1875.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
83 ' 
does not recover from it for several years. The 
injury to the grass is serious. Wait until the 
ground is dry, and there is a full bite upon the 
pastures. Never pasture a meadow in the spring. 
Plowing .—In plowing one may “make more 
haste ” but get “ less speed.” No plow should be 
put into ground that is wet, or when the soil sticks 
to a bright steel mold-board. If water is seen in 
the furrow, plowing should be stopped, although 
the surface may seem dry. The nearer plowing 
and seeding can be brought together, the better 
will it be for the crop. It will be better to run two 
plows by and by, than begin a day too soon. There 
is plenty of work to do before one begins to plow. 
Implements. — All farm implements, carts, and 
wagons, should be carefully overhauled. Look to 
the bolts and nuts especially. Use the Lock Nut 
holt which can not get loose, upon all implements, 
machines, and vehicles. Clean and oil all bearings 
and gearings of machinery, with the best sperm oil. 
Common kerosene oil and a bunch of cotton rags is 
the best means for removing gum and dirt. A few 
drops of kerosene put on a rusty nut or screw, 
will often loosen it. A hot iron held for a few 
moments to a tight nut, will loosen it by expand¬ 
ing it. Castor oil is the best lubricator for wagons 
and carriages. Use crude petroleum in place of 
paint, upon all tools, plows, harrows, etc., and soak 
the wood with it until it will take up no more. It 
is cheap, and need not be spared. Oily rags will 
take fire spontaneously in warm weather, and 
should not be allowed to lie anywhere about. 
Seeds .—If a full supply of seed has not been 
procured, no time should be lost. To lose a 
week or two at seed time, because seedsmen are 
crowded, or to go without scarce seeds because 
the stock is exhausted, is a loss of money. The 
best, freshest, and cleanest seed only should be 
used. This kind costs more, but is much cheaper 
than poor foul seed. A change of seed is desirable, 
especially of such grain as peas, oats, or wheat, 
which are attacked with weevil, or deteriorate in 
weight in our warm climate. These seeds should 
be procured from more northern localities. 
Horses .—As the work season approaches, the feed 
should be gradually increased. Sudden changes 
are dangerous. Feed only coarsely ground or 
“chopped” grain. Corn ears ground, (corn and 
cob together), are not fit food for horses. The 
coarse indigestible pieces of cob will irritate the 
intestines. Only the most digestible food should 
be given. A quart of linseed cake meal in the 
feed twice a day, for a week or two, will be a useful 
laxative at this season, and will help the shedding 
of the coat. Don’t spare the currycomb. 
Cows.—In-coming cows need close attention. It 
is well to have a large stall in a separate building, 
in which each one may be kept loose until she has 
calved. This will prevent danger to both cow 
and calf, and trouble with the other cows, which 
are apt to be restless, and lose milk upon such 
occasions. 
Calves .—The best heifer calves should be selected 
to replenish the dairy. Male calves should be 
castrated when a week old. There is never any 
trouble with them at this age. Calves to be raised, 
should be well fed from the first, and never allow¬ 
ed to go back. Treat them kindly. 
Sheep and Lambs.— Provide separate pens for 
lambing ewes. Lambs should be docked when a 
few days old. Draw back the skin, and clip the 
tail with a pair of sheep shears. It is done in an 
instant, and the young animal feels but little pain. 
Lambs intended for wethers, should be castrated at 
the same time. At less than a week old we have 
simply clipped off the scrotum with the shears, 
without losing a single lamb. These operations are 
easier in every way if done early. Great watchful¬ 
ness should be exercised over the flock at this season. 
Sundi'y Matters .—As soon as the snow melts, 
take a careful look over the farm. One can not 
fail to find some things that need to be attended to. 
