130 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
these nurseries of weeds at this season, your stock 
of certain Tile E.ort8 may run out. But if all brush 
and weeds be cut up clean, the ground plowed and 
planted with potatoes, with no manure but lime 
plowed in and, perhaps, ashes in the hill, and if 
it be kept well tilled until the vines cover the 
ground, the weeds will be very likely to disappear. 
Hemp.— Sow 1 bushel to 5 pecks of heavy, bright, 
last year's seed to the acre, on good wheat soil ; 
harrow in and roll. It is better to sow in drills if 
the soil be smooth, particularly if you are belated. 
For seed, hemp is best sown in hills about 3K to 4 
feet apart. About a dozen plants should start in 
each hill, which thin to 3 or 4 thrifty plants, and 
after blossoming, to 1 or 2 good female plants. 
Horses. — Do not let young mares or spirited ones 
in foal and near their time run together, lest in 
play they over- exert themselves. Give generous 
fare, but not corn or corn meal alone; steamed 
oats, bran, or shorts wet up are preferable. When 
the foal is dropped, a bran mash may be given, and 
a feed of oats and good hay ad libitum, unless grass 
is abundant. If the mare be at pasture, either pro- 
vide protected shelter, or bring her to the stable, 
when cold storms threaten. The weather of the 
last of the month is usually favorable for castra- 
tion of yearlings, or two-year-olds — an operation, 
however, unnecessary in some cases, which we 
deprecate for farm horses and for those required 
for army use. Much of the courage, endurance, 
and power of the horse is lost in the gelding. 
Irrigation. — Its advantages are second only to 
those of draining, and in combination with it its 
effects are astonishing. Study to secure means for 
establishing a partial, if not thorough system. 
Lucerne. — Sow in drills on good soil (old corn 
ground), underdrained, or with an open sub-soil. 
Weeds must not be allowed to smother or stint the 
growth of the young plants the first year. On rich 
land the cropof hay is immense, — i to 6 tons from 
three or four cuttings and nearly equal to clover hay. 
i Manure. — Turn every thing corruptible to ac- 
count. Lead road washings upon land adjoining, 
and provide for its extensive distribution. Liquid 
Manure. — The valuable of soluble manure dissolv- 
ed in much water and applied by irrigation or 
sprinkling to the grass crop is very great. Set a 
tank or cement cistern in the barn-yard which will 
catch the wash of the yard and receive other sup- 
plies of water if needed. Provide pump and 
sprinkling cart for distributing it. Bring to the re- 
quired strength by pumping it over and allowing it 
to leach through a manure heap, or by diluting with 
water. Distribute freely over grass in any weather. 
Mowings. — The grass crop is worth in the aggre- 
gate much more than any other staple product of 
the United States. Use every means to increase it. 
Light dressings of salt, ashes, plaster, bone dust, 
refuse saltpeter, liquid manure, etc., often add 
greatly to the crop. 
Oats. — It is seldom desirable to sow oats after the 
first week in May. If they must be sown late, sow 
two bushels of peas to the acre with them, and cut 
and cure the whole for fodder if the oats fill poorly. 
Onions. — See notes in April and in Onion book. 
Has. — See the article on page 107, in last number. 
Parsnips. — Sow for field culture in rich, deep soil, 
in drills 20 inches apart, and drop the seeds 2 inches 
apart in the drills, to be subsequently thinned to 2 
plants to the running foot. A very valuable feed 
for milch cows coming in in spring, before grass 
starts, and during winter. They require no storage, 
as they keep well in the soil, and can be dug for 
use whenever the frost is out of the ground. 
Plowing. — If possible, deepen the soil by run- 
ning the plow an inch deeper than before, and sub- 
soil when practicable. Thus you save your crops 
from the worst effects of drought. 
Poultry. — We might fill our journal every month 
with testimony showing that a good poultry house 
and great care of the chickens pays better than 
almost any other expenditure of labor on the farm. 
