1866 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
3 
9 .--- . 
meal, if ground,) to dietinguish it from cotton-seed 
oil cake, hemp-seed oil-cake, etc., which are some¬ 
times in our market. Oil-cake is worth nearly all 
it costs as manure, and this value it does not lose 
by being fed. The daily feed for a sheep is about 
half a pound; for a calf, .a pound or more, and for 
neat cattle and horses, from one to five pounds, 
according to their other feed and the demands 
made upon them for labor or milk. 
Manure is one of chief sources of profit in keep¬ 
ing stock. That of horses and cattle ought gener¬ 
ally to be mixed and laid up in compact heaps un¬ 
der sheds where the teachings can be pumped over 
it. Otherwise scatter it evenly about the yard 
which is floored with a deep layer of muck. No 
water should ever flow in or out of a baru-yard, 
but if, in severe storms or thaws, water does flow 
out, conduct it over adjacent fields. 
. Bones are worth as manure from J^c. to 2c. per 
pound to almost everj' farmer. To save them from 
the dogs, have a hogshead set where they may be 
conveniently thrown. Save also 
Ashes for fertilizing purposes, but never allow 
them to be moved in wooden vessels from stoves 
or fire places, nor to be kept in wood near any 
wooden building or fence even, for there is nothing 
for which a farmer should be more solicitious 
than the 
Safely of Buildings against Fire. —To secure this, 
examine chimneys and flues, for places where 
smoke may escape, and be sure that sparks cannot.' 
Be constantly careful of combustible bodies, and 
of lights. Allow no smoking, or uncovered lights 
in or near the barns. 
Snoio in heavy masses should not be left on any 
roofs; the tendency is to spread them out and 
weaken the walls. Besides, it is apt to thaw and 
freeze in spots, and especially is it likely to remain 
frozen near the plates and eaves, while the warm 
air beneath thaws it over the rest of the roof, and 
so ice dams are formed which cause the water to 
back up between the shingles and flow through the 
roof. 'During 
Thaws prevent snow water behind the drifts, etc., 
flowing through foundations and into cellars. If 
the 'snow goes off and the ground is open, muck 
may be thrown out, swamp ditching may be push¬ 
ed ahead, and 
Meadows may be. improved by clearing away 
stumps, stones, etc., (which may often be done by 
blasting); knolls may be leveled down, and if not 
too wet, some “ hand dressings” applied, as ashes, 
bone dust, plaster, and grass and clover seed may 
be sowed. Should the frost come out of the 
ground nearly or entirely 
Braining may be done so long as the weather 
continues open, and 
Fences may be removed, renewed, or new ones 
built even if post holes arc to be dug, much more 
economically than in the growing season. Fence 
timber is better cut in the summer ; winter is the 
time to work it up, but 
Fire Wood should be cut in winter when the sap 
is not in it, as it dries faster and burns better. 
Secure a full supply and haul it in when the sled¬ 
ding is good. Touching the 
Filluig of Ice houses, Stahles, Breaking Colts and 
Steers, ir97-se Shoes and Calks, and sundry other 
subjects appropriate to the season, items of inter¬ 
est will be found in the “Basket.” 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
■Were it not. that many new readers come with 
the new volume, we might briefly refer to the notes 
of last month for suggestions of this. To our 
new friends we would say, that these notes are in¬ 
tended as useful reminders of what to do during 
the current month. They are, however, of that 
flexible character which often allows them to reach 
over both ways, and they generally include that 
whioh might have been done in the latter part of tne 
preceding month, as well as what may be left for 
the first of the following one; and though calculated 
for the climate corresponding with the latitude of 
New York City, they thus answer for a wide range 
of localities. 
■While there is not in January much work to be 
done out of doors, there is a great deal of “ head 
wo^k” which may be disposed of in the house. 
In whatever horticultural pursuit one may be en¬ 
gaged, he shouid add at least one new book to his 
■library, each winter, tiie latest and best upon his 
special branch. The man is to be pitied who thinks 
he has learned all, and we doubt if the best read, 
can go through a book without getting at least one 
“new wrinkle.” Besides books, there are papers, 
wholly or partly horticultural, and every proges- 
sive man is likely to have more than one of these. 
Now is a good time to take up those which, during 
the press of spring and summer work were lain 
aside uncut, and run over their contents. This is 
one class of “head work;” another is to write to 
the Agriculturist that article—about something— 
that you hadn’t time to write when it occurred to 
you, but meant to do it when you “ got time.” 
Still another profitable mental occupation is 
“pia?»iw((7”-7-thinking out, and'where the case ad¬ 
mits of it, marking out, just what you intend to do 
and how you intend to do it.' A -tvealthy Texan 
once told us that he made most of his money in 
bed. When he had any important enterprise in 
view, the only way in which he could escape inter¬ 
ruptions was to go to bed and stay there until he 
had thought it out. While we do not exactly com¬ 
mend his method, we do approve of thoroughly 
maturing plans for large or small projects. The 
saving of time in laying out, planting, building, 
etc., from a plan drawn to a scale, is great—to say 
nothing of the probabilities that the work will be 
much better done than if left to chance. Another 
thing which ihay be profitably done, and 'which 
might have been included in the reading suggested 
above is—the study of catalogues. One who is 
wide-awake in any branch of horticulture will not 
fail to read the advertisements of all the dealers iu 
whose stock he is interested, and if he wishes to 
know more, will send for nursery, seed and other 
catalogues—observing always, that new things are 
seldom underrated by those who have them for sale. 
