1861 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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most collections—90° for those tropical plants 
which need strong forcing. The heat should he as 
even as possible, only falling a few degrees at night. 
Air is necessary to vegetable life, and as the fire 
and growing plants are constantly vitiating it, fresh 
supplies are needed. Admit through the upper 
ventilators to avoid draft. The houses should bo 
kept closed in very severe weather, during fogs, 
storms, and high winds. Previous to snow storms, 
or during the prevalence of extreme cold weather, 
it is better to keep the outer shutters on, as it will 
scarcely be possible to keep the cold out with a 
single covering of glass. Remove the snow as soon 
as the storm is over, as its melting causes a drip 
from the glass upon the plants. 
Azalias—Syringe and water more freely as they 
increase in growth and begin to swell for bloom. 
Fumigate to destroy insects. 
Bulbs—Bring from the green-house as wanted 
for succession of bloom. Change the water of 
those in glasses at least weekly. 
Camellias arc now coming into flower. Water 
and syringe freely, avoiding wetting the bloom. 
Cut back to a compact bush form. Cuttings may 
still be made and inserted into pots at once. 
Carnations—Stake those in bloom, and water of¬ 
ten. Shift those which are pot-bound. Put in cut¬ 
tings for a Summer stock to bloom in the open 
grounds. 
Cinerarias will need especial watching as they are 
favorites of the green fly. Tobacco fumes are the 
best antidote. Repotting will be necessary in many 
instances. 
Cuttings and Layers of many plants may now be 
made. Insert thickly ingots of prepared soil until 
well rooted, when they may be put in separate pots. 
Provide, in this way, for a good stock of bedding- 
plants for Spring use out of doors. 
Fruit Trees in Pots—Much attention is now given 
to “ Orchard Houses,” or the culture of fruit trees 
in pots, under glass. It is found that grape vines, 
peach trees, nectarines, apricots, figs, and even ap¬ 
ples and pears, may be grown and fruited in 10 and 
1:1 inch pots, forming novel objects of much inter¬ 
est, if not a profitable feature. In England, where 
some of these fruits can scarcely be ripened out of 
doors at all, large houses are built expressly for 
them, but in our climate it is only advisable for the 
amateur or man of means. Such trees should now 
be pruned, if they have not already received that 
care, and arranged for immediate forcing. Of course 
the heads should be cut back to correspond with 
the limited space for roots. 
Grapes, in the early houses are beginning to color, 
or even ripening off. They require a dryer atmos¬ 
phere with very little water at the root. Air freely. 
Later houses require more care. Some need prun¬ 
ing, thinning, syringing, and an application of sul¬ 
phur to destroy the mildew, according to the amount 
of forcing they have received, while others are but 
just arranged upon the rafters, with buds barely be¬ 
ginning to swell. Keep outside borders well cov¬ 
ered with manure. 
Insects—Prevention is better than cure. A moist 
atmosphere, frequent washing and syringing of the 
foliage, hand picking, etc., are the best preventives. 
For a cure, use tobacco fumes for thrips and green¬ 
fly, soap and water for scale, and a sponge or syringe 
and clear water for red spider. 
Bedding Plants—Now is the time to get up a 
good stock of verbenas, petunias, pelargoniums, 
fuchsias, salvias, heliotropes, dieentras, and other 
good massing plants for the open borders in Spring. 
They can be increased rapidly from cuttings and 
layers, and will be of good size at planting time. 
Potting—Many plants need an early shift to pots 
of a larger size, and cuttings inserted last month 
are now ready to pot off Have a heap of potting 
soil at all times in readiness where it will not freeze. 
Reeds of many out-door annuals may now be 
sown for early planting in the borders as soon as 
made up in the Spring. 
Shutters—Have in readiness and use during snow 
storms and when very cold and windy. It is not 
best to leave them ofl' at night unless the weather 
is quite mild. Put them on early at night, and re¬ 
move in the morning when the sun is well up. 
Water—Examine the pots and give water when 
the soil becomes partially dry. Syringe frequently, 
but avoid excess. More water will always be need¬ 
ed as rapidity of growth increases: The water 
should always be soft, and taken from a tank or cis¬ 
tern in the house itself—to be of same warmth. 
