1869.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
119 
■while to repeat them. Be especially solicitous that 
breeding stock of all kinds have good feed and care. 
Working animals must be well fed. They ought to 
be thoroughly and frequently groomed, — both oxen 
and horse*. Milch cows will give more throughout 
the season if supplied during the period between 
the time they "come in" and "grass," with suc- 
culent feed — roots, grain sown for soiling, etc. 
Tools. — We are apt to neglect to get hand tools 
until we want to use them. It is a poor plan, but 
it is not followed by such risks and inconveniences 
as when we delay getting mowing machines and 
other heavy implements in the same way. The lat- 
ter ought to be ordered at once. In buying hand 
tools, get such as are adapted to the soil and the 
work ; men ought to accustom themselves to use 
the tools fittest for their labor. The tendency to 
employ steel instead of iron, and to make tools 
light, springy, tough, and sharp, rather than heavy, 
is to be encouraged. There is a great saving of 
labor in it. Keep all tools sharp, clean, and free 
from rust. Have a box at the tool-house door 
with a peck of corn cobs in it, and half a dozen 
bunches of busks tied like little brooms, and a less 
number of little birch brushes as large around as 
one's wrist, so that there may be no excuse for dirty 
tools. Lard melted with a tenth part of its weight 
of rosin is the best application for keeping rust 
from hoe blades, plows, mowing machine knives 
and fingers, and all edge tQOls. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
To the inexperienced in such matters our advice 
to prepare soil for trees, etc., iu October and No- 
vember, and to order trees and seeds in February, 
may have seemed of but little weight; but now 
that the busy, working time has come, it will be 
found that every day that has been saved by heed- 
ing these hints is of great help. Now is the time 
when well-considered plans tell, and when the 
winter " head-work" shows its value. Most begin- 
ners in any branch of horticulture undertake too 
much at first. Au acre well planted and thorough- 
ly eared for will bring more in satisfaction or in 
money, than several acres done "with a lick and a 
promise." No one has a moral light to set out a 
tree or plant that is likely to be neglected. A slov- 
enly acre is an injury to all the property in the 
neighborhood. While work must be pressed at all 
points, do not try to "hurry the season." Land 
must settle aud dry before it can be worked, and 
should never be stirred unless it will crumble. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Preparation for planting aud setting the trees 
will, in most localities, be done this month. 
Injured Trees. — See last month's notes. If trees 
have become heated and the buds have started in 
the packages, prune them very severely. 
Pruning at Planting. — Much nonsense has of late 
been written on the disastrous effects of pruning 
young trees. If a tenth of the recorded bad results 
have been obtained, the cultivator had better go 
into some other business, aud let trees alone. See 
Dr. Hull's remarks on page 98, last month. 
Planting. — Holes should be made wide enough to 
receive all the roots of the tree properly spread out. 
Set the tree no deeper than it stood in the nursery, 
allowing for the settling of the recently disturbed 
soil. Fill in with fine top-soil, using no manure. 
Be careful to leave no holes among the roots unfill- 
ed; work the earth in with the fingers, separating 
all matted fibres, and use water from a watering-pot 
to carry it into the crevices. Make the soil firm 
over the roots by pressure with the foot. 
Xursery Botes. — If trees cannot be planted in the 
best manner, it will be better to set them in nursery 
rows until autumn. The distance apart is to be 
governed by their size. Give room enough to 
grow without crowding, and enough for thorough 
cultivation. Trees thus treated may be transplant- 
ed in autumn without difficulty. 
Grafting the plum and cherry may be done 
whenever the buds have not swollen. Other varie- 
ties may be worked much later. 
Pruning on nursery trees and small stock should 
be done before the buds open. Cut back the 
weakest branches the most severely. 
Budded Stocks are to be headed back, i. c, have 
the stock cut off above the bud which was put in 
last summer. This is done two or three inches 
above the insertion. When the buds have failed, 
the stock, if large enough, may be grafted ; remove 
the soil and graft below the surface in the collar. 
Bool- Grafts, as well as cuttings, are to be set as 
soon as the soil can be worked. Put the root-grafts 
iu rows four feet apart, or wide enough for the cul- 
tivator, and ten or twelve inches apart in the rows. 
Careful planting, to secure close contact between 
the soil and roots, is essential to success. 
Seeds. — Plant tree seeds of all kinds as soon as 
possible. An early growth, before hot weather 
comes on, is necessary to make good stems. 
Fruit <j»«r«leu. 
Early planting, as soon as the ground can bo put 
in order, is desirable. Those who grow fruit for a 
family supply should plant the well-tried and relia- 
ble varieties for their main crop. At the same time 
it is well to test such " novelties " as appear to 
promise well. These, if found desirable, can be 
readily propagated in any required quantity. We 
enumerate some varieties here ; descriptions of 
others arc found in catalogues and advertisements. 
Directions for planting were given last month. 
Blackberries. — The Kittatiuny has, on the whole, 
proved itself the best variety. Wilson's Early 
is a little earlier. New Roehelle is too tender. 
Baspberries. — The list is large. The Clarke is 
perhaps the hardiest of the red sorts. The Black- 
caps are becoming popular. The Improved or 
Doolittle is good, but exceeded in productiveness 
by the Mammoth Cluster, which is somewhat later. 
Currants. — : Versailles is the best red; the White 
Grape, the best white. Have plenty of currants. 
Gooseberries. — The native varieties arc the only 
ones to be relied upon. The Houghton, or Ameri- 
can Seedling, is one of the best. 
Grapes. — Plant good one-year or two-year-old 
vines. Concord is the generally reliable variety. 
