1861 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
131 
tiee is gaining favor on small farms adjacent to cit¬ 
ies, for which localities it is especially adapted. 
Sorghum—The good returns received from cul¬ 
tivation of this plant and manufacturing syrup and 
sugar in the Western States, will undoubtedly stim¬ 
ulate more extended culture this year. Any dif¬ 
ficulty in getting sugar from the South, will furnish 
additional reason for producing more sweetening 
at the North. Procure seed only from reliable 
sources—several inferior sorts have caused much 
disappointment. Prepare the ground as for corn, 
plant,/, m, and cultivate the same as corn. It is 
also a good crop for soiling, for which sow broad¬ 
cast or in drills,/, m, l. 
Swine—Give plenty of nourishing food to sows 
with their litters. The best pork is obtained from 
pigs kept fat from the commencement. If bran, 
shorts, or meal be given, mix with sour milk, 
or water, and allow it to ferment before feeding out. 
Cooked food is economical; a steaming apparatus 
should be attached to every establishment where 
many swine or other animals are kept for fattening. 
Read article, “Family Pig,” page 142. 
Tobacco—Keep the young plants free from weeds, 
and transplant, m, l, to deeply tilled and heavily 
manured soil. Set the plants in rows three, to 
three and a half feet apart, and two and a half, to 
three feet distant in the row. 
Tools, Machines, etc.—Improve rainy days in the 
farm workshop, repairing all that may need it, 
washing and oiling harness, etc. Examine and de¬ 
cide on mowers, reapers, horse pitch-forks, etc., and 
procure before the season of their use comes on. 
See that all implements are stored in their places 
when out of use. 
Weeds—Read “ A Thousand at one Pull,” p. 138. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Although most of the deciduous trees should have 
bean planted last month, there are doubtless some 
yet to be set; these need immediate attention. It 
Is very desirable to move them before they com¬ 
mence the season’s growth, and before dry weather. 
If the orchard has not been set out, better do it 
even now, than wait another year. More care will 
e required to keep the roots from exposure, and 
to preserve the buds from injury, but there need 
be little risk. The early growing kinds, such as 
cherries, pears, and peaches should be jfianted first. 
In the Nursery, the hurry of business is not yet 
over, much of the planting being necessarily delayed 
while taking up, packing, and sending away early 
orders. Many of the stocks, having been kept in 
the cellar, are still in good planting condition. Re¬ 
sides, this is the evergreen planting month, and so 
largely are these ornamental trees now grown to 
supply the constantly increasing demand, the nur¬ 
serymen are still pressed with business. As soon 
as the planting and transplanting is over, ground 
should be spaded, where it can not be plowed, and 
the plow or horse-hoe run through the nursery 
rows, adding manure where needed. 
Apple Trees, from the backwardness of their 
growth, may be set out later than some others, but 
should be transplanted, ff. Cut back a portion of 
last season’s growth, before transplanting. 
Budded Trees—If not done last month, cut away 
the growth above the buds inserted last season, un¬ 
less they have failed to take. Leave a few inches of 
the main stem above the cut, to which the new 
growth may be tied, ll, for support. Remove all 
suckers. 
Evergreens will be putting forth their new growth 
this month, and being in full vigor, are better able 
to bear transplanting than at any other season. Make 
a good selection of hemlocks, firs, pines, and espec¬ 
ially Norway Spruces, etc., for ornament and shelter, 
with arbor vitse for screens, and transplant, m, l. 
Keep the roots as much as possible from exposure 
to sun and wind; they suffer more than deciduous 
trees, owing probably to the resinous quality of the 
sap which hardens easily, and stops the circulation. 
Choose a wet day, take up plenty of earth with them, 
and give sufficient room for the lateral roots in the 
new location. 
Grafting may still be done, ff, and even, m, if the 
cions were cut early in the season, or better still in 
the Fall or Winter. Rub off suckers from limbs 
grafted last season. 
Head back the leading shoots of pear and apple 
trees, especially those inclined to a strong, upright 
growth. Peach trees are improved by cutting back 
one-third of the last season’s growth, not only upon 
the top, but among the outer branches. Dwarf 
pears are also greatly benefited by a free heading 
back. Cut near a bud upon the side where the lead¬ 
ing shoot is desired. Open spaces can thus be filled 
with branches, and a proper balance maintained. 
Hoe between nursery rows and about the trunks 
of orchard and other trees. 
Inarching—Perform this upon growth of last sea¬ 
son, as illustrated on page 117, April Agriculturist. 
This method is particularly applicable for small 
trees and shrubs growing in pots. 
Insects will breed rapidly this month unless kept 
in check. If caterpillar eggs have not been destroy¬ 
ed the nests will soon show themselves and should 
early be destroyed. A brush made for the purpose 
is a very convenient implement. Tie it upon a pole, 
twist it into the nest, and trample the whole under 
foot. Treat cherry and pear slugs to a solution of 
oil soap, or dust with lime. The hydropult is very 
effective for applying various solutions to the 
branches and foliage of trees. Wash trunks of trees 
affected by scale or bark louse, with a solution of 
potash and water, or the oil soap mixture, using 1 
lb. whale oil soap to 6 lbs. water. Look for borers 
around the roots of apple, pear, and peach trees. 
One killed now, destroys many in embryo. 
Layer shoots of last season’s growth of grape 
vines, quince stools, and ornamental shrubs. This 
is a convenient and sure method of propagating 
many plants which do not root freely from cuttings. 
Mulching newly planted trees with straw, saw¬ 
dust, or tan bark, is beneficial, particularly in dry 
weather. Spread it half an inch thick or more, over 
the surface as far as the roots extend. 
