18G9.] 
AMERICAN AGrRIC U LTURIST, 
3 
animal is almost helpless on the ice. Horses do 
better without blankets, unless immediately after 
exercise. Break colts to the halter, and accustom 
them to the saddle and to gentle handling. 
Cows .—It is poor policy to stint the feed of dry 
cows. Good keeping will tell upon the calf, and in 
the milk-pail next summer. Keep them in warm 
stables, and water four times a day. The use of the 
brush and card occasionally will pay. Roots come 
to a good market in their mangers. 
Milch Cows should have -succulent food, and 
meal, if you wish them to show all their good 
qualities. Feed generously, and keep the flesh in¬ 
creasing, as well as the milk. 
Beeves .—Most of our beef is made in summer 
pastures, but in the districts where corn and oil¬ 
cake are cheap, stall feeding will pay. They should 
have a variety of food, and roots are valuable. The 
fattening animals should be kept quiet, and in 
warm, well-ventilated stables. It is better that 
they should have but one attendant, and that they 
should be fed at regular hours. 
Young Cattle should have as good treatment 
and quarters as the cows and oxen. The rapid 
growth they are making when they come in from 
grass should be kept up by good hay and roots. 
The bog hay and frozen buts, on which they are 
so often starved, are better used for bedding and 
the manure heap. Give them full, generous feed, 
and they will astonish you by their rapid growth. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
As many new readers will look to these columns 
for hints, we will say a word about them. They 
are intended to point out the things necessary to 
to be done, and give suggestions as to the way of 
doing them. Even the most experienced need a re¬ 
minder of this kind, especially when there are many 
details to be looked after. One of our largest gar¬ 
deners has a record made of each day’s doings at 
his establishment, and with all his extensive expe¬ 
rience he finds it necessary to refer frequently to 
this diary as a guide. “But your notes are the 
same thing, year after year,” some may say. They 
are, in part, just as the seasons are the same, year 
after year. They derive their chief value from speak¬ 
ing of certain things at a certain time, and so far one 
year is like another. The warp remains the same, 
but the woof is constantly changing. The whole is 
always re-written, and such improvements as larger 
experience suggests are worked in, and often new 
processes arc given here instead of devoting spe¬ 
cial articles to them. While all vegetation is in re¬ 
pose and our favorites are sleeping beneath the 
snow, we can study what will be best to do for them 
when the time of awaking comes. Every intelli¬ 
gent gardener will have some standard work upon 
the subjects in which he is specially interested. A 
glance at our book list will show that there are a 
plenty of such works. lie is a poor gardener who 
does not do better this year than he did last, 
whether his operations extend over acres or are 
confined to the narrow limits of his door yard. 
Orchard and 7£Mrsery. 
The first thing to be considered is the care of 
young trees already planted. 
Domestic Animals , if allowed access to a young 
orchard, will do much damage. Have fences and 
gates in good repair, to keep out all intruders. 
Mice .—A mound of earth a foot high should have 
been formed at the base of each young tree ; if this 
was not done, see that there is no litter near the 
tree to afford them shelter. After a snow fall, tramp 
the snow down solid around each tree, whether 
it has a mound of earth or not. This is some 
trouble, but if you plant a tree, it implies a con¬ 
tract to take care of it. Those having little trouble 
with their trees are seldom bothered with fruit. 
Rabbits are often worse than mice. The old 
notion that rabbits would not touch a tree that had 
been rubbed with the flesh of one of their fellows has 
its foundation in the fact that the animals have an 
aversion to blood. The blood of pigs or any other 
animal, sprinkled on the lower partof the tree, will 
answer as well as rabbit’s blood. Cloth or still 
packing paper wrapped around near the ground 
and as high up as a rabbit will reach will keep them 
oil; tins is slow work where there are many trees. 
What to Plant , if a new orchard is to be set in 
spring, is worthy of serious consideration. Many 
think that they have only to determine what are 
the best varieties and order them. The real ques¬ 
tion is, What are the best varieties you can grow ? 
Get the experience of neighbors who grow fruit, or 
of the nearest intelligent and reliable nurseryman. 
If about to plant for market, recollect that pro¬ 
ductiveness, regularity in bearing, sliowiness of 
fruit, and an ability to bear transportation, are all 
of as much or more importance than quality. Do 
not be taken with the highly-colored pictures 
shown by travelling salesmen. 
Cions should have been cut before severe weather, 
but may be cut now during a thaw. See note on 
their preservation iu “ Basket.” 
Insects.— Look over the trees, and if there appears 
to be a swelling just below the end of a twig, there 
will probably be found a cluster of the eggs of the 
tent caterpillar securely glued around it. Cut off 
and burn every one of these that can be found and 
there will be few nests to destroy next spring. 
Pruning .—Winter pruning, except on young 
trees and nursery stock to bring them into shape, 
is not generally approved. Still it is better to re¬ 
move the useless and crowded limbs of an old tree 
at this season than to neglect it altogether. Make 
a clean cut and cover it with melted grafting way. 
Root Grafting is done at any time during the win¬ 
ter, the stock and cions having been stored in an 
accessible place. Do grafting at the “collar” 
of the stock. Bits of roots should not be used. 
Manure .—Cart out and spread upon the orchard. 
Fruit Garden. 
