AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
67 
Egg Plants—Sow in hot-beds, f, in. 
Fences—Make and repair, m, 1. 
Figs—Uncover, 11, any buried during the Winter. 
Fruit trees—Plant along borders, 11. Selected varieties 
of dwarf pears, a few peaches, plums, and cherries may 
be planted by themselves and those vegetables or small 
fruits grown beneath them which succeed in the shade, 
such as raspberries, blackberries, Ac. 
Gooseberries—Plant the same as currants. 
Grapes—Uncover buried vines, 11. All vines should 
have been pruned and cuttings made before this. They 
will bleed if cut now. Plant cuttings and rooted 
vines, 11. 
Hot-beds—Make and sow, IT, m, orl, according as early 
or later forcing is desired. (Read the description in the 
February number.) As the plants in the early beds ac¬ 
quire size before outside grounds are ready to receive 
them, it is well to have a second bed with a moderate 
bottom heat to transplant to. 
Leeks—Sow 11. 
Lettuce—So w, ff, m, in ho ,-beds, and, 11, in open ground. 
Scatter some seed in the cold frames. 
Manures—Heavy manuring and deep plowing or trench¬ 
ing are the secrets of success with market gardeners. 
Mustard—Sow, 11. 
Onions—Sow and put out for rareripes, 11. 
Parsley—Sow, 11. 
Peas may be sown on warm lands, 11, if the frost is 
out. They bear several degrees of frost after they are up. 
Provide brush while you have time. Plow, subsoil and 
trench garden soils in a dry state. 
Potatoes—Plant early varieties, 11, or sprout them as 
described on page 86. 
Radishes—Sow at intervals, in hot-beds, ff, m, 1; and, lb, 
in the open ground. 
Raspberries—Uncover buried canes, 11, if the weather 
is settled. Stake up at once and head back to four or five 
feet in hight. 
Rhubarb—Force a few roots, ff, as described last 
month. Remove covering from those w hich were pro¬ 
tected during the Winter. Set out new crowns, 11, the 
earlier the better, after the ground can be worked. 
Sage—Transplant roots and sow seed, 11. 
Seeds—Procure and test at once. In milder latitudes 
set out roots Ac., for seed, II. 
Spinach—Uncover Fall plants and sow seed, 11. Thin 
out for use. 
Strawberries—Rake off the Winter covering, 11, and 
give a top dressing of fine, well rotted manure. 
Tools—Delay procuring new or repairing the old ones 
no longer. 
Tomatoes—Sow in hot-beds ff, m. 
Trellises and Arbors—Repair old and construct new 
while there is time for it. One style of Arbor is given on 
page 88. 
Trench grounds as soon as they are free from frost and 
sufficiently dry. 
Turnips—Sow a few at intervals in the hot-bed, and in 
warm borders, 11, for early use. 
FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN. 
Unless Winter makes up for his absence in December 
and January, the mild days of the latter part of March, 
the swelling buds of the flowering shrubs and the appeai- 
ance of the early bulbs will invite to the pleasure or flower 
garden, where preparations for Spring planting may be 
made. The influence, and oftentimes the labors of the 
“gentler sex” serve as a stimulus to put the grounds in 
order as well as may be, and after digging over and a little 
of the heavy work is performed, the after labors may very 
properly devolve upon the female portion of the house¬ 
hold, to whose service these grounds are appropriately 
dedicated. 
The rubbish should now be cleared away, gravel walks 
dug over and renewed, borders reset with turf or box, and 
where the season promises continued mild weather the 
tender shrubs may be released from their protection of 
straw, and the bulbs and other roots uncovered. The 
borders may also be prepared and some of the hardy An¬ 
nuals sown, 11, such as mignonette, portulaccas, coreopsis, 
petunias, &c. Other varieties may be sown, f, m, in a 
hot-bed. 
Box and Grass Edgings—Plant and trim, 11, renewing 
any defective places. 
Bulbs—If any have been kept out of ground, plant them, 
ff, if the ground admits of working. 
Carnations, Pinks, and Daisies—Admit air to those in 
pits or frames. 
Chrysanthemums—Transplant, 11. 
Deciduous Trees—Set out, 11, in the lawn and along 
»he highways and avenues. 
Drain grounds which incline to moisture. It will make 
>hem warmer, and they can be worked earlier in the 
Spring. 
Gravel—Procure a supply and replenish old, and make 
new walks. 
Hedges—Set out deciduous, 11, if the ground is in work¬ 
ing order. Buckthorn or privet will serve as a good pro 
lection, while allheas make a fine screen. 
