AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
35 
Cold Frames—Watch and use similar treatmen' 
to that described last month. If buried by a deep 
snow, leave them until the weather is quite mild, 
when the banks may be shoveled away and an 
airing given. Protect from frosts by a thick cov¬ 
ering of straw or mats at night. 
Cuttings of Currants, gooseberries, grapes and 
quinces, may be made at any time during Febru¬ 
ary, when the wood is not frozen. Wrap in moist 
moss in the cellar or bury in dry earth in the open 
ground. Merely burying in a snow drift is suffi¬ 
cient so long as the snow lasts. 
Fences may be made or repaired where no 
frost is in the ground. 
Grape Vines should have been trimmed last 
Fall. If omitted then, prune in the early part of 
this month. 
Hot Beds—M ike during the latter part of this 
month, if very early vegetables are wanted. See 
full directions with illustrations on page 63. 
Manures—Manufacture and collect all that can 
be obtained. See that a quantity is in prepara¬ 
tion for the hot bed. 
Prune but little during this month. The grape 
vines, currant bushes and fruit trees should have 
been sufficiently trimmed last Summer and Fall. 
If omitted then do it sparingly now. 
Rhubarb—Where no frost is in the ground a 
few roots may be taken up and put in boxes of 
earth for forcing in the green or hot house; or 
the end of a barrel sawed in two may be placed 
over the roots in the open ground and buried with 
manure as described last month. 
Seeds—Procure early and prove them in the 
house before trusting the garden with those of un¬ 
certain growth. 
Tools will soon be wanted. See that good ones 
are procured. A garden drill will soon pay for 
itself in the saying of seed and labor, besides 
sowing more uniformly. 
Trees and Vines—Cleanse from moss and in¬ 
sects as recommended under the “ Orchard.” 
Trellises and Arbors—Construct new ones as 
required and repair the old. 
FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN. 
Very little is usually done in these grounds at 
the north during February, although the remark¬ 
ably mild weather thus far promises an exception. 
Where new grounds are to be laid out in the 
Spring, plot them off now, or if to be done by a 
landscape gardener have it done now, arranging 
walks and beds, locating trees, shrubbery, &c. 
Evergreens will need some care to prevent 
their breaking down by heavy snows, (if we yet 
nave any.) or settling banks. Shake the newly 
fallen snow from the branches, and shovel out the 
lower limbs where necessary. 
Hot Beds may be made the last of the month, 
br sowing early annuals. 
Labels and Stakes—Prepare during leisure 
weather for the planting season. 
Manures will be wanted in the Spring and may 
be collected and carted to the grounds now. To 
every load of stable manure add a load of muck if 
you can get it. 
Pruning of Roses, Honeysuckles, Altheas, &c., 
may be done during mild weather, if neglected 
last Fall. 
Transplanting deciduous trees and shrubs can 
also now be done, if the ground and atmosphere 
are both favora-ble. Do not expose the roots in 
freezing weather. 
In the Southern States, besides laying out and 
grading the grounds, trees, shrubs and flowers 
may properly be set out, beds made and sown with 
the more hardy annuals, box edging and hedges 
Dlanted, and other Soring work done. 
GREEN HOUSE. 
The Winter thus far lias been so mild in this 
latitude, that fire heal has been needed, only occa¬ 
sionally to dry the atmosphere, and maintain a 
moderate temperature. But keep the furnaces and 
shutters ready for a “ cold term,” should such oc¬ 
cur. 
Where a hot house is dispensed with, pr the two 
thrown together, a greater degree of heat is re¬ 
quired and the plants are pushed into growth We 
now suppose this house to contain only those 
plants which it is necessary to shield from 
frosts and prepare, them for the warmer atmos¬ 
phere of the hot house. 
Air is essential even with very htile tire heat, 
else dampness will pervade the house and do 
much injury. 
Bulbous Plants—'fake a few of those beginning 
to start, to the hot house ltd early bloom. Garry 
them in at different periods to keep up a succes¬ 
sion of flowers. 
Carnations may now be layered and cuttings 
made. 
Camellias are mostly in a warmer house. Those 
in this department will need a moderate watering 
and the warmest part of the room. 
Chrysanthemums are beginning to grow ; wa¬ 
ter sparingly. 
Cleanliness is essential. Keep plants dusted, 
dead leaves picked off, and insects out of the house 
Wash the floors and syringe occasionally, venti¬ 
lating or using fire heat to dry up the moisture. 
Cuttings of many half hardy plants such as Ge¬ 
raniums, Fuchsias, Hyacinths and Myrtles may 
now he put in pots. 
Insects—Fumigate with tobacco, wash with 
soap suds, syringe and hand-pick until the house 
is entirely free from insects. 