A supply of bran and flax seed should be kept on 
hand, so that there will be no time lost when they 
are needed in a hurry for a sick animal. Keep also 
a small quantity of ground Ginger, Sulphur, Epsom 
Salts, and Compound Tincture of Benzoin, in a safe 
but handy place. These are all the medicines a 
farmer needs to keep for his animals, if he is only 
careful to use precautions against sickness and 
accidents. Repair harness. Procure a stone boat 
for moving plows, harrows, and seed. Remove the 
old heavy shoes from the horse’s feet, and replace 
them with low shoes without calks, or with the 
“ Goodenough ” shoes. Feed all animals well and 
liberally, and rid the slock of all vermin. Keep all 
the work well advanced, and then there will never be 
occasion to do anything in a hurry, and 60 lose time. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Hundreds would grow fruits who do not now if 
they only knew what kinds to plant and where to 
get them. Other hundreds knowing that it is no 
more labor to raise a good vegetable than a poor 
one, would gladly attempt improvement in this di¬ 
rection if they knew which among the hundreds of 
sorts named in the catalogues they could safely try. 
In the present notes we have endeavored to point 
out to the beginner the varieties of fruits and veg¬ 
etables that are likely to be satisfactory. We have 
not selected the finest from the critical amateur’s 
point of view, but good reliable sorts adapted to 
a wide extent of country. As to where to purchase, 
look in our advertising columns, and you will not 
go amiss. Send for a catalogue and order early. 
©rclaar«l ami Woirsery. 
Planting .—Preparations for planting may be made 
this month, and in some latitudes the trees may be 
set out. The soil should have been prepared last 
year, but if it was not, no time should be lost. New 
soils rarely need manuring, but exhausted land 
must be renovated. It will be useless to set out 
young trees in a stiff, poor soil, and expect them to 
give a satisfactory return ; it is true they may live 
and bear in time, but they can never make a healthy 
growth, or produce good fruit. See that there are 
no low spots in the orchard where ice and snow 
may collect and remain during the greater part of 
the winter; trees planted in such places do not ri¬ 
pen their wood properly, and are liable to be in¬ 
jured by early frosts, and the land cannot be culti¬ 
vated until late in the spring. 
Pruning may be done at any time before vegeta¬ 
tion starts. When large limbs are removed take care 
not to allow them to fall before severing the bark on 
the under side of the cut, as they may peel the bark 
from the trank, thus making a bad wound. Always 
pare the cuts smooth, a sharp knife, chisel, or draw¬ 
ing-knife may be used, cover with melted grafting 
wax, paint, or anything which will exclude the air 
and rain. 
Varieties .—The best guide for a novice in fruit-grow¬ 
ing is the experience of others in similar localities, 
and one about to set an orchard can make no better 
investment than the time and money it would re¬ 
quire for him to visit the fruit growers within a cir¬ 
cuit of 10 or 20 miles, and learn of the successes and 
failures of others. To aid the novice, we enumerate 
some of the standard varieties of each kind of fruit, 
remarking that they do not succeed equally well 
everywhere. We give here the leading market va¬ 
rieties of apples, and place those of other fruits 
under fruit-garden. 
Apples — Varieties .—If one lives near a city or town 
large enough to afford a market, a good share of 
early apples may be profitable. For New York and 
other distant markets, only varieties that are well 
known should be grown, a local variety, no matter 
how good it may be, if not known to dealers, will 
meet with a slow sale. Summer , Early Harvest, 
Large Yellow Bough, Red Astrachan, Golden Sweet, 
Summer Queen, Williams. Autumn , Chenango 
Strawberry, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Fall Pippin, 
Fall Wine, Gravenstein, Jersey Sweet, Keswick 
Codlin, Maiden’s Blush, Porter, Washington Straw¬ 
berry. Winter, Am. Golden Russet, Baldwin, Ben 
Davis, Canada Reinette, Esopus Spitzenburgh, 
Fameuse, Jonathan, King of Tompkins County, 
Lady, Monmouth Pippin, Newtown Pippin, North¬ 
ern Spy, Peck’s Pleasant, Rambo, R. I. Greening, 
Roxbury Russet, Talman’s Sweet, Twenty Ounce, 
Winesap, Yellow Bellflower. There are 6ome 
2,500 described varieties, and this list by no means 
includes all of the best, even for marketing, but it 
will serve to direct the inquiries of a beginner. 
