16-4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
ings at intervals of 10 days or 2 weeks. If insects 
trouble, sift on air slaked lime as soon as up. 
Bhubarb.— Do not remove the leaves from plants 
set last fall or this spring. Older plants will now 
give a crop. Eemove the leaves with a slight side- 
wise pull — never cut. Remove flower stalks. 
Salsify or Oyster Bant is grown the same as carrots. 
Spinach. — Sow as directed last month. Hoe and 
thin. New Zealand Spinach, valuable during the 
hot months, is a branching plant, and quite different 
from true spinach. Sow, and when large enough 
transplant to 3 feet each way in rich soil. 
Sweet Potatoes. — See articles in this and April Nos. 
Squashes. — The early sorts are managed the same 
as cucumbers. Out of door planting of late sorts 
must not be done too soon. Have the soil thorough- 
ly enriched. Summer Crook-neck is best early. — 
Boston Marrow, Turban, . Yokohama and Hub- 
bard are all fine late. See Basket, page 169. 
Tomatoes. — Transplant when danger of frost is 
over, 3 to i feet apart, according to richness of soil. 
In small gardens it conduces to neatness, and per- 
haps productivenes, to train the plants to some 
kind of trellis ; on the large scale it will not pay. 
Turnips.— Sow, and sift lime over young plants. 
Winter Cherry. — This is called StrawberryTomato. 
Excellent for preserves. Grown same as tomatoes. 
General Management. — As soon as seeds germinate 
and the rows are visible, break the surface of the 
soil with a light scuffle hoe. Use the rake among 
recently set plants in preference to the hoe. A 
frequent raking, to destroy weeds as soon as they 
start from the seed, will save much hard work. 
Never let a weed go to seed. Have a handy, but out 
of sight, place to deposit rubbish — or rather two 
places : A pit for decomposable matter, weeds, with- 
out seeds, and all green stuff, and a heap for brush 
sticks, and old weeds — everything that can be con- 
verted into ashes. A deal of fertilizing matter will 
be ready next spring if everything is carefully saved. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
Greater success usually attend the planting of 
Evergreens this month than in any other, and 
and screens, hedges and single trees will be largely 
planted. It seems trite to repeat so often, that 
success depends upon not allowing the roots to 
dry — yet we do it with emphasis. Get trees from 
the nearest available nursery ; if near enough, go 
for them, get them dug, bring them home aud plant 
them out ou the same day— all the better if it is a 
damp one. If packed, great care must be taken 
of the roots. Plenty of damp moss must be used; 
some nurserymen claim that a ball of clay is best 
to preserve the roots. For the success of the rarer 
kinds, see our Horticultural Annual. Those useful, 
cheap, and to be had everywhere, the trees " for 
the million," as the cant term is — are Norway 
Spruce, Arbor Vita3, Hemlock, Bed Cedar, White 
Pine, Austrian Pine, and Scotch Pine. The first 
four are useful for hedges and screens, as well 
as to plant singly. The Norway, is the one tree 
for all purposes, whether for beauty, hardiness, 
case of removal, or rapidity of growth. Hemlock, 
more graceful, but rather less easy to manage. Bed 
Cedar, a rather slow grower, but fine for screens. 
See article in April, page 134. For low hedges, 2 to 
3 feet apart is the proper distance for either. Never 
trim off the lower branches of an evergreen, they 
may be cut back at the sides or top, like any other 
trees. The pines are esteemed in the order in which 
we have named them. Price varies with the size. 
50 cents each for trees for planting singly, down to 
10 aud 5 cents each, for small hedge plants. As 
these trees retain their leaves during winter, they 
convey an impression of hardiness that leads to 
their neglect. Cultivate near a hedge, or screeu, as 
carefully as if it were a row of cabbages, and they 
will be much less slow, than they have the credit 
of beiug. When plants are well established, give 
an annual dressing of good compost, with a plenty 
of vegetable matter in it. 
