84 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
was wintered over. Early Simpson, Hanson, and 
Tennis Bail; make sowings in succession. 
Melons. —Cassaba, Ward’s Nectar, Prolific Nut¬ 
meg, and White Japan, are all good; sow in rich 
hills 6 ft. apart, when the soil is warm. 
Onions. —South of New York onions succeed best 
from sets; plant early in very rich soil in drills 15 
in. apart. When they can be grown from seeds 
sow the same distance apart; the soil cannot be too 
fine and rich; sow early. Wethersfield Red, Early 
Red, and Yellow Danvers are standard sorts. For 
gardens potato and top onions are often used, set in 
drills 15 in. apart, and 4 in. apart in drill. 
Parsley. —Sow the Double or Moss Curled early 
m open ground, or gentle hot-bed. 
Parsnips. —Sow Hollow Crowned as soon as the 
soil can be worked, in drills 18 inches apart. 
Peas. —Carter’s First Crop, or some other round 
pea may be sown, when the ground thaws. Alpha 
is the earliest of the wrinkled peas, but needs 
warmer weather. When Champion of England 
eom.es, no other pea is wanted. Little Gem, Pre¬ 
mium Gem, and Blue Peter are good dwarf sorts, 
requiring no sticks, and useful to fill odd spaces. 
Peppers. —Squash for pickling, and Sweet Moun¬ 
tain for stuffing, may be sown like egg plants. 
Potatoes. —Put some early sort in a warm place to 
sprout, and plant for early as soon as frost is out. 
Alpha and Snowflake are new and very early. Early 
Vermont and Early Rose a little later, and good. 
Radishes may be sown very early in open ground, 
or may be forced in a frame. French Breakfast, 
Early Turnip, and Olive-shaped are good short va¬ 
rieties ; the Long Scarlet for long. 
Salsify and Scorzonera , there is but one variety of 
each, sow the same as parsnips. 
Spinach. —Uncover that wintered over whenheavy 
frosts are passed, and hoe between the rows. Sow 
seed of Round-leaved early; New Zealand, for mid¬ 
summer, may be sown in May. 
Squashes— Summer Crookneck is the best hush. 
Boston Marrow, Yokohama, Hubbard, and But¬ 
man, are favorite late sorts. A few for early may 
be started under glass in pots or on sods. 
Tomatoes. —Sow in hot-bed and transplant to 
boxes or another hot-bed, or where there are but a 
few, to small pots; the object is to get a strong 
stocky plant, to set out as soon as it is safe. Con¬ 
queror and Canada Victor for early, and Trophy for 
the rest of the season, have not been excelled. 
Turnips. —White Dutch, or Red Top Strap-leaf, 
for early, and Long White French, is the best late. 
Set in the early sorts as soon as the ground is ready. 
Flower Garden, Lawn, Greesi- 
lionge, etc. 
Being obliged to give unusual space to other 
departments, these can receive but little attention. 
In the flower garden the work is mainly that of 
preparation, as given in former months... .In the 
greenhouse the increasing heat of the sun will re¬ 
quire care in ventilation. Insects wiH increase 
rapidly, ar.d must be kept under. Propagation 
should now be pushed, to give a full supply of 
bedding plants for the borders. 
Horticultural Notes for tiie Southern States. 
Fruit Trees , such as apples and others of tardy 
vegetation, can still be transplanted, but the chances 
of success diminish with every day’s delay. Late 
transplanted trees must be headed back closely. 
Mulch such trees well, to counteract the effect of 
the dry weather, which, three years out of five, is 
likely to happen in April or May in this section. 
Grape Vines need attention towards the end of 
the month, remove suckers and tie up young shoots. 
Avoid planting cotton or grain crops in vineyards, 
as the vines need all the potash which the soil con¬ 
tains. In young vineyards of Scuppernong , cow- 
peas may be sown in rows to advantage; do not 
allow them to go to seed, but harvest for forage. 
Peach Trees of which the collar has been left ex¬ 
posed during winter, must again be hilled up. 
Draw the earth up in a cone at least 8 to 10 inches 
high, previously throwing a handful of ashes around 
the collar, as a preventive against the borer. 
Tomatoes, etc. —Systematic gardeners will of course 
have provided a full-supply of tomato, pepper, and 
egg plants, to set out after the 25th of the month. 
It is unsafe to plant out sooner, unless protected 
in case of cold weather. It is not always a frost 
which injures tenderplants, the effects of the March 
winds are equally as destructive. 