Fruit Garden. 
Ilanting .—The general directions given under 
the orchard, apply to this department equally well. 
Currants.— If cuttings were placed in the cellar 
in the fall, they may be planted as soon as the 
weather will allow. Make the cuttings 6 inches 
long, set them in a trench 3 inches apart and deep 
enough to cover all but 2 or 3 buds, pack the earth 
in firmly and keep clear of weeds. The best sorts 
for market are Versailles and White Grape. The 
Black Naples is the best black. Give established 
bushes a good manuring, and apply a mulch before 
dry weather comes. 
Gooseberries are propagated in the same manner as 
currants, and require the same general treatment. 
Unless one can give great care it is useless to try 
the English sorts. The American varieties rarely 
mildew, and furnish an abundance of fruit which 
is generally used in an unripe state for cooking. 
Downing’s and Houghton’s are the best. 
Blackberries .—If the old canes were not cut oul 
after the fruiting was over last year, do it at once 
Manure if not done last fall. New plants are mad< 
from the abundant suckers which most kinds form, 
or from root cuttings made in the fall. Take up 
the suckers as soon as the frost is out, with a good 
bit of root attached, and set six feet apart in rows, 
cutting the cane or stem back to the ground. The 
most generally successful variety is the Kittatinny ; 
Wilson’s Early is a good market sort. New Roch¬ 
elle or Lawton is good when thoroughly ripened, 
but tender in many places. 
Paspberries .—Many kinds are propagated in the 
same way as blackberries. These too should be 
set early. Old plants, which should not have more 
than 3 or 4 canes to the stool, will need manure, 
and later a mulch. Provide stakes, wire, or some 
support to tie to. The varieties are numerous, and 
a selection is difficult. Hudson River, Antwerp, 
and Brinckle’s Orange are the finest, but require 
protection in winter. Clarke, Herstine, are good, 
and usually hardy. Philadelphia is hardy, most 
prolific, but not first quality. Highland Hardy is a 
new sort highly recommended. 
Black Caps , or black raspberries ; these with a 
few red-fruited kinds are propagated only by the 
rooting of the ends of the stems, they form no 
suckers. Mammoth Cluster or Miami, Seneca, and 
Doolittle, are among the best. 
Strawberries .—The treatment of old beds will de¬ 
pend upon the system of culture. In the garden 
where the plants are in rows, and were mulched 
last fall, all that need be done is to go over the 
beds, when growth begins, and remove the hay or 
other mulch from directly over the plants and leave 
it until the fruit is off. Spring planting is vastly 
preferable to fall planting. Set the plants as soon 
as the frost is out. In garden culture we prefer to 
grow in rows, set the plants a foot apart in rows 3 
feet from one another. Work the soil deeply and 
manure heavily. The varieties are many, but at 
present we cannot improve on the list given last 
year. The best variety for all soils and situations 
we consider to be Charles Downing. The Wilson 
has had that place, but it is of far inferior quality ; 
the Charles Downing is the best general family 
berry, and it is good for marketing. For early, 
Nieanor for heavy, and Downer for light soils; 
for main crops, Charles Downing and Wilson, on 
both soils. For late, Triomphe de Gand and Ju- 
cunda on heavy, and Seth Boyden and Kentucky 
for light soils. Gen. Cheney has a high reputation, 
but we have not tried it. As a variety of the first 
excellence, we mention Black Defiance, and for 
great size, the Champion. 
Cherries on account c' insects and diseases have 
been well nigh aban '.oned in many places. Wher¬ 
ever it will succeed, the cherry should be planted. 
It cannot be so decidedly dwarfed as the pear and 
apple, but on Mahaleb stock and properly pruned, 
the trees may be kept of moderate 6ize. The young 
trees should be started with a low head and kept 
