1867.] 
AMERICAN AG-RICULTUIilST. 
S3 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
The nest worst thing to being too late, is being 
too early. As soon as the snows disappear, the en- 
thusiastic cultivator is desirons of beginning out of 
door operations. He has read and planned all win- 
ter, and now wishes to execute. How tedious it is 
to wait until the ground is in "working order," 
and ready to receive trees, vines, or seeds. Tet we 
must wait, and the time required for soil to be fit 
to work will depend upon its natural or artificial 
drainage. Let this springs' experience of those who 
have to wait for the waters to subside, emphasize 
our often repeated injunction, to drain the orchard, 
vineyard, or kitchen garden, if the soil be at all re- 
tentive. Look over the notes of the two proceeding 
months and see if some preparatory work is not 
there suggested which is still undone, and do not 
delay sending orders to nurserymen and seedmen. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Many tree* will be purchased this month, and we 
would give a word of caution against the common 
practice of ordering large trees. A small, well 
grown tree with an abundance of small roots, is 
greatly to be preferred to a tall, much branched 
one, with its large roots chopped off in the digging. 
Some of the best western orchardists prefer trees 
one year from the bud or graft, to any other. 
Heel-in at once trees that arrive before you are 
ready to plant ; bury their roots well in a sandy 
place,and they may remain for weeks without injury. 
Ttant whenever the soil is ready, taking care to 
first trim mutilated roots, and shorten back the top ; 
planting will generally be left until next month. 
Insects are always to be looked after. See notes 
fur January and the article on the canker-worm, on 
page 102. If small cottony spots, looking like 
mould, are seen, they are the far too common 
Woolly-Aphis, and for this the best remedy is the 
Soft Soap Wash, which may be applied with advan- 
tage, even if no insects are risible. Make as strong 
as' it will work ; it removes not only insects and 
their eggs,but parasitic plants and loose bark as well. 
Girdled trees must be attended to as soon as the 
injury is discovered. Where the girdling is com- 
plete, the tree may often be saved by connecting 
the bark above and below the wound, by means of 
cions whittled to a thin chamfer at each end, and 
inserted beneath the bark. Cover with wax or 
grafting clay, or simply bandage securely, and put 
a mound of earth around the tree large enough to 
cover the wounded portion. 
Grafting should not be done too soon. It is 
time enough when the swelling of the buds shows 
that vegetation is active. Continue to secure cions, 
and preserve as heretofore directed. Cut back 
Slocks budded last year, if the bud is sound. 
Fruit Garden. 
Trees in this department will need the care indi- 
cated under Orchard. 
Grape rincs that were laid down may be uncovered 
as soon as severe weather is over. In planting new 
vines, cut tlieui back to two or three buds, provided 
the nurseryman has not done it before sending 
them. In any system of training, a single cane is 
all that should be grown the first year. 
Cuttings of currant, grape, etc., are to be set out, 
as soon as the soil is ready. It cannot be too often 
repeated, that much of the success of this kind of 
propagation, depends upon pressing the soil firmly 
around the lower end of the cuttings. 
(Warrants. — Set out plants early. The Versailles 
is the best red, and the White Grape the best white. 
There are many varieties, only such in name. Plant 
Gooseberries — only the American sorts are to be 
commended for general cultivation, and among 
these the Houghton is one of the most reliable. 
Some of the English sorts will do for amateurs to pet. 
Strawberries should have the beds all ready for 
them, - and the plants be set as early as they can be 
had. The Wilson is the variety still the most gen- 
erally reliable, though there are many better sorts 
that succeed in favorable situations 
Blackberries. — The sooner they are planted the 
better. Kittatinuy aud Wilson's Early are among 
the newer kinds, and the New Rochelle is now so 
well known as to need no description. 
Raspberries, also need early planting, as, like 
blackberries, the shoots push early, and are liable to 
be broken if they have made much growth. The 
Philadelphia and the Clark are two of the most 
promising new sorts. For the many older varieties, 
of these and other plants, consult the catalogues. 
Kitchen Garden. 
Except where glass, as hot-beds or cold-frames, 
is in use, the work in this latitude is still mainly 
preparatory, and but little is gained, as a general 
thing, by commencing gardening operations before 
next month. In dry or well drained soils, 
Plowing may be done, but only when their condi- 
tion will admit of thorough pulverization. Recol- 
lect that ground for a garden can hardly be too 
thoroughly worked or too highly enriched. 
Manure, especially if well rotted, should be ap- 
plied with a liberal hand ; on stiff soils, coarser 
manure may be used, and on sandy ones, apply peat 
with ashes, or peat with lime, if at command. One 
of the best gardens we ever worked, was so sandj- 
that it would blow when dry, but by the aid of muck 
aud ashes we gained astonishing crops. As to 
Hot-beds, we have already said sufficient in the 
article, Profits from Small Places, p. 63, where some 
hints- on eold-frames, and a substitute, will be found. 
The novice, in the use of glass, especially if over 
a hot-bed, needs to be told of the importance of 
Airing. — He will learn it after having a crop or 
two scorched by the sun, but that is rather expen- 
sive knowledge. Not only seedlings, but plants 
that have been wintered and escaped damage from 
cold, are now liable to be burned ; hence, 
Cold-frames will need frequent attention, aud in 
the case of lettuce and cabbage wintered over, if 
the plants are properly hardened, the glass may he 
removed altogether, and used over other frames. 
