isus. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
435 
for the sake of economy of fodder and in the pro- 
duction of manure. Wo have repeatedly said, pine 
lumber is ti great deal cheaper than hay as a means 
of warming tock, for fodder is little besides fuel, 
to maintain the internal heat in exposed animal--. 
Eorses.—We do not believe in keeping horses ns 
warm as other stock in the •winter. Always rah 
down and blanket one that comes in wet or tired. 
Never expose a liorse to drafts of air, or let him 
stand in the wind, if it can be helped, and if obliged 
Lo leave horses in the wind always blanket them. Tn 
the Btable, pull off the blanket soon after * liorse is 
cooled off. V horse ought to have a good portion 
..I hay daily. High feeding without it gives him a 
neater barrel, but ii is unnatural diet, and of course 
altllfnl. The good grooming and regular 
care and exercise of city horses, and those fed in 
the same way, make good in a measure the defects 
Of this diet, while fanners' horses, that live on dry 
hay and corn stalks the winter through, and are 
only brushed <>tl"a little, to get the hay seed out of 
their foretops, Sundays, remain healthy (if they do) 
on account of their more natural fare. 
..;„.;, „..— As a rule, kill family pork when the 
weather hoe imes cold enough. It requires so 
much more feed to make a pound of pork in cold 
weather than when it is mild, that it will not pay 
to continue the fattening. Market hogs, if they 
have warm quarters, may be held for a short time if 
the markets are crowded, but it generally pays bet- 
ter to hold pork for a lew days rather than swine, 
if the weather be cold, so that it will keep well. 
S6 y -Feed so as to keep them gaining: if fat- 
tening, feed pretty freely, being careful that none 
get too much, and mine too little grain. A sheep 
overfed a few days is apt to gel seriously off its 
feed and run back BO that it will hardly recover its 
former stand all winter. Litter the yards freely. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Bv the Almanac, this month closes the year. To 
the horticulturist there is no such abrupt division of 
time; each month is linked with that which pre 
ceded it, and with that which shall follow, and at 
present he is much more inclined to look forwards 
than backwards. It is always well to look back a 
month or two and see if our notes do not suggest 
something that lias been left undone— or forward a 
month, which will require turning to last January's 
number, to find if matters are not indicated there 
which can be more favorably done now- than at any 
other time. While we would not disregard the les- 
ions of our successes or our failures, wc mainly 
look towards the New Year in our plans for work. 
Snows and bad weather stop out-of-door labor, and 
we congratulate ourselves that at this season there 
is time to read, and think, and discuss. 
Orchard and Nursery. . 
Wherever the condition of the soil will allow, ma- 
nure, plow, and subsoil, and prepare for planting. 
Ucelnl-in Tries should be made all safe for winter. 
If there is any danger of water settling around the 
roots, make a ditch to carry it off, and if, in the 
hurry of hccling-in, the roots were not thoroughly 
covered, bank them up well with earth. Put no 
straw or other litter over the limbs, to harbor mice. 
Domestic Animals often do much damage to trees, 
especially young ones. Good fences and weli- 
closed gates are a preventive against these, as well 
as those human vandals who think it their right to 
disregard roads when there is snow on the ground. 
ifice. — Various devices have been given to keep 
off these vermin — wrapping the tree with cloth or 
tarred paper, or surrounding it by a cylinder of tin, 
sheet iron, or two horse-shoe tiles, and putting a 
mound of earth around the tree about a foot high. 
If the soil of the orchard is light, clay or stiff loam 
is sometimes carted on for the purpose. Clear 
away weeds and litter of all kinds from around the 
tree, and if the earth protection is used, trample 
{he snow hard after each fall. 
Jtabbits. — Use traps and guns. Sprinkling the 
trees v.ilh blood is said to he effectual, as is the 
above-mentioned use of tarred paper. Laths bound 
on with annealed wire are also used. 
Water should not stand upon the surface ; open 
ditches to let off such accumulations. 
Old Orchards are better pruned in winter than to 
be neglected altogether. Old and decaying limbs 
arc to be cut out altogether, as well as those that 
crowd one another. Others arc to be headed back 
to get a new growth. Where large cuts are made 
they should be covered With melted grafting wax. 
Ciona, for root-grafting this winter, or stock- 
grafting in the spring, may i ut wherever the 
wood is not frozen. Label carefully after tying in 
convenient bundles. Sawdust is the best material 
for packing. Where there arc but few they will 
keep well iu a close tin box, or tight glass jar, witli 
no packing, if kept iu a cellar or other cool place. 
Manure may be applied to the orchard. Good rich 
compost is the best. Long or littery manure should 
never be put near small trees, to harbor mice. 
Fruit. — Watch that in the fruit room or cellar, 
aud as its period of ripening approaches, bring it 
into a warm room to finish the process. Scud off 
fruit to market before softening begins. 
Jtoot-t/raftiny may occupy the time when out-door 
work cannot be done. It ii_best to work at but 
one variety at a time, to avoid mixing. 
What to Plant may well be considered iu time. 
Get all possible neighborhood experience. Duriug 
the winter, especially at the West, there will be 
numerous pomological meetings; attend these, if 
possible, hear discussions, see fruits, and talk witli 
fruit growers. Read works on pomology, and he 
able to make an intelligent selection of fruits for 
spring planting, for home use, or for marketing. 
