1881.] 
389 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
A rough shed in the pasture is a useful pro¬ 
tection until it is time to take the young ani¬ 
mals to the barn or stable. A cheap tempo¬ 
rary shelter is shown in fig. 2. Two crotch- 
ed posts, eight feet long, are set firmly in the 
ground, and connected at the top by a 
cross pole—this bears the ends of the poles 
which makes the top and rear of the shelter. 
!he ends are boarded up. Long-wool sheep 
are easily chilled by cold rain, and should be 
kept from getting wet through at this season. 
Sheep should never be shut up at night in 
close sheds—they require abundant ventila¬ 
tion. For March lambs the ewes should be 
coupled this month—a pure South-down 
ram is the best for this purpose. A plump 
fat lamb is the one that sells quickly and at 
a good profit. Brood sows should be in good 
condition for coupling, which comes next 
month for March pigs. It does not pay to 
keep pigs over a year for fattening. Pig pork 
is the kind that pays. If eggs are expected 
during the winter they must be provided for 
by disposing of old hens and selecting the 
best young pullets and feeding them well. 
They should have clean quarters and plenty 
of pure water, lime, in the form of shells or 
bones, gravel, etc. Do not crowd the fowls, 
and if well fed and kept warm, an abundance 
of eggs may be expected from them. 
Notes on Orchard and Garden Work. 
This month usually closes the Orchard and 
Garden Work for the year, and we are now 
able to judge of its successes and failures. 
The thoughtful man can now look back and 
from the past draw lessons that will be a 
guide and inspiration for the future. No 
failure has come without cause, and the rem¬ 
edy should be applied ; it may have been due 
to an imperfect preparation of the soil, lack 
of manure, or the neglect of the growing 
crop and the triumph of weeds. Bad drain¬ 
age or the lack of water may have caused a 
poor crop, and if so, means should be taken 
to prevent the recurrence of the failure. In 
short, after the harvest, every one should 
study the results, and take all possible means 
to improve upon them in the future. This 
is a favorable month for doing all work where 
earth is removed, as grading, improving 
roads, etc., much more so than in the busy, 
cold, and cheerless days of early spring. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
A large part of the fall fruits will be 
gathered during this month, and upon the 
proper doing of this the value of the fruit 
crop largely depends. Apples are generally 
barrelled in the orchard, as they are picked, 
but it is better to allow the fruit to lie in 
heaps for two or three weeks, that the skin 
may harden by losing some moisture. It is 
best to sort the apples into three grades, mak¬ 
ing two for market, and the “third” to be 
kept at home and fed to stock, except in 
times of great scarcity, when they may be 
used for drying and other household purposes. 
Firm packing is essential. When the barrel 
is half full, shake the fruit down gently, and 
do the same thing when nearly full, after 
which a layer of apples should be put on top, 
so that a considerable pressure is needed to 
bring the barrel head in place. A number of 
“Presses” are offered which do this work 
quickly and effectually. The one shown in 
figure 1 is very simple and handy. Pears 
may be shipped the same as apples, though 
choice kinds for table use are generally packed 
in half barrels. The choicest specimens are 
frequently sent to market in shallow boxes 
holding a single layer, with each pear wrap¬ 
ped in tissue paper. The rejected apples 
may be made into cider, though the best 
cider is only made from good, sound, and late 
ripened fruit, and 
pressed when the 
weather is cool and 
fermentation will 
be very gradual. If 
vinegar is the end 
in view, it does not 
matter how rapid 
the fermentation 
takes place; the es¬ 
sentials being: good 
cider, a tempera¬ 
ture of about 70% 
and as complete ex¬ 
posure to air as pos¬ 
sible. The process 
can be hastened 
greatly by placing 
the cider in old casks 1 !•— A barrel header. 
containing “mother”—a low microscopic 
plant of the fungus group. The pomace is 
of very little value as a food for cattle or 
pigs, and had better be broken up and put in 
the dung heap ; if left in a pile by itself it 
becomes a nuisance. The fruit cellar should 
be ready for the fruit, but should not receive 
it until there is danger of frosts—until then 
store the barrels under a shed with ample 
ventilation. 