Ajmary in JaBmary. 
BY II. QUINBY. 
Stocks of bees that contain a limited supply of 
honey, and are standing in the open air, will be more 
liable to suffer, than such as have stores in proper 
quantity. The bees must have access to their stores 
as often as every few days. If they have but little 
honey, it is quite sure to be further from where 
they have clustered, than when they are well sup¬ 
plied. Frosty combs will prevent their reaching it. 
If moderate weather does not occur with sufficient 
frequency—at intervals of two or three weeks—to 
melt the frost, they should be warmed artificially. 
Bring the hive to a warm room for a few hours ; the 
bees will then go to their sealed honey, and remove 
into the cluster a supply for several days. Unless 
the room is perfectly dark, they should be brought 
in at evening. It is seldom that we have severe 
weather sufficiently protracted, to make this trouble 
necessary for strong,, heavy stocks, but if such 
weather should occur, and prevent the warmth of a 
large colony from thawing out the frost of the hive 
during the month, it would be necessary to warm 
them also. In handling the hives, avoid any heavy 
jarring, and any unnecessary disturbance. 
Keep the air passages free from dead bees, ice, 
etc. If the weather should bo very mild, and the 
sun shine warm, they may be allowed to fly—un¬ 
less there is a light snow on the ground, when they 
should be kept in by shading the hive with a board. 
If all the frost at any time leaves the hive, so that 
it may be raised without disturbing the bees, the 
filth, dead bees, etc., should then be swept out. 
See if the mice have not found, or made a passage 
into the hive, and arc appropriating to themselves 
forbidden sweets. They will, sometimes, if unmo¬ 
lested, build a nest inside, and take up their abode 
there for the winter. They must be turned out, 
and kept out, covering all passages with wire cloth, 
except a space just large enough for a bee to pass. 
Our Exhibition Tables. 
The following articles, not before noticed, have 
been received and placed on exhibition : 
Flowers and Plants. —Carnations and Chry¬ 
santhemums—A line collection of many varieties 
from the N. Y. Chplian Asylum, C. S. Pell, Supt.... 
Jerusalem Cross—or Mole Tree ( Euphorbia latlvj- 
ris), a very pretty evergreen plant, said to be a pro¬ 
tection from moles when planted in the garden, J. 
W. Douglas, N. Y_Boll of ripened Cotton, J. AY. 
Harris. 
Fruit.— Newtown Pippin Apples, AV. S. Carpen¬ 
ter, N. Y. ; Easter Beurre, Vicar of AVinkfield, and 
Doyenne gris d’Hiver, Pears, Thos. AY. Field, Kings 
Co., N. Y_Isabella grapes, preserved in cotton, 
Haight & Merritt, Dutchess Co., N. Y.... Cranber¬ 
ries, bell variety, plants in bearing, F. Trow¬ 
bridge, New-LIaven Co., Conn. 
A^egetables. —Carrots, Parsneps, Onions, etc., 
fine specimens, J. E. Maeomber, Newport Co., R.I. 
_Carrots, splendid growth, AV. J. Spence, Sul'-. 
folk Co., N. Y_Beets and Turnips, good, R. 
Graff, Queens Co., and AY. J. Spence, Suffolk Co., 
N. Y_Strap-leaved Turnip, weight 11% lbs! 
raised from seed distributed from this office, Samuel 
Bowden, Fairfield Co., Conn_Perfected Tomato, 
good specimens, S. Daniel, AVestchester Co., N. Y. 
Birds. —A magnificent Bald Eagle, captured in 
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and a full grown Horned 
Owl, taken in Catskill, N. Y.,purchased by the pub¬ 
lisher, for permanent exhibition, have attracted 
much attention. They are flue specimens. AVe 
hope to keep them alive for a long time. 
Descriptive Motes upon our Seeds Distri¬ 
bution for 1861. 