Oranges, Lemons, Oleanders and Myrtles— 
Prune and water sparingly as they begin to push 
into growth. Remove a portion of the surface 
soil from the tubs coqiaiiimg them, and replace it 
with rich earth. 
Seeds—Sow a few annuals for early bloom 
when taken to the hot house or planted in the 
border of the garden or elsewhere. 
Temperature—This must he regulated accord¬ 
ing to the collection of plants. Where a mere 
protection from frost is desired, the mercury may 
range from 36° to 40 u . This will only require tire 
heat in cold weather. Where the hot house is 
dispensed with, some of the plants in this collec¬ 
tion, especially camellias will require 46° to 50' 
to push them into growth and bloom even. 
Watpr—A little will tie needed occasionally hut 
an excess of moisture at this season is very inju¬ 
rious. In damp foggy weather an occasional fire 
heat will he necessary to dry the atmosphere. 
HOT HOUSE & CONSERVATORY. 
Maintaining a proper and even temperature dur¬ 
ing the usually changeable month of February will 
require much care and none but competent per¬ 
sons should have charge of the heating apparatus 
A thermometer should be kept in each room at all 
times and frequently examined. Inattention to 
this particular, even lor a short time, will often 
•ause serious injury to the finest plants Clean¬ 
liness should be scrupulously observed, removing 
all decaying leaves and stalks, dusting and wash¬ 
ing the plants, sweeping and washing the floors, 
and removing moss and weeds from the pots. 
Air the rooms daily if the weattier will admit. 
Growing plants and a fire heat soon vitiate the at¬ 
mosphere. Mid-day is the best tune to admit fresh 
air through the upper ventilators. By all means 
avoid cold dratts or currents. 
Azalias are now flowering. Water and syringe 
more freely. Repot young plants. 
Bulbs—Bring a lew from the Green House at 
intervals to keep up a constant bloom. Change 
the water of those in glasses twice a week. 
Carnations—Turn occasionally to keep the 
flower stalks erect. Water more freely. 
Camellias under proper culture, are the pride of 
the cultivator at this season offul! bloom. Water 
and syringe freely, but avoid wetting floweiv 
winch would hasten their decay. 
Cinerarias—Treat as last month, shifting to 
larger pots as they increase in size. 
Cuttings of Epacres, Heaths, Fuchsias, and very 
many other plants may now be made, to increase 
the Spring stock. 
Fuchsias are now pushing into growth and re¬ 
quire an increased, though moderate amount of 
water. 
Gloxinias and Acbimenes—Pot off young plants 
and place in warm situations. 
Grapes require different treatment according*as 
early or late fruit is wanted, and heat, moisture, 
and other care must be in accordance, as described 
at length in the February number of last volume. 
Heat must be regulated according to the col¬ 
lections of plants. In some rooms 45° to 50° will 
be sufficient while in others 60° to 65° will be 
more suitable, and with a purely tropical collec¬ 
tion, 75° to 80° is none too much. The shutters 
will he required during cold nights and snow 
storms. 
Insects—Tobacco fumes, syringing, cleansing 
with soap suds, and other washes are the proper 
antidoles when insects are once established. It 
is far better to vigilantly prevent then getting a 
foothold. 
Pelargoniums—Watch the approach of the green 
fly and destroy by fumigation. Water more freely 
now that they are in a growing state. Cuttings 
may also be made. 
Repotting—Many of the rapid growing plants 
require larger pots at this season. Shift to those 
of sufficient size to flowei in. 
Seeds—Sow a variety ofannuals for early bloom¬ 
ing, both in the house and open borders. 
Verbenas and Pbtunias —Plants intended to 
bloom in pots now require a shift to those of a 
flowering size. The stock may be increased by 
cuttings and layers. 
Water—The coldet the weather the more fire 
is required and a drier atmosphere is the result. 
The quantity of water must therefore he increased, 
but an excess avoided. Syringing the walls, 
dampening the floors and exposing vats or pans of 
water will assist in maintaining a humid atmos¬ 
phere. Water should always be exposed to the 
warm air before giving to the plants. A tank in 
the house is the proper reservoir to draw from 
Make a Map of the Farm. 
Few of our farms are in a finished state. Most 
of them are more in the raw stale that nature leff 
them, and have to be recovered from the conse¬ 
quences of the bad management ol their former 
occupants. They are yet chaotic, and it will 
take more than six days of labor, to round them 
into for In, to separate land from water, and to 
turn the waste into a fruitful field. They are 
yet to be made as much as the house that has 
only its frame-work reared, or the ship that 
stands on the stocks, with unplanked ribs and 
beams. Many are waking up to this unfinished 
state of their farms, and have already begun 
certain improvements, and have planned certain 
others, which bide their tune. 
But the improvement of a particular field is ton 
often undertaken without any reference to the rest 
of the farm, and a great deal of labor is needless- 
