1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
399 
is open, and even later, provided there is sufficient 
force to open and fill the ditches the same day, in 
which case the line of the drains may be kept from 
freezing by laying on a thick covering of any litter. 
Surface Drains .—Make surface drains wherever 
water needs to be carried off, or where it has a nat¬ 
ural flow during heavy rains or thaws. Protect 
spots liable to wash by stones, brush, or other par¬ 
tial obstructions to the very rapid flow of water. 
The Water Supply for cattle is a serious considera¬ 
tion. Much manure is lost by driving cattle to 
water. Cisterns, if low, should be cleaned out and 
put in order, to be filled with pure water before 
snow comes. If the supply be drawn from springs 
or flowing wells by pipes, look to the condition of 
the fountain, and clean it out after the leaves fall. 
Fences .—Poor fences make bad neighbors. They 
tempt cattle to trespass, especially when the grain 
fields look green and inviting, and they tempt 
folks to steal fire-wood, for which sin the careless 
farmer is in part answerable. 
Butter may be made in winter as well as in June, 
but it will not be quite so good. The milk must 
be kept where it will not freeze, and where it will 
not absorb smoky or other flavors from the kitchen. 
Fowls for market ought to be flit. It is poor policy 
to simply throw down a little extra corn for a few 
weeks before the birds are to be killed, and finally 
give them one big feed of corn, and then cut their 
heads off, pluck and ship them. Such fowls will 
bring about half the price they would have brought 
had they been shut up and fed the same weight of 
Indian meal, kept well supplied with pure water, had 
the floor of their coop strewed with well-dried earth 
daily, and cleaned out once a week, and finally 
fasted eight to twelve hours before they were killed. 
Birds thus shut together must not quarrel; they 
should be fed on a variety of food three or four 
times a day, the last feeding being of hard grain. 
Peed no musty or damaged wheat, though screen¬ 
ings, consisting of shrunken and broken grains, 
with foreign seeds, need not be avoided. In pack¬ 
ing for market, kill with a small knife. Pluck dry 
while warm. Dip in hot water to plump them, and 
pack snugly in tight boxes when cold. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
This month should see everything well into win¬ 
ter quarters. Not that the year’s work is closed by 
any means, for the work of the orchardist and gar¬ 
dener is of that ever-beginning, never-ending kind, 
that there is always something which may be ad¬ 
vantageously done, even in winter, if the weather 
will allow of out-of-door operations. 
©rcliard aud Nursery, 
Fruit .—Keep at an uniform and low temperature. 
Do not close the fruit cellar until the cold without 
makes it necessary, to prevent freezing. Where 
there is much fruit, the changes which accompany 
ripening generate an appreciable amount of heat, 
and the cellar or fruit room will require opening 
frequently. The cooler the fruit can be kept, the 
more will its ripening be retarded. By proper 
management pears, which, in a warm room, would 
come into eating in Dec., may be kept until Feb. 
Cider .—Good cider requires good apples. It is 
much better to assort carefully, aud work up all 
poor fruit by itself for vinegar. If the pulp is al¬ 
lowed to remain a few days before pressing, the 
cider will have a higher color and finer flavor. Use 
new or thoroughly clean barrels, and observe the 
greatest cleanliness iu every step of the process. 
Planting.— Do not be tempted to set out trees in 
partly frozen soil, or where the ground is charged 
with moisture. It is much better, at least at the 
North, to heel in the trees. A dry, sandy place 
should be chosen for the purpose, and care betaken 
to fill in thorouglilj 7 around the roots. 
Cions may be cut at any time unless the twigs 
are frozen. Those wanted for use during the win¬ 
ter for root grafting are best packed in boxes of 
sawdust, slightly damp, as it comes from the mill, 
aud kept in the cellar. Those to be kept until 
spring may be buried out of doors below the reach 
of frost, in a well-drained place. 
Stocks for root grafting .—Take up and assort into 
bundles, and pack with sawdust in a cool cellar. 
Seed-beds, even those containing the hardiest 
plants, will need some kind of protection. There 
is no better covering than leaves, which should 
not be put on until the ground begins to freeze. 
I'Vtiia CSa.rd.eEa. 
In many places the work suggested for last month 
can be done now. 
Covering Baspberries. —The tender raspberries 
need protection, aud even those reputed hardy 
come out all the better in spring if they have been 
covered. The canes are laid down and covered 
with a few inches of earth. Do this as nearly as 
possible at the time the ground is about to freeze. 
Boot Cuttings of blackberries and raspberries may 
be made and buried for the winter. See page 418. 
Cuttings of quinces, currants, aud gooseberries, 
may still be planted if the ground is in good con¬ 
dition. Make them about six iuches long, and 
plant with one bud at the surface. The quickest 
way is to open a trench and lay the cuttings about 
four inches apart, against one side of it; then till 
in some earth and ram it down against the cuttings 
with the end of a board ; finish filling the trench, 
and tread down firmly. It is well to mulch the bed, 
to keep the cuttings from being thrown out by frost. 
Crapes .—Pruning is usually done- this month. 
There are now only canes and buds. Each of these 
buds will next year be a green shoot, and may or 
may not bear fruit. Bearing this in mind, one must 
exercise judgment, aud leave enough buds to pro¬ 
duce new shoots, to properly cover the trellis. This 
is the best instruction we can give those who fol¬ 
low no particular system in pruning, or who have 
old vines that have been neglected and arc beyond 
proper control. In cold climates it is better to 
leave au extra bud at pruning, and remove this in 
February or after the severity of the winter is over. 