There are many better sorts, some of which are local 
iu their success. Creveling, Iona, Delaware, Salem, 
Eumclan, and Diaua, are all good. The Ives is 
very hardy, and iu quality not superior to Concord. 
Strawberries. — The Wilson is the most generally 
reliable. Beyond this it is difficult to select. For 
heavy soils, we should try Jucunda, Triomphe 
de Gand, McAvoy's Superior, Charles Downing, 
etc., aud on light soils the Agriculturist. The 
number of varieties is so large, and success so va- 
riable in different localities, that it is not prac- 
ticable to make a list that would suit everywhere. 
Plants are cheap, aud it costs but little to experi- 
ment with a few sorts. 
Kitchen <jiai'den. 
Manure and thorough cultivation are the requi- 
sites to success, after good seed or good plants 
have been obtained. Notes on some of the newer 
vegetables will be found on page 138. We can here 
enumerate only some of the leading sorts. Some 
sub-tropical things omitted in the present enumer- 
ation will be given next month. While we have 
given here only a few standard varieties, we ad- 
vise the trial of novelties by those whose tastes 
and means allow them to do so. To us one of the 
great charms of gardening is the trial of varieties we 
have not before grown. Send to some reliable seeds- 
man fora catalogue, and make a selection of things 
for trial. See last month's, and previous numbers, 
for articles on hot-beds aud cold frames. In January 
notes, the distinction between hardy and tender 
vegetables is given. 
Plant in Bows as much as possible, if horse im- 
plements are to be used in cultivating. 
Seed-beds will be needed for such plants as are 
started in the open air, and then transplanted. The 
soil of these should be rich and light. 
Asparagus. — Remove the litter from old beds, 
and fork in the manure. Salt, at the rate of five 
bushels to theaere, is beneficial. Sowseed iu fifteen- 
inch rows, to get young plants. Conover's Colos- 
sal is said to be large and prolific. Make beds of 
year-old plants, setting them in well-manured soil, 
in two-foot rows, fifteen inches apart. 
Beans. — Plant as soon as danger of frost is over. 
Early Valentine is a standard sort. Fejee is highly 
commended. Plant in drills two feet apart. Leave 
Liinas until the ground is well warmed. 
Beets. — Sow in drills a foot apart, Bassano, 
Simon's Early Turnip, or other early sort. 
Carrots. — Shorthorn is best early. Sow as beets. 
Cabbage. — Transplant from cold frame or hot- 
beds ; make the rows two feet apart, and set the 
plants sixteen inches apart. Sow seeds in seed-bed. 
Wakefield and Little Pixie are good early ; Winnig- 
stadt, medium; Marblehead Drumhead, aud others, 
late, not forgetting the Savoys. Next month is 
soon enough for the late sorts. 
Cmdiflower. — Treatment the same as cabbage. 
Erfurt for early, and Lenormand for late, arc best. 
Celery. — Sow in seed-bed, Dwarf White, Solid, 
Boston Market, etc. The Turnip-rooted variety is 
sown the same. 
Com. — Early Dwarf Sugar, Farmers' Club, and 
Stowell, are all good. Mexican is the sweetest 
of all the varieties we have tested, though, being 
black, its appearance may be objected to. 
Cress or Peppergrass. — Sow the curled every week 
or two, in drills six or eight inches apart. 
Cucumbers. — Start on sods, as directed last month. 
White Spined is the best for table use ; Early Rus- 
sian, the earliest. 
Egg Plant. — Always started under glass. See last 
month. New York Improved is the standard. Black 
Pekin and Large White are both fine varieties. 
Horseradish. — Putting the sets in manured trench- 
es, and filling iu as the plant grows is a good way. 
Kohlrabi. — Sow in May and June, in 18-inch rows. 
Leek. — Sow in seed-bed ; the Flag is best. 
Lettuce. — Transplant from cold frame, a foot apart 
each way. Sow in seed-bed. Curled Silesia aud 
Simpson arc the earliest. See catalogues for nu- 
merous sorts. 
Onions. — See article on page 12(5. Put out sets 
of Top and Potato Onions, in fifteen-inch rows. 
Parsley. — Sow in cold frames; Curled is best. 
Parsnip. — The Hollow-crowned, the best. Sow 
in fifteen-inch drills. Use last year's seed only. 
Peas. — See page 138. By all means try dwarf sorts 
for family gardens. Among these the Little Gem is 
the best. Sow in drills a foot apart. For late sorts, 
choose from the catalogues. We have yet to see a 
better pea than the Champion of England. 
Peppers. — Sow in hot-bed, Squash for pickles, 
Sweet Mountain for stuffing, and other varieties. 
Potatoes. — The Early Rose is the best of all the 
earl}' potatoes generally obtainable. Those who 
feel the)' can afford the high price at which the 
seed is now sold should experiment with it. Early 
Goodrich was generally bad last year, but good 
heretofore. Dykcman is popular around New 
York. There are other early sorts offered. Early 
varieties only should go iu the garden. 
Bhubarb. — Fork plenty of manure into the bed, 
which can hardly be made too rich. Divide old 
roots, so as to have a bed to each piece, putting 
them four to six inches apart each way, according to 
the size of the variety. 
Salsify. — Sow fresh seed and treat like carrots. 
Spinach. — Sow the Round-leaved in eightecn-inch 
drills. Try the New Zealand later. 
Sweet Potatoes. — Start the tubers in hot-beds, for 
sprouting about the middle of the month. Lay them 
nearly touching on two inches of good compost, 
splitting the large ones lengthwise. When the 
buds begin to start, cover with an inch of compost. 
Nansemond is the best variety. 
Tomatoes. — Read all that has been said about the 
Marieties of Tomato, and then plaut Early Smooth 
Red for general crop, and try some of the newer 
