1SG'?.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Writing up these notes for the month, has one 
pleasant feature, for, dry as they may seem, they 
allow a little play to the imagination, and we often 
fancy ourselves as walking in the well kept gardens 
and orchards of our friends, and talking with them 
of the things of so much interest to both of us. 
We do not make up these hints for the professional 
gardener, for he needs nothing of the kind ; but to 
those to whom gardening is a recreation, and to those 
who follow it as adding much to their home com- 
forts, we have reason to know they are useful helps. 
They are intended to "j°g the memory" at the 
right time, and while they are not supposed to be 
full treatises upon the different branches of garden- 
ing, we are gratified to find that but few essentials 
are omitted. The enthusiastic cultivator, in what- 
ever department, will avail himself of the best re- 
corded experience, and have at least oue standard 
work upon his favorite topic. These notes always, 
among other things, have the farmers' garden in 
view, and we aim to interest our agricultural friends 
in horticultural matters. If we could induce every 
fanner who reads the Agriculturist to grow one kind 
of fruit or vegetable more than he now has, how 
great the aggregate increase of comfort that would 
result. Why should not your home be the pleasantest 
in all the neighborhood — yours, reader, we mean — 
your family the most contented, your children the 
most intelligent and refined? Did you ever think 
how far a few shade trees go towards converting 
a house into a home '? The comfort and health that 
grow upon currant bushes and strawberry patches, 
and what teachers and preachers are rosebushes and 
garden lilies ? It is pleasing to know how welcome 
we are in so many thousand homes, and to be told, 
as we often are, that these homes are happier for 
our coming. The Horticultural Department, in 
giving its New Tear's Greeting to both old and new 
friends, asks each duo of them to acknowledge this 
salutation by resolving to plant either one new fruit 
tree or shrub, one new garden vegetable, or one 
new ornamental flowering plaut or shrub. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Did you carefully plant an orchard last autumn, 
and thiuk there is nothing to do but wait for the 
fruit thereof? If so, in five years from now we 
shall have letters asking what is the matter with 
the orchard. The setting of a tree or plant of any 
kind involves a promise to take care of it. Unless 
these conditions are accepted, plant no more trees. 
Young Trees, from the beginning, need constant 
supervision. Were the trees properly planted, no 
stakes will be needed, but if from careless planting 
or accident, any tree has been thrown out of the 
perpendicular, straighten it up and tie it to a stake. 
Horses or Cattle often do much damage in young 
plantations, and must be kept out; indeed hogs are 
the only animals ever to be allowed in the orchard. 
There are some annoying wild animals. 
Rabbits are easily kept off by anything that is dis- 
tasteful to them. Blood is found to be as efficacious 
Its anything else, and is easily obtained and applied. 
A small sprinkling only is necessary. 
Mice will girdle small trees and shrubs. They 
work under cover, and all dead weeds and such rub- 
bish must lie removed from around the trees. 
Clasping the trees with a girdle of sheet iron or old 
tin, will be found to pay where mice are annoying. 
Tramp down loose snow. 
Drains should be opened on the surface, where- 
ever water accumulates upon the surface. In 
properly drained orchards this ought not to occur. 
Insects cau now be successfully headed off. The 
eggs of the Tent-caterpillar seem to be especially 
arranged with a view to their ready removal. If a 
swelling is seen near the end of a twig, it should be 
looked to, as it is likely that there, is a deposit of 
eggs glued in a band around it. These clusters arc. 
readily seen while the trees are leafless, and may 
be removed by the aid of a step-ladder, on trees of 
moderate size, and on larger ones a pair of shears 
may be arranged at the end of a pole to work by a 
string. Any time and labor required to remove 
these eggs will bo profitably expended. 
Cions are to- be cut at any time in winter when 
the trees are not frozen. Be careful to label every 
parcel. Saw-dust, fresh from the log, is the best 
possible material for preserving cions. Its amount 
of moisture is just that required to keep them from 
drying, and it is not sufficient to cause injury. It 
is preferable to sand, as the knife is not injured. 
Soot Graft at any time during winter, and set 
the grafted roots in boxes of sand or earth. In 
Nurseries, the young stock is to be headed back 
and brought into shape. Never let two limbs start 
so near together as to form a crotch. Make every 
preparation for the spring trade, and have all pack- 
ing material and labels ready for use. 
Manure may be carted out while the ground is 
frozen, and be ready to spread in spring. 
Labels on trees received from the nursery are, for 
safety, bound on tightly In this time of leisure go 
over the orchard and see that no strangulation can 
result from tight wires. 
Fruit Garden. 
The general remarks about orchard trees apply to 
Dwarf Trees in the garden. Some pear trees may 
be injured by lodging snow, which, if it remains 
iii the tree, may do mischief. Shake it out. If any 
Grape Vines were not pruned in autumn, do it 
now in mild spells, and do the same witli 
Currants and Gooseberries. — Keep the bush open 
and shorten in the new growth. Cuttings may be 
made of the primings by dipping the lower ends in 
mud and setting them in a cool cellar. See that the 
Winter Covering of strawberry and other plants 
is not blown or washed off. If leaves are used, they 
may require a little soil to be thrown over them. 
Kitchen Garden. 
