1869 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
39 
the toughness of any animal to severe tests. Horses 
must he fed up for the hard work of spring. 
Great care should be taken that colds are not caught 
from exposure during sleighing excursions, or 
after other sweating work; the)’ are very apt to 
run into confirmed coughs and the heaves, espe¬ 
cially at this season. Blanket only and always 
when warm, rub otf dry, withhold food and drink, 
and litter freely. A horse-stable should not be ex¬ 
posed to interior draughts. 
Sheep .—Have an eye to evidences of parasites, 
and apply a strong solution of carbolic soap, 
thrown into the parted wool, on the parts most af¬ 
fected, from a bottle having a quill through the cork. 
Salting Stock of all kinds must not be neglected ; 
irregularity is nearly as bad as entire neglect. 
Poultry require close attention, especially if 
they are laying freely. Hens that are repeatedly 
checked in their laying by exposure to cold are lia¬ 
ble to become diseased. If hens are sitting, they 
must be well protected, and must not be inter¬ 
fered with, lest they remain in cold weather too 
long off their nests, and the eggs get chilled. We 
know of no better feed for laying hens or young 
chicks, than good wheat screenings. 
Spring Work .—As soon as the frost is out of the 
ground, and the weather is favorable, 
Re-set Fences , and renew rails and posts, wher¬ 
ever they are failing. Staking and binding with 
withes answers a tolerable purpose, but is a very 
bad-looking way of mending a fence. 
Repair the Roads by filling soft spots with stones, 
and covering themWith good, sharp gravel, leaving 
the cart-paths and farm roads rouuded up, free 
from water, and as even as you can with the time 
and labor you have to put upon them. 
Ditching and Draining may be at once undertaken, 
and pushed at odd times, when the ground is too 
wet to plow. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
In arranging plans for spring work, do not lay out 
more than can be done thoroughly. Amateurs 
especially are apt to grasp at too much and take up 
a heavier load than they can carry. Laying out 
and planting are not all, but only the beginning; 
the labor and cost of cultivation and maintenance 
are to be taken into (he account. “ Walks and 
Talks” discusses the size of farms, and his remarks 
apply to the garden, whether it be one for orna¬ 
ment or for use. Orders for trees and seeds sent 
the present month are more likely to be satisfacto¬ 
rily filled than if delayed until planting time. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Plant Trees in those States where the season is 
sufficiently advanced to admit of it. At the North 
it is much better to wait until spring is well 
opened. Young, recently planted trees are often 
much injured by exposure to cold, dry winds, as 
they are unable to take up moisture to supply the 
waste by evaporation. 
Grafting, for the same reason, should not be done 
too early. If the cions are put in just as the tree 
Is starting into growth the chances of success are 
much greater. 
Nursery Trees, if frozen in transportation, as they 
are apt to be, are not likely to bo injured if allowed 
to thaw very gradually. Cover the package with 
hay or straw, that the thawing may go on slowly. 
Injured Trees are to be attended to as soon as the 
trouble is discovered. If any limbs have been 
broken by storms, secure a smooth wound, as di¬ 
rected in the article on pruning on page 57. 
Girdling by rabbits and mice may now be discov¬ 
ered. Most trees injured in this way may be saved 
by proper care. Draw up a mound of earth to 
completely cover the wound, or if the place be too 
high for this, bind on a generous plaster of clayey 
loam ; if this be mixed with cow-dung it will re¬ 
tain its moisture better. If the injury is very se¬ 
vere, grafts must be inserted to establish a connec¬ 
tion between the bark below the wound and that 
above it. Cut incisions with a chisel downwards, 
below the wound, and upwards, above it; then take 
twigs of the same kind of tree of the proper length, 
sharpen them to a wedge at each end, and insert 
the ends in the incisions; put grafting wax over 
the insertions, as in ordinary grafting. 
Cions. —Cut, if not already done, and preserved, 
as mentioned last month on page 8. 
Pruning has sufficient said upon it in a special 
article on page 57. We omitted to mention there 
that thick white-lead paint is found to answer ex¬ 
cellently as a covering for the wounds made in 
pruning. It may be colored with lamp-black, to 
make it less conspicuous, or it may be made 
more like the color of the tree by using amber. 
Washing with some alkaline wash is of great 
benefit to trees, as it removes parasitic growths, 
loosens old bark scales, and dislodges insects. 
Home-made soft soap, thinned with water, and put 
on with a brush, is one of the best applications, or 
a moderately strong lye of potash or soda-ash may 
be used. The effect is more satisfactory if the 
wash is used during a damp spell. 
Insects .—Remove all eggs of the tent-caterpillar 
before they hatch. Canker-worms, or rather the 
insects of which they are the larva, come out of 
the ground as soon as it thaws. The females are 
wingless, and must crawl up the trees, and upon 
this fact all the preventives depend. We have 
given some of these. Whatever places an impassa¬ 
ble barrier to the ascent of the insect, without 
injury to the tree, will answer. See several articles 
upon the canker-worm in last volume. 
Fruit Garden. 
Do all preparatory work that the weather will 
allow; see under Orchard for sundry hints. 
Blackberries and Raspberries should be planted as 
soon as the ground can be worked, as they start 
very early ; the shoots will be much broken in 
handling them if delayed until they have pushed. 
Dwarf Trees —and none others should be in the 
fruit garden—may have the general care given to 
trees in the orchard; being small, they are more 
accessible, and it is inexcusable to neglect them. 
