AMERICAN 
AGRICULTURIST, 
T 
' 27-1 
older. A good education of the mind 
and heart is the. richest inheritance a fath¬ 
er can bequeatlito his son. 
THE POULTRY QUARTERS 
should now be looked after. You perceive 
the reddening combs of your pullets, which 
indicate eggs early if they are kept comfort¬ 
able. If left to shift for themselves under 
the old shed, or upon the apple tree, your 
hope of eggs will be nipped in the bud, if 
you have been so rash as to cherish it. Many 
farmers are resigned to a long eggless 
Winter because they will not take trouble to 
provide for. the biddies. Fowls want a warm 
southern aspect, sheltered from the wind 
and snows, and must have it if you want 
eggs. A poultry-house ought to be a part of 
every farmer’s establishment; but if you 
cannot have a separate building, finish off a 
part of the barn cellar, and put in a window 
at the south side, where the sun can look in 
upon them for a few hours in the day. Furn¬ 
ish this room with pure water, gravel, old 
mortar, oyster or clam shells, or bones, all 
broken up finely. Put abed of loam or muck 
under the roosts, and see that it is mixed 
with the droppings once a week. Fowls 
suffer more from the neglect of their fences, 
than from any other cause. It is entirely 
practicable to have fresh eggs all through 
the Winter, if you will give your pullets 
warmth, cleanliness, and the materials to 
work with. Meat is essential. 
| FATTENING PORK. 
Many keep up their swine until New- 
Year’s, thinking they can get a better price 
lor their pork. It costs a great deal more 
to make pork at this season than in warm 
weather, and we doubt very much if it can 
be made to pay. But if done at all, it should 
be done in the best manner. The sty, for 
Winter feeding, should be a covered build¬ 
ing, to keep the animals both dry and warm. 
The nests should have an abundance of clean 
straw, and the food should be cooked and 
fed to them when warm. Wood is much 
cheaper than corn meal, and. the animal heat 
kept up by a tight sty and warm food, is so 
much saved in the meal bin. 
EXAMINE THE ROOTS. 
The carrots, beets, turnips, &c., stored 
last month, should be looked, after now. 
Sometimes they heat, if in too large piles, 
and decay •commences. They should 6e 
kept at a low temperature, and at the same 
time he guarded against frost. Potatoes at 
all affected with the rot should be assorted, 
and all defective ones removed. A little at¬ 
tention at this season will often save a large 
store of roots from decay. £ 
PRUNING 
may be attended to in the mild days of De¬ 
cember. Grape vines, especially, should 
not be overlooked. Wp have found it much 
better to put the vines in order in the Fall 
than in the Spring. The wood has time to 
sear in the Winter winds, and the sap ves¬ 
sels are entirely closed. 
WASHING AND SCRAPING 
naturally follows the pruning. Many farm¬ 
ers are so busy that the orchard and fruit- 
yard are neglected - in the Summer. Remove j 
all dead bark and mosses with a scraper, and 
apply a coat of soft soap and water. This 
will kill scale bugs and other insects, and 
promote the health and beauty of the tree. 
A smooth skin is as comely in a fruit tree 
as in a cow. 
THE APPLE BORER 
will give signs of his work about the collar 
of the tree. Remove the earth two or three 
inches with a hoe, and look for the holes. 
? f;rust in a wire and spit the occupant, or he 
will spit your apples next year. Apple and 
quince trees should be examined once a year 
for this destructive insect. 
REMEMBER THE POOR 
in these hard times. Farmers are now a 
favored class, and have more occasion to cel¬ 
ebrate the close of the year with •thanksgiv¬ 
ing than any other. In the cities, financial 
calamities affect nearly all classes, and mul¬ 
titudes are thrown out of employment, and 
are driven to beggary. Many will seek the 
country in search of labor and food. It will 
be a great kindness to furnish them with oc¬ 
cupation, food and shelter. In very many 
cases this can be done without great incon¬ 
venience. There are spells in the Winter 
when labor can be profitably employed, es¬ 
pecially if offered at low rates. Cutting and 
hauling wood, digging and hauling muck, 
draining, making compost, digging out barn- 
cellars, repairing stone fences, are some of 
the things that can be done in the mild Win¬ 
ter days. Give willing hands a chance to 
work and earn at least their bread. 
HOW TO KEEP SWEET POTA¬ 
TOES E0Pi SEED. 
This favorite vegetable decays so quickly in our 
climate, in the open air, at t his season, that many 
suppose it impossible to preserve it through the 
Winter. It is, however, quite common for those 
who cultivate them at the North, to ureserve 
their own seed. The essential things to be se¬ 
cured are dryness, and a warm, even tempera¬ 
ture. Some pack them in a box, or keg, in dry 
sand, i. e. sand dried artificially in an oven, or 
over the stove. They are then kept near the 
kitchen fire, where they will not freeze in the 
coldest weather. 
We have packed them in dry wheat chaff and 
plaster, and kept them in a room over the kitch¬ 
en. We have also packed them in dry coal ash¬ 
es, and kept them in the cellar, in a room warmed 
by a common house furnace. Both methods suc¬ 
ceeded pretty well. Some of the tubers rotted, 
but wc had a great abundance for seed. To per¬ 
sons living near the city, it is quite as well to pro¬ 
cure fresh seed from the market in the month of 
April. It is, however, often very desirable to 
keep a supply as above advised for Winter use. 