Every one who has land enough should have a 
separate enclosure for fruit. In a mixed garden, 
where vegetables and fruit are grown together, 
neither can be grown to the best advantage. The 
land should be drained, if at all disposed to b: 
wet, and the soil deep, well worked, and of moder¬ 
ate richness. The care to protect the trees, etc., 
from injury is the same as noted under Orchard. 
A Succession of fruit is to be planned for. By a 
proper selection a supply may be had every day 
through the fruiting season. Strawberries, 
raspberries, currants, blackberries, grapes, etc., 
are rarities with farmers, rather than an essen¬ 
tial part of their every-day food. With a climate 
that allows all of these to be produced with the 
greatest ease, how many thousands fail to enjoy 
them! Let us have less meat and more fruit. 
Kitclieu Garden, 
In the Southern States, whenever the condition 
of the soil will allow it, the hardy, early vegetables 
are sown in succession from January to April. The 
hardy vegetables include beet, carrot, parsnip,pars¬ 
ley, radish, turnip, onion, leek, lettuce, cress, cauli¬ 
flower, cabbage, spinach, etc. Tender vegetables, 
such as cucumbers, melons, beans, tomatoes, etc., 
can only be sown with safety in the open ground, 
at corn planting time, or when the peach is iu full 
bloom. These rules answer for any latitude. 
Seeds .—Their quality and integrity are of the 
greatest importance. It is better to be at any 
trouble and expense to get good seed, true to its 
kind, than to take that which is doubtful for noth¬ 
ing. Purchase early of reliable dealers only. 
Seeds go by mail at the rate of two cents for four 
oz.; if in doubt about the quality offered by 
home dealers, send to those of known reputation. 
The Vitality of Seeds can only be positively ascer¬ 
tained by sowing a counted quantity in a box of 
earth in a warm room. If three-fourths come up, 
the seeds may he considered of average good qual¬ 
ity. Some seeds must be renewed every year, such 
as onions, parsnips, and leeks. The following 
should not be over two years old : beaus, peas, pep¬ 
pers, carrot, egg-plant, okra,salsify, sage, and other 
sweet herbs. Those considered safe for three 
years are, asparagus, endive, lettuce, spinach, rad¬ 
ish and parsley. Those which are good at the end 
of four years are, cabbage and its relatives, such as 
cauliflower, etc., turnips, and celery. Those good 
from five to ten years are melons, cucumbers, 
and all of the squash famil}', beet, and tomato. 
Hot-beds for raising seedlings are to be started 
about six weeks before the time at which it will 
be safe to set out the plants. Sashes should be got 
ready; paint, if need be, and replace broken lights. 
Make new sashes; the usual size is 6x3 feet. 
Straw Mats are of great use in covering hot-beds 
and frames at night. There are several ways of 
making them, and one of the simplest is to stretch 
five cords—strong twine or “ marline ;” lay on 
the straw evenly, with the but ends towards 
the edges of the mat; then put above the straw five 
other cords directly over the lower ones, and sew 
through the straw with a coarse needle and twine, 
catching both cords. The cords may be stretched 
on a frame made for the purpose ; the mats should 
be a foot longer than the sash and of its width or a 
half wider, so that two mats may cover three sashes. 
Cold Frames .—Air in clear weather whenever the 
temperature is not below 20° in the shade. Ifsnow 
covers the glass after a mild spell, remove it, but 
if the plants arc already frozen, let it remain. 
Manure is a thing of which the gardener cannot 
have too much. Carting is better done now than 
later. Place the manure in good-sized heaps, and 
when it begins to “smoke” turn it over. The 
heaps should be large enough to prevent freezing. 
Flower Gardem. :s m cl Lawn. 
But little can be done out of doors. Where im¬ 
provements are contemplated, a plan should be 
drawn to a scale, and sufficiently large to serve as a 
guide in working. It will be found when, the time 
comes to execute it that operations will be won¬ 
derfully facilitated by its use. Not only should 
walks, beds, etc., be properly laid down upon the 
plan, but the places for trees, shrubs, etc., should 
be indicated. Do all the thinking nowand there 
will be no time lost in deciding where to place 
things at planting season. Where much money is 
to be expended on a place it will be cheaper in the 
end to employ a landscape gardener to make a plan. 
Cold Frames , or cellars in which plants are stored 
for the winter, must be aired when the weather is 
not too cold. Keep the temperature uniformly 
low and just above freezing. 
Trellises , Stakes , and all the little appliances that 
will be needed in spring, should be made and re¬ 
paired while there is leisure. 
Snow is apt to injure evergreens and dense shrub¬ 
bery ; shake out the accumulations before they be¬ 
come icy. Drifts around low-branching evergreens 
are apt to break off the lower branches as they 
settle, and should be shovelled away. 
CwrceBS^Saocase samel Window IPlamtSo 
This division was formerly headed Green and 
Hot-houses. As very few amateurs grow hot-house 
plants proper, they generally falling to the care 
of professional gardeners, we shall leave them out 
and give more space to hints about window plants. 
Temperature with house plants is less readily 
adapted to their wants than in the green-house. 
Very few plants will bloom below 00°, though they 
will keep healthy at a much lower degree. 
Air is to be given in the green-house whenever 
the ventilators can be opened with safety. Window 
plants need a change of air and should have it 
whenever it can be given without chilling them. 
Insects are easily kept under by fumigating. 
Dust .—Arrange some kind of a shield of cloth or 
paper to put over the plants while sweeping. 
Water is to be given only as the plants need it. 