Deciduous Trees. — In cooler localities most orna- 
mental, may still be set, as may 
Flowering Shrubs. — We are sometimes asked to 
make selections of them, but when we do so, the 
list is so long, that we are afraid to publish it. Any 
thing that bears flowers, is better than no shrub. 
See page 1S1 for several white flowering ones. 
Edgings. — Box should have been set last month. 
Thrift, Ivy,'Stone-crop, aud various others are used. 
Annuals. — Sow hardy sorts at once, and tender 
ones near the end of the month. Set out those 
started under glass as soon as the weather is set- 
tled. Have a plenty of Asters aud standard things, 
and don't rely upon novelties, but just try a few. 
Perennials.— Have a seed bed for these, and weed 
and thin carefully. Sow seeds of those coming in 
bloom as soon as ripe. Transplant seedlings. 
Dulbs. — Gladioluses, Japan Lilies, Tigridias, and 
others may be planted in warm rich soil. 
Tuberoses. — Better buy bulbs that have been start- 
ed in the green-house, as they flower before frost. 
Give a rich, warm place to secure early flowers. 
Climbers. — Plant seeds of Sweet Pea, Cypress 
Vine, (first scalding,) Canarj'-bird flower, etc., and 
get Cobiea, Maurandia, Lophosperum, and "Ger- 
man Ivy," (Senecio,) from the florists. Use these 
to hide unsightly fences and other objects. 
Dahlias. — Set the roots in a spent hot bed and 
cover with soil, and when the buds have started di- 
vide so as to have a piece of root to each bud. 
Those who have no glass can set the roots iu a 
warm exposure, aud cover with a mat at night. 
Damns. — Mow as soon as the grass is long enough. 
Boot up any coarse weeds. Boll frequently. 
Hoses will soon be attacked by their enemies. 
Hand picking will do a good deal, and whale oil 
soap for the slugs. No help for the rose bug but to 
shake him off, catch or kill. Turn potted roses 
into the border. 
Bedding Plants are generally put out too soon. 
They are mostly tender, and should not be exposed 
to cold nights. Verbenas, Lantanas, Salvias, Gera- 
niums, Gozanias, etc., may be used in abundance. 
Green and Hot-Houses. 
Judgment must be exercised in bringing out 
plants, and sudden changes avoided. Those pots 
that are not plunged should be sheltered from 
strong winds, and Camellias and the like shaded in 
part. A layer of coal ashes, upon which to place 
the pots, will prevent worms from getting in. Let 
the plants remaining in the house be shaded as 
needed. Bring out those things that have been 
wintered in the cellar and place in the borders. 
Cactuses are splendid for verandahs, and for turn- 
ing into the border, where they make a grand show. 
Fuchsias, when planted out, need partial shade 
and to be well staked. A few specimens should be 
grown tall for out of door flowering. 
Dantanas do not show half their beauty when 
grown as bedding plants. When trained as small 
trees nothing can be finer in the garden. 
Cuttings of shrubs grown from green wood are to 
he made, as soon as the growth gets a little firm, to 
replace those overgrown from being put out. 
Cold Grapery. 
The vines, if not already started, should be put 
up as noticed last month. Warmth and moisture 
being under the control of the cultivator, the start- 
ing may be hastened or retarded. When growth 
has commenced, the temperature of the house may 
reach S5° at mid-day. Use the syringe to preserve 
a proper moisture in the air. Select the strongest 
shoots for fruiting, and rub out the rest. 
Apiary in May. — Prepared hj M. Quinby. 
The readers of the American Agriculturist are 
scattered over so wide a range of country, that it 
will not be expected, that remarks applying to any 
oue sectiou, will serve for all. Bee keepers report 
the average quantity of honey on hand this year, 
compared with last, is not more than one pound in 
ten or twenty. Last year, all throughout the period 
of fruit blossoms, the weather was cold and windy, 
and very unfavorable for the production of honey. 
