64 
American AG-RictiLTURisT, 
[March, 
earth side. When the plants are removed, they are 
set out with the sod, and the roots are not disturbed. 
Early Crops of hardy things may be sown in a 
sheltered border, such as beets, carrots, radishes, 
cress, and turnips. By all means have a 
Seed Drills if the garden is large. They are made 
to sow seeds with s.atisfactory regularity and save 
much baek-ache. For laying out drills a 
llarJcer, made like a coarse rake with wooden 
teeth, is useful. There may be several with teeth 12, 
15 and 18 inches apart, or one with adjustable teeth. 
Winter Covering over asparagus, sp)inach, etc., 
may be removed whenever the weather will allow^ 
Rake the coarse manure from the asparagus and 
rhubarb beds, and fork in the finer ijortions. 
Soil should never be worked when it is wet. 
W.ait until it will crumble when forked. If any 
part of a garden is slow in coming to this condition, 
Brahis are needed. All gardens should be 
drained, but wet ones are eminently in need of it. 
Jihubarb may be forced, as directed last month. 
Make new plantings early, before growth begins. 
Leeks may be sown in rich soil in rows a foot apart. 
Onions, of the potato variety, may be put out. 
The small sets are put about 4 inches apart in 15- 
inch rows, and if cold, throw over a little litter. 
Parsley and Celery for early, sow in a cold frame. 
Parsnips and Salsify may be dug for use. 
Flower ©ardeit and FawBs. 
Many of the things indicated last month will lap 
over into the present one. If the grass of the 
lawn did not have a top-dressing in autumn, 
put on one of rich compost, early in the season, 
and reseed thin places. Happy is he who last 
fail planted generously of bulbs, for he now is 
rewarded by a sight of the green spires of the 
Crocus, and the 5now-drop and Hyacinth are full of 
promise, if not present enjoyment. Continue the 
Pruning of Shrwbs, as suggested last month, and 
as soon as the soil can be worked, take up and 
divide such clumps of 
Herbaceous Perennials as have become too large. 
The Irises, herbaceous Spirosas, Dicentra, Colum¬ 
bines, Phloxes, etc., are apt to increase so that they 
take up too much room, and do not flower as well 
as smaller plants. Set the divided roots as 
needed, and be generous with the surplus and give 
them to less fortunate neighbors. 
Hardy Annuals, such as Candy-tuft, Larkspur, 
and all that are known to come readily from self- 
sown seeds, may be sown as early as the frost will 
allow. For plants of the choicer 
Tender Annuals, provision must be made by sow¬ 
ing in boxes in the dwelling, or green-house, or in 
a hot-bed, if wanted early. Cannas, Cypress Vihe, 
and sub-troj)ical things generally, need consider¬ 
able heat to forward them rapidly. 
Flowering Shrubs of ali the hardy kinds, roses 
inciuded, do best if planted early, but roses that 
have been started in pots, must not be put out yet. 
The number of flowering slirubs is so large that 
we must refer to the catalogues for names. For 
early flowering, Forsythia, Wiegelas, Japan Quince, 
and the finer Liiacs, are ali readily procurable. 
Edging and Hedges may be set. Box is generally 
used for edgings; if old and straggly, reset it. 
Moss-Pink, Tlirift, and otlier perennials, have been 
more or less used as substitutes. A great many 
shrubs not generally used for the purpose, may be 
made, with proper care, to form a hedge. Privet, 
Buckthorn, and Barberry, arc among the most com¬ 
mon deciduous shrubs for garden hedges. They 
may be set early. Hemlock and Arbor Vita; are in 
all respects preferable, but they are put out later. 
Trees for the lawn, yard, and roadside, sliould 
receive the same care in the selection of specimens, 
careful planting and soil, that is given to fruit trees. 
A tree is very difficult to kill, but many who set- 
them out for ornament, very nearly succeed in 
doing it. If wild trees are used, select them from 
the edges of the woods and exposed situations, and 
choose those of moderate size. 
