2 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Calendar of Work for the Month. 
We note down at the beginning of each month 
a summary of the principal kinds of work re¬ 
pairing attention at the time, with some brief 
hints thereon, though many of the topics are 
treated of more at length in the pages following. 
A catalogue like this will often suggest or call to 
mind a piece of work which might otherwise be 
forgotten or overlooked. At the present season 
there is comparatively little field work to be done 
and our Calendar will, of course, be much briefer 
Ilian during the more busy season of active field 
and garden labor. 
FARM. 
Among the important things needing present 
care and attention is the management of 
Cattle which require warm quarters under cover, 
at night, and during storms. Feed them in and 
around barns rathei than at a stack-yard half a 
mile off. Provide racks for out door feeding. See 
illustration on page 291 of last volume. For 
graziers who are constantly feeding cattle for 
market, a one or two horse-power corn and cob 
mill, and a straw cutter are almost indispensible 
appendages. A straw cutter of some kind should be 
in every barn. 
Corn for Seed—If not saved, as it should have 
been, at the time of harvest, select the best ears 
now and put them away unshelled until planting 
time. 
Farmers’ Clubs—We trust these are in success¬ 
ful operation. See remarks on page 279, on the 
mode of getting them up, in the preceding number. 
Fences—Procure timber from the frozen 
swamps and split out the yearly supply of rails 
and stakes. Make posts, working in holes or 
pinning two small pieces together. The hemlock 
logs peeled last Summer should now be taken to 
the mill to be sawed for fencing and timber. Make 
gates to take the place of the less convenient bars. 
Grain—Look out for mice and rats on unthresh¬ 
ed stack or mows. Keep stock of all kinds from 
fields not covered with snow. During thaws 
look to drains and see that no water is allowed 
to stand on the fields. 
Hemp—Break during cool weather and bale for 
market. 
Hogs—If not fattened and killed last month 
hasten along. Unless waiting for a market it is 
far better to fatten early. Keep well bedded at 
night and supply manure materials for them to 
work over. Look to the future increase, and pro¬ 
vide a healthy male of improved stock. Read ar¬ 
ticle on “ Feeding Pigs,” page 14 of the present 
number. 
Horses and Mules—Give ground feed with cut 
hay or straw, moistening with water. Mix a few 
cut carrots with their feed occasionally. 
Ice Houses—Fill with the first firm ice of the 
season, packing it in closely and covering with 
plenty ofstraw. 
Manures—Keep up the manufacturing at all 
tnnes, mixing in the muck and leaves stored un¬ 
der cover last Fall. If the manure is not covered 
in the yard, cart it to the fields. Bring home on 
wheels or runners all manures purchased at a 
distance and also muck from the swamps. 
Marketing is a part of the thrifty farmer’s busi¬ 
ness, and the beginner has much to learn. It is 
best to take only good produce to market. Large 
fruit sells better than inferior kinds. By sorting 
potatoes the fanner gets many bushels of small 
ones for his hogs, while the large measure just as 
ranch without them, and bring a better price. 
Glean, plump wheat sells readily at an advanced 
price for seed. So with stock and other produce. 
Poultry—Warm quarters on a ground floor, 
meat, fish and pounded bones, oyster shells or lime, 
will usually secure a supply of eggs in Winter. 
Chopped cabbage is a good substitute for the green 
food of the milder seasons. Keep roosts clean, 
carefully saving the contents. 
Roads—Let pride and love of order, to say 
nothing of convenience, stimulate those in charge 
to keep the highways always passable. Roads 
left blocked up with snow indicate a slovenly 
neighborhood. 
Schools—Have good ones and send your chil¬ 
dren to them punctually and constantly. Avoid 
keeping the older boys at home occasionally. 
They have a right to an education and a consider¬ 
ate parent will not weigh his boy’s work against 
his intelligence. Visit the schools to encourage 
both teacher and pupils. 
Sheep—Look to an increase of improved stock 
by introducing a choice buck. Let salt be acces¬ 
sible, or feed salt hay occasionally. Shelter from 
storms, of course. 
Timber—In the Northern regions, get out pine 
and hemlock logs, as well as cedar, chestnut and 
locust for fencing and other purposes. A “ bob 
sled ” will be servicable. 
Tools—-See that steel and iron surfaces do not 
rust. Employ leisure time in repairing those 
that are failing: provide needed new ones for the 
Spring. All implements are presumed to he un¬ 
der cover. A Winter’s exposure is as injurious as 
a season’s wear. A tool house and a work room, 
with carpenter’s tools, should be an appendage to 
every farm house. 
Turnips and other roots—Feed daily to milch 
cows. If mixed with Indian meal and fed after 
milking, little or no taste will be given to the milk. 
