AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
123 
MW.) 
these by light feeding, for a month previous to the 
birth of the calf, and by a moderate purgative just 
after the calf appears, as mentioned last month. 
Garget is now a very prevalent trouble. It comes 
through the higher feeding and greater milk pro¬ 
duction now so common. It is an inflammation and 
swollen condition of the udder. When it appears, 
bathe the udder frequently with warm water, work¬ 
ing it well with the hands. If the milk is clotted, 
dissolve 1 oz. of carbonate of soda in a pint of wa¬ 
ter, inject with a syringe into the teats, and milk it 
out in a few minutes. Leave the calf with the cow. 
Caives.—Spare the heifer calves of the best cows. 
A very good heifer may be raised on skim milk ; 
the cream may be replaced by a little oil-meal. To 
feed a calf for the butcher for 5 weeks, on new milk, 
does not pay, even if it bring $10 or $12. Our 
cows are not so good as they might be, did we 
keep and generously raise the best heifer calves. 
Manure. —Cart to the ground intended for corn.- 
If it is sod ground, all the better, the sod will 
be made thicker and more valuable as a fertilizer. 
Plowing for Corn may be delayed until the season 
admits of planting. We are satisfied that it is a 
good plan to plant on the mellow, freshly-turned 
soil before it dries, or has been beaten and harden¬ 
ed by rains. Time is often lost with this crop by 
planting too early, and before the soil is warmed. 
Cleaning Up.— This should no longer be neglected. 
Warm, damp weather causes active decomposition 
of all rubbish, and the gases given off by this are 
unwholesome. Clean out and white-wash the cel¬ 
lar ; if the floor is of earth, scrape it thoroughly Und 
remove the top, replacing it with clean sand ; then 
at the first opportunity cover it with cement of hy¬ 
draulic lime and gravel. Rake up the yards, bum 
all the rubbish, and save the ashes. Clean up the 
manure heaps, and let off all surface water. 
Rainy Days may be employed in cleaning tools, 
implements, and machines, and putting them in 
good order for work when they will be wanted ; in 
making coops for chickens, or any of the handy 
contrivances for saving labor, that are so frequently 
described in the American Agriculturist. 
Poultry. —With a grassy run for fowls, the grain 
feed may be reduced somewhat. Whatever grain 
is fed, may be given only in the morning, and at 
night, thus obliging the hens to forage in the mid¬ 
dle of the day foj themselves. Some stimulating 
condiment, such as Allen’s Imperial Egg Food, will 
improve the health and prevent disease. Ducks 
should be kept shut up in the morning until they 
have laid, as they are very careless about their eggs. 
Geese may be set now, and should not be disturbed 
on their nests. The less fussing there is over sit¬ 
ting fowls the better. Keep water and food near 
the nests. Young fowls of whatever kind need a 
little feed often, but overfeeding is unwholesome. 
Notes on Orchard and Garden Work. 
There will be but few localities to which this 
paper will go, where spring-work has not fairly be¬ 
gun. In looking back over the notes of the past 
three months, we find that preparatory work in all 
the departments is pointed out well in advance, and 
those who have followed our advice and have laid 
their plans well ahead, have found, or will find, 
themselves ready for work with the opening season. 
It seems like repetition, but we are obliged to ad¬ 
vise all our readers to look through the notes for 
these past months, as they will there find hints that 
they need, and because they do not find them in 
this issue, they may think we have omitted them, 
and write us for an “ answer by return mail.” 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Let us first give a few hints to those who will set 
trees this month, whether a few or many. It is 
not worth while to plant fruit trees on any land 
that will not yield a good crop of com. If it needs 
mauure for the corn-crop, then it equally needs it 
for a tree-crop. Primarily, then, the land, if not 
prepared last fall, should be put in order now. If 
it needs draining before it will yield good farm- 
crops, it needs it just as much for trees. Still, we 
would not put off planting because the land can¬ 
not be drained now. Set the trees, and solemnly 
promise them and yourself, that drains shall be laid 
between the rows before another spring. 
When the trees arrive, and there is reason to think 
that they are frozen (such things happen even in 
April), put the box or package in the barn, throw a 
lot of hay or straw over it, and leave all to thaw 
very gradually. Otherwise, open the parcel and 
examine the trees. See that each variety or each 
bundle of the same sort is properly labeled. If a 
label is missing, look for it; if it cannot be found, 
see by reference to the bill or order, what it 
should be, and replace. If long on the way, and 
the weather warm and dry, the trees may have 
A shriveled bark. —In that case, open a trench (in 
sandy soil is best), lay in the trees carefully, and 
cover them with earth, not thrown in heaps, but 
gradually shaken in from the shovel so that it will 
fall in among, and come in contact with, all the 
branches and twigs. Cover completely, root and 
branch, placing stakes so as to know just where 
to dig for them, and leave them for a week or so. 
When taken up, they will be as plump as ever,unless 
absolutely dead. If the trees are all right, and there 
are more than can be set at once, they should be 
Heeled-in, a nurseryman and gardener’s term, that 
bothers many persons. It means simply a tempora¬ 
ry planting, and is done, in this case, to keep the 
roots from injury, until they can be planted. Trees 
received now may remain heeled-in for two or 
three weeks, and be as well off (or better) than if 
planted. If the roots are to be out of the ground 
for an hour, they should be heeled-in, and then not 
only are they taking no harm, but are really recover¬ 
ing from the effects of removal. It is the simplest 
of operations. With a few trees, a rude way is to 
lay them flat on the ground, and throw enough 
earth over the roots to cover them. The proper 
way is, to open a trench, and place the trees at an 
angle of 45 = , a few at a time, throw in earth to well 
cover the roots, and fill all hollow spaces, add more 
trees, more earth, and so on. The trees are now 
safe, and if a long storm or other cause should 
prevent planting, they are just as well off. In this, 
and every other step, look out for labels. 