WJaJit tSae Coaantry is Savins;. 
One favorable omen'in the present stringency of the 
times is the reduction of extravagant and useless expend- 
iture. Merchants and traders generally complain of a 
falling off in business. People are economizing. The 
costly furniture, the new dresses, the delicacies in food 
and drink, projected for the present year are being grea't- 
ly curtailed. Let us estimate the result. There are now, 
say 21; millions of white inhabitants in the United States. 
Suppose that on the average the expenses of each of these 
persons he reduced one dime a day by diminishing ex¬ 
penses not absolutely necessary. The saving would 
amount to over fifteen million dollars in one week, or 
nearly eight-hundred millions in a single year—enough to 
build nearly all the railways on the continent—enough to 
build four-hundred-thousand school houses costing $2,000 
eaeh—enough to putferee Ribles in the hands of every man 
woman, and childjon the face of the globe ! 
CALENDAR 0E OPERATIONS. 
DECEMBER, 1857. 
[We note down 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 tie forgotten. The Calendar is adapted 
to tlie latitudes of 39° to 45°. A little allow ance must be 
made for each degree of latitude—earlier north—later 
south. This table will he made out anew every month, 
and adapted to the season of each year. 
Explanations.— The letters f. m. 1., refer to Jirst, mid¬ 
dle, and last of the month. 
Doubling the letters thus : ff., mm., or 11., gives emphasis 
to the particular period indicated.! 
. FARAI. 
During this first month of Winter, the farmer is certain¬ 
ly entitled to relax a little from those labors which have 
urged him on through the season of seed time, tillage and 
harvest, and having gathered in his stores, to enjoy a por¬ 
tion of that rest w hich the season seems fitted to give. 
During this leisure let him lay plans for the coming year, 
fix upon what crops to plant, what fields to drain and 
what lot ofw : oodland to clear lip, or wild land to reclaim- 
Let him get down the back numbers and volumes of the 
Agriculturist, and re-read those articles which a more 
busy season prevented his bestowing the necessary 
thought upon. But indoor reflections and plans are not 
the only objects of the farmer’s thoughts and cares. From 
the pastures and fields the cattle, sheep and horses have 
been gathered to the barns and are now looking to tiis 
hand for their daily supplies. There arc also the surplus 
products of the farm, a portion of which may very proper¬ 
ly be marketed now. This is also a favorable time for 
culling, drawing, preparing and storing the yearly supply 
of fuel. Towards the end of the month which closes the 
present year, every one should settle as many “ running 
accounts” as possible and wisely resolve upon the cash, 
or pay-as-you-go system, rather than run up a grocery or 
other bill for nearly a year, trusting to pay off with the 
Fall crops. If you have not heretofore been in the habit 
of keeping an account with the farm, w e advise to com 
mence January 1st 1858, by taking a careful inventory 
of the farm, implements, stock and produce on hand and 
register the amount in a book for the purpose. A similar, 
account taken one year from that lime will give an idea 
of your success in farming. A more correct account would 
be shown by a Dr. and Cr., side for the farm, charging it 
with everything paid out on its account or labor expended 
upon it, and giving it credit for all productions sold from 
it- Any permanent improvements, such as erecting build¬ 
ings, draining lands, planting an orchard, Arc., are pre 
sinned to enhance the value of the farm to the extent of 
their cost. Accounts of these kinds will be useful statis¬ 
tics, showing one’s position at the end of each year, and 
suggesting those operations or crops most profitable for 
the cultivator. But to turn to present cares we nil 
commence by inspecting those 
Buildings which should have been put in Winter con¬ 
dition last month. Nail the loose boards, batten the 
erpvices, arrange the stalls and mangers for stock, ff 
there is not sufficient shelter for all the stock, build a 
hovel ff. after the pattern described on page 218 of the 
October number. 
Cattle will require especial attention during this month 
Flesh lost now will be difficult to gain before Spring. 
Warmth, food and water are the principal tilings to be 
observed with stock. Feed regularly, using the roots and 
corn, or corn-cob meal mixed with cut feed. With a barn 
full of stock, a root and straw cutter should be tndis- 
pensible implements. Have the oxen shod so as to be ser- 
vicable at all times, no matter how icy ithe ground is. 
They are frequently more handy in the woods than horses. 
Cellars—Examine now, and give an extra banking of 
earth, tan or saw dust to exclude frosts. 
Christmas—May it be a merry one to all, and a feast 
of fat things, in which the poor are not forgotten. 
Cisterns for the bapn may slill be built ff. if no well or 
spring is near. The time and manure saved by having 
water in the yard at all times will soon pay for a cistern, 
and the falling rain from a good sized barn will furnish 
enough for a w'ell stocked farm. 
Corn in some localities is not all husked. Have a quail 
tity hauled to the barn or shed previous to a storm for a 
rainy day’s job. 
Drains may be made in any open weather during the 
Winter, if the ground is not too wet. Read over the sc 
ries of articles on draining as they appear from monlh-to 
month. 
Fencing—Get materials from the woods and swamps 
and split a full supply of rails, and prepare posts against 
the busy season of next Spring. 