Very many of the best stocks starved outright, 
from the 1st to the middle of June. Should the' 
weather prove similar this year, ten times the 
number will starve, or need feeding. But the 
chances are that this year will be much better. A 
close watch must be kept continually of weather, 
bees, aud honey. See directions in "Apiary" here- 
tofore in regard to feeding. Feeding bees moder- 
ately at this season, just before, and immediately 
after fruit blossoms, is a good investment, although 
it may not be needed to prevent starving. The 
best brown sugar made into a syrup is probably 
the best and cheapest material for the present time. 
It will not be sceuted by robbers as readily as 
honey. Swarms, in some places, very much favor- 
ed, may issue the last of this month. Italians are 
quite apt to swai-m before they are expected to. 
Hives should be in order to receive them. As not 
over three or four swarms in a thousand will leave 
for the woods, without first clustering, it is not 
strange that many persons think they have com- 
pelled them to do, with tin kettle music, just what 
they would have instinctively done, without inter- 
ference. Make no noise to quiet the swarms. 
When they leave, after clustering, it is often owing 
to bad management, — as allowing them to hang 
clustered too long, not getting all the bees to enter 
the hive, raising the hive too high from the bottom, 
leaving it in the hot sun, smell of new paint, etc. 
Bees that swarm out naturally are quite as apt to 
divide nearly right as when artificial swarms are 
made. Tet, with the movable comb-frames, the 
divided colonies are so readily made equal, that 1 
recommend artificial swarms whenever the master 
has the requisite skill to provide queens properly. 
A weak colony can be strengthened by giving it a 
comb or two well filled with sealed brood. After 
they have hatched, if not strong enough, give 
auothcr. Strong stocks only pay. Artificial swarms 
are readily made as follows : First, have a queen 
ready; theu be sure that your stock can spare a 
good swarm, and that the bees are getting honey. 
Operate in the middle of the day. Lift out combs 
till you find the one with the queen upon it, aud 
put that, with the bees that adhere to it, into the 
new hive. Set it on the old stand, and the old hive 
on a new stand, at least 20 feet distant. All the 
old bees will adhere to the old place. The old hive 
will be nearly destitute of honey gatherers for a 
few days, but nurses enough will he left to mature 
the brood, and they will accept a mature queen two 
days after the removal, and in three or four weeks 
will be strong enough to divide again, having 
gained a good swarm by having a laying queen so 
soon after the old one was gone. If surplus honey 
is an object, instead of an increase of stocks, both 
old aud young are iu the best condition to produce 
it. Strong colonies are not destroyed by worms. 
■ —-• ■ » » ■ » 
Carrying or Sending- Money 
Abroad. — Nearly all of the payments of money be- 
tween distant points in our own country and between 
this and foreign countries, are made by a system of ex- 
changes. One western man sends wheat, pork, etc., to 
New York, and makes a draft upon it. Another buy9 
goods in New York, and sends a draft for the pay. These 
drafts are exchanged or balanced by banks and bankers 
at the two points, and only money enough is sent either 
way to pay, from time to time, the difference between the 
aggregate amounts of the drafts or indebtedness. So 
with our foreign trade ; we send abroad cotton, grain, 
etc., and buy manufactured articles and other things, and 
only gold enough goes across the ocean to balance ac- 
counts. — A person going abroad does not want to carry 
all the money he may need there. He therefore buys a 
Li Draft " on London or Paris, which is cashed on presen- 
tation and identification ; or he deposits the money here, 
and takes a "Letter of Credit" for $250 in gold or any 
higher sum, and then draws the money as he needs it.; or 
he buys " Circular Notes," of §25 to §100 each, which are 
good at almost any point. Messrs. Duncan, Sherman & 
Co. have " correspondents " or agencies in more than 300 
different cities or towns in Europe and elsewhere in for- 
eign countries, any one of whom will cash their Circular 
Notes or Letters of Credit. We found these very conve- 
nient when abroad, as we obtained any snm at any 
point by calling at their agency, and received it in the 
currency of the country we happened to be in. Their 
business card Villi be found in our advertising columns. 