In planting, first settle where the varieties are to 
go, putting all of a kind near together. Mark out 
the land, and put a stake to indicate where each 
tree is to stand. Where there are but few varieties 
and even rows, it is not of so much importance, 
but in a mixed collection, a map should be made 
and the position of each variety set down, and in 
planting, follow the map ; with this, each tree may 
be identified if labels (as they surely will) get lost. 
. Cutting back.— If one could spend an hour or 
more in taking up each tree with a ball of earth, he 
might plant it in the orchard as it stood. But even 
in the best nursery digging a share, and often a 
large one, of the roots must be lost. This is not of 
so much consequence if met by a corresponding 
loss of top. The nurseryman knows that 99 in 100 
would grumble, should he cut back the trees prop¬ 
erly, so he sends all the top, and as much root as he 
can. It is safe to cut back from one half to two- 
thirds of every branch upon a young tree, as re¬ 
ceived from the nursery, to give a proper balance 
to root and top. Open, not a post-hole, but a broad, 
shallow hollow, to receive the roots, spread evenly 
in all directions ; fill in the top soil by sprinkling it 
from the shovel, and let another work the soil in 
among the roots, leaving neither dense mats of 
fibres, nor hollow places under and between the 
large roots. It will take time, but it will be 
Time well spent, to plant each tree carefully. Allow 
no heavy boots to stamp down the roots, but when 
all are well and carefully covered, an even pressure 
with the foot may be used, to compact the earth. 
A tree so set will need no stake. 
Crops in the Orchard. —While the trees are small, 
it is well to cultivate manured crops between the 
rows; potatoes, or other root-crops, or corn, if kept 
far enough from the trees, are best. 
Manuring Old Trees, or those that have come into 
bearing should have been cared for last month, or 
earlier. If they need manure, give it at once. 
Nearly all the “ running out,” bitter rot, and other 
troubles not due to insects, are merely cries for 
manure. Stable manure rarely comes amiss ; this 
may be applied over the whole surface, except close 
to the trees, and turned under with a furrow so 
shallow as to not cut the roots. On orchards al¬ 
ready fully manured in previous years, or naturally 
rich in vegetable matter, a dressing of lime will 
often produce gratifying results, and wood ashes 
scarcely ever come amiss on any soils. 
Pruning may still be done, where the season is 
sufficiently backward, but if the buds have started, 
it is better to defer it until midsummer. 
Insects require constant vigilance. See what is 
said on p. 143 about the Bark-louse, especially its 
introduction on new trees. Up to the time that the 
leaves open, clusters of the Tent-caterpillar’s 
eggs may be found and destroyed, and the same 
may be said of cocoons of various kinds. See 
items on p. 88, last month, on cankerworm. 
Grafting. —Though we have described the vari¬ 
ous methods of grafting at different times in for¬ 
mer volumes, the number of inquiries that come 
show that there are many who need instruction in 
this operation. It should be recollected that these 
notes are not for experienced cultivators, and that 
what is perfectly familiar to them is a mystery to 
novices. With the constant addition of new 
readers, many of whom are newly giving attention 
to horticulture, it is impossible to avoid repetition 
of first principles, and there are msjny who look to 
our pages for their whole guidance in such matters. 
What is Grafting? —Almost everyone knows that 
a cutting, or piece of the stem, of many plants, if 
placed in the soil, will take root, grow, and become 
a new plant. In grafting, we take a piece of a 
stem, and instead of putting it in the soil, we plant 
it in the branch of another tree. Let us saw off a 
branch of an apple tree, and take a twig, say as 
large as a lead-pencil from another apple tree, 
whittle the lower end of it to a chamfer, or half of 
a wedge, for an inch or more, then carefully, by 
means of a wedge, push the bark of the branch 
away from the wood, and slip the twig with its cut 
part innermost, between the bark and wood, cover 
all the cut parts with some kind of an air-tight 
plaster, we shall essentially plant the twig on the 
branch. It will not take root, but wood will form 
and unite the two, putting the twig in communica¬ 
tion with the roots of the tree. This is one kind of 
grafting, but a kind not suited to general use, 
though it illustrates the principle. 
Why do we Graft ?—To plant twigs of a kind of 
fruit that we know and want, upon the roots of a 
kind that we know nothing about, or of an unde¬ 
sirable kind. In the nursery, seeds of unknown 
kinds of apples, pears, etc., are sown; if these 
were allowed to grow up, they would in ten or more 
years bear fruit, but very likely poor fruit, and each 
seedling different. The nurseryman takes up these 
young trees, cuts them off nearly to the root, and 
grafts, or plants on them a twig of a well tested 
and valuable kind. This is the usual way of mak¬ 
ing apple trees in the nurseries. If the seedling 
tree is allowed to grow up and branch, then a graft 
may be put in each branch, all the rest of the tree 
being cut away, allowing the growth from the grafts 
to form the head. 
What is needed in Grafting? —Several things. lsE, 
Something to graft upon, which is called the stock, 
whether it is a year-old seedling, or tree 20 or 30 
years old. 2 nd, The graft, or cion, which should 
be of a desirable kind of fruit. 3rd, Some air and 
water-proof material, to cover the wounds that 
must be made, until they? heal over. 4 th, The tools 
for doing the work, and, 5th, the knowledge and 
skill to use the tools. Let us notice each separately : 
The Stock.— At this time we will notice only the 
grafting of old trees, or those that have reached a 
considerable size. A tree that is only one or two 
inches through, may be cut square off and grafted, 
at the hight of 3 or 4 feet from the ground. Large 
trees must not be renewed all at once, but the 
operation extend over two or three years, grafting 
the branches near the centre first. Select branches 
