1871 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
mash, made with scalding water, but allowed to 
cool to about blood heat. Keep her upon her 
usual feed, with the addition of roots, to promote 
the flow of milk. 
Sheep ought to have free, open yards or a more 
exteusive range, for exercise and fresh air are es¬ 
sential to their health. Shelters must be well ven¬ 
tilated, not crowded, and the sheep turned out 
daily, except in severe storms. Pregnant ewes 
should have little grain, but roots with hay. Those 
yeaning early will need separate, clean, not over- 
littered apartments, and careful attention, that the 
lambs be not fatally chilled. 
Swine .—Allow breeding sows, near farrowing, 
potatoes or other succulent food, with bran or 
boiled corn-mealv Give them clean, well-littered 
sties, but not straw enough to endanger the young 
by covering them so that the sow will lie upon 
them. Poles, ten inches above the floor, and about 
eight inches out from the sides, all around the pen, 
will prove a great safeguard. 
Implements .—Have all in repair and readiness for 
spring work. In the end, buying is cheaper than 
borrowing. Consult advertisements, send forcata- 
lognes and circulars for information about new im¬ 
plements, and always get the best. 
Work in the Horticultural Department. 
Now is the time to prepare for any emergency 
that may' occur in the busy season. An extra spade 
or wkiffletree, and a reserve supply of seed to re¬ 
plant in case of failure, are often of the greatest 
importance. Next month, active operations will 
be crowding, and even now, at the South, out-of- 
door work is going on. Trees should be ordered 
at once. Stock of some kinds may be very scarce, 
and it may be necessary to apply to more than one 
dealer, in order to procure the desired varieties. 
The assortment of seeds is at its best this month, 
and it is well to secure them now. The same with 
implements; purchase the best, and have extra 
ones or duplicates of parts that are liable to be 
broken. Test seeds, as far as possible, to be assured 
from your own knowledge that they are good. It 
is a great advantage to the purchaser and a con¬ 
venience to the vender, to order trees, seeds, and 
such things, well in advance. Seedsmen now have 
their catalogues ready’ and their stock in store. 
Orchard and Hiiirserj'. 
Washing and Scraping axe. of great benefit to neg¬ 
lected trees ; and washing, at least, may be done 
with advantage on all fruit trees. It destroys the 
young and almost invisible growth of mosses and 
lichens, kills dormant insects that have hidden in 
crevices, and improves the tree generally. Various 
tree washes have been recommended, but there is 
probably nothing better than good, home-made soft 
soap, thinned with water to work conveniently with 
a brush. Remove the loose scales of bark by means 
of a blunt scraper before washiug. 
Insects are to be fought at all seasons. Remove 
the eggs of the tent-caterpillar before they hatch. 
They are to be found near the end of the small 
twigs, glued around in a neat band. The wingless 
females of the canker-worm begin to ascend the 
tree as soon as the ground thaws. There are many 
protectors, all of which agree in principle—that of 
interposing a barrier over which the insect cannot 
crawl. 
Cions may still be cut. Pack them in fresh saw¬ 
dust ; or, if put iu a tight tin box, and kept in a 
cool place, they will keep in good condition until 
it is time to set them. 
Crafting should be done only when the swelling 
of the buds shows that vegetatioir is starting. Cions 
may be cut and preserved in moss or sawdust. 
Pruning is to be done before growth begins. In 
pruning neglected trees, the object should be to 
get an open and well-balanced head. Take care 
that a bad wound is not made by the falling of the 
limb when partly sawed off. Pare wounds smooth, 
and cover them with melted grafting wax or brown 
paint, which may be tinted, to be less conspicuous. 
Planting .—The time for setting trees will be gov¬ 
erned by the locality. In the Southern States, 
planting will be done this month, but at the North 
nothing is gained by’ planting too early. Cold, dry¬ 
ing winds are very injurious. 
Varieties .—For family use, the selection should 
comprise varieties from the earliest to the latest. 
For marketing, there should be but few varieties, 
and in making a selection, local experience is the 
only safe guide. Do not buy from the extrava¬ 
gantly colored pictures shown by traveling agents. 
If unfamiliar with the sorts, go about among those 
who grow fruit, and learn. 
Injured Trees .—Such as are broken by the wind 
should be pruned as the case may require ; and the 
stumps, when limbs are removed, should be painted 
over with hot grafting wax, to prevent the sap 
flowing out and “scalding” the bark, as the farm¬ 
ers call it. When trees are gnawed by mice and 
rabbits, if the injury does not amount to girdling, 
or nearly to that, pare the torn edges of the bail*, 
and paint this also with grafting wax ; make a plas¬ 
ter of earth and cowdung and apply this, binding 
it on with a cloth. If girdled, the bark above and 
below should be united by means of twigs of the 
size of one’s finger inserted in each side and bound 
on, the ends being sharpened and fitting corre¬ 
sponding notches. 
Fruit Garden. 
Dwarf Trees will need pruning, washing with soap 
or lye, protection against insects, etc., and such 
other care as has already been suggested for trees 
in the orchard. 
Pruning of small limbs may be done with the 
knife wherever necessary, to bring trees into shape. 
Grape- Vines not attended to last autumn should 
be pruned in the first mild spell that occurs. 
Strawberries may be set as soon as plants can be 
procured, and the frost is fairly out of the ground. 
Trellises will be needed for grapes, and posts 
should be got out. Where durable timber is scarce, 
set a short locust post in the ground, and spike to 
it an upright of other wood. 
