AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
357 
walks, lawn ami borders raked over tliere will be very 
little requiring absolute attention now. 
Where the iar.d will admit of working, grading and lay¬ 
ing out new grounds can be done to advantage, especi¬ 
ally if ike Spring should prove wet. Put everything in 
neat order that there be as many attractions as possible 
even in Winter. Read remarks on page 369. 
Auriculas, Anemones, Polyanthus, Ranunculus and 
Primroses—Cover with coarse manure, leaves or straw, 
to prevent sudden and severe freezing. 
Biennial and perennial roots, unless covered with 
snow, will keep better, and start earlier if mulched, that is 
covered with coarse manure, straw or forest leaves. Dur¬ 
ing mild weather they may be divided and reset where 
the ground is not frozen. 
Bulbs—Plant, if, any w'hich chance to be still out of 
ground. Full directions have already been given. See 
also the illustrations and remarks on page 371 relative to 
bulbs in glasses. A moderate covering of some kind will 
greatly improve the future bloom. Coarse manure, 
straw, &e., will make a good protection. 
Chrysanthemums—Cut away old flower stalks, marking 
the desirable varieties you wish to propagate from. The 
roots may now be divided and reset where the grounds 
are in working condition. 
Dahlias and Gladiolas—See directions of last month, if 
any are still in the ground, and unfrozen. 
Daisies, Carnations and Pinks—Protect as Auriculas, 
or they are liable to Winter-kill. Evergreen brush 
spread over them forms a good covering. A few may be 
taken to the green house for early blooming. 
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs—Shake off any accumu¬ 
lations of snow to prevent the branches from being broken. 
Frames and Flower Pits—Keep closed, and covered 
with straw, mats, &c., during cold and inclement weath¬ 
er. They need not be opened during the month unless a 
succession of fine days occur. 
Labels, Dahlia and other Stakes—Procure or make 
these during the leisure of this and the following month. 
Roses—Divide roots, remove layers and transplant, if, 
where there is no frost Tender sorts may be protected 
with evergreen brush or straw, or better lay them down 
and bury with earth as directed for raspberries on page 
369. 
Shrubs—Hardy varieties may still be planted, ff, in 
many localities. Do not move them during freezing 
weather. Protect tender varieties by placing evergreen 
boughs about them Boxes and barrels confine the air 
too closely, often molding the plants. A compact mass 
of straw is likewise close and difficult to dry after heavy 
rains. Place three or four red cedar, Arbor vit®, or 
other evergreens, about the shrub, extending one foot 
above it. Draw them in with twine or willow, closely if 
very tender—and you have an evergreen , and ornamental 
cone, through which only sifted wind can penetrate, and 
from which moisture will soon dry. 
Trees—Plant hardy ornamental, ff, where practicable, 
in preference to leaving till Spring. 
Green-Mouses. 
Most of these are supposed to contain plants which 
need only be kept from freezing during the Winter, re- 
.ying upon the Summer for their bloom. Some of them, 
nowevtr. in the absence of forcing houses, are made to 
perform the office of green and hot-house. This is attain¬ 
ed with difficulty unless there are divisions to the houses 
so that some may receive more heat than others. In the 
green house proper, the temperature should be kept at 
about 40 s —never below 35° or above 50°. To maintain 
this warmth a lit tie fire heat will occasionally be needed, 
ooth to resist cold and dry up dampness during wet and 
foggy days. Only resort to fire heat w hen absolutely ne¬ 
cessary. Place the shutters on early at night, and even 
keep them on during very severe or snowy weather—tak¬ 
ing them otf as soon as practicable to give the plants 
light. Admit air also at all proper times. 
Very little water will be required this month, especi¬ 
ally to woody plants, such as oranges, lemons, oleanders, 
myrtles, &c. 
Keep everything neat and clean, removing decaying 
leaves and moss from the surface of pots and tubs. 
Bulbs that were putin the ground until this season, 
should be potted, ff, and kept in a cool part of the house 
to be carried to blooming apartments as needed. 
Mot-Mowses. 
December is often a trying month for this department 
of floriculture. The keen piercing winds whistle in at 
every crevice, snows fall upon the glass or shutters ren¬ 
dering it difficult to keep an even anu proper temperature. 
