1880. J 
AMERICAN A GRICE L' F G RT ST. 
4r95 
enrich the manure, and they keep on laying, often 
all winter. At noon feed, in open weather, soft 
food—that is, boiled potatoes mixed with bran 
and corn-meal, or something of the kind ; at night 
give a good feed of whole grain, throwing down 
enough to toil them off the roosts for an early 
breakfast, unless thereby you will be feeding an 
army of rats all night. In snowy and frozen 
weather, feed three times a day, and give only 
what they will run after at each meal. 
Bucks .—Train them to spend the nights on a 
compost or manure heap, under cover. They will 
lay earlier, and eat less, for they will be warm. 
Geese need regular feeding. They do well on 
potato and apple parings, a little corn, and a chance 
to pick up scattered clover leaves and heads which 
fall from the fodder racks. 
Game Birds .—It is well worth while to look out 
for game birds during severe weather, when the 
ground is covered with snow and ice. At such 
times many quails perish, and if buckwheat and 
oats or other small grains be thrown under the 
shelter of evergreens, or along the fence rows where 
these birds will find it; they will winter much better 
for this care, and will not be likely to scatter very 
far in the breeding season. 
Swamp Muck.—It the season remains open, no 
better work can be done than getting out muck 
from the swamp to be exposed to the freezing and 
thawing of the winter. It is always valuable as an 
absorbent, and often contains much ammonia. 
Draining and Ditching may be pushed forward 
so long as the season is favorable ; in fact, there is 
no better time for such work. 
The Wood Lot .—Work may be done here during 
the whole month. It is the best season to cut tim¬ 
ber for building purposes and for fencing stuff. 
For fire-wood, the season is not of so much import¬ 
ance, and yet that which is cut early in the winter 
is better than that cut later. 
The Ice Crop in every section of the country is 
becoming more and more important. The season 
may be as unfavorable for ice as the last, but that 
is hardly possible. Nevertheless, a prudent man 
will be prepared to lay in his ice as soon as it shall 
have attained half the usual thickness, or even less. 
The probabilities are that an enormous quantity 
will be secured this season. It is being applied to 
new uses all the time, and its consumption in 
both town and country is greatly on the increase. 
Notes on Orchard and Garden Work. 
The Farmer, because these Notes are under a 
separate heading from those which relate to the 
proper work of the farm, may think that they are 
not intended for him. If this catches the eye of 
any one who has this impression, we would have a 
word with him. Those who Taise fruits and vege¬ 
tables as a business, do not need us to tell them 
what to do. It is for the farmer and others, in¬ 
experienced in 6ueh matters, that we give these 
monthly hints. The fact that, take the farm 
houses throughout the country, their tables, as a 
whole, show a great lack of variety, cannot be de¬ 
nied. In many, fruits are regarded as a luxury, and 
choice vegetables are a rarity. We have long en¬ 
deavored to show that there is scarcely anything in 
the way of fruits and vegetables that can not be had 
by any farmer in the land, in the greatest profusion, 
if hut a little thought be given to it. We do not 
look upon it as merely gratifying the palate with a 
variety, but as a matter of health and comfort 
which concerns the whole household. We there¬ 
fore ask the farmer when he looks over the paper 
and comes to “ Notes on Orchard and Garden 
Work,” not to suppose that these are intended for 
what are called “professional” gardeners and or- 
ehardists. They are made for the farmer and in¬ 
tended to show him that there is no art or mystery 
in producing the choicest gifts of the orchard 
and garden that he can not learn and practise. 
Orclaaril and. Nursery. 
Apples . — This has been a great apple year, and 
immense quantities have been shipped to various 
parts of Europe. This trade is now so well estab¬ 
lished that in planting, the American orehardist 
should have the foreign demand in view. Apples 
for shipping should be those that bear transporta¬ 
tion, and also those that are in favor abroad, such 
as the Newtown Pippin, Spitzenberg, Baldwin, etc. 
Fruit in the Cellar .—When the fruit cellar is sep¬ 
arate from the house it should be kept just above the 
freezing point; such cellars do not require ventila¬ 
tion. Cellars under living-rooms must he venti¬ 
lated, otherwise the gases given off while the fruit 
is ripening—and too frequently decaying—will en¬ 
danger the health of the inmates. There is a de¬ 
mand for special care in this matter, at the present 
time, because the fruit has been so abundant that 
there is an unusually large amount stored in the cel¬ 
lars. If the house is so constructed that an opening 
can be made from the cellar into a chimney, venti¬ 
lation may be very complete ; an opening which 
can be closed at pleasure should be made to admit 
air from without when desirable. 
Cions should be cut early and before they have 
been exposed to hard freezing; select the most 
vigorous and well ripened shoots ; tie in bundles, 
label and pack in fresh sawdust, damp, as it comes 
from the mill; this leaves no grit to dull the 
knives when grafting, as is the case when sand is 
used. In the absence of sawdust pack in sand. 
Pruning , unless very large branches are to be 
removed, may be done at any time after 
the leaves fall, when the weather .is 
pleasant. This is a good time to bring 
young trees into proper form. 