Seeds. — By all means order at once, and if roots of 
any kind, or cabbage or other plants, have been 
wintered over for seed-raisiug, put them out, the 
last of the mouth, in a dry rich spot, and do not 
plant allied varieties near each other. More atten- 
tion to seed-raising would lessen the complaints of 
bad seed. It would be a good thing if the members 
of local clubs would each agree to raise one or two 
sorts of seeds. By doing thus, greater purity and 
perfection could be attained, and each community 
could raise nearly all its own seed. 
Old seeds should be tried, if any doubt exists as to 
their reliability. Count out a dozeu or twenty, put 
them iu a box or pot of earth iu a warm place, keep 
moist, but not too wet, and see the proportion that 
starts. If half the number grow, it will be safe to 
plant them. Look over the article on page 52, (last 
month,) aud see if you have all the needed 
Conveniences in the Garden. — Those mentioned 
and figured there are great helps to save labor. 
Asparagus. — Remove the litter from old beds as 
soon as severe weather is over, and if there is not a 
good dressing of short manure left on the bed, put 
on some good manure and fork it in. Apply a 
dressing of 2 to S pounds of salt to the square yard. 
Sow seed for new plants as early as the soil is ready, 
in a rich bed, in rows a foot apart. Where new plan- 
tations are to be made, have the ground highly 
manured and deeply worked. Set good one or two 
year old plants, and cover the crowns 2 or 3 inches. 
The best way for family gardens is to have beds 
five feet wide, one row in the center, aud one a foot 
from each edge, the plants niue inches iu the row. 
Rhubarb should have the bed manured the same 
as for asparagus ; plants may be forced as directed 
los( month. Make new beds before the plants start. 
Divide old roots, as soon as the frost is out, with a 
sharp spade, to have a piece of root with each eye. 
Onions. — Of the Potato variety, Top onions and 
sets may be got in early. Put th 3 Potato and Top 
sorts, 4 or 5 inches apart, in one foot rows. Sets 
may be put in 9 inch rows, and 3 inches apart. All 
these bulbs need to be covered, and all the better if 
the ground is rolled to pack it closely around them. 
Peas should be sown early. We hear good ac- 
counts of Carter's First Crop, and there are several 
other early ones offered. Daniel O'Rourke, where 
it can be had good, is the best known early sort. 
Roots, such as Parsnip and Salsify, should be taken 
out of the ground before they begin to grow, and 
all plants protected during the winter, such as 
Spinach, uncovered and thinned for use as soon 
as it starts to grow. Sow iu a warm corner seeds 
of early varieties of 
Carrot, radish, cress, lettuce, aud other things, 
according to locality and season. 
Clivues come very early in spring, and are in such 
demand that, near large cities, they are forwarded 
in frames. Cut the leaves as soou as large enough. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
Considerable preparatory work can be done here, 
j aud if any new improvements are to be made, have 
• them well under way. 
Roads should receive more attention than they 
generally do ; in this we include drives and paths 
of all kinds. A good, dry road or walk is a great 
comfort, and the reverse is a nuisance. The best 
part of a road is out of sight. Those who are 
troubled to get rid of their stone, need have no 
anxiety as long as there is a bad road on the place. 
Excavate 2 or 3 feet, fill in with large stones, upon 
these put smaller ones, diminishing the size as the 
surface is reached, and finish off with coarse gravel, 
and then a coat of finer ; roll well, and there will be 
a road that will need little meuding, and fit to travel 
in all weathers ; besides, such a road does much 
towards draining the ground through which it 
passes, and may be built with a view to drainage. 
Lawns are seldom seen in a satisfactory state ot 
perfection. Here the work must begin low down, 
and drains be put in where they would be re- 
quired for a garden crop. Manure, plow, subsoil, 
grade and level with great care, sow aud roll. Do 
the work as soou as the season will admit of it. 
Blue Grass or June Grass we have found to be satis- 
factory. In using the mixed seeds, sold under the 
name of Lawn Grass, we have not been successful. 
The White Clover, generally, killed out everything 
else, but this was on the light aud poor soil. 
Roots, of herbaceous perennials, of all kinds that 
have been in place two or three years, will do all 
the better if divided and reset. Do this early, and 
be liberal with the surplus. Do all necessary 
Transplunting of shrubs and hardy herbaceous 
plants before vegetation starts, aud finish up the 
Pruning of shrubs, if not done. Do not hurry tu 
Uncover tender plants, that have been protected 
by straw or other shelter. There will still be a suc- 
cession of warm days aud cold nights that will he 
more injurious to them than steady severe cold. 
Plant hedges, edging, shrubs aud trees on the 
lawn as soou as the ground eau be worked, and the 
plants-be procured. Set out the various 
Climbers wherever they are appropriate, and if 
means are larking to buy, go to the woods aud fence 
rows aud get Virginia Creeper and Waxwork, that 
are everywhere common. Every country home 
should have a veranda, with several climbers upon it. 
Hardy Annuals. — All those that come from self- 
sown seeds. Buch as Larkspur, Wkitlavia, Candy- 
tuft, and most of the California things, do best 
when warm, as soon as frost leaves, but the 
Tender Annuals must be kept back until the 
ground is well warmed, unless sown under glass. 
Green and Hot-Houses. 
The heat of the sun will render less fuel neces 
sary. Give air freely on mild days, but close up 
early, before the air gets chilly. 
Pi-opagation will demand the chief attention, as a 
large stock of bedding plants is needed iu most 