A thermometer should always be hanging in the center of 
the room, and often consulted. As in the green-house, so 
in these apartments different degrees of heat are required 
for different collections of plants or for the same plant 
according as it is in a slate of rest or forced grow th. This 
is usually provided for by several houses, or divisions of 
the same house with a moderate heat in some, say 56° to 
60°, while tropical and forcing plants may require 70°, 
and even 75°, when the sun shines—they bear more heat 
in sunshine than in shade. Few plants require much 
forcing now, the chief object being to keep them moder¬ 
ately inactive and prepare them for a vigorous growth 
next month. 
Air the houses each day, if the weather is suitable. 
Avoid a draft by lowering only the upper sashes a few 
inches in the middle of the day. Cover with shutters 
during cold nights and snowy weather. Mats hung be¬ 
fore the side glasses will help keep out penetrating winds. 
Bulbs—Bring a few from the green-house every two 
weeks to keep up a continued bloom, or prepare them for 
flowering in the parlor. Water freely. Read article on 
“ Hyacinths in Glasses,” page 371. 
Camellias are now growing finely and nearly ready for 
bloom. Syringe, wash the leaves and water freely. 
Decaying leaves, moss and weeds should be removed 
as they appear, both to preserve a sweet atmosphere and 
neat appearance. 
Fires—Trust them to skillful hands. Unless water- 
pipes are used—which are far the best—too much heat is 
as injurious as too little. A steady, even temperature is 
desirable, wnich may require some night work. 
G'Apes—The outside borders should early be covered 
with coarse manure, straw or leaves. See that the drain¬ 
age is good. The appearance of the vines inside differs 
greatly at this season. Some are still lying upon the 
floor in an inactive state, others haye just been tied up 
and are bursting into grow th, while it is possible to have 
fruit nearly ready to color on early forced vines. The 
treatment in each case must be governed by the forcing 
they have received. 
Heaths—Water freely as they approach the blooming 
season. 
Insects—Assiduously keep them in check with syringe, 
oil soap, and tobacco fumes. 
Mildew—Sprinkle sulphur on the flues, dust the plants 
or otherwise use it, with caution, among collections sub¬ 
ject to mildew. 
Orchideous plants require a humid atmosphere, but no 
standing or stagnant water at the roots. Keep from di¬ 
rect sunshine. 
Roses—Get up a good collection for Summer bloom. 
Cuttings may now be made. Force a few for Winter 
flowering. 
Verbenas and Pelargoniums—Propagate freely for 
a Spring stock. Keep flowering plants near the glass and 
water freely. 
Water—Most plants now require only moderate water¬ 
ings—those in a state of rest once a week, while the grow¬ 
ing ones need it twice a week and plants in flower, even 
oftener. Syringe, or sprinkle the floors occasionally to 
produce a humid atmosphere. 
Apiary for December. 
BY M. QUINBY. 
St. Johnsville, N. Y. 
If it is intended to Winter bees in the house, and pre¬ 
parations are yet to be made, they should be attended to 
immediately. Our Winter will be quite sure to begin 
in earnest this month, in all places north of N. Y. city. 
As soon as it is evident that there will be no more pleas- 
ent days for them to fly, take them in. A dry cellar is as 
good as any room above ground, but whatever room be 
used it should be warm and dark. Dampness is bad, any 
freezing is also bad. The least ray of light is bad. If the 
proper requisites can not be secured, better leave them 
out of doors. Over fifty stocks in a small room will keep 
the temperature above the freezing point at all times, un¬ 
less too much air is admitted ; a very little is sufficient. 
Second or third rate stocks that would perish in a week, 
in the cold air, ean be successfully Wintered in a suitable 
room. Twenty-five per cent of the honey may be also 
saved, by housing. A double casing to form a dead air 
space around such room is a great advantage to keep out 
frost; the bees are less affected by changes in the weath¬ 
er, and are more quiet. Put in shelves, and pack close, 
but do not let the hives quite touch each other or the 
shelf above. Lay down some sticks one inch square, and 
turn the hive bottom up on them, for proper ventilation. 
