354 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Calendar of Operations for Dec., 1860. 
[TVe note down sundry kinds of work to be done during 
the month, to call to mind the various operations to he at- 
tended to. A glance over a table like this will often suggest 
some piece of work that might otherwise be forgotten or 
neglected. Our remarks are more especially adapted to the 
latitudes of 83° to 45°; but will be equally applicable to 
points further North and South, by making due allowance 
for each degree of latitude, that is, earlier for the North, and 
later for the South. 
ESWThis department is much fuller in the working season, 
embracing all the operations of the farm, garden, etc. 
Explanations— Vindicates theyb-sl; m, the middle; and /, 
the last of the month.—Doubling the letters thus: JT, or mm, 
or II, gives particular emphasis to the period indicated.— 
Two letters placed together, as fm or ml, signify that the 
work may be done in either or in both periods indicated; 
thus, work marked/m, indicates that it is to be attended to 
from theyim to the middle of the month.] 
Fsirasa. 
Tlie main work of tlie montli will be manufac¬ 
turing, rather than cultivating. The stores of hay 
and grain are to be worked over into beef, mutton, 
pork and manure. Practical skill is needed in these 
operations as much as in plowing, planting and 
harvesting. The best modes should be studied and 
the most approved apparatus provided. 
It is well at the close of the year to balance all 
books of account with the farm and with individu¬ 
als ; to “ square up ” all bills as far as may be, but 
at any rate, to know precisely how matters stand. 
Cattle now depend wholly upon the care of their 
owners. Keep them thrifty, by warm stables, 
abundant and varied food, plenty of bedding, and 
free access to water. Allow them to spend pleas¬ 
ant weather in the yards, except at feeding time. 
Cellars—Continue to guard against frost; sort 
over apples or roots that may be decaying. 
Cranberry Plots—Keep flooded, if practicable. 
Fencing—Collect timber; prepare rails and posts. 
Fodder Racks—Provide them in all the yards 
where cattle or sheep are fed. The saving of hay 
will more than pay the expense. 
Hogs—Kill as early as possible. They will gain 
but little during severe weather. 
Horses—Read and follow directions of last month. 
Ice Houses — Fill with the first ice that is availa¬ 
ble—it is usually better than the second crop. 
Lumber, Timber, etc. —Draw from the forest to 
the mill, while snow is upon the ground. 
Manures — Make and save all possible. Provide 
muck or other absorbents for liquids. Compost 
solid excrements with muck, leaves, and straw. 
Meadows — Top dressings of fine compost may 
be applied at this season when the weather allows. 
Marketing Produce —Take advantage of the first 
paying offer for grain, etc., and remove from the 
granaries as early as practicable. 
Poultry—Read article on Eggs on page 359; 
Sheep — Give them shelter from storms. Provide 
feeding racks, in yards or sheds apart from other 
stock. Give roots cut fine with their hay. Salt 
regularly, and let them have free access to water. 
Select and turn in the best buck that can be had. 
Stacks — Draw hay or straw to the barn to he fed. 
Tools -Improve stormy weather by repairing 
such ns need it, and making new ones if wanted. 
Turnips and other roots — Examine those stored 
in pits or cellars and keep well ventilated and pro¬ 
tect against frost. 
Water Pipes, etc. — Cover with manure or straw, 
when protection from frost is needed. Remove ice 
about, t roughs, to prevent accidents to stock. 
Winter Grain — Keep all stock from the fields. 
Sec that the drains remove all standing water. 
Wood —Secure a full supply for the coining 
year. Cut and pile to draw when snow falls. 
Orchard am! Niarsery. 
There is little to be done in this department if 
the labors of the previous month were properly at¬ 
tended to. At the South, planting may be confin¬ 
ed while the weather permits ; it is not advisable to 
attempt it where the ground is frozen. Compost¬ 
ed manure may be applied about the trees; it 
should be Spread as far as the roots extend, and not 
( placed directly about the trunks. 
