AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
27 
CALENDAR OE OPERATIONS. 
FEBRUARY, 1857. 
[We put dowm here a summary of various operations, 
many of them very common ones, it is true, but a simple 
catalogue like this will often suggest a piece of work that 
would otherwise be forgotten. The Calendar is adapted 
to the latitudes of 41° to 42®. A little allowance must be 
made for each degree of latitude—later north—earlier 
south. This table will be made out anew every month 
and adapted to the season of each year. It will also be 
greatly enlarged at the planting and sowing seasons. 
Explanations.— The letters f. m. 1. refer to first, mid¬ 
dle , and last of the month. 
Doubling the letters thus: ff., mm., or 11., gives emphasi- 
to the particular period indicated.] 
FARM. 
This is the most leisure month for the farmer, as there 
are very few out-door operations to be attended to. Many 
things, however, can either be planned or executed about 
the buildings, or for the coming season, such as the care 
and judicious feeding of stock, putting tools in order, and 
arranging and laying out the work for spring. The farm¬ 
er should early decide how much and what fields to plant 
with corn, what with potatoes and other crops, how much 
grain to sow, &e. 
Buildings—Should be looked to, and boards or 
shingles, which the high winds have started, be nailed on. 
Ventilators are much preferable on the top of barns, where 
they can be closed at will, than behind the cattle stalls, 
where every driving storm fills the linter with snow drifts. 
Cattle—Stable at night and during stormy or cold days. 
A warm stall and good bedding at night, are nearly equal 
to an extra foddering without them. 
Cellars and water pipes still require extra care to guard 
against frost. 
Com for Seed—If not saved, as it should have been at 
the season of harvest, select now and put away for 
Bpring use. 
Cows—'Do not dry up young ones too soon, as the first 
year is very much an index of future ones. One or two 
months, according as the cow is in flesh, will be a suffi¬ 
cient length of time for the animal to remain dry previous 
to the next calf. Those about caiving should have extra 
food, and be allowed plenty of room at night. 
Fencing—Cut and draw out a good supply of cedar, 
chestnut, &c., now that the swamps are frozen, and pre¬ 
pare a sufficiency of rails and stakes for summer use. 
Fodder—Provide racks for whatever is given in the 
yards. Cart from stack-yards and feed out in barns or 
sheds, rather than in the open lot, where the manure is 
nearly wasted and jour character for humanity jeopar¬ 
dized, to say nothing of the loss of time. 
Fowls—Keep in warm sheltered situations, and give 
animal food to keep up the supply of eggs. Pounded 
bones, lime, or oyster shells, should be given to form the 
shell. See article on page 11 of January Agriculturist. 
Hogs—Give warm food and plenty of bedding, changing 
ften. Have separate, well-littered apartments for sows 
jomingin. Let the “nest” be of leaves or short litter, 
ather than coarse straw, in which young pigs are apt to 
ecome entangled and smothered. 
Horses—Feed cut hay and carrots, and use due care in 
fatering and blanketing to guard against colds and 
leaves. 
Manure may now be carted to those lots w r here it is to 
e used, putting it in large heaps. It should not be spread 
ipon the land before it can be plowed under. If under 
cover, however, it is better to let it remain there until 
the last practicable moment. 
Potatoes for Planting—Sort out, selecting those of me- 
lium size, and have them in readiness for use. 
Seeds of all kinds should now be procured according to 
four wants. An exchange of grain, corn and potatoes, 
for those of other localities, is often beneficial. 
Sheep—Pay especial attention to those which are to 
iamb early, giving grain or cut roots, and put in separate 
warm pens. 
Tools—Look over and see if any repairing is necessary, 
or if new ones are wanted, and procure or mend them 
now during the leisure of this month. The same remarks 
apply to wagons, carts, harness, and in fact any thing 
needed for the successful prosecution of work during 
spring and summer. A small work-shop or room, and a 
set of common carpenters’ tools are a necessary append¬ 
age to the other buildings on a farm. More time is often 
spent in taking an implement to the carpenter’s than 
would be required to mend it if tools were at hand. 
Wood- See that the pile at the door is cut and split, and 
large enough to last through the entire year. Have it 
packed away under cover if possible. 
KITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDEN. 
