AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
128 
of fine bold flowers on each branch, each of 
these many shoots are simply terminated 
by two or three very inferior flowers of very 
short duration. The plant becomes naked 
at bottom, long and lanky—anything but 
ornamental, and soon dies out. The French. 
Remontant and Moss Roses require close 
pruning, which should be done as soon in 
the Spring as all danger of severe frost is 
over. All the strong growing sorts should 
be cut down to tl*ree eyes or buds, never 
allowing more than three buds. With the 
weaker growing sorts, cut to one or two, 
according to the vigor of the plant. This 
practice will insure ten-fold the quantity of 
flowers, of larger size and of much longer 
duration, will keep the plants in good shape 
and health, and they will continue to increase 
in size and beauty for years. 
Bourbons do not require so close cutting, 
partaking more of the character of the 
Indian or China. These only require thin¬ 
ning. If grown as a bush, cut down the 
strongest shoots to eight or ten buds ; if 
grown as a Pillar Rose, take away about 
one-fourth the length. 
Among the Climbing and Pillar Roses, are 
theBaise or Hybrid varieties of the Michigan 
Rose, which are the most showy of all the 
Climbers ; the Multifloras, of which there 
are several varieties ; the Ayrshires and the 
Semperflorens, or Evergreens. The last 
two are useful for various purposes, and will 
thrive in soils and situations where others 
would not. They are especially adapted to 
train up the stems of trees, or form an under¬ 
growth under them, and to cover a bank, 
old wall or fence. They are also excellent 
for training as festoons, and their being 
nearly evergreen increases their utility and 
beauty. All that is required in pruning 
these sorts is to thin out the weakest of the 
young shoots, retaining and shortening the 
strongest, and cutting out all the old wood. 
With all these sorts, too much pruning 
causes a too luxuriant growth and spoils 
their flowering. 
PROTECTION. 
Many of the choice and tender sorts of 
Bourbon and Noisette Roses, when planted 
in exposed situations, should have some 
slight protection for the Winter. Those 
planted in beds should be covered with 
earth eight or ten inches, which will prevent 
them from heaving by the frost, and keep 
them perfectly fresh ; the extremities of the 
shoots may perish, but this will be of no 
consequence, as those parts would have to 
be removed by pruning in the Spring. The 
neck or dividing line between the root and 
stem is the part most affected. If thus ex¬ 
posed the plant is pretty sure to get injured, 
and perhaps perish. Those Noisettes trained 
to pillars or fences that are tender, such, 
for example, as Solfaterre, Chromatella, &c., 
should be taken down before the ground 
freezes up, and be covered over with two or 
three inches of earth. Sea-weed and leaves 
are very good material for protection, but 
are liable to harbor vermin and mice, 
which are very destructive. We have al¬ 
ways found the soil to be the safest and best, 
protection.—E d. 
HOW TO GET EARLY TOMATOES. 
It is very desirable to have a supply for 
the family, by the fourth of July, and if we 
are cultivating this crop for market, it is far 
more profitable to have them early than late. 
Three weeks time gained in the market may 
make a difference of one hundred dollars in 
the receipts from an acre of ground. The 
profits of market gardening depend very 
much upon early vegetables. 
An early variety of potatoes is of course 
indispensible. There is at least six weeks 
difference in the time of their maturity. In¬ 
deed some varieties seem to require the 
whole season, and keep on growing until the 
frost kills the vines. Others grow rapidly, 
and are ready for the table in about ninety 
days from planting. The Mercer is quite 
early, and were it not for its liability to rot, 
would answer very well for this purpose. 
But there are other varieties at least two 
weeks before it in ripening, and nearly equal 
in quality. If possible get these for the ex¬ 
periment. If you have a hot-bed, 'you may 
split the potatoes length-wise; and lay them 
upon the bed in rows as thick as you can 
place them, and cover them with about two 
inches of mold. In three weeks they will be 
well up, and furnished with roots several 
inches in length. They can be set out early 
in April as you would set out a cottage plant. 
They should be taken up carefully from the 
hot-bed and the plants separated by hand. 
There will not be a full yield by this method, 
but they will mature about three weeks be¬ 
fore the same variety planted in the open 
ground. 
If you have no hot-bed, and will not take 
the trouble to make one, you can put a bar¬ 
rel or two of potatoes by the kitchen fire or 
in any warm place about the 1st of March. 