Honeysuckles and other Vines—Prune; arrange, m, 1. 
llot-beds—See Kitchen Garden. 
Labels and Stakes—During the leisure of this month, 
provide enough for Spring use. 
Lawn—Rake over, 11, to remove the accumulation of 
leaves and decayed grass. Spread over a dressing of 
bone manure, plaster, ashes, guano, or fine barnyard ma¬ 
nure. Replace bare spots with turf or scatter on seed, 
pressing down with a heavy roller. 
Manures will be Wanted to dress both old and new 
grounds—Provide a sufficient supply, adding as much de¬ 
cayed vegetable matter as possible. 
New Grounds—Lay out, 11, according to the plans al¬ 
ready matured. Avoid right angles and straight lines. 
Circles, curves, and waves, can usually be employed for 
waiks or bordered boundaries. A square flowerbed is too 
set to give the highest pleasure. 
Perennials—Divide and reset, 11, or as early as the sea¬ 
son will permit. 
Plow deep and subsoil or spade and trench both old 
and new grounds, as soon as they are in working order. 
Prune Roses, Honeysuckles, and other climbers, with 
the shurbbery which absolutely requires it, f, m. 
Roses—Plant cuttings and roots, 11. Prune and regulate 
pillar and climbing varieties. 
Shrubs—Uncover, 11, those which were strawed up or 
otherwise protected, if the weather appears settled; if 
not, leave till next month. 
Transplanting of trees, shrubs, flowers, Ac may be 
done, 11, or earlier where Spring has fairly set in. 
GREEN HOUSE. 
Fire heat will be needed while cold weather lasts. To¬ 
wards the end of the month it may be nearly dispensed 
with, if the houses be closed early in the afternoon. 
Air plants well at all times, and especially so when a 
more vigorous grow th begins. Plenty of air is also re¬ 
quired for hardening those plants soon to be put into the 
open ground. 
Azalias—Many are in full bloom and should be watered 
sparingly. Prune |o a good head as soon as they com¬ 
plete flowering. 
Bedding Plants—Have a good stock of verbenas, petu¬ 
nias, pansias, daisies, Ac., in orocess of hardening off 
for frames. Cuttings may still be made, ff, m. 
Bulbs—Tie up the flower stalks of those in bloom, and 
water lightly. Take the more backward to the parlor or 
hot-house for successive blooming. 
Camellias are opening their buds or in full bloom ac 
cording to the atmosphere of the room. Water and 
syringe freely until the flowers begin to expand. See 
page 85. 
Carnations—Treat as last month. • 
Cinerarias—Shift those well rooted to larger pots. 
Cleanse the house often, and keep pots and plants free 
from weeds, mold, and decayed leaves. 
Cuttings of myrtles, oleanders, geraniums, verbenas, 
fuchsias, hydrangeas, jasmines. Ac may now be made 
and put in pots. 
Geraniums—Keep from damp atmosphere in an airy 
part of the house. Shift and water liberally, giving plenty 
of room. Fumigate to destroy green fly. 
Grapes are in every stage, from just starting into grow th 
to bloom according to the forcing they have had Dis¬ 
bud, pinch in, and tie up as necessary. Water and 
syringe freely until they bloom. Guard against insects, 
and keep flower of sulpher on the flues. 
Heaths—Maintain even, but not too moist atmosphere. 
Insects—Destroy with tobacco fumes,soapsuds Ac. It 
is important that they do not increase at this season. 
Layer Woody Plants, f, m. 
Mildew—Keep off by dusting plants and vines with sul¬ 
pher. 
Oranges, Lemons, Ac—Sow seed for a stock to bud on. 
Repot and dress those needing it. 
Pot off some of the forward annuals and cuttings put in 
last month. 
Prune away any decaying or moldy branches. Pinch in 
straggling shoots to make a compact head. 
Roses—Pot off or shift those w hich have become estab¬ 
lished. Insert more cuttings, ff, m. 
Seeds—Sow a good supply of various kinds, f, m, for 
planting out in May. 
Shifting or Repotting—This is a favorable month to 
shift to larger pots most of those plants which will need 
more room during the season ; also to pot off cuttings 
which were thickly planted in January and February. 
Put them into pots of such size that they will need no 
more shifting. 
Temperature—This must be governed by the collec¬ 
tions. Among none should tne mercury fall below 35° 
and some will require fully 40° to keep them in a growing 
state, while 50° is low enough for others. Let the heat be 
as even as possiole. 
Water—Avon! an excess, although the more vigorous 
the grow th the more water will be required, until the 
plants commence flowering. 
HOT HOUSE & CONSERVATORY. 