Much work preparatory for Spring may be done 
in the nursery. Labels and stakes can be provided, 
registers of plantings made out, accounts settled, 
and new plans arranged. 
Cions—Cut at any time when not frozen, and bury 
in dry earth out of doors, or in sand in the cellar. 
Let each sort be properly labeled. 
Pruning is better done now than in Spring, but 
where practicable, leave it until next July or Au¬ 
gust. Stake up young trees that are swayed down 
by winds, using matting or straw to prevent injury 
of the bark. 
Trench or subsoil and underdrain lands for future 
plantings. Soil so prepared, can be worked much 
earlier in the season. 
Vermin—Strips of cloth or strong paper tied 
about the trunks of trees, and covered with tar, 
will repel mice and rabbits. Do not apply tar di¬ 
rectly upon the bark; many trees have been destroy¬ 
ed in this manner. 
HitclaGim am! Fruit €3strd«ns. 
Something may be done here to forward next 
Spring’s operations. Draining, trenching, and sub¬ 
soiling which can be performed where the ground 
is unfrozen, will prepare the soil to be worked 
one or two weeks earlier the following season. 
Bulbs, blackberries, currants, etc., can be planted 
until frost prevents. 
Asparagus—Cover all unprotected beds with a 
good coating of manure—that from the horse sta¬ 
ble is preferable. 
Bean and Hop Poles, Raspberry stakes and Pea 
brush may be collected from the frozen swamps 
and stored ready for the busy season of planting. 
Cabbages, Cauliflowers and Celery—Secure any 
yet remaining in the open ground, ff. Examine 
those already stored, and attend to if decaying. 
Cold Frames—Guard carefully against sudden 
cold. Give extra covering of mats or straw as the 
weather becomes more severe. Ventilate as often 
as the temperature without will allow. When 
steady cold weather comes on, cover with boards 
in addition to the mats, to shed the rain and melt¬ 
ing snows. Snow falling on them may remain. 
Cuttings—Take from Currants, Gooseberries, 
Grapes and Quinces when not frozen, and keep in 
dry earth out of doors or in the cellar. Label each 
kind plainly. 
Grape Vines — Prune, ff, if not done in Novem¬ 
ber, which is preferable. Remove from the trel¬ 
lises, and cover with an inch of earth, or with 
straw and boards. Even the hardy kinds will 
thrive better for this treatment. 
Manure — Secure an abundant supply from every 
available source, for future wants. Collect and 
prepare materials for early hot-beds. 
Plans for the garden should be in readiness be¬ 
fore Spring work presses. Lay off the whole 
grounds on paper, and designate the location for 
each article, during the present leisure. 
Raspberry Canes — Protect, ff all tender sorts 
not covered last month. 
Spinach—Cover with thin layer of straw or leaves. 
Turnips and other roots in pits should be ex¬ 
amined to keep ventilation good, and exclude rain. 
Vegetables and Roots for seed—Secure a good 
stock of the finest for Spring planting. 
Flower drardleta :m«3 .SLsuwsu. 
Although flowers are faded, and leaves are scat¬ 
tered, the lawn need not be desolate at this season. 
Evergreens properly disposed, g^ve an attractive¬ 
ness rivaling the Summer bloom. Where snows 
fall, these will need some care to prevent splitting 
of the branches. Pass a cord around the Spreading 
branches of Junipers, Arbor Vitics, etc., and draw 
them together, that less surface maybe exposed. 
If the weather continue open, grading, terracing, 
aud leveling new grounds, laying out walks, aven¬ 
ues, etc., may be done. This is the appropriate 
[Dece.uuek, 
season for making plans of proposed lawns and 
pleasure grounds; it will be a pleasant exercise 
of taste for the different members of the household. 
If a satisfactory plan can not be originated in this 
way, it will be well to consult a professional land¬ 
scape gardener. In any case, the suggestions of 
such a person will be valuable. 
Bulbs—If any of these are still out of ground, 
plant them, ff, as per directions of last month. 