The eyes will immediately begin to start and 
roots will soon form. If they are moistened 
with a little water occasionally, the process 
will be hastened. As soon as the ground is 
sufficiently open, take them carefully from 
the barrel and plant them. They should not 
be left until the roots are matted together, 
lest they be broken. This will hasten the 
ripening of potatoes several days. 
In securing early potatoes something de¬ 
pends upon the aspect of the ground, and its 
treatment before and after planting. A piece 
of ground, with aslope to the southor south¬ 
east, is most desirable for early crops. The 
sun’s rays fall upon it more directly, and the 
temperature is several degrees higher from 
this cause. To secure the best results, this 
southern slope should be trenched two spits 
deep at least, and well manured with horse 
dung fresh from the stable. The trenching 
will carry off all superfluous water from the 
surface, and thus increase the heat of the 
soil. The manure in its fermentation will 
still further raise the temperature, and push 
forward the process of vegetation. Thus there 
are four sources of accelerated growth to 
the plant—the sprouting, the more direct rays 
of the sun, the drainage caused by trenching, 
and the extra heat of the manure. The po¬ 
tatoes should have frequent hoeing until a 
month before digging. They will not be 
quite so early as those transplanted from the 
hot-bed, but will reach maturity soon enough 
to pay for the extra labor. If you wish for 
early potatoes, make your preparations now. 
—Ed. 
UNITE!) STATES AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
We have not seen as yet any very full re¬ 
ports of the meeting of this society held at 
Washington, February 9 to II. The re¬ 
ceipts of the Boston Show were $37,172, 
the expenses $35,350, leaving a balance of 
$1,822. The present finances of the Society 
are—a claim on Selden, Withers & Co., 
Washington City, for $2,149, deposited with 
them by a former officer of the society, and 
cash on hand $1,868. We are not advised 
of the present value of the claim against 
Selden, Withers & Co. The next exhibition 
of the society is to be at Philadelphia in 
October. We annex a list of the officers 
elected : 
President —Marshall P. Wilder, of Mas¬ 
sachusetts. 
Vice Presidents —J. D. Lang, Maine; H. 
F. French, New-Hampshire; S. Brown, 
Massachusetts; J. J. Cooke, Rhode-Island; 
John A. Rockwell, Connecticut ; Dr. J. P. 
Beekman, New-York; George Vail, New- 
Jersey ; Isaac Newton, Pennsylvania ; J. W. 
Thompson, Delaware; Anthony Kimmel, 
Maryland; G. W. P. Custis, Virginia ; H. K. 
Burgwyn, North Carolina ; R. W. F. Alston, 
South Carolina ; R. Peters, Georgia; C. C. 
Clay, jr., Alabama; M. W. Phillips, Mis¬ 
sissippi; John Perkins, jr., Louisiana ; Gen. 
Worthington, Ohio ; M. L. Underwood, Ken¬ 
tucky ; John Bell, Tennessee ; Joseph A. 
Wright, Indiana ; J. A. Kennicott, Illinois ; 
T. Allen, Missouri; Roswell Babee, Arkan¬ 
sas ; J. C. Holmes, Michigan; D. J. Yulee, 
Florida; Chas. Durkee, Wisconsin ; P. Ord, 
California; W. W. Corcoran, District of 
Columbia; Jose Manuel Gallegos, New- 
Mexico ; H. H. Sibley, Minnesota ; P. W. 
Gillet, Oregon; C. Lancaster, Washington 
Territory; E. Hunter, Utah ; Bird B. Chap¬ 
man, Nebraska. 
Executive Committee —John A. King, New- 
York ; A. L. Elwyn, Pennsylvania ; D. Jay 
Browne, District of Columbia; John Jones, 
Delaware ; W. H. II. Taylor, Ohio ; Rich¬ 
ard P. Waters, Massachusetts. 
Secretary —W. S. King, Boston Massa¬ 
chusetts. 
Treasurer —B. B. French, District of Co¬ 
lumbia. 
STEAM ENGINES FOR FARMING PURPOSES. 
It is said that nearly two hundred steam 
engines of an average power of six horses 
each, are now employed by farmers in the 
County of Haddington, in Scotland, for agri¬ 
cultural purposes only. In addition to these, 
there are eighty water mills. This County 
contains about 200,000 acres, which would 
make a steam engine for every thousand 
acres, and a water mill for every twenty-five 
hundred acres. 
The increased use of steam and water 
power for agricultural purposes in the United 
States, more especially on the large farms 
and plantations of the south and west, would 
greatly lighten the labors of husbandry, and 