But little can be done in this department save prepar¬ 
ing materials for and making hot beds., collecting manure, 
attending to cold frames, repairing tools, etc., as given in 
an alphabetical calendar below. Every thing should be 
done possible to forward the operations of the more busy 
season fast approaching. It is a very good plan to have a 
design of the kitchen garden drawn on a large sheet of 
paper, with the walks laid out, and beds or plats marked 
off, for the different kinds of vegetable. By consulting a 
plan of this kind, one can more methodically arrange for 
the particular crops to be cultivated, and early decide up¬ 
on even the minutiae of every portion, that no delays may 
be necessary in a busy season. 
Some of the operations which can be done this month, 
are collecting bean-poles and pea-brush, which should be 
cut now that the cedar swamps are accessible. It is poor 
economy to stop and procure the poles at the time they 
are wanted for use. 
Cold Frames—Attend to, admitting air every day when 
practicable. Cover with straw or mats during severe wea¬ 
ther. Seed of cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce, and spinach 
may be sown in them the latter end of the month, to take 
the places of those which will be removed during March, 
in latitudes south of this. 
Grape Vines—See Article elsewhere. 
Hot Beds—Make during the first part of the month, if 
very early vegetables are wanted. Sow early cabba¬ 
ges, tomatoes, celery, egg-plant, and lettuce, if anx¬ 
ious to have them as soon as possible. We advise making 
hot beds the latter part of this month, or the first of next, 
and not planting before the middle of March. 
Manure—Prepare both for hot beds and general use. 
Prune—Grapes, currants, and gooseberries, if not pre¬ 
viously done. 
Seeds—Clean any which are left till now, and procure 
all needed, that no delays may occur in planting. 
Tools—Have in order, adding new ones as needed. 
Trellisses—Repair, construct, and train espaliers m. to 1. 
ORCHARD AND NURSERY. 
The ground in these being for the most part either frozen 
or buried under snow, in this latitude, there are but few 
out-door operations which can be attended to. 
Root grafting of young trees can be done in-doors, put¬ 
ting them in boxes of sand or earth in the cellar. 
Nursery stakes and labels—Prepare as directed last 
month, and have everything in readiness for the busy sea¬ 
son of planting or sales, in spring. 
Manures and Compost—Prepare and cart to those 
grounds which are to be planted. 
The most important out-door operation, or that which 
many attach importance to, is 
PRUNING. 
Which may be done in the orchard during this month. 
For this latitude the earlier the pruning is now done the 
better, while further north the latter part of the month is 
preferable. We do not advocate this as the best season 
to prune orchards, but so many are in favor of winter and 
spring pruning, when they are comparatively at leisure, 
that we say to such if you prune before summer, do it 
now, so that the wounds may become seared over before 
the sap ascends in the spring. If large limbs are taken 
off, (which by the way should seldom be done unless when 
they are decayed,) use a saw rather than an ax, and re¬ 
move them close to the body of the tree, paring with a 
knife, and coating the wound with wax, cement, or what 
is better, a solution of gum shellac dissolved in alchohol, 
making it of the consistence of paint, and using with a 
brush. This will protect the sap vessels from severe cold 
during the winter, and prevent the wood from cracking by 
the heat of summer, keeping it in a healthy state until the 
wound is healed over by the new growth. We can 
scarcely censure in too strong terms the practice of using 
an ax in young thrifty orchards, and especially on cherry 
trees, cutting off the limbs a foot or two from the 
body, that the stubs may afford a sort of ladder by which to 
ascend the tree. 
We said it was best to avoid removing large limbs if 
possible. Sometimes, through the neglect of former years, 
it may be best to take them away, but it is far better to 
train a tree from the nursery, cutting out each year what¬ 
ever is required to form an open, well-shaped, and well- 
balanced head. A good rule is, so to prune, that a prun- 
ing-knife will always do the business. 
Much has been said about the proper season for pruning 
both in the orchard and nursery, but we think from a pret¬ 
ty extensive observation and practical acquaintance in 
this department, that summer is the best time for pruning 
almost anything. The tree is then in vigorous growth, and 
new wood immediately forms over the wound, which will 
itself remaihsound for a long time. The particular period 
of pruning is not so very important, provided it is not done 
in the spring, as the sap, oozing out, runs down and forms 
a black streak, producing decay on the trunk. July is a 
good month for this operation, which may be continued 
during August and September. 
S. W. Cole, speaking of summer and autumn pruning, 
in his “ American Fruit Book, says: “ Thirty-two years 
ago,-in September, we cut a very large branch from an 
apple tree, on account of injury by a gale. The tree was 
old and has never healed over ; but it is now sound, and 
almost as hard as horn, and the tree perfectly sound 
around it. A few years before andafter, large limbs 
were cut from the same tree in spring, and at the points 
where they were cut off the tree has rotted, so that a 
quart measure may be put into the cavities.” 
FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN. 
These will need no especial, attention during this 
month. Labels and stakes can, however, be prepared for 
spring use, and plans of new grounds be made. 
Manures—Prepare and cart upon the ground, leaving in 
large heaps till wanted for use. 
Look to the evergreen shrubbery, and if the high winds 
have loosened those branches which were secured 
against being broken down by the accumulating snow, tie 
them firmly to stakes, or draw them in by passing a band 
or twine around the whole shrub. 
GREEN HOUSE. 
During the severe weather of the past month a steady 
heat has been indispensible in these houses, which must 
be continued during the “ cold term.” at least. But 
Air should be admitted each day, if possible, taking care 
that the temperature is kept above the freezing point. 
The range should not be greater than from 35°. to 60°. 
Bulbous Roots in Flower—Water occasionally, and 
turn often, to preserve the upright form of the flower 
stalks. 
Camellias—These are now in full bloom, and require 
daily ablutions from the syringe or watering pot. Tie up 
the flowers and wash the under side of those leaves preyed 
upon by red spider. 
Cleaning the plants from dust, decayed leaves and in 
sects, should be done before the more busy season of next 
month. Everything, in fact, should now be performed 
which is possible to forward every department. 
Cuttings of many plants not made in Autumn, may now 
be put in, especially Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Calceola¬ 
rias, Verbenas, Petunias, Heliotropiums, <fcc. 
Fumigations—Give when necessary to destroy insects. 
Heat—Regulate according to the collections of plants, 
35°. to 40°. being sufficient for some, while others require 
from 50°. to 60°. 
Hyacinths, Narcissus, Gladiolus, and other bulbs— Ex¬ 
amine, turning often and exposing to the light. Tie up 
the flower stalks, and bring a few into the parlor at short 
intervals, removing them as they begin to decay. 
Oranges, Lemons, Oleanders, &c.—Prune as requisite, 
watering once or twice a week. 
Pines—Give light heat, and water sparingly. 
Top dress unthriftly plants, and repot those requiring 
more room. Thin liquid manure, given through the rose 
of a watering pot, is a good dressing, used with modera 
tion. 
Water—Give sparingly, although the amount may be 
increased as plants push into a vigorous growth. 
HOT HOUSE. 
The directions given last month will for the most part 
apply to this. Much care was requisite during the ex¬ 
treme cold weather, and the same precautions should 
still be continued, putting on the shutters at an early hour 
at night, during high winds and frosty nights, removing 
after the sun is up in the morning. Plants are now grow¬ 
ing vigorously. 
Air must be admitted each day, if possible, opening the 
top sashes only during the warmest part of the day, and 
guarding against a current. 
Bulbs—Continue to bring in from the Green House, ta 
keep up a succession, watering freely. Change the watei 
in hand glasses, at least once a week. 
Cactuses may still remain in dry situations, watering 
sparingly. 
Cleanse every part thoroughly, removing moss, decay¬ 
ing leaves, weeds, and litter, sprinkling the floors before 
sweeping. It is essential that the leaves of plants be kept 
clean by repeated washing and syringing, instead of hav¬ 
ing the pores covered by dust. 
Gloxinias and Gesnerias—Give larger pots as they ad¬ 
vance in growth. Both require plenty of pot room. 
Heat—Regulate as evenly as possible, and according 
to the wants of the various classes of plaits grouped in 
different houses. Tropical plants will bear a temperature 
of 75°. to 85°., while the Vinery will need only 40®. to 45®. 
during the beginning, and 50®. for the latter part of the 
month. 
Insects—Watch carefully for these, as they usually 
make their appearance in large numbers during the 
month, unless timely care is used. The red spider is 
first discovered upon the under side of the leaf, which, if 
thoroughly syringed each day, will usually be sufficient. 
Fumigations of tobacco, timely given, will prevent the 
appearance of or destroy the green fly. Do not neglect 
tills until the insects are so well established that frequent 
repetitions of powerful fumes will be necessary, which 
are alike offensive and injurious to the plants. 
Re-pot Roses, Fuchsias, and, in fact, many of the plants 
which were put away on the dry shelf, removing weak 
shoots or tubers, and give gentle watering. 
Shutters—Put on during cold nights and in snow-storms. 
Do not allow the snow to remain on the shutters my 
length of time. 