Blackberries and Rasioberries should be set as early 
as the condition of the soil will allow. The under¬ 
ground shoots, which will form the cancs of next 
season, start very early, and are likely to be injured 
if the setting is left until late. 
Biitchcii Garden. 
Every man, woman, and child in the country, or 
who lives where the backyard is not all flagged, 
except a square rod to dry clothes upon, or who 
lives, and does not board, is, or should be, practi¬ 
cally interested in the kitchen garden; the count¬ 
less daily blessings which come to the board 
every month in the year—yes, every dag in the year 
—are blessings—God’s blessings—received from 
the garden. Good food brings health; fruit and 
vegetables are man’s first and most natural 
food. According to Moses, man was first permit¬ 
ted to eat meat after the flood. The crisp salads 
and spinach of the early spring are followed by 
the long list of delicious things until the store of 
various roots, cabbages, and celery, parsley, etc., 
fills our cellars and keeps us well supplied until 
spring comes again with its delicacies. 
Manure, the one thing needful for success in 
gardening anywhere, North or South, whether to 
be spread for the crops or to be used for hot-beds, 
must not be allowed to get overheated. Turn it 
over, and water it if too dry. 
At the South hardy vegetables may now be sown 
—turnips, carrots, lettuce, cabbages, radishes, 
onions, leeks, spinach, parsley, etc., also plant po¬ 
tatoes, peas and rhubarb, asparagus and other roots. 
The time for planting tender vegetables, such as 
okra, beans, cucumbers, etc., must be governed by 
that at which it is safe to plant Indian corn. Corn 
is so generally planted all over the country, and the 
time at which it is safe to put in the crop is so well 
established in each locality, that it is always a sale 
guide for the inexperienced. 
4=3 
Cold Marries. —Plants in these will need more 
care, must have plenty of air, and exposure by re¬ 
moving the sashes whenever the weather will allow. 
Hot-beds, unless very early vegetables are wanted, 
need not be made, at the North, until next month. 
In Southern gardens they may be prepared, and 
tomatoes, peppers, egg-plants, cabbages, etc., sown 
in them. Shelter from prevailing winds should be 
looked out for, and if necessary to make the bed iu 
an exposed place, it will pay to put up a temporary 
fence to shut off prevailing winds. 
Brush and Poles for peas and beans should be cut 
while there is leisure, trimmed and sharpened, aud 
stacked near the place where they will be used. 
Boot Crops that were left in the ground all winter 
—salsify, parsnips and horseradish—may be dug for 
sale or use whenever the ground is thawed. 
Rhubarb may be forced, by taking up the roots 
and setting them iu boxes of earth in a greenhouse; 
or, a few roots iu the bed may be forced by covering 
with boxes or barrels around which is heaped a 
good supply of fermenting manure. 
Potatoes .—Plant some early sort, such as Early 
Rose, as soon as the frost will allow. 
Straw Mats to cover the sash, to protect plants 
from frost or too much sun, are very important. 
They should be 7 feet long, and feet wide, so 
that two will cover three sashes. One of the sim¬ 
plest ways to make them is to stretch five strands 
of strong twine or “ marlin,” of the proper length, 
to form the mat, then lay on straw, with the but 
ends towards the edges of the mats, and about an 
inch in thickness; then put five other strings over 
the straw, and directly above the first ones, aud 
take a large needle and twine and sew through the 
straw, taking care that the loop of the stitch catches 
both the upper and lower strings. 
Flower 4>ia.r«ieti and I.awji. 
It is pleasant to have in the flower garden, and to 
a less extent upon the lawn, a constant variation 
year after year, in the kind of flowers, aud in their 
succession upon the same ground. A little thought 
and planning will secure this, and add much to 
the interest of ornamental and pleasure grounds. 
Ornamental Trees should have the same care as 
fruit trees. Most of them will repay manuring; 
and they need pruning whenever a branch disfigures 
the proper shape. 
Shrubs may be pruned and thinned. Those that 
bloom on the new wood may be cut back, but those 
which have their flower-buds already formed need 
only to be thinned when the growth is crowded. 
Plants in Pits must have air on warm days, or they 
will get drawn up by the increasing heat of the sun. 
Give water only when the soil in the pots is dry. 
Dahlias, Cannas , etc., stored in cellars, ought not 
to be too damp. If there are signs of mould or 
rot, remove them to a dry room. 
Rustic Work should have a coat of oil, and such 
trellises and frames as need it should be painted 
during the very early spring. 
Lawns may be rolled as soon as the frost is out of 
the ground, and h they did not have a top-dressing 
last autumn, give one now of good compost. 
At the South. —Make walks, prepare borders, and 
set edging. Transplanting of trees, shrubs aud 
herbaceous perennials, may be done, and the hard¬ 
ier annuals sown. 
Cai”«‘4 x S»E!<>5SSe WilldOW Plants. 
During mild weather more care will be required 
with the fires, as sudden changes are apt to occur. 
Maintain a uniform temperature, which should be 
10° to 15° lower by night than by day. 
Camellias that have done flowering must be 
pruned, and if the pots are full of roots, repot. 
Azaleas coming into flower should have more 
water, and when in bloom, be shaded from the sun. 
Dust should be removed from the leaves of win¬ 
dow plants by washing or showering. 
Bidbs should have the flower-stalk cut away as 
soon as out of flower. If in pots or boxes, the 