As a general rule it is best for the orehar- 
dist to purchase his trees in the fall, especially 
if he is a long distance from the nursery. 
The trees should be heeled-in upon arriving, 
which consists in burying the roots where 
they will keep in good order until the time 
for setting in the spring. It is best to put the 
trees into the trench in a slanting position, as 
they are in this way less exposed to the action 
of the wind. Mice will do much damage to 
newly set trees, if they are not protected by 
a mound of earth ; this will also stay the tree 
from the action of the strong winter winds. 
Tlie i’ruit Garden. 
The advantages of a fruit garden are many, 
and all farmers should have one. Now is a 
good time to choose a place and prepare it for 
raising fruit of the smaller sorts. The soil 
should be well-drained and rich. Strawberry 
plants may be set out until the coming of 
the frosts, after which the soil of the beds 
should be covered with litter, putting it 
slightly over the plants. There is no great 
gain, as to the fruit, in planting strawberries 
late ; but the soil is in better condition now 
than in spring, and work is not so pressing. 
No crop can be expected the next season un¬ 
less potted plants are set. Two feet between 
the rows will be the distance most suitable 
for working a small cultivator among the 
plants. Blackberry and Raspberry plants had 
better be set out in the fall, as they start 
growing so early in the spring. Blackberries 
should be 6 to 8 feet apart in rows, and the 
Raspberries about 4 by 4 feet. In picking the 
Grapes for market it is best to use the grape 
scissors, which allow the bunch to be removed 
without handling and defacing the bloom. 
The thin-skinned varieties, like the Concord, 
will not keep long, but the tough-skinned 
kinds, as the Catawba, Iona, and Diana, may 
be preserved in good shape until the holidays. 
To thus keep them the grapes must be well 
ripened, picked with care, and left in a cool 
room for a few days until the skin gets tough. 
Pack them afterwards in small boxes (3 to 
5 lbs.), putting the fruit in from the bottom, 
and putting on the cover (bottom), with some 
pressure, and tacking fast. Label the other 
side, which is the one to be opened. Keep in 
a dry and cool place until sent to market. 
Kitchen and Jlaj-het Garden, 
There is but little regular garden work 
after this month, except caring for the crops 
and preparing for those of early spring. The 
rubbish that may have accumulated should 
be cleared away ; manure and plow or spade 
as much of the garden as possible. 
Cold frames should be ready for the early 
lettuce, cabbage, etc. It is a simple matter 
to construct one of rough boards, the rear 
part to be one foot high, front eight inches, 
nailed to posts set to give a width equal to the 
sash used. It is best to put the frames in a 
sheltered place facing the south. The object 
of the cold frame is to keep the plants from 
sudden changes of weather—not for growth. 
The sashes should not be put on until the 
cold weather demands it. 
Beets and Carrots are injured by freezing 
and should therefore be dug so soon as growth 
is completed. Parsnips and Salsify are im¬ 
proved by frost, and only enough of these 
for present use need be dug ; they may be 
packed in dry earth in boxes, and stored in 
the* cellar. It is objectionable to store large 
quantities of roots in the house cellar, as foul 
gases are constantly rising through the house, 
making the air unhealthful to the inmates. 
Pits may be dug in a dry place. A con¬ 
venient form is shown iu cross-section in 
figure 2. The roots are thrown up in heaps 
and first covered with straw and boards, or 
“ shutters ” are afterwards laid on the straw. 
The shutters are made of boards as shown in 
figure 3. The wide cleats rest on the straw 
and thus secure an air space surrounding the 
roots, this preventing any heating. A layer 
of earth is thrown upon the boards, with the 
exception of the extreme top of the heap. 
Cabbages should be taken up before the 
ground freezes and stored in trenches. These 
may be made by plowing a deep furrow. The 
cabbages are heaped, head downward, in the 
trench, and covered with straw and earth. A 
Fig. 2 .—cross-section or root pit. 
simpler way is to set the cabbages on their 
heads in single rows and cover them with a 
few inches of earth. Celery not yet earthed 
up, should be attended to. First bring the 
leaves together and then draw the earth up. 
Flower Garden and I.awn. 
Some persons take up their tender plants 
at the first appearance of a light frost, when,, 