General Remarks .—The list of seeds and rules of 
-distribution are given on page 5. To avoid confu¬ 
sion, whenever we add a new kind of seed, we give 
it a new number, instead of one which has been 
used for some previous kind dropped out of the 
list. Thus : in the present year’s list the seeds 
numbered from 137 to 183 have not been in any pre¬ 
vious general list. The missing numbers from 1 to 
126 belong to seeds not in our present list. Separ¬ 
ate stereotype plates are prepared for printing the 
seed bags of each variety distributed, and the same 
number is always used for the same kind of seed. 
In the list the numbers are arranged irregularly, for 
the purpose of classifying the various kinds of seeds 
together appropriately'. 
AVliile the present year’s list embraces 57 new va¬ 
rieties, we also retain 20 varieties before offered, 
for the benefit of those who have not yet been able 
to obtain them. Some of them are quite common 
in the Eastern Territories, but will be found partic¬ 
ularly desirable in the flu - West, and especially on 
the Pacific Coast, at points remote from access to 
any good reliable seeds. As remarked last month, 
owing to the bad season in Europe as well as here, 
seeds are scarce and high this year—some of them 
extraordinarily so, and it is with the greatest diffi¬ 
culty and at large expense that we are able to get a 
supply. We hope to have enough to meet all de¬ 
mands from subscribers, and that our efforts in this 
line will prove satisfactory. The distribution 
can hardly begin before Feb. 1st, this year. 
Our packages are necessarily small; in some cases 
they are put up with reference to the little weight 
that can go under postage stamps, and iu others, 
because of the great cost of choice seeds. Very 
many of our flower seeds, for example, cost us four, 
live, and six, and from that to thirty five dollars the 
pound, even when bought at the lowest wholesale 
prices in Europe, and imported by us duty free. 
For example, we paid $100 for only three pounds of 
Aster seed! Most of these seeds are annuals, and 
the product of the first year will furnish an abund¬ 
ant yield of seed for the future. Generally, the 
small packages of flower seeds will supply all the 
plants required in an ordinary flowerbed or garden, 
if sown and cultivated with moderate care. 
The following notes are designed not only to de¬ 
scribe the seeds, but also to, in part, indicate the 
mode of culture. This list should be preserved. Other 
fuller articles on various plants will appear from 
time to time, and also hints as to the time of plant¬ 
ing, etc., in the montly Calendar of Operations. 
FieUI Seeds. 
No. 2. Improved King Philip Corn.— A dark brown, 
heavy corn, 8 rowed, with a small cob. It matures in <J0 
to 100 days and is a good variety for late planting, or re¬ 
planting, or for a general crop. May be planted 3 to 
feet apart. Especially adapted to northern culture, and 
short seasons. 
No. 3. Stowell’s Sweet Corn.— This is a large and 
rather late variety, sometimes called “Evergreen” from 
the long time it continues in a soft state. We consider it 
the best late sort, and when planted at different periods 
yields boiling ears until frost. AVe plant it largely 
every year. Much of that sold in this country is hybrid¬ 
ized and impure, and gives no good idea of the pure. 
No. 94. Crystal Flint, or I-Iominy Corn.— A tall, 
slow, growing variety, with large ears, sometimes 3 or 4 
on a stalk; kernel abeautiful clear, white flint,yielding fine 
white-meal, and excellent “hominy.” AVe have been 
pleased with two years’ trial of it on a moderate scale. 
No. 141. Darling’s Extra Early Corn.— Formerly 
in our list, but dropped last year. It did so well with us 
last season that we gladly restore it. It is the best very 
early sweet corn we have found, rather dwarfish, and 
smalt ear, but sweet, and soon ready for the table. Plant 
as soon as ground is ready, and afterwards for a succes 
sion, in drills 2M to 3 feet apart, or in hills. AVe have 
planted it in drills 4 feet apart, with late potatoes between 
and obtained a good crop of both. 
No. 142. A'ellow Stone Turnip.— A heavy, nearlj 
round, yellow sort, of the flat or Dutch species, though of 
beautiful cone form. It grows quickly and may be plant¬ 
ed late. 
No, 143. Wait fs Eclipse Turnip.— An improvement 