The sudden changes of temperature and frequent high 
winds at this season require care in regulating the heat, 
which should be asuniform as possible. Fresh air should 
be admitted each day, and the foul atmosphere allowed to 
escape. Iveepevery department clean and free from dust. 
Abutilons succeed in almost any situation. Give mod¬ 
erate waterings, plenty of room, and pinch to a fine 
shaped head. See description and illustration page 85. 
Bark Beds—Repair those needing it by adding one-third 
fresh tan and stirring the mass thoroughly. 
Bulbs—Bring to the warmest part of the house for 
early flowering. Change the w ater of those in glasses 
frequently. Many of them will now show a fine bloom. 
Calceolarias Shut those pot-bound, watering freely. 
Camellias are still the pride of the hot-house con¬ 
taining a good collection of them. In watering or syring¬ 
ing avoid wetting the flowers. As they pass out of bloom 
head back to a bushy habit. 
Cuttings—A large number of both succulent and woody 
plants may now be increased by'cuttings. Insert in pots 
and plunge into the bark beds for a gentle bottom heat. 
Fruit—Some of the plants, such as Oranges, Lemons, 
Figs, Bananas, Pines Ac., are now setting fruit and re¬ 
quire a uniform bottom heal w ith plenty of fresh air and 
moderate waterings. 
Fuchsias, Hydrangeas, Pinks, Daisies Ac., may be 
brought from the green-house to hasten flowering. 
Gloxinias—Shift to larger pots as they increase in size. 
Grapes are in bloom or setting fruit even, and require 
less syringing. Keep the outside borders well covered, 
and rub off' superfluous shoots. 
Insects—Wage war, f, m, 1. See Green-house. 
Layer woody shrubs or plants, f, m, for an increase. 
Musas—Water freely w hen in a grow ing state. Change 
those needing it to tubs of fruiting size. Some of them 
will now be setting fruit. See illustration, page 80. 
Seeds—Sow an abundance of annual both exotics and 
natives. Plunge the containing pots in the bark beds. 
Syringe the walls and plants, and sprinkle the floors 
each morning to maintain a moist atmosphere. 
Water—Give moderately, especially to woody plants. 
THE APIARY. 
BY M. QU1NBY. 
Out Door Stocks.—As soon as all the frost in the hive 
is gone, it should be gently raised, and all filth, such as 
dead bees, chips or rubbings of comb w here honey has been 
unsealed, be swept out. it will require a great many jour¬ 
neys for the bees to do it—you can relieve them in a min¬ 
ute, besides the bees may not be able to do it before it de¬ 
cays, wholly or in part, rendering it unhealthy for them 
Turn back the hive far enough to get a view of the cluster 
of bees among the comb, and see if tney are all alive. 
Sometimes those on the outside of the cluster, betw een the 
last two combs perish by the cold, and remain closely 
packed together till moldy, if not putrid, spoiling the 
combs as far as they reach, and making them unfit for any¬ 
thing afterward. These dead bees when present, should 
be removed early ; if the combs, w here they are, are al¬ 
ready moldy, cut them out. The bees can be kept quiet 
during the operation by tobacco smoke. 
Any that need feeding should be at once attended to. 
Should the Spring be wet and backward, they will often 
consume as much honey from the first of March till June, 
as through the Fall and Winter. The safest place to feed 
is on the top of the hive ; open the holes through the top 
and put the feed under a cover sufficiently close filling to 
keep other bees away. 
In Door Stock. —Bees in the house will manifest some 
uneasiness by a few leaving the hive, w henever moderate 
weather occurs. They may be kept tolerably quiet by 
sprinkling snow on the floor of the room, till yon get a good 
day for setting them, which should be clear and warm. 
Have the stands all ready, so that moving stocks may be 
avoided afterward, unless they are to be taken over a mile. 
But out a dozen or less on stands as far apart as Possible 
In two hours—after the bees of these have about an been 
out and returned—as many more may be put the stands 
between the first, this hi some measure will prsve’il llieir 
mixing. Should the air be mild and the su:, onght, old 
snow will do no harm. Examine them about, tun own to 
see if any have lost a queen. Should such an n eurrence 
happen, the bees of such stock will be in glee' ..uiuino- 
tion while the rest are quiet. To prevent their ne.ng rob¬ 
bed, or destroyed by worms, they must be broken up and 
the bees united to some other ; of if the family be a large 
one, some weak family containing a queen, may be united 
with that. 
Severe weather occurring after they are out, may make 
it necessary’ to return them to the house. Make the en¬ 
trance very small, as a protection against robbers, and to 
preserve as much as possible the animal heat, which is 
important in rearing the young brood. 