Orchards are too much cultivated for other crops 
than fruit, often with little manure; thus many 
fail while they should be in their prime. Moder¬ 
ate crops may be taken from them without injury, 
by manuring heavily and plowing at adistancefrom 
the roots if the trees are young, and by shallow 
culture in old orchards. If the soil is in good con¬ 
dition, the laud may be seeded to grass: in this 
case, keep a clear space at least ten feet in diame¬ 
ter about the trunks, over which spread lime or 
ashes—a bushel of the latter or a peck of the form¬ 
er to each tree. An occasional top dressing of fine 
manure will also be beneficial. 
Peaches, apricots, and other stone fruits may still 
be set out, ff, but should have been transplanted 
last month. 
Pears may also be transplanted, ff, if neglected 
until now. Form them to a compact head by cutting 
back a portion of last season’s growth ; this will 
; Iso induce the tree to throw out fruit spurs. It 
is injurious to these or other trees to allow fruit to 
mature the first season after resetting; all the vigor 
is needed to recover from the effects of disturbing 
and wounding the roots, change of soil, etc. 
Plow or use the cultivator frequently between 
nursery rows, and little hoeing will be needed. 
Use short whiffletrees, and pad the ends to prevent 
barking the trees. 
Plums—Set out, ff, if not already done. Cut out 
and burn all black knot excrescences. Dust the 
trees several times with air slaked lime, just as they 
are passing out of bloom, to drive away the curcu- 
lio. It may be easily applied from a small bag; of 
thin muslin tied to a pole, and shaken about among 
the limbs. This method has proved successful in 
some cases. Occasional showerings with solution 
of whale-oil soap are also recommended. Repeat 
the process twice a week until the plums are half 
grown. Let poultry have free access to the plum 
yard—they will turn the insects to profit. In plant¬ 
ing- a plum orchard it is well to arrange it for a 
poultry yard—very few insects of any kind cap 
burrow into, or escape from the ground without at¬ 
tracting the sharp eye and ready bill of the chickens. 
Pruning—Defer this work until June or July, 
except to remove decayed branches, or cut back 
last season’s growth with a sharp knife. 
Seeds and Seed Beds—Unless completed, as should 
have been done last month, plant seeds and pits, /. 
Stir the ground between rows of last year’s seed¬ 
lings, but do not disturb the soil in the row, as pits 
which did not grow last season may now be send¬ 
ing up shoots. Shade evergreens from the hot sun, 
and water occasionally. 
Stocks of apple, pear, plum, cherry, quince, etc., 
also of shrubs and ornamental plants, with cuttings 
of grapes and other vines, should all be put in, ff, if 
not set last month. 
Stools, that is, trees and shrubs kept to propagate 
from by layers, should now be spaded about, and 
the outer branches laid down, removing those 
which were layered last season, and are now root¬ 
ed. With many shrubs this is the best method of 
increasing the stock. Quinces are now largely 
propagated in this manner. The upright growth 
should be frequently cut back, to induce suckers. 
Weeds will soon make their appearance, and must 
be kept in check with plows, cultivators, horse and 
hand hoes. 
Weeping trees are largely inquired for of late. 
They are mainly propagated by grafting the weep¬ 
ing variety upon stocks of the ordinary sort. Graft,/. 
Kitchen and Fruit Garden. 
If the directions of last month were followed, 
most of the preparatory work of draining, manur¬ 
ing, and trenching, is finished, many seeds have been 
sown, and some vegetables already show their young- 
growth. In the limited space usually devoted to 
vegetables for home use, it is easy by a little extra 
care in protecting tender plants, as beans, melons, 
cucumbers, etc., to secure their ripening from one 
to two or more weeks earlier than their ordinary 
season. A board resting upon bricks, laid over the 
row, will keep off pretty severe frost. Hand 
glasses, are convenient and more effectual. A pane 
of glass on four bricks answers a good purpose. 
When rain has fallen after seeds have been 
sown, and the surface has dried rapidly, it will facil¬ 
itate the appearance of the tender shoots, to gently 
loosen the crust above them, with care not to in¬ 
jure the growing plants. A loose surface is most 
favorable to growth under all circumstances, and 
frequent light hoeings will prove beneficial in de¬ 
stroying weeds, and admitting air to the roots ot 
the plants. 
The general appearance of a vegetable garden 
will be greatly improved by regular arrangement 
of walks, which should be laid out by a line. Much 
space is wasted by cutting the grounds into small 
beds ; long rows across the garden are every way 
preferable. As far as practicable, arrange the va¬ 
rious divisions so that two or three successive crops 
can be taken from the same plot, thus ; turnips after 
early peas ; late cabbages to follow early potatoes, 
and radishes and lettuce to be scattered among the 
hills of melons and other vines, etc. 
Asparagus—Cut every shoot as it rises to suffi¬ 
cient hight for the table, by which means the sea¬ 
son will be much prolonged. Be careful in cutting 
not to injure the young shoots beneath the surface. 
Beans—Bush varieties make a neat bordering 
along main walks : plant, m, l, put in seed with the 
eyes downward, and cover lightly. Mohawk, China 
and Valentine are early, the Union, Rob Roy, Mar¬ 
rowfat, Large White Kidney, and Refugee are later; 
the last named is considered superior for planting 
late for pickles, and for salting for Winter use. The 
Lima stands first among pole beans. A trellis of 
stakes and wire seven feet high, is preferable to poles. 
Set stakes or poles if used, before planting the hills, 
which should be raised an inch or two above the. 
surrounding surface. 
Beets for early use should now be up. They may- 
still be sown, ff. Sow for winter use, ll, on deep, 
mellow soil, in shallow drills, eighteen inches apart. 