Hardy Climbers have claims which ought not to 
be overlooked. The Virginia Creeper, Trumpet 
Creeper, Wistaria, the Honeysuckles, Climbing 
roses and many others will cover an unsightly 
wall with a mantle of beauty. 
CJE’eeii amtl Hot-Motsses. 
The amateur florist will be glad to find, after a 
winter of more than usual severity, that the sun 
now does a good share of the heating. Ventilate 
all that the weather will allow at mid-day, but shut 
the house early in the afternoon, and be prepared 
to give fire heat whenever it is needed. Much of 
the utility of a small house is in preparing plants 
for summer blooming out of doors. Aside from 
keeping tender things through the winter, it serves 
to prepare an abundance of 
Bedding Plants. The propagation of Verbenas, 
Antirrhinums, Lantanas, Heliotropes, etc., may be 
pushed rapidly. A single plant of a new sort, pro¬ 
cured now, will make 6 to 10 plants by planting time. 
Bulbs, such as Tuberoses, Japan and other Lilies, 
may be forwarded in pots, to be turned out for 
early bloom, and the 
Tender Anmials may bo sown in boxes or pans. 
Oranges, Lemons and other 
Shrubs, if they have grown straggling, are to be 
brought into shape by heading back. 
Azaleas and Camellias, i\iQ one just blooming, the 
other pushing its new growth, need more water. 
Dahlias may be set in where they will start, and 
rare sorts be propagated from cuttings. 
Depot those plants about to make a new growth, 
which need it, and if the pot is already large enough, 
shake out the old earth and repot with fresh. 
Col«l Grapery. 
Open the doors and ventilators, in order to keep 
the house cool, as it is not generally desirable to 
uncover and start the vines until next month. 
Woodward’s Graperies (see Book List) gives plans 
for both cheap and expensive structures, and a de¬ 
scription of a simple grape house was given in our 
issue for March, last year. 
Apiary in March. 
Prepared by M, Quinby—By request. 
If any bees are to be transferred to the new bee¬ 
hives, or any change of stands whatever is yet to be 
made this spring, it should toe attended to without 
delay, before they commence work. Loss of bees 
will be greater as the changes occur near the work¬ 
ing season. When moved a mile or more, and the 
stands are j^ut down not nearer than six feet apart, 
the loss will be but little at any time. Very good 
stands are made by laying scantling on the ground, 
on which to nail boards wide and long enough for the 
bottom of the hive. A separate roof for each one 
is best. The first warm day of spring, when the 
bees fly freely, is a critical time, especially if tlicre 
has been any ebange of stands. The bees of a 
queenless hive will often desert, and join some liive 
more fortunate. Others that have a queen will 
sometimes issue in such h.aste as to fail to mark 
their own, and in their confusion enter strange 
hives on their return. Occasionally the greater 
portion of a half dozen families will unite witlione 
strong one, crowding it entirely too much for its 
prosperity, wliile the others arc too much weakened 
to defend themselves against robbers or the motli. 
A strong colony in early spring is most valuable— 
but excess liere, as in otlier things, 2 >roduces evil— 
extremes should be avoided. E.xamine all the hives 
closely the next morning. The weakest one—if it 
has a queen—should be changed to the stand of 
some strong one, the strong to the weak one, etc. 