The work here is that uninteresting one of prepa- 
ration. There is actual work to be done, and there 
is thinking to be done. Are you growing the best 
and the earliest variety of every kind ? Those who 
grow for market, look to earliness as the first essen- 
tial, while those who provide only for home use, 
look for both earliness and good quality. When 
one tells us that this or that is the best variety, we 
must know what use he intends to make of it. If 
there is one fixed fact in gardening, it is, that the 
crop is in direct proportion to the amount of 
Manure, which should now, while the ground is 
frozen, lie hauled to where it is to be used. Fresh 
manure for hot-beds, and composted manure to 
apply to the ground, need different treatment. Well 
decomposed manure maybe taken to the spot where 
it will be needed, and left in small heaps, while that 
for hot-beds should not be in so small heaps that it 
will be chilled through, but it should be kept in a 
state of fermentation. As soon as a heap shows 
signs of heating, it should be turned over, and 
each turning will much improve its quality. Plants in 
Cold Frames will need attention. If the weather 
is very cold and the plants are frozen, it is not 
necessary to remove the snow from the frames, but 
alight fall of snow, followed by mild weather, must 
be immediately removed. Give air abundantly ; even 
take off the glass entirely in mild weather, as it is 
the object to keep the plants as hardy as possible. 
If line weather has made it safe to delay the final 
Covering of celery and roots in pits, do it now. 
At the time we write, the middle of December, it 
seems as if this might be delayed for sonic time. 
Lettuce, where there is a demand for early plants, 
may be forced in a hot-bed. The bed should tie ex- 
cavated at least 3'a feet deep, and this lie filled witli 
fermenting manure. If not already done, make 
Straw Mats for covering hot-beds, these or shutters, 
will be needed on severe nights, later in the season. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
But little can be done here, other than the gen- 
eral care that every careful person will give. 
Evergreens must not bo allowed to suffer from an 
overloading of snow, and there are many close 
growing deciduous shrubs injured by this. Shake 
it out before it becomes icy, and shovel it away 
from .the lower branches of trees and shrubs. All 
Laying out of beds and walls may be planned, and 
in a mild season some of the work may be done. 
Plants that are wintered in 
Pits, need air in mild weather. Water only when 
they seem to actually need it. Keep mice from pits. 
Seedling Perennials in their first winter will do all 
the better for protection, no matter how hardy the 
old plants may be. A mulch over the bed will pre- 
vent the roots from injury. Leaves may be used, 
or well weathered muck. 
Green and Hot-Ifonscs. 
It is not well to let any collection reach a tem- 
perature much below 40°. Plants cannot, as a 
general thing, be expected to flower at much 
below fi0°. For stove plants proper, more heat is 
needed, according to their tropical character. 
Bulbs, that were potted last autumn and kept 
cool, may be brought to the warmer atmosphere of 
the green-house or dwelling, and will soon flewer. 
Whenever the flower lias passed its prime, cut away 
the stalk, but allow the leaves to grow to ripen the 
bulb, which may be useful in out-door culture. 
Camellias need an even temperature, one rather 
low with a moist atmosphere. If necessary, thin 
the buds. Keep the foliage clear by use of syringe. 
Cactuses should, generally, have rest and dryness, 
Manure Water, made with sheep or other drop- 
pings to the color of pale ale, or an amber color, 
may be used upon roses and other plants just com- 
ing into flower. Beware of over-stimulating. 
Plants in cold frames, such as 
Violets and other half hardy things, need plenty 
of air when the outside temperature will allow. 
Bedding Stock of scarce kinds may bo multiplied 
by starting the stock plants into growth and taking 
cuttings, which, after they are rooted, will in turn 
furnish cuttings for later propagation. 
Apiary for January. 
During winter, the colder the weather, the closer 
do bees crowd together in the center of the hive. 
If they could be observed, they would be seen fill- 
ing most of the cells of the plates of comb in the 
middle, and forming almost a perfectly solid globe. 
They eat out all the honey close to them, and the 
outer ones of course must eal most, to keep up the 
vital heat, for they are most exposed to cold. Such 
a mass of bees throw off much moisture in their 
breath (so to speak), and in cold weather and in illy 
ventilated hives, this freezes in the top of the comb, 
and as it thaws and freezes often, shuts off many 
bees from access to their stores, unless passage 
ways are provided in the middle through the combs. 
These should have been made in the autumn. Be- 
sides, were no ice present, the bees might be fatally 
chilled in passing around the outside of the combs. 
It is therefore sometimes advisable in case of out- 
standing hives in long protracted severe weather, to 
remove the light stocks to the bec-honso described 
last month, or to any room thai ran be darkened 
and wanned, when, after examining them to know 
their state, clear out dead bees, etc. If ncces 
sary, let them remain long enough to melt the ice, 
and allow the bees to dry themselves, and get to 
their stores, which requires only a few hours. Ex- 
amine hives to see if they have been attacked by 
mice, and if so, close entrances against tlicm with 
wire cloth, but not so as to prevent the egress of 
the bees. Watch hives that are housed against 
attacks of mice, but do not disturb them ; look to 
the ventilators. If snow covers exposed hives — 
well; if light snows fall, sweep it away from the 
entrances and alighting board*, and from close 
around the hives. The bees tly out somewhat iu 
mild weather, and would be chilled and die did they 
fall in the snow. Prepare hive-, frames honey 
boxes and supers for next summer's use. Paint- 
ing hives should not he deforrcd until summer, tho 
longer they are painted before needed, the better. 