Orcliai'd and Nursery. 
Both orchardist .and nurseryman will find some¬ 
thing to do in preserving the trees they already 
have, as well in providing for further operations 
whether of buying or selling. Cattle will often in 
avinter do more injury to a young orchard in a few 
hours than months of nursing avill repair; hence 
Fences and Oates, about avhich people are usually 
so careless in winter, should be made tight. A few 
hours’ work and some nails, may save much vexa¬ 
tion and perhaps loss of neighborly feeling. Then 
other smaller animals, are to be guarded against. 
Babbits, in many sections, do great damage by 
girdling j'oung trees. Prevention is better than 
cure, and among the preventives already publish¬ 
ed are, wrapping the trunks with paper and smear¬ 
ing them with blood. A correspondent states, 
that the use of cow dung, sufficiently thinned with 
water to apply with a bru§h, som'e sulphur being 
.added, renders the bark so offensive as to repel 
the rabbits. Apply as often as it is washed off. 
Mice are also destructive, especially to small trees, 
currant bushes, etc. They generally work under 
the cover of litter or light snow, hence the ground 
should have been left clean. Tramp the snow down 
lose’ around the trunk. Don’t shoot the owls. 
Broken limbs of trees sometimes result from an 
unusual weight of snow or other cause, and as soon 
as the 3amage is discovered, steps should at once 
be taken towards repairing it. The fracture usual¬ 
ly takes place when a limb joins the’ trunk or a 
larger limb, and ieaves a long ragged wound. This 
must bo smoothed with the drawing knife, chisel, 
or whatever tool will best make a clean surface, 
and then covered with grafting wax or clay. If tiie 
latter is employed, use plenty and bind it on with 
old cloth. Last year there was much bemoaning 
the ravages, which were made upon fruit trees by the 
Tent Caterpillar. — Save much vexation, and the 
trees at the same time, by carefully examining, 
on a mild day, for the clusters of eggs. These 
are found near the ends of the twigs and, at a dis¬ 
tance, look like a diseased swelling. A close in¬ 
spection of this swelling will show it to 
be composed of several hundreds of long 
eggs, placed closely together endwise .and 
covered with a water proof varnish. The 
engraving gives one of the clusters of the 
natural size, but they arc deposited upon 
rather larger twigs. Destroy one of these 
clusters'and hundreds of pests will never 
see the light. Let them remain and the 
young caterpillars will escape from the 
eggs about the time the trees leaf out, 
and there will soon bean “ army with ban¬ 
ners”—or with tents, which is rather- 
worse, as it shows thej’ mean to stay. 
Upon high limbs these eggs can be seen 
against the clear sky, and be removed from 
these by means of shears or other cutting imple¬ 
ment attached to a pole. Most orchards should be 
under-drained, and it may be done between the rows 
after planting; if there are any low spots, open 
Surface Brains, to carry off the water which may 
accumulate there. 'Where there are unprofitable 
trees which are still thrifty, make preparations for 
Grafting them with better sorts. It does not pay 
to graft old and worn out trees. Professional graft¬ 
ers who go about the couutrjg are some of them 
reliable and worthy men^ and others are ignorant 
and c.areless. Grafting is so simple an operation 
that he must be helpless indeed, who depends upon 
another to do it for him. Begin by securing 
Cions, of the desired sorts, which may be cut any 
time in mild weather, from now until the buds 
swell. Tie each sort by itself, label securely, and 
pack so that they will not dry up, or be subject to 
great changes of temperature. A cool, frost proof 
cellar is the best place, and they may be buried in 
the earth of the cellar bottom, or if this is not 
practicable, place them in boxes of earth or damp¬ 
ened moss. 
Root Grafting, which was described in January 
and Dec., 1864, may be carried on at leisure times. 
Nurseries occupy the hands in suitable weather 
in cutting back and shaping young trees, and on 
stormy days,labels and other conveniences for pack¬ 
ing the spring sales may be made and stakes got 
out for marking rows. Stakes of all kinds should 
have the portion that goes into the ground covered 
with gas tar, which is cheap and readily obtained 
in most cities and large towns using gas. 
Fruit €»arden. 
The remarks relating to the care of trees in the 
orchard, apply equally well to those in the garden. 
Grape Tines, which failed to get their annual 
pruning, better have it done now during a thaw 
than to delay until spring. In mild weather prun¬ 
ing may be done on 
Gooseberry and Currant Bushes. —The general rule 
is to thin out the old wood so as to leave the bush 
quite open, and to shorten that of last year’s 
growth by cutting away one-third or one-half ac¬ 
cording to its strength. It is well to look oc¬ 
casionally to the covering of those plants under 
Winter Protection, as the earth may wash aw.ay or 
leaves and straw be blown off. When there is a 
good covering of snow all is safe as long as that re¬ 
main's. Look about and see what wood work will 
be needed, such as 
Trellises, Stakes and the like. Prepare them while 
there is time 
Kitchen Crarden. 
The garden is covered by a deep snow, but if 
our advice has been followed, there are succulent 
parsnips, and spinach, and savory salsify, and 
leeks, under the white blanket, awaiting the time 
■when a spring or earlier thaw shall make them 
come-at-able. Those mounds, higher than the 
general level, show whea:e cabbages and celery are 
