lOO 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[April, 
Egg Plants—Sow in liot-beds, ff, or in boxes of 
earth, to be transplanted next month. The Large 
Purple is generally cultivated. 
Fences—Repair, and paint, or white-wash. 
Figs—Remove covering,/, m. Plant Layers pre¬ 
pared last year, m, l. Put in cuttings,/, rn. 
Fruit Trees—See Orchard and Nursery directions. 
Garlic—Plant and cultivate like the onion, of 
which it is a variety. It is not much grown now. 
Grapes—Remove covering from those protected 
during Winter. Leave them lying on the ground a 
few days before tying to the trellises. The buds 
may have swollen somewhat, and they will be less 
injured by harsh weather than if at once exposed by 
being spread over the trellis. Pruning now is dan¬ 
gerous to the vines, as they bleed profusely. 
Herbs—Set roots or sow seeds of hyssop, thyme, 
rue, sage, savory, etc., on the borders of beds,/, m. 
Hops—Enrich the ground well and plant roots, 
/, m. Choose young, small roots from fertile plants. 
Hot-Beds may still be made, ff. Choose a warm 
situation on the South side of a building or high 
fence. Make a bed of fresh horse manure six inch¬ 
es below the surface and two feet above ; cover it 
with four to six inches of soil enclosed in a frame, 
and over it lay window sash, or even a frame of 
white muslin. After the first violent fermentation 
is over, sow seeds. As the time for transplanting 
approaches, give plenty of water, and ventilate free¬ 
ly to harden the plants. 
Horse-radish—Divide and reset roots, m, l. For 
new beds, dig deep, enrich well, set the crowns two 
inches below the surface, in rows one foot apart and 
nine inches distant in the row. 
Kohl Rabi—Sow, m, l, in shallow drills nine inch¬ 
es apart; transplant and cultivate like cabbage. 
Leeks—Sow,/, m, on rich soil, in shallow drills, 
fifteen inches apart, and water if dry. 
Lettuce—Sow,/ - , m, l, in rich soil, in drills nine 
inches apart. Cover lightly. Silesian and White 
Cabbage are standard sorts. The Imperial Ice 
Head is of excellent flavor, and its leaves are noted 
for crispness and brittleness. 
Manure—Finely divided manures, as bone saw¬ 
ings, a compost of poultry droppings and muck or 
chip dirt, thoroughly mixed, etc., are best for the 
garden. Apply them liberally—they pay. 
Melons—Skillman’s Netted Muskmelon, is a su¬ 
perior variety.—Of Watermelons, the Mountain 
Sweet, Ice Cream, and Long Island, are favorites. 
Cultivate as directed above for cucumbers. 
Mustard—Sow for salads and greens, thickly in 
shallow drills a foot apart at successive intervals. 
Nasturtiums—Sow, ll, hear a fence in drills an 
inch deep, or in hills four feet apart if to be left 
without support. They may be bushed or trellised 
like peas; are ornamental, and furnish good pickles. 
Onions—Sow,/, m, in drills one foot apart on rich 
mellow soil. The Wethersfield Red, and Silver 
Skin are good sorts. 
Parsley—The Curled variety is best. Sow in 
drills half an inch deep on the borders of beds. 
Parsneps—Sow, m, l, half inch deep, in drills 11 
inches apart, where they can remain in Winter. 
Peas—The Daniel O’Rourke is the earliest variety. 
Sow,/, m, in rows running east and west, and when 
up, set a high board on the north side of each row 
to break off winds, and reflect the sunshine; this 
will forward them rapidly. Sow also Prince Albert, 
Napoleon, and Champion of England, for a suc¬ 
cession. The Champion is best for a general crop. 
Peppers—Sow the Bell variety,/, m, in the hot¬ 
bed, or in a box, for transplanting next month. 
Potatoes—Plant,/, m, those already started as di¬ 
rected last month. For succession, plant early va¬ 
rieties, m, ?, as directed under Farm. 
Pumpkins—Plant as cucumbers and melons, but 
at a distance from them, to preserve seed pure. 