A root cutter, like the one shown on page 284, 
December No., will be of great service. 
Wood—Get up enough to last a year, at least. 
Cut, split and pile under cover. There will be 
economy in it, to say nothing of superior cooking, 
meals in season and a pleasant housewife. 
ORCHARD AND NURSERY. 
These, in the northern States, are mainly cov¬ 
ered with snow and require little care save guard¬ 
ing against mice and clearing the snow from the 
branches of small trees. 
Tramp around trees in the orchard after the 
first snows to form an icy barrier near the 
ground which mice will rarely pass. 
Shake off the newly fallen snow from branches 
of evergreens, and raise any limbs partially buried 
and liable to be pulled still further down when 
rains, or warm weather settle the drifts. 
At the South, and whenever the ground is open 
at the North, transplanting may still be done, 
scale washed from young trees, and moss and 
rough bark scraped from the trunks of older ones. 
In nurseries labels and division stakes should 
now be provided for Spring use. Probably a busy 
season is awaiting the nurseryman to balance the 
light trade of last Fall. We hope so at least. 
Scions should be procured for Spring grafting, 
burying them in a snow bank, dry earth, or in 
sand or moss in the cellar. See that no mistake 
is made in cutting them, and label each variety 
with care. By shaving off the but end of a scion 
the name can be legibly written upon the green 
wood with a pencil, if no label is at hand. 
Pruning may be done lightly, in mild latitudes, if 
the time can not be devoted to it next Summer. 
Manures of various kinds, muck, lime and ashes 
may now be procured and hauled to grounds in¬ 
tended for Spring planting. Read the first of a 
series of articles on the Orchard on page 17. 
KITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDEN. 
We suppose, of course, that the Asparagus, 
Strawberries, Spinage, Raspberry plants, <fec., 
were all covered at the proper season. There is 
little now to do save putting everything in readi¬ 
ness for early Spring work. At the North ma¬ 
nure can be procured and carted upon the grounds, 
tools be repaired, &c., while South the early gar¬ 
dener will be making and sowing his hot beds, oi 
even working and planting open grounds. 
Bean Poles—Procure these while the swamps 
are frozen. Pea brush may be collected at tha 
same time. Both can now be got better than dur¬ 
ing the busy period of Spring. 
Cold Frames—Watch them closely, omitting 
no opportunity to air them in suitable weather, 
hut keep closed and well covered with straw dur¬ 
ing severe cold. If covered with snow leave it 
on until warm enough to give au airing. Pick off 
all decaying leaves from the growing vegetables. 
Currant and Gooseberry Cuttings may still be 
made, and the bushes themselves be pruned. 
Hot Beds—Provide frames, sash and ferment¬ 
ing materials for early use. Especially have some 
fine rich mold placed under cover to spread over 
the surface of the beds previous to sowing. If 
this is omitted until wanted for use, it may then 
be wet or frozen. Beds can be made the latter 
part of this month especially at the South. Next 
month will be quite early enough in this latitude. 
Further directions for making, next month. 
Manure—Make and collect a bountiful supply. 
A heavy dressing of this is one great “secret” 
of good gardening. You can much better afford 
the time to draw them now than at planting time. 
Mushrooms—Examine beds and boxes, and 
keep moderately moist. A respawning will some¬ 
times start them into bearing after the beds are 
apparently unproductive. Boxes may be prepared 
at any time as fully described on page 262 of last 
volume. 
Rhubarb and Asparagus—To get these early, 
cover a portion of the beds, the latter part of this 
month with one to two feet of stable litter and ma¬ 
nure. The heat of the fermenting material will 
draw the frost from the ground and induce a 
much earlier start in the Spring. Barrels sawed 
in two and the halves placed over hills of rhubarb 
and the whole buried with manure will answer a 
still better purpose. 
Seeds—Examine the seed box to see if a suffi¬ 
cient supply is apparently in good order. If not. 
procure them early while the seed dealers have a 
full supply. Where many are wanted and you 
distrust the quality, procure samples and test them 
before getting a full quota. Forty-eight hours is 
long enough to prove some varieties ; others re¬ 
quire several days. Place cotton upon the top of 
a tumbler, or other glass of water, and scatter 
seeds upon it, keeping in a warm room and placing 
near the stove at night. The moisture absorbed 
by the cotton will cause them to sprout and 
even grow several inches in bight. 
Tools—Repair old and procure the new ones 
which will be wanted in Spring. The gardener 
has a tool house of course, and has studied econ¬ 
omy too much to leave his implements out of it. 
Trellises—Repair those needing it and confine 
any branches of fruit trees or vines which are 
dangling in the wind. 
FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN. 
Little can be done in these, at the north, during 
this month, save a general care of the grounds, 
and protection of shrubbery, especially evergreen, 
