1866.] 
AMERICAN AG-RICULTURIST. 
43 
cd to haul timber of all kinds out of the woods, or 
to and from the saw mill. 
Wa&te of Fuel .—One waj’ in which farmers often 
waste fuel, is b)' chopping the logs into suitable 
length for the stove, instead of sawing them. The 
waste in chips, as well as labor, is considerable. An¬ 
other waste comes from allowing the wood, after 
being prepared for fuel, to lie out of doors for sev¬ 
eral months, exposed to all weathers. Wood should 
not necessarily be housed while green ; but after the 
winds of March and April have blown through it, 
it should be got under cover. Otherwise, it becomes 
“dozy,” and loses much of its value. If housed 
early, it will remain hard, almost like anthracite 
coal, and will last very long. 
Winter Wheat .—See that no water stands on win¬ 
ter grain. During mild and thawy weather, when 
wheat sown in drills has been partly lifted out by 
frost, it will often pay to haul half an inch of dirt 
with hand hoes over the roots. This will save them 
from farther injury by freezing and thawing. Usual¬ 
ly, however, the earliest field work, preceding 
even that “ clearing up ” and setting to rights 
which every farm gets after the weather is settled, is 
Seeding to Grass and Clover .—This may often be 
done in February if the ground is bare and the 
frost so far out that there is little danger of wash¬ 
ing by heavy rains and thaws. Procure the best 
seed you can of such grasses as you wish to sow; 
Clover, Timoth}', Orchard Grass, Kentucky Blue 
Grass, etc. Obtain samples of the dealers which 
you may carefully examine for weed seeds, and the 
excellence of which may be tested, before buying 
large quantities. Sow upon winter gr.ain when the 
ground is stiflfened by frost or a light snow. 
Spring Grain .—Decide no\v what you will sow, 
and secnre the best seed possible. If you sow seed 
of your own raising, select by repeated winnowings 
the very plumpest and heaviest kernels, and treat 
that which you buy in the same way, if you can 
afford to. Commence also at once to collect 
Seeds of all Kinds, concerning which see hints in 
other p.arts of this number. During the present 
month, also, is the best time to secure 
Good Farm and Garden Hands .—The prospects, 
as we judge, are, that there will be fewer applicants 
than places, even though the war is over and the 
great armies disbanded. 
"Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
As we write, the mercury without is so far be¬ 
low zero that it seems almost impossible that it 
should get far enough above, this winter, to allow 
of much out-of-door work. Yet as we generally 
have had mild spells in February, it is probable that 
they will occur this year, and if they do, the 
notes in January will suggest several things that 
may be done, which are unnecessary to repeat here. 
Orchard, and Nursery. 
The demand for nursery stock from the Southern 
States is already large, and will rapidly increase. 
Trees, etc., to fill these orders have to be sent off 
as early as possible, as in many southern localities 
February is the suitable month for planting. In 
packing and shipping trees at this season, great care 
must be taken to guard them from freezing during 
the transit. Those who find the trees frozen when 
they are received, should bnry the roots in earth 
and allow them to thaw gradually. A mild, damp, 
drizzly time should be improved to give 
Old Trees—and young ones too if they show any 
signs of bark-louse—a washing with some alkaline 
preparation. Soft soap made sufficiently thin to 
work with a whitewash brush is as efficacious as 
more expensive and troublesome preparations. Go 
over the tree with this, and the rains will complete 
the washing. Unless the tree is in a very bad con¬ 
dition, no scraping will be needed after this wash. 
Grafting is frequently done too soon. In some 
parts of the South grafts m.ay be set this month ; 
it is best to postpone the operation until the buds 
begpn to swell. Those who go about renewing 
orchards by grafting, may say that it makes no dif¬ 
ference how early the work is done, as they wish 
to make their season as long as possible; but it 
%vill be found that where cions remain a long time 
exposed to the drying winds of spring, theirchanc- 
es of succeeding are much lessened. A corres¬ 
pondent takes exceptions to our advice to burj’ 
Cions in the earth of the cellar, for the reason 
that the earth there is so impregnated with nitre 
and other salts as to injure them. In old cellars 
this objection may exist, but we had in mind such 
a cellar as we bad been accustomed to use for the 
purpose, where the soil was very sandy and the 
difficulty alluded to could not occur. Where there 
is any doubt about the suitableness of the soil for 
this purpose, the cions may be packed in pure sand 
or in moss ; both these materials should be kept 
slightly dampened. The ends to be attained are 
the preservation of the natural moisture of the 
wood, and a temperature which is so low that the 
buds will not be excited to swell, and yet not so 
low as to freeze. The necessity of sending 
Orders to Kurseo'ijmen as early as possible, was 
mentioned last month and should be borne in mind. 
Fruit Garden. 
But little can be done beyond seeing that no in¬ 
jury occurs from heavy storms, from stray quadru¬ 
peds and careless bipeds. With many it is the 
custom to take the “ shortest cut ” when snow cov¬ 
ers the ground, and to go over the snow in a 
straight line on foot, or with vehicles, regardless 
what may be under it. The fruit garden should be so 
situated that there is no need of p.assing through 
it, but if this is not the case, take measures to keep 
any one from trampling on and injuring the beds. 
Grape Wmes which were neglected last fall, may 
be pruned in a mild spell, as may 
Currants and Gooseberries .—The wood from these 
may be used for cuttings, as also that of the 
vine, but it is not as good as that taken in autumn. 