Tent Caterpillars .—Much time may be 
saved and vexation avoided by examining 
the orchard for the eggs of the Tent Cater¬ 
pillar. This may be done on mild dull 
days during the winter. The eggs are 
glued closely together in a band around 
the smaller twigs as shown, near their 
ends, in the engraving. The burning of 
one of these clusters means the destruc¬ 
tion of three or four hundred of the 
“worms” that otherwise would come from 
it in the spring about the time that the leaves start. 
Seeds of fruit and ornamental trees are best kept 
in sandy soil or slightly damp sand, and so cool 
that they will not germinate. 
Animals .—Winter is a trying time for young 
trees; the storms of wind and snow bend and 
break them. But perhaps the most serious injury 
is done by mice and rabbits. Clear away from 
around the trees all rubbish that may harbor mice. 
With young trees place a mound of earth (as in fig. 
1) a foot in bight around each, and tramp it down. 
This serves to support the tree against winds 
and keep away the mice. Rabbits are more des¬ 
tructive than mice. They have a great distaste for 
1.—TREE EARTHED UP. 2.—A LATH PROTECTOR. 
flesh and blood, and by rubbing the trunks of the 
trees with cheap meat, or smearing them with 
blood by means of a swab, the trees may he effec¬ 
tively protected. A good protector is made of 
lath fastened together with -wire, and the whole 
bound around the base of the tree, as in figure 2. 
Manures.— By many the orchard is expected to 
yield two crops—one from the trees, and another 
more directly from the soil, as it may seem. It is, 
useless to expect the best fruit from trees that are 
robbed of their nutriment by quick-growing crops. 
Ordinarily, when the trees come into bearing, they 
should have the land to themselves. If circum¬ 
stances make it necessary to grow some crop be¬ 
tween the trees, both the crop and the trees should 
be manured. Well rotted manure is best, and 
when spread let it cover the whole ground and not 
be heaped about the tranks of the trees where 
there are no small roots to make use of it. Winter 
is an excellent time to spread the manure, as it can 
be drawn upon sleds which more readily pass under 
and among low trees than a wagon. A dressing of 
lime will often be of great benefit to an orchard. 
'I'lie Fruit Garden. 
There is but little to be done in the fruit garden,- 
except to finish up fall work and go into winter 
quarters. Mild days will give an opportunity to 
finish pruning currants, grape vines, etc., at the 
same time saving any of the wood that may be 
needed for propagation. 
Winter P-otection .—Many plants are killed by too 
much protection. For example, strawberries are 
hardy, and the covering of - straw, marsh hay, etc., 
that is recommended for them is not so much to 
shield from cold as to prevent frequent freezing 
and thawing of the soil. The covering should be 
mainly around and not upon the plants. 
Shrubs that are not quite hardy do not require 
bundling up, as was thought necessary not many 
years ago, when more plants were smothered than 
benefited by the covering. A little brash, or bet¬ 
ter, some evergreen boughs placed close to the 
shrub will ward off the severe winds, modify' sudden 
Changes of temperature, and be a sufficient protec¬ 
tion. Tender raspberries must be bent down, and 
covered with earth before freezing prevents it. 
Manure .—Coarse manure may be applied around 
currants, gooseberries, blackberries, etc.; in the 
spring rake off the straw and fork in the rest. 
♦ fc 
Kitclicu and Market Garden. 
If the autumn has been prolonged, and the 
weather is still open, much work mentioned in the 
October and November Notes may be done now. 
Celeip, while in trenches for the winter, should 
not be allowed to freeze hard—a moderate freezing 
does no harm. The hay or straw for covering 
should be at hand when needed. As soon as the 
winter fairly sets in, the covering, which until then 
was slight, should be made about one foot in thick¬ 
ness. Celery in boxes, in the cellar, is more apt 
to suffer from heat than cold. The boxes, about 
nine inches wide, are made of old stuff, and as 
long as convenient; set the celery in them as in 
trenches. The boxes should be placed their own 
width apart, thus avoiding a solid mass of celery 
which would heat and decay. The cellar should 
be as near the freezing point as possible. 
Cold Frames will now need daily attention. The 
plants kept in them are not to grow, and should 
they start they would be ruined. The sashes are 
to be kept continuously closed only during the 
coldest winter weather; at all other times, espe¬ 
cially during the day, they must be lifted. When 
the temperature of the atmosphere is above freez¬ 
ing, the sashes should be off altogether. 
Cellars where roots are stored need to be kept cool, 
otherwise the roots will shrivel or start into growth, 
and be injured. Roots for table use, if kept in 
earth or sand, are fresher and better than others. 
Parsnips left in the ground are improved in sweet¬ 
ness by freezing. They can be dug during a thaw. 
Salsify is also hardy, and may be left in the 
ground with the same treatment as Parsnips. 
Horseradish may be dug before the ground freezes, 
and stored in a box of earth in the cellar. If a 
heavy covering of straw is put over the bed, the 
roots may be dug at any time during the winter. 
Seeds .—The garden seeds should be assorted, 
labelled, and stored in a dry cool place, out of the 
way of mice. Seeds, like the parsnip, that are not 
good after the first year, should always be fresh. 
If there is doubt concerning any seeds, throw 
them away; use only good seed, and of the best 