Radishes—Sow in vacancios in the hot-bed,/', and 
at intervals,/, m, l , in the open ground for succes¬ 
sion. They grow best on light sandy soil. Econo¬ 
mize space by scattering them among hills of vines, 
and between rows of other roots ; they will be out 
of the way before the ground is needed. The Long 
Scarlet, and Scarlet Turnip are good varieties. 
Raspberries—Uncover buried canes and tie to 
stakes five feet high, or to trellises of stakes and 
wire. Cutting off a few inches of the top of the 
cane will give vigor to the lower buds. Be careful 
not to break off or bruise the fruit buds. Fork in 
a top-dressing of composted stable manure. Fas- 
tolf, Hudson River, Antwerp, and Brinkle’s Orange, 
are choice varieties. 
Rhubarb—Follow directions given on page 83, 
last No., which see. 
Salsafy or Vegetable Oyster is well worthy culti¬ 
vation where the shell-fish itself can not easily be 
procured. Sow, rn, l, in drills half an inch deep, 
ten inches apart, and cultivate as carrots and par¬ 
sneps. Select for seed the best roots in the ground 
from last year, and dig the remainder for use. 
Seeds—Procure a full supply of choice kinds. 
Test a few in a warm place on damp cotton, placed 
over a tumbler of water, with the fibers of the cot¬ 
ton dipping into the water. Some start them 
early, by enclosing each kind in a cloth sep¬ 
arately, with a paper bearing the name, and burying 
them two inches deep, a week or more before want¬ 
ed for planting. They will swell and perhaps 
sprout, and thus have a good start. Soaking in wa¬ 
ter a day or two is useful for slow starting seeds. 
Spinach—Uncover that protected in Winter, ff, 
and market or use as wanted. Sow for successive 
crops,/, rn, l, in drills a quarter of an inch deep, 
thinning to nine inches apart. 
Squashes—The Hubbard and Boston Marrow head 
the list of tried varieties for excellence for Fall 
and Winter use. Plant, l, in raised hills eight feet 
apart, at a distance from melons or cucumbers, and 
cultivate in the same manner. Plant summer or 
bush varieties at same time in hills four feet apart. 
Strawberries—Make new beds, rn, which is, if 
weather permit, the best season of the year for the 
work. Wilson’s Albany, Hooker’s Seedling, Long- 
worth’s Prolific,and Early Scarlet, of the perfect flow¬ 
ered kind, and Hovey’s Seedling, McAvoy’s Supe¬ 
rior, and Peabody’s New Hautbois, pistillates, are 
good sorts. Rake off covering from old beds,/, re¬ 
moving it part at a time at intervals of a few days. 
Thin old beds and make new with vigorous runners 
of last year’s growth. 
Sweet Potatoes—Plant,/, m, in a hot-bed, to ob¬ 
tain sets for planting next month. See p. 115. 
Tomatoes—Sow in hot-beds or in pots in the 
house,./. The Fejee Island or Perfected variety is 
recommended. Sow in open ground,/, m, and pro¬ 
tect from cold with covering of straw. 
Tools—Keep all in repair. After using an imple¬ 
ment, free it from dirt, wipe it dry, and put it in its 
place. Examine and procure improved tools. 
Turnips—Sow the Early Redtop, /, rn, for Sum¬ 
mer use. Put in drills % inch deep, ten inches apart. 
Winter Cherry—Sow in hot-beds, ff, and in open 
ground, m, l, as for tomatoes. They come up slowly. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
The bright sunny days of April filling the air with 
fragrance and bird songs, remind us that the flow¬ 
ers now require attention. But while planning, ar¬ 
ranging, and executing, a judicious distinction must 
be made relative to varieties. Some hardy sorts 
may very properly be planted now, while others 
which will not endure frost, should be left until all 
danger of freezing is over. Flower seeds are usu¬ 
ally sown in the open ground too early. They may 
be started in boxes or pots of earth, and then be 
transplanted readily, when the ground is dry and 
warm. Our directions are based upon the observa¬ 
tions about the latitude, at the head of this calendar. 
The exact time of planting and sowing will, of 
course, depend upon the particular location, inclina¬ 
tion, and warmth of soil, etc. 
The first requisite is to properly prepare the soil. 
If inclined to dampness, provide drains. Where 
clay predominates, cart on liberal supplies of muck 
or 6and. If the ground is sandy, clay will benefit it. 