Kitchen Garden. 
The market gardeners around New York start 
their hot beds in February, but this is too early by 
a mouth for any but professional gardeners. The 
best time, which will of course vary vvlth the local¬ 
ity, is about six weeks before the season at which 
plants may be set out with safety. Every thing 
should be made ready in advance. The manner ot 
constructing frames, etc., is given on another page. 
Manure in abundance should be in readiness. It 
is best to keep it under a shed where it will not be 
exposed to heavy rains. The heap should be fork¬ 
ed over occasionally to prevent the center from 
becoming dry and overheated; by forking it from 
one pile into another it becomes uniform through¬ 
out, and if too dry it can be watered. Use. will 
now be found for the 
Leaves, the gathering of which we have so often 
advised. By using from one-fourth to one-half as 
much leaves as manure, there is great saving of 
manure, and a more uniform and enduring heat to 
the bed. A rich light and rather sandy 
Earth will be needed for the bed, and it this has 
not been provided for beforehand, take advantage 
of a thaw to secure it, provided it is not too wet to 
move. Then the sash will need covering during 
cold nights, and perhaps during some cold days 
also. For this purpose nothing is better than 
Straw Mats, made large enough to cover a sash. 
They are e.asily made by stretching a warp of twine, 
and laying neat handfuls of straw upon it, buts out 
towards the edges of the mat, and the tops over¬ 
lapping in the centre, and lacing each handful In 
place by means of small twine. 
Shutters made of boards fastened together with 
cle.ats, are also used. In absence of this an old 
carpet, or even loose str.aw thrown over the glass 
is better than nothing, to prevent loss of heat by 
radiation during the night. 
Cold Frames in which cabbage and other plants 
are winterinir, must not be neirlected. Air when¬ 
ever the weather will allow, and take care that mice 
do not destroy the plants. When the ground is 
thoroughly open, by thawing during a mild time, 
Horse radish may be dug for use or market, as may 
Parsnips and Salsify, and thus make the stores 
in the cellar last longer. 
Onions that have frozen should be kept from 
thawing by covering them with hay. A freezing 
does not injure them, but frequent freezing and 
thawing disposes them to dec.ay. Market garden¬ 
ers do not take the trouble to put brush to their 
peas, but in private gardens it not only contributes 
to neatness, but increases the yield, to give all 
but the very dwarf kinds a support. Lima, and 
other beans also need something to run upon. 
Brush and Boles are best got in winter. Nothing 
looks more slovenly, than these if cut after the 
leaves have developed. See last mouth for hints 
on their preservation. If one has a green-house, or 
a warm light room even, a few strong roots of 
Bhubarb may be forced to give early stalks. Take 
up the roots and place them in tubs or boxes of 
earth in a warm place, and they will soon throw up 
leaves, at the expense of the roots. Every source of 
Manure should now be at work to its fullest 
capacity, as suggested last month. 
Seeds will of course be needed, and this month 
is the one in which to attend to the matter. For 
those who arc in doubt what to buy, we have given 
on page 61, a list that will aid them, and all inex¬ 
perienced gardeners should read Mr. Henderson’s 
excellent hints on page 59. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
In the more genial climate of the Southern States 
the gardener may proceed with laying out, putting 
down’walks, and edging, and planting, but at the 
North, he can only think how he ivill do it when 
the frost leaves the ground. The injury which 
trees and shrubs may receive from heavy falls of 
snow was alluded to last month. Much of the 
mischief from frost is done in February, when the 
noonday sun is quite powerful and the temperature 
sinks low at night. All but the hardiest of the 
Broad-leaved Evergreens, such as Khododendrons, 
Kalmias, etc., need a partial protection from the 
sun, where they are much exposed. The pruning of 
Shrubbery mdy be done, but it should only be 
trusted to some judicious person who knows the 
nature of the plants he is at work upon. Beware 
of those jobbing gardeners who go about doing 
pruning and similar work. They hack away in¬ 
discriminately and judge of the thoroughness of 
their work by the heap of brush they make. Some 
shrubs have their flower buds already formed, 
while others produce their bloom npon the new 
growth of wood, and it is evident that the treat¬ 
ment which would throw the last named into flow¬ 
er, would entirely spoil the other for the season. 
In pruning avoid all attempt at formality. Remove 
needless suckers and over crowded growth. Lilacs, 
Forsythia, Laburnums, Japan Quince, Flowering 
Almond and Plum, Viburnums, etc., only require 
judicious thinning. Rhododendrons and Azaleas 
have large blossom buds, and to remove these 
now would cause the loss of flowers. If such bush¬ 
es need to be brought into shape, it is better to 
wait until they have flowered. 
Honey.suckles and similar climbers will do all the 
better if the excess of wood be thinned out, leav¬ 
ing only enough to cover the trellis. The Hibiscus or 
Bose of Sharon, commonly but incorrectly called 
Althcea, where allowed to have its own way, makes 
a straggling weak bush that flowers but poorly. 
It needs the severest kind of pruning, cutting 
back, so as to le.ave only about three inches of the 
growth of last year. Where annuals are wanted 
earl}’, and for the half-hardy ones, a hot-bed will be 
needed, but it is too soon to start it yet, though 
the preparations suggested under Kitchen Garden 
may be made. Read about starting seeds in boxes 
on page 62. 
Dahlias and other roots stored in the cellar need 
to be looked to occasionally. If they shrivel some¬ 
what from dryness, no harm is done, but if there is 
