dry a little while, and then put into a dry, open shed to 

 season. Hickory, oak, maple, chestnut, and pine are 

 valuable in the order given. A gasoline engine or even 

 horse power will help make quick work of the wood- 

 pile. (Fig. 93.) 



Lumber. If there are large trees in the wood lot and 

 a saw-mill in the vicinity, it will be economy at the 

 present high price of lumber to have some of them cut 

 for lumber for repairs or new buildings. A few boards 

 and some dimension stuff for sills, studs, etc., will always 

 find a use about the country home. 



The Flower Garden. Little can be done here this 

 month. Study the catalogues, make plans, and order 

 what seeds and plants are desired. 



Greenhouses and Sash. The work of raising plants for 

 outside growth is going on in the Middle States and will 

 begin in earnest at the North the last of the month. 

 Many flower seeds like verbenas, pansies, Drummond 

 phloxes, etc., may be sown under glass for early out-door 

 blooming. 



Orchard. As with the ornamentals, pruning in the 

 orchards should be pushed. The old worthless apple 

 trees in the pastures and by the roadsides should be cut 

 down and put into the wood-pile. Keep in mind that 

 pruning from the top forces growth near the ground 

 where the fruit can be easily gathered and where spray- 

 ing can be cheaply done, while pruning from the trunk 

 up forces growth to the tops of the trees where fruit can- 