Chrysanthemums—Divide roots and reset as long 
as the ground remains open. 
Frames and_ Flower Pits—Keep closed, aud cov¬ 
ered with straw, mats, etc., during cold and inclem¬ 
ent weather. They need not be opened during the 
month unless a succession of fine days occur. 
Roses, and other flowering shrubs, Ornamental 
trees, etc., may still be set out as long as the ground 
remains open. It is better to set them now, than 
to wait until Spring. 
Gi’eeta am! Hot-Houses. 
These will need careful watching during the 
changeable weather of December. A warm sunny 
day, in which the ventilators are safely kept open 
for hours, may be followed by a sharp freezing 
night, when the double sash should be closed, or 
the outer shutters put on. Growing plants require 
as even a temperature as may be, and there is the 
opposit e danger of too great heat, if the fire be left 
unwatched. Avoid extremes: regulate the heat by 
a thermometer, in accordance with the wants of the 
various collections. In the Greenhouse proper, 
40 c to 50° will be sufficient, while 75° to 85° will be 
none too much for others, and some hot-house plants 
will thrive best in an atmosphere of near 100 u . 
Another thing requiring especial care at this sea¬ 
son is to guard against fire, which often originates 
from defective flues. A hydropult, hand engine, or 
portable pump should always be at hand to throw 
water from the cistern at a moment’s warning. 
In the Hot-House proper, most of the plants are 
beginning to grow vigorously, and many of them are 
forming flower buds. They therefore require more 
water, and fresh supplies of pure air, each day if 
practicable. Do not open both upper and lower 
ventilators which would creat e a cold draft. Open¬ 
ing the upper ones a few inches will be sufficient. 
Close early, and if the night promises to be sharp 
or snowy, cover the glass with wooden shutters. 
Let everything be kept clean and neat. Remove 
all decaying leaves, moss, weeds, etc., and stir the 
surface soil of the pots occasionally, giving liquid 
manure to those plants which are lagging. 
Some of the early forced bulbs are beginning to 
bloom, and others may be brought in from cooler 
apartments to prepare them for a succession of 
flowers. Change the water in hyacinth glasses 
once a week, at least. 
Insects should be kept in check by thoroughly 
smoking with tobacco. Syringe tlie walls occa¬ 
sionally to dislodge millers secreted there. 
Water rapid growing plants frequently; see 
that the drainage is perfect. Keep a tank of water 
in the house that it may always be of the -proper 
temperature. Its evaporation will also tend to pre¬ 
serve a humid atmosphere. 
Apiary sen S>ecenu!»ei’. 
BY M. QUINBY. 
Many who keep but few bees, and can not afford 
the expense of a special room or cellar for winter 
quarters, would like to know the safest way of 
wintering them with the least trouble. A first-rate 
stock may be wintered with very little care in al¬ 
most any situation, but, those of second and third 
rates require somd special attention. When left in 
the open air, the moisture which arises from the 
bees, forms ice within the hive. The accumulation 
of this will make the bees very uncomfortable 
while it is frozen, and still more so when melting. 
If the holes in the top of the. hive are opened for 
this moisture to pass out, so much of the animal 
heat will go with it, that the bees are uncomforta¬ 
bly cold. If they do not freeze they must consume 
much more food to keep up a temperature that will 
sustain life. With proper licat, the liquid portion 
of their food, probably passes off in the form of va¬ 
por, leaving the more solid part as fieccs, which 
can be retained till occasion offers for flying out 
and voiding thorn. But when the colony is kept a 
long time in a cold, chilly state, the warmth of the 
bees is insufficient to sweat out, or drive off even 
the liquid portion, which accumulates in the form 
of fieces so rapidly that the bees can not retain 
it; they leave the cluster in the hive during severe 
weather, to void it, very often besmearing each 
other, the combs, and the inside of the hive, with 
this offensive matter. Tlie frost and ice on the 
combs and inside of the hive, will frequently melt 