Pumpkins.— The corn field is not the only place 
on the farm where pumpkins will grow. Planted 
in well prepared holes, 3 feet in diameter, on sunny, 
stony banks, or in spots where the grass cannot 
be ciit, an* cultivation of other crops is difficult, 
much good fruit may be secured. They do well by 
themselves in hills 5 to 6 feet apart each way. 
Soot Crop. — See note on parsnips. Mangel 
Wurtzel and Sugar Beet seed should be well soak- 
ed, rolled in plaster to dry them, and sowed with a 
good drill, in rows 2 feet apart. Have the seeds 
dropped thickly, and afterward thin mangel wur- 
zels to 8 inches, and sugar beets to 6 inches 
apart, at least. The sowing of Rutabagas may well 
be delayed until the first to the middle of June. 
Sheep. — Give early lambs generous diet, so as to 
have them ready for the butcher by green pea time. 
Where sheep will not do serious damage to the 
grass by feeding it off close too early, they will gnaw 
down the bushes very thoroughly, and thrive upon 
the diet. Shear without washing, for the various 
reasons enumerated on page 139. 
Soiling. — See article in this number on page 141. 
Sorghum. — Plant in hills or drills 3% feet apart, 
the latter preferable usually, the plants being thin- 
ned to 8 to 10 inches apart, or to 5 in a hill. Soak 
the seed nearly to sprouting, roll in plaster, and 
plant a little earlier than corn. It bears transplant- 
ing and may therefore be sown in protected beds and 
transplanted. Soil and culture same as field corn. 
Swine. — Keep as many as can be quartered com- 
fortably in a pen under cover, to work over sods, 
muck or peat, weeds, etc., supplied every few days ; 
encourage them to work diligently by dropping 
handfuls of corn into holes made by a crow bar. 
There will be little or no corn wasted. Working 
hogs should not be" rung" or "tamed" till fatting. 
Tobacco. — Water the seed bed with liquid manure, 
pull weeds that show themselves, prepare sbil by 
plowing in all the stable manure, home-made pou- 
drette, fish compost, etc., you can afford, and make 
it rich in some way. Bone dust, ashes, and gypsum, 
in pretty liberal quantities, will be found beneficial. 
Harrow the ground if weeds start, so as to kill 
them and induce the starting of others before the 
plants are set out— next month. 
Tools. — Numerous valuable improvements in farm 
implements have been brought out recently. To 
be able to designate all the best, one would have to 
devote himself entirely to their study, or be liable 
to do great injustice. Farmers must, to a consider- 
able extent, investigate and decide for themselves. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
At the time of making up the Calendar it looks 
as if much of the work of planting would be de- 
ferred until May. The taking up and planting of 
trees can be continued until the buds have started 
into growth. Of course nursery stock which is to 
be packed and sent to any great distance, should 
be as dormant as possible. In well regulated nur- 
series, enough to meet all probable demands is 
taken up and heeled in, and thus kept back. Trees 
which have been a long time in transportation are 
apt to become either dried, or heated and caused 
to start. If planted out without; any previous 
preparation, a good share will be lost, while with a 
little care all may be saved. In case of shriveled 
trees, remove them from the packing, open a trench 
and bury the whole, roots, tops, and all, and leave 
them several days or a week. When taken out 
they will be found plump and as good as new. 
When from heating, the buds have started into 
growth, they will sometimes put out sickly 
shoots several inches long ; the only remedy is 
severe cutting back. Reduce the tree to a mere 
stake if need be, to insure a new and vigorous 
growth. The hints in Marck and April Calendars 
may be read again with profit, as there are many 
which are applicable now especially at the North. 
Budded Stocks. — If the buds are plump and 
sound, cut back the stock to within three inches of 
the bud. This leaves a convenient support for 
tying the new shoot to, after it starts into growth. 
Cuttings of currants and other shrubs and of 
quince and grape are to be put out in well worked, 
rich soil, taking care to press the earth firmly 
around the base of the cuttings. 