Strawberries .—Some good cultivators prefer to set 
them as soon as the frost is out of the ground, 
while others prefer to wait until later. 
Grape-vines which were neglected may be 
pruned in mild weather. Cuttings made from 
wood that has been exposed all winter do not usu¬ 
ally succeed so well as from that cut in the fall and 
properly cared for during the winter. 
Kitchen Garden. 
The main consideration just now is manure, 
which will soon be needed, not only for enriching 
the land but for hot-beds. In our brief space we 
must confine ourselves to the family garden; those 
who propose growing vegetables for market should 
have Mr. Henderson’s “Gardening for Profit.” 
Manure .—The heaps should not be so small as to 
freeze, and when the heat increases so as to cause 
an issue of steam from the heap it should be forked 
over, and watered, if dry enough to need it. 
Cold Frames arc treated of on page 59. 
1lot-beds are best left until next month, unless in 
the Southern States, when they may be started, 
and Egg Plant, Tomato, etc., sown in them. 
Straw Mats are almost indispensable when glass 
is used over liot-beds or cold frames, and come in 
play in various ways, in protecting plants from 
the effects of frost and sun. Brief directions 
for making them were given last mouth. 
Brush and Poles .—Whatever supports of these 
kinds will be needed should be gathered before the 
leaves start, and made ready for use. When mate¬ 
rial is scarce it will pay to char the ends of the 
poles; treated in this way, and housed as soon as 
out of use, poles will last several year*. 
Peas .—If the soil is in a condition to allow of 
planting, a row may bo risked in a sheltered place; 
keep the ground warm by laying boards over the 
row at night. When the plants come up they may 
be protected by placing the boards upon bricks or 
other supports. This, of course, will only pay 
for those who wish to be a little earlier Hian others. 
Potatoes may be forwarded by a similar treatment. 
Plant some early sort as soon as the frost will al¬ 
low, and have some litter at hand to draw over 
them when there are frosty nights. 
Parsnips, Salsify and Horseradish .—Dig for use 
or for market as soon as the ground is thawed. 
Rhubarb .—Those who have a green-house can 
readily force a few plants by taking up the roots 
during a thaw, and setting them in boxes of earth 
under the stage of a green-hoarse. The same tiling 
can be done by placing the roots in a barrel in a warm 
room; or cover a few roots with boxes or ban els, 
and place over them a heap of fermenting manure. 
Seeds .—Order long before they are wanted for 
sowing, as tiic supply will be better, and there is 
time for testing the vitality of doubtful ones, 
as directed in last month’s notes. 
Flower Garden »ml Lawn, 
Last month we advised making a plan for all im¬ 
provements, and it cannot be delayed much lon¬ 
ger. The plan given on page 60 will afford some ex¬ 
cellent hints as to the management of a small 
place. There will be many who, with a small piece 
of ground, would prefer to have more in vege¬ 
table and fruit garden than is there given. In 
the border and beds in the lawn, plan to have the 
planting different this year from what it was last. 
Cannas are among the most pleasing plants for 
beds upon the lawn, and we fully agree with what 
is said by M. Jean Sisley on page 57. Roots are 
sold by the florists, or the plants may be raised 
from seed, which had better be started in a hot-bed. 
Deciduous Trees .—Those used for ornament 
should have the same care in giving needed prun¬ 
ing and manuring as those grown for fruit. Do 
not prune such trees out of their natural shape. 
Planting of Trees and Shrubs is to be done un¬ 
der the conditions given for trees in the orchard. 
Shrubs .—The pruning of these should not be 
done indiscriminately. An observer will notice 
that some shrubs have their flower-buds ready 
formed; to remove these by shortening the 
branches would destroy the bloom for the coming 
season. Others produce flowers from the new 
wood which will grow next spring; shrubs like 
these will flower more strongly if well cut back. 
Pits or Cold Frames .—The increasing heat of the 
sun will start plants in these into growth un¬ 
less they are freely aired. They need to be 
kept quiet until the season is more advanced. 
Lawns .—Wherever the frost is out of the ground 
roll the grass, and dress with compost or bone- 
dust, provided it was not manured in autumn. 
Repairs to wood-work of all kinds, and painting, 
are best done now. Paint trellises, and other work 
needing it, using drab or some other subdued 
color in preference to glaring white or green. Rus¬ 
tic work should have one or more coats of oil. 
Green-lionse and Window Plants, 
Plants coming into flower need more water and a 
place nearer the glass. Prolong the bloom by 
shading from the hot sun in the middle of the day. 
Annuals may be sown in the green-house, but it 
is a month too early where it is done in the win¬ 
dow. In either case boxes are better than pots. 
Bulbs in pots, as they go out of flower, shoe’ 1 
have the flower-stalk cut away and the leaves kept 
growing until they naturally decay. Bulbs grown 
in glasses of water are not worth anything after¬ 
wards ; those forced in pots will do to turn out 
into the garden as soon as the frost is out. 
Air is to be given whenever the weather will allow. 
Dust—Mild days will allow window plants to be 
taken outside for a thorough showering; where 
this cannot be done with safety a bath-tub or sink 
will serve a good turn. Lay the plants on the side, 
when it can be done without injury, and shower 
from a watering-pot with a fine rose; in this way 
both sides of the leaves will be washed. 
Propagating of bedding plants will now occupy 
attention. The secret of success is to have the 
temperature of the house lower than that of 
the cutting bench. Every one who wishes to prop¬ 
agate plants to any extent should consult Hender¬ 
son’s new .work, called Practical Floriculture. 