Water Melons must be planted by the middle of 
the month in the middle sections, and earlier as we 
progress southward. Of late years the raising of 
In a remarkably picturesque region, just out of 
the famous city of Dresden, in Saxony, 160 miles 
southeast of Berlin, cozilv nestled between the 
hills, lies the little village of Tharandt. With its 
romantic scenery, its ruins of ancient castles on the 
crest of a hill, and below, its attractive villas, its 
quaint German houses, large roofed, low studded, 
many windowed, and withal, its delightful walks 
and pleasure grounds, it is a charming place, as 
many a tourist will bear witness. But to the stu¬ 
dent of agriculture the greatest attraction is found 
in and about the large building in the center of our 
engraving. This has long been the seat of a 
“School of Forestry,” for many years under the 
direction of the illustrious Cotta. In connection 
with this is an “arboretum,” containing over 1,000 
kinds of trees and shrubs. (The agricultural de¬ 
partment of the school has been lately removed to 
Leipsic). Here is the home and place of the life¬ 
long labors of Stockhardt, whose text-book of 
chemistry has been studied by many Ameri¬ 
can youth, and his other works on the science of 
agriculture are known and read and followed in 
practice, the world over. His house is on the hill, 
a few rods to the left of the ruins, and his experi¬ 
ments have been made on the lands about, and in 
Commercial Matters—Market Prices. 
Gold has been up to $U3f-, and down to $1121, closing 
Feb. 12 at 112J, as against 112| on Jan. 13. The move¬ 
ments in domestic produce, thus far, this year, though 
not up to the expectations of operators, in all instances, 
have been, as a whole, relatively much more satisfactory 
than the business in general merchandise. The course 
of gold has been rather adverse to the export trade, but 
ocean freights have been ruling easier, tending to 
stimulate purchases for shipment. Foreign advices 
toward the close were more favorable for the Breadstuff 
interests, particularly so for Wheat. Dealings in Grain 
at the Produce Exchange have been quite largely on the 
basis of the recently established New York grades, with 
which operators are becoming more familiar from week 
to week. Nearly all current receipts of grain by rail are 
thus graded, and certificates issued to represent the 
melons for the northern markets, has become a 
noted item in the products of the south. In June 
the early crop is shipped from Florida, but the 
bulk of it, and the better portion, is harvested 
in July. The Rattlesnake variety, known in New 
York market as the Augusta melon, is conceded to 
be the best for shipping. 
Bedding plants of the more robust classes, such 
as Geraniums, Heliotropes, Verbenas, etc., may be 
bedded out towards the end of the month, others 
more delicate must remain in-doors for some weeks 
longer, hence all such must be gradually hard¬ 
ened off by receiving all the ventilation possible. 
THE AGRICULTURAL “ EXPERIMENT 
STATION,” AT THARANDT, GERMANY. 
his laboratory in the school building. In this same 
building have labored the now noted botanist, 
Sachs, the chemist, Hellriegel, and, if we mis¬ 
take not, our own Professor Storek, who is doing 
such grand work for agricultural science in the 
“ Bussey Institution ” of Harvard University. Of 
more special interest to us just now, however, 
is the fact that here is the “ Tharandt Agricultural 
Experiment Station ,” which has for years been under 
the direction of Dr. Nobbe, some of whose exceed¬ 
ingly interesting and instructive experiments are 
described and illustrated on page 88 of this paper. 
Dr. Nobbe’ s laboratory and study are in the right 
end of the large building, and hard by, to the right, 
stands the glass-house in which the experimental 
plants were raised. This glass-house, built specially 
for such work, has a narrow-gauge iron track at the 
end door, on which runs a small platform car hold¬ 
ing the jars shown on page 88 ; thus the plants can 
be easily taken to the open air on pleasant days, 
and run under shelter again at night, or when 
threatened by wind, dust, or rain. Whenever any of 
our readers go to Dresden, as thousands do, they 
should not fail to visit Tharandt. They will 
meet from Dr. Stockhardt a reception as kindly 
as his spirit is earnest and his labors successful. 
grades and holdings of the several receivers, which cer¬ 
tificates are transferred on the closing out of the property 
by sale. Options for future delivery have formed quite 
a feature in the month’s transactions in Corn, the. 
options having reference, in all instances of actual sales, 
to new mixed western, New York inspection... .Flour, 
Wheat, and Corn have been moderately active, through 
the past month, closing with more firmness. The export 
inquiry—though somewhat fitful—has been fair The 
Wheat purchases for shipment have been, in good part, 
for Portugal. Rye has been quiet aud weak as to values. 
Barley has been freely dealt in at variable prices, closing 
much lower and irregular. Peas and Oats have boon 
moderately sought after at current rates. A very slow 
movement has been reported in Buckwheat and Buck¬ 
wheat Flour at about steady figures... .Provisions have 
been in moderately active request, closing, in the in¬ 
stance of hog products, generally, much stronger in 
price. Butter and Cheese and Beef, also firmer. Eggs, 