When first turned over, a great many bees will come out 
of the combs, and will creep away, if there is anything to 
travel on, but if not, will soon return when left in the 
dark. 
Such as are intended to stand out-door, ought not to be 
moved until severe weather. If possible the Winter and 
Summer stand should be the same ; moving them in the 
Fall, before they are done flying, or in Spring after they 
have commenced, is bad economy. Arrange so as to 
avoid it if possible. Let such stands be out of the pre¬ 
vailing winds, and where the 6un will strike the hives 
each day a short time. The sides, back and top, and 
sometimes front, may be protected with hay or straw. 
Ventilate ^>y raising the hive one fourth of an inch, cov¬ 
ering all holes large enough to admit mice, with wire, 
cloth, leaving a space just large enough for a bee to pass. 
Open the holes in the top, and set over an empty cap to 
receive the moisture. 
Hives and boxes to be used another year, especially 
those containing combs, should beset right side up, se¬ 
cured from mice, in some dry place where they will freeze 
hard, and kill all moth eggs about them. 
Correction. —A typographical error last month makes 
me say “ the best bee-bread is stored in the combs near 
the top and side of the hive.” It should read “ the least 
bee-bread, etc.” 
-m i 11 i in Q 1 n ~ n 1 in 
Poultry—How to Prepare, Kill, Dress, 
and Market- 
We went through Fulton Market on Nov. 2nd, 
to purchase a little extra poultry for a special oc¬ 
casion, and though there were turkeys enough, 
we could scarcely find a young tender one, look¬ 
ing “ fit to carry home.” The fault was not in 
the animals themselves, for there were young 
ones enough, and some of them in fair flesh, but 
they were so bunglingly dressed, so torn, blood- 
covered, and otherwise bedaubed, that a sight of 
them before being browned in cooking was 
enough to greatly diminish the pleasure of eating 
them afterwards. We took the best we could 
find, at 15 cents per pound ; but for the particu¬ 
lar occasion, and on almost any other, we would 
have preferred to pay double price for a good 
looking bird. And this is about the feeling of 
every purchaser of poultry. They will generally 
say or feci, “ give me this small, neat turkey, at 
18 cents per pound, rather than that large, slov¬ 
enly dressed affair at 12 cents,” even though the 
larger one be fatter and tenderer. The same is 
the case in regard to other poultry. The truth is 
poultry raisers have no idea of the dollars they 
lose for want of a few pence worth of time in 
dressing the animals well, and sending them to 
market in good condition. Last year, with the 
assistance of skilful dealers, we prepared and 
published some concise directions on this topic, 
which, from the importance of the subject, we 
will repeat here in substance. 
Preparing. —Make them fat. A grain-fed, plump, 
fat fowl will sell for double the price per pound of 
a lean one. A liberal feeding for a few weeks 
before killing, will nearly double the weight and 
double the price, making a quadruple return for 
the finishing off food. 
Killing. —Keep them from bruising themselves. 
Secure the wings the instant they are caught, and 
tie them behind the back. Tie the legs together, 
hang them upon a pole, and then cut off the head 
with a sharp knife, leaving as long a neck as pos¬ 
sible. Let them hang until they bleed clean. 
Keep them from food for two or three hours be¬ 
fore killing. Any grain left in the crop sours and 
materially injures the flesh if kept long before 
cooking. 
Dressing. —Pick them dry, taking particular 
care not to tear or bruise the flesh. If scalded at 
all, let it be done quickly and in water not quite 
boiling hot. Be careful not to rub off the outer 
thin skin from the legs. If not to be packed in 
boxes, after picking dry or scalding, wash them 
in clean warm soap-suds, and “ plump ” them, 
that is hold them in boiling water about five sec¬ 
onds. If to be packed for carrying a long distance 
do not wet them at all, except to wash the neck. 
Strip back the skin on the neck, cut off the neck 
bone, draw the loose skin over, tie it tightly, cut 
off the bloody portion a little way above the string 
and wash off any blood, wiping dry. This will 
keep them clean and bloodless and increase their 
saleableness. 
Marketing. —Let them hang until entirely cold 
and then pack in rye straw it it be obtainable^ 