Crape Cuttings are made at the time of pruning. 
Cut the wood into lengths of two or three eyes, 
tie it in convenient bundles, and bury it where it 
will be frge from frost. If it will be needed for 
shirting under glass, cut into convenient lengths 
and keep in the cellar under sand or earth. 
KiSclieea 
Asparagus .—If the beds are not already covered, 
put on coarse manure or litter. 
Bhubarb .—Transplant if new beds are needed 
and the ground is open, rather than wait until 
spring. Cut up old roots so as to have an eye or 
bud to each piece, and put out in rich soil. 
Boots .—Sufficient is said upon storing them on 
page 414. Parsnips, salsify, and horse-radish, being 
perfectly hardy, a portion of the crop is usually 
left in the ground until spring. 
Cold-frames .—The plants in these are more apt to 
be injured by too much heat than by too great 
cold. The object is to keep them perfectly dormant 
and safe from injury by alternations of freezing and 
thawing. During this month the sashes are usu¬ 
ally required over the plants at night only. 
Celery .—Store for the winter in trenches a foot 
wide, and of a depth equal to the liight of the 
plant. The roots are set in closely without any 
earth packing! When cold enough to injure the 
tops, cover with straw. 
Cabbages .—Select a place from which water will 
drain off. Plow away a couple of furrows, set the 
cabbages on the ground, heads down and roots up, 
then throw the earth towards them with the plow, 
and finish off with the spade. The earth should be 
from four to six inches thick over the heads. Cab¬ 
bages should not be buried in this way before cool 
weather comes on, and there is a prospect that the 
ground will soon freeze. 
Spinach and Sprouts.— Where the winters are se¬ 
vere, these will need a covering of straw or salt-hay, 
but not enough to smother them and cause decay. 
Clear Up .—Dispose of all sorts of rubbish, and 
do every job that will save an hour's work in spring. 
Manure .—This is the key to success in the garden, 
and every leak aud waste of fertilizing material 
should be stopped. A home-made earth closet, 
such as is described on page 414, will save a valua¬ 
ble and generally wasted manure. Have the hen¬ 
houses so arranged that there shall be no loss here. 
Soil .—Spade or plow up stiff soils, and leave , 
them rough or in ridges, that they may be well ex-” 7 
posed to the action of the elements. Prepare a 
supply of soil to be used in hot-beds, and place it 
under a shed or iu a heap covered with boards or 
sods. A light loam, with one-third fine manure, 
is best. If the soil is disposed to be stiff, add sand. 
Flower harden usad. 
Gather up all stakes not needed, movable trel¬ 
lises, and garden furniture of all kinds, and put 
under cover. Remove all rubbish, and have every¬ 
thing in neat order. 
Panting of deciduous trees and shrubs may be 
done whenever the ground is iu suitable condition. 
Bulbs .—Plant before the ground freezes. It 
would have been better to have done it earlier. 
See last, month, page 377. If gladioluses have not 
been taken up, do it before the ground freezes. 
Japan lilies and others are quite hardy, but if 
desired, they may be moved now. Bulbs of all 
sorts will flower all the better in spring if cover¬ 
ed during winter with coarse manure. 
Chrysanthemums will need care, or they will break 
down under heavy rains. When those which have 
bloomed in pots are out of flower, they should be 
cut back and placed in the cellar. 
Boses .—In dry soil the tender kinds may be kept 
through the winter by laying them down and cov¬ 
ering with earth, over which sods are placed. 
Protection to half-hardy shrubs is best given. by 
means of cedar or other evergreen boughs. See 
article on protecting trees on page 419. Swedish 
and other spiry Junipers should have a cord run 
around them, to keep them from being bent out of 
shape by a weight of snow. 
Plants in Pits and Cellars need to be kept as cool 
as may be. Avoid dampness, and keep as dry as 
possible, without injury to the roots. See that 
mice do not injure them. 
ass.cl Wissd.ow IPlaants. 
Give air whenever the temperature will allow, 
and in green-houses use fire heat only when abso¬ 
lutely necessary. Plauts that are only to be kept 
from frost, without regard to bloom, may have the 
house as cool as 40°, or 35°, but flowering plants 
require a temperature of G0°. 
Bulbs .—Bring those potted early into a warm 
place, provided the pots are well filled with roots. 
Camellias .—Syringe frequently. If the red-spider 
attacks them, remove the infested ones, and use 
redoubled care iu showering. 
Climbers. —Tropeolums, Lopliospermums, Mau- 
randias, and other soft-wooded climbers, grow 
rapidly from cuttings, and may be made useful 
in decorating the green-house. 
Hanging Baskets .—Those in dwellings are apt to 
suffer for want of proper watering. If the basket 
is of wire or other open work, the best way to 
water it is to set it in a pail or tub of water until 
the earth is thoroughly soaked through. 
Ivy has its appearance, as well as its health, much 
improved by au occasional washing of the leave;-. 
Annuals .—Where there is room a stock of annu¬ 
als should be sown. Sweet Alyssum,Candytuft, and 
Mignonette, are always useful to add to bouquets ; 
and Lobelias, Nemophilas, etc., soon make fine 
specimens if well grown. 
Fum'gate .—The green-house should be well 
smoked with tobacco once or twice a week, to keep 
the green-fly in check. It is best done at night. 
Window plants should be placed in a box or under 
a barrWand smoked if this insect molests them,. 