In all cases manure well, as upon this depends 
much of the beauty, size, form, and colors of the 
flowers. This is particularly needed if the grounds 
are newly made with poor soil left on the surface. 
In starting a new place, or rearranging tho old 
grounds, it is important that a definite plan be made 
at the commencement. Let it be plainly marked 
out upon a large sheet of paper for a working mod¬ 
el, and every tree planted, shrub set out, and flow¬ 
er plot made in accordance, instead of planting by 
way of experiment, and changing if it does not suit. 
Annuals—Hardy sorts may be sown, m, l, such as 
the mignonette, cockscomb, balsams, portulaccas, 
candytuft, phlox, euphorbia, coreopsis, lobelia, 
daisy, clarkia, and larkspur of our free seed distri¬ 
bution ; also scabious, marygold, escholtzia, hibiscus, 
etc. They require less covering when sown early 
in the season, and are often put too low in the soil. 
The more delicate the seeds, the finer should be the 
earth with which they are covered. 
Borders along the lawn and elsewhere should now 
be manured and spaded to receive seeds and roots. 
Box and Grass Edging both do better when set 
early in the season. Plant the box thinly, by a line, 
to keep it perfectly even. Trim off the lower roots 
and old wood of the out of ground portions. Re¬ 
set box growing too quickly, and clip overgrown. 
Pare old edgings of grass, and renew any needing 
it. Use a sharp spade, or better, a steel edging knife. 
Bedding Plants—A few of the more hardy ones 
may be set out, ll, but most of them do better in 
this latitude, if left until May. Harden them off 
well in frames or houses before transplanting. 
Bulbs—Plant out those which have bloomed in 
glasses. Some of those set last Fall are now in 
bloom. Remove,/, rn, any covering or mulch al¬ 
lowed to remain till now. Hyacinths, tulips, and 
crown imperials will be in flower, m, l, and should 
be neatly staked up. 
Carnations and Picotees—Harden off by frequent 
exposure, those wintered in pits, and plant out, ll, 
if the weather is settled. House plants may be fre¬ 
quently exposed during mild days. 
Climbers—Arrange Honeysuckles, Woodbines, 
Wistarias, and other woody climbers in their appro¬ 
priate places,/, m; plant others at the same time. 
Dahlias and Gladioluses yield the finest bloom in 
the cool weather of Autumn. Hence it is not de¬ 
sirable to plant many before May. A few may be 
put in boxes to sprout, m, l, keeping from frost. 
Dicentra (Dielytra), a most beautiful flower in the 
border. Plant out and divide roots, m, l. 
Draining is beneficial here as elsewhere. Espec¬ 
ially should drains be laid under walks where tho 
ground is at all wet. Read chapters on draining. 
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs—These do better 
planted late in Spring, say middle to last of May. 
Frames and Pits—Ventilate freely to harden off 
the plants and prepare them for setting out. Trans¬ 
plant from them, m, ll, in warm localities, where 
the weather has become mild and settled. If not 
too crowded, they will flourish best in boxes, until 
the open soil is dry and warm. 
Flowering Shrubs—Plant, ff, m, the althea, flow- 
• eriug almond, azalea, chiouauthus, flowering cur¬ 
rant, deutzia, euonymus, holly, Japan quince, la¬ 
burnum, lilac, pliiladclphus, rose acacia, suowberry, 
snowball, spiraea, tree poeony, weigelia, etc. The 
early flowering shrubs will give a finer bloom if 
transplanted as soon as ground is in working order. 
Gravel—Add to old and new walks as needed. 
Clean out any weeds or grass, cover with gravel, 
rake smoothly, and press down with heavy roller. 
Hedges—Set out privet, althea, buckthorn, etc., 
for hedges,/, m. Defer planting Arbor Vita;, or 
other evergreens until next mouth. Osage Orange 
and honey locust are of too rampant and coarse a 
growth to form a handsome screen or protection 
around the dwelling yards and pleasure grounds. 
Labels and Stakes—Provide an ample supply, ff. 
Lawns—Complete the new ones and sow grass 
seed ,f,m. Instead of a mixture as formerly pre¬ 
ferred, a single sort is now recommended, so that 