Labeh.--A good stock of these should be made 
during the winter months, — some notched to receive 
a wire by which to fasten them to trees, and others 
pointed at one end to enter the earth. Have one 
side, at least, smooth. Fine will last one season in 
the ground ; if desired for a longer time, use cedar. 
Smear the place to be written on with white lead 
paint or linseed oil, and write with a soft pencil. 
Fruit Garden. 
The eare of trees in the fruit garden is the same 
as mentioned for young trees in the orchard. 
Bush and Pyramid Trees must not be allowed to 
become injured by accumulations of suow. 
Protection is to he given to all plants requiring it. 
Raspberries of the tender sorts are to be covered 
with earth, as are grape vines where protection is 
needed. Cover the earth around strawberry plants, 
but do not cover the plants themselves too heavily. 
Straw, bog-hay, or corn-stalks arc used for this 
purpose, and when it can be obtained, " Pine 
straw," or fallen pine leaves, answers. 
Grape Vines. — Finish up the pruning in mild 
weather. Save such wood as is needed for propa- 
gation. See last month's notes on pruning. 
Kitchen Garden. 
Crops that have been harvested should be looked 
after and made secure, and roots, celery, etc., in 
pits and trenches have a covering proportioned to 
the severity of the weather. 
Parsnips, Horseradish, and Salsify. — A good por- 
tion of the crop of these is usually left in the 
ground, to be dug in early spring or during mild 
spells in the winter. By covering the beds with 
litter the freezing up may be postponed, aud the 
season of digging prolonged. 
Spinach, Kali Leeks, and other crops left in the 
ground in Northern localities need a covering of 
straw, leaves, or some other similar matter. 
Cabbages. — Cover the inserted heads with earth, 
if not already done. The earth should he about six 
inches deep over the heads, and the edges pointed 
and smoothed with a spade so as to shed rain. 
CM Frames must not on mild days be allowed to 
become hot frames. There will be but few days 
on which the plants will not need air, and many 
on which the sash may be kept off until night. 
Toots. — Many conveniences of the garden may be 
made during the winter. Arrange for a tool-house 
in some convenient place, if there is not one already. 
Manure is the gardener's main care iu winter. 
Every town and village allows valuable fertilizers 
to go to waste, as does almost every farm. Have 
an eye to the various factories, breweries, and the 
like, in the neighborhood, and see what their wa ste 
products arc. It often happens that good fertiliz- 
ers may be had for the expense of carting. 
Seeds. — If any are not put away, thrash or rub 
out, label, and put in a safe place. Overhaul old 
stock, and keep none, the vitality or identity of 
which is doubtful. Those who purchase largely 
should be prepared to order early, as some kinds, 
seedsmen inform us, are likely to be very scarce. 
Flower Garden ;m«l Law*. 
There is usually more or less clearing \\f to be 
done of the remains of those vines and herbaceous 
plants which, after a long struggle, have at last 
yielded to heavy frosts. Take timely care of 
Trellises, and all supports of a movable character. 
They should be put under cover, and permanent 
ones repaired and painted, if they require it. 
Bulb Beds, whether new or old, if not already 
covered, should he protected by coarse manure. 
Protection, with a covering ot earth, will enable 
many half-hardy Roses, Wistarias, etc., to winter 
safely much further north than they would if left 
exposed upon the trellises. 
Herbaceous Perennials, such as Pceonies, Phloxes, 
Dicentras, and the like, come out all the better in 
spring for a forkful of manure as a winter blanket. 
Half-hardy Shrubs, deciduous as well as ever- 
green, do much better with some cedar boughs tied 
or stuck around them, than in the old way of bun- 
dling them in straw, and with less | rouble. 
,S'ho«i will often break down or bond out of shape 
evergreens and dense masses of shrubbery. Shake 
out the snow before it becomes ley. 
Rustic Work affords pleasant occupation for the 
winter. Scats for the garden should be solid and 
substantial. Vases and baskets ought to display 
taste without being painfully elaborate in design. 
Cold Frames, in which Roses, Verbenas, and other 
half-hardy plants are stored for the winter, will need 
careful management. These plants will endure a 
low temperature, and even a slight freezing, pro- 
vided they are perfectly dormant. Endeavor to 
preserve an uniformly low temperature, by airing 
by day and covering at night. 
Chrysanthemums that have been potted for house- 
blooming should he cut back when they have pass- 
ed out of flower, and the pots stored in a cellar or 
shed, if it is desirable to preserve the roots for 
spring propagation. They arc easily multiplied. 
Green and Hot-Houses. 
Heat, air, water, and insects, are the principal 
things to be managed in this department. 
Heat must of course be governed by the nature 
of the plants. Amateurs are apt to keep the house 
too warm, especially at night. There should be 
about 15° difference between the day and night 
temperature, the change being gradual. 
Air is to be <iiven whenever the outside temper- 
ature will allow the ventilators to be opened 
Water.— The frequency with which this will be 
required will depend upon the temporature. Where 
the house is large enough to warrant it, a force 
pump and hose will save much labor in watering. 
Insods. — Tobacco smoke is the main reliance to 
kill the green fly, and the red spider has a honor 
of showering. The thumb and finger will do much. 
Bulbs in pots should be brought from their cool 
quarters, a few at a time, for a succession. 
Sods. — The basis of good potting soil is well-de- 
composed sods. These may be collected now in a 
mild spell, and stacked up, laying the grass sides 
together, to decay. This is a stock of which one 
can hardly have too much, and the heap of it 
should he increased at every favorable opportunity. 