Evergreens. — These are best transplanted as they 
are making their growth. In all cases, great care 
should be taken that the roots do not become dry, 
for unlike other trees, they will never recover. 
When to be set out near the place from which they 
are taken, secure a good ball of earth, and if to he 
sent to a distance, put the roots immediately into 
damp moss. Hemlocks are usually more difficult 
to transplant than others. Wait until the young 
growth has made at least half an inch. Give vege- 
table mould, such as earth from the woods, or 
muck that has been weathered, to newly planted 
trees. The established ones will thank yon for a 
dressing of well decomposed manure. A few large 
stones placed over the roots are better than stakes. 
Grafting. — Full directions were given in March. 
If the cions were cut early and well preserved, the 
operation can be done this month as well as at any 
other time. When grafting is done late, care must 
be taken, in sawing off limbs, not to strip the bark. 
Heading Pack. — This should be done to those 
limbs which are inclined to outgrow their fellows. 
Dwarf pears are kept dwarf by cutting back the 
strong growth at least one-half. Peach trees should 
have one-third the previous year's growth removed. 
Insects. — The eggs deposited last year will soon 
produce their brood. Begin offensive operations 
at once, or it will soon be necessary to act on the 
defensive. Wipe out nests as soon as they are 
found, with a strong solution of potash upon a 
swab. As soon as millers or moths of any kind 
appear, set common kerosene or other lamps in 
pans of water about the orchard. The insects will 
dash against the chimnies and fall into the water. 
If the trunks of the trees have not already been 
washed with a strong solution of soft soap, do it 
now, on a damp day. Probe out the borers. 
Layering. — This maybe done now with last year's 
shoots of quince, ornamental shrubs, and all plants 
multiplied in this way. — See directions under Fruit 
Garden for treatment of grape viues. 
Mulching. — It will benefit all newly planted trees 
to give them a mulch of some kind to protect their 
roots during the dry time which frequeutly occurs 
in spring. Litter of any kind, tan, sawdust, or 
chips from the wood-yard, will answer. Give a 
covering over the surface as far as the roots extend. 
Orchards. — In properly managed orchards, there 
will be no work for anything but the knife. If 
large limbs must be taken off, leave them until 
summer. In cultivating orchards, especially young 
ones, do it for the benefit of the trees rather than 
for profit from the crop. Hoed crops of a charac- 
ter which will not exhaust the soil, may be bene- 
ficial rather than otherwise. Keep them however 
aj a good distance from the roots of the trees. 
Peaches and Apricots. — These and other stone 
fruits, as Almonds, Nectarines, and Cherries may 
still be set out, if they have not started too much. 
Peach Trees. — Apply ashes and attend to borers, 
as directed last mouth. 
Pears. — Plant dwarfs in the garden and standards 
for orchard culture. Head back last year's growth 
aud allow no fruit to grow during the first season. 
Plow. — Use the plow and cultivator between nur- 
sery rows, aud keep ahead of weeds. Pad the ends 
of the whiffletrees to avoid injuring the trees. Al- 
low no careless hand to plow in orchard or nursery. 
Seed-beds. — Seeds of trees and shrubs should be 
sown as soon as the ground is ready. Most seed- 
lings of forest trees, and those of evergreens espe- 
cially, need shading during their early growth, as 
recommended in February, on page 50. 
Stocks. — Those grafted during the winter are to 
be put out, with a dibble, or by opening a trench. 
Kitclien Garden. 
Work presses here and the question is, what to do 
first. Rather large experience has shown us that 
nothing is gained by hurrying the work in advance 
of the season. It takes a certain length of time for 
the ground to get into a suitable condition. It 
must drain, settle, and warm, before most seeds can 
be sown. Any previous preparations, such as 
draining, trenching, etc., which will promote these 
changes, will now be appreciated. Many of the 
hints given in the April Calendar will be timely 
now. It should be borne in mind that these re- 
marks are always written on a sort of sliding scale, 
with the previous and following month in view, 