Endeavor to get .all equalized in this way within the 
first few days after tliey begin to 11 ja Another meth¬ 
od may be adopted ardienoneor two arc left with 
only a few lieos and their queens. Drive from tlie 
over jiopnlons colony enough for a good swarm 
(not quite as many as would constitute a good 
swarm in July) into an empty box, let them remain 
until you are satisfied that they have no queen, 
which is known by their uneasy movements. Then, 
they may be introduced to the weak hive, setting it 
close to the stand of the strong one ; or it may be 
kept in a dark room a few clays, after which it may 
be set anywhere else. Should there be too many 
bees left in the strong hive, for profit, take out bees 
for .another stock or two in the same Way. In case 
a movable comb hive becomes over populous, it 
may be simply divided, making two, by putting 
half of the combs with bees attached into an empty 
hive, and setting them each side of the old stand, 
leaving a space of two feet between them. Give to 
that half which is destitute of a queen, one of the 
small colonies, and fill out both hives with the 
combs from the weak one. In moving bees from 
their winter quarters in the cellar or dark room, let 
each hive occupy its old stand, as far as practicable ; 
bring out six or eight at a time, and put them on 
stands as far ajDart as possible; two hours after¬ 
wards put out as many more on stands between 
the others, and separated like them. 
The value of flour as a substitute for i^ollen, de- 
13ends very much on the early flowers in the neigh¬ 
borhood. If there is an abundance of alder, and 
swamp willow, and not a great many bees, there 
will be a full supply of pollen the first few warm 
days. But if many bees and few flowers, they need 
some substitute. Rye, ground close and unbolted, 
is probably best. Make a floor a few feet square, 
13ut a curb round it three inches high, to keep it 
from wasting, and spread a few quarts at a time on 
this—locate it as much as possible out of the winds. 
Simple flour should be mi.xed with sawdust, cut 
straw, or some thing to keep it from adhering too 
much to the bees. Begin with the-Jirs^ warm days, 
and sprinkle small quantities on and near the floor. 
After the bees have t.asted it, putting it on the 
floor is sufficient. They will carry off two or three 
lbs. per hive, before real pollen is obtained. Much 
more than this,on an average, might be detrimental. 
Should any pollen he obtained before the flour is 
offered, it is doubtful if they can be made to notice 
it. After they begin to fly, the needy ones may be 
fed by putting honey in the chamber of the hive. 
Robbing will commence if at all on the first real 
warm days. Look among them at sundown, any at 
work then, will indicate it. Put the hive that is 
attacked in the cellar, till a few warm days are past, 
and then return to tlie stand. The surest guarantee 
against robbing is, to have no weak colonies. 
As good as OHS' ‘^Fortl. — Thirty-two 
pages this month, and (as usual now-a-days) eight extra 
ones—or 40 in all. Some kind contemporaries have 
stated that the Agriculturist is a 40 page quarto. Not 
so ; vve do not wish to sail under false colors or mis¬ 
taken compliments. We promise 32 pages. If our ad- 
vertisers need more room, we accommodate them by 
adding more pages, and for each page .so added give al¬ 
so an extra page of reading. Is not that fair all around ? 
A Fijie EmgraTirng. —‘ In republishing 
Downing's Landscape Gardening, the original steel plate 
of the author’s portrait could not be found. We have 
had a new portrait engraved from the only existing da¬ 
guerreotype. The work was entrusted to Sir. II. W. 
Smith, who has produced a most satisfactory likeness 
and an excellent picture. For the accommodation of 
the friends of Mr. Downing we have impressions on India 
paper, suitable for framing, wliich will be sold at $1 each. 
MsEymsalciiag sasitl ISsii'vestlssg lin- 
IJlements.—Do not procrastinate. There are several 
excellent mowers and reapers. If farmers wait to learn 
which will get the prize this year at the great New York 
trial, or at any other, they will be sure to fail in getting 
the one they want, for tlie orders will be so far ahead 
of tlie ability of the manufacturers to supply, that 
they will be obliged to take the best macliine they 
can get, which will very likely be one nliioli 
they would not think of choosing. We know farmers 
who liave mowed by hand, or hired the grass cut by 
macliines these ton years just because they eouUi not tell 
which machine to buy. There is a good chance yet for 
several farmers to get the Buckeyes wliicli we offer ns 
premiums. There will he no delay in (his case, for the 
machines are now made and subject (o our order. We 
have this day ordered one No. 2. which will he shipped 
and received before lliis paper reaches the subscribers. 
