1870 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
83 
good, roomy pens, and short straw for nests. Keep 
a close watch upon them, and if one docs not own 
her young, or treat them motherly, put a small dog 
in the pen fora few minutes—she will soen own 
the little ones, and not err again. A sow will 
usually be in heat the third day after farrowing. 
Sheep require extra care now. Scab will cause 
loss of wool, and they are peculiarly liable to dis¬ 
ease. Use carbolic soap for skin diseases and ver¬ 
min. Ewes, near yeaning, must be watched, 
and early lambs nursed and raised, if possible. One 
very early one is worth two late ones. Feed nurs¬ 
ing ewes oil-cake and a few raw roots, and cut hem¬ 
lock boughs for them to browse. Salt regularly, 
and give them dry places to lie in, and a good range. 
Genes coming in must have care. Give them 
roomy, loose boxes for some days before, and good 
bedding of straw, cut two or three times. Bring 
water to them, if the ground is icy*, but do not 
scrimp them. Feed also some raw roots, and oil- 
meal, perhaps, to keep the bowels moderately 
loose. All breeding animals should be familiar 
with their master, and like to be petted and handled. 
Beeves and Fattening Sheep may be pushed for¬ 
ward now as the weather grows milder, and either 
ripened off, or kept steadily gaining a little, ac¬ 
cording to the stock market, and the price of food. 
Working Animals , both oxen and horses, should 
be gradually accustomed to labor, if they have been 
standing idle, or it will tell hard upon them, and 
galled necks and backs will be the result. Should 
such trouble occur, bind on wet bags at night, and 
take all pressure off from the wounded parts by pads. 
Poultry .—Set some hens early, especially if you 
breed pure stock, for early chickens that do well 
make the finest birds, and the prize-takers at the 
shows. Geese should hatch early ; but for ducks 
and turkeys, the warmer weather of May is more 
important than the growth they will make. 
Swampy Meadows should be burned over before 
the grass starts ; they will then furnish the cows a 
good bite of grass long before the hill pastures. 
-— - -»<•»- -- — - 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
• 
It is the general impression that the unusually 
spring-like January is likely to be followed by a 
late season. Those are fortunate who took ad¬ 
vantage of the pleasant days of winter to do such 
work as usually is attended to in March. Several 
have written to know what can be done to fruit 
trees upon which buds have swollen, to preserve 
them in case the mild weather is followed by se¬ 
vere cold. They are past remedy, and all hope 
of fruit from trees thus injured must be given up. 
See that the trees are not neglected on this ac¬ 
count. A crop of well-ripened wood will be an 
important step towards success another year. 
Orchas-d and. Nursery. 
The article by our Iowa contributor, on page 
101, gives such practical hints upon planting, that 
it is necessary to say but little upon that point. 
Those who are able to select their trees at the nur¬ 
sery, as he suggests, are fortunate, but the majority 
of our readers must order from a distance, and 
take what may be sent them. The roots will usu¬ 
ally be small, in proportion to the tops, but if they 
have been well packed, this difficulty may be met 
by cutting back the top sufficiently at planting, to 
compensate for the amount of roots lost in digging. 
Shriveling may take place with trees long on the 
way, and not well packed. Open a trench in sandy 
soil, lay in the trees, and cover them, tops and all. 
In a few days, or a week, they will be found to 
have regained their former plumpness. 
Girdled Trees are to be attended to as soon as 
discovered, as recommended in previous months. 
Grafting.— Cherry and plum trees should be 
grafted earlier than the apple and pear, which are 
best left until the buds commence to swell. 
Pruning may still be done where vegetation is 
dormant. Cover the wounds with grafting wax. 
Fruit Garden. 
Grape-Vines .—Plant if the soil is in proper con¬ 
dition. Use no manure. Cut back the vines to 
three buds, but one of which is to grow into a 
shoot. Plow old vineyards, and use the hoe near 
the vines. Layers may be made from last year’s 
wood. Set posts for trellises. 
Blackberries .—Set new vines early; leave no old 
cane; the growth should be all from the buds near 
the root. Six feet apart, each way, is a good dis¬ 
tance, if they are kept within bounds by pinching. 
Raspberries .—Set from four to six feet apart, ac¬ 
cording to the size of the variety. Let no old 
canes remain on plants now set out. Uncover ten¬ 
der varieties when severe frosts are over. 
Currants and Gooseberries .—Set early. Prune. 
Cuttings of grape, currant, and gooseberry may 
be put out; pack the earth well against them. 
Strawberries .—Set as soon as the frost is well out 
of the ground, and plants can be obtained. Put 
the plants in rows, two feet apart, and set them 
eighteen inches distant in the rows. Remove all 
decaying leaves at planting, and shorten the roots 
about one-third. Where pistillate sorts are grown, 
plant a perfect variety near by to fertilize them. 
Kitchen Garden, 
Every spring we are obliged, in reply to letters, 
to say something about plants under glass. By a 
little pains in this direction, many vegetables may 
be had several weeks earlier than from seeds sown 
in the open ground. Those who follow market 
gardening, make extensive use of glass to forward 
their crops, and it may be done in the family gar¬ 
den to great advantage, provided one will take the 
necessary care. If one will not take the trouble, 
then ho had better go on in the old way, and let 
glass alone. The easiest plan, and ono attended 
with fewest risks, is to start seeds in 
Window Boxes, which may be about four inches 
deep, and of any convenient length and width. 
Soap, and other boxes may be obtained at the gro¬ 
cer’s, which may be cut in two, and answer well. 
Fill the boxes with light, rich soil, and sow seeds 
of tomatoes, cabbages, etc., and place in a sunny 
window—all the better if in the kitchen, where 
the air is usually moist. Have similar boxes of 
earth ready to receive the young plants when they 
are large enough to transplant. Water when 
needed. The next step is by the use of the 
Cold-Frame .—The regular sash is six feet long, 
and three feet wide, but any other size will answer. 
Even old window sashes may be made to serve, if 
the cross-bars have channels cut, to allow the 
water to run off. The frame to hold the sash is 
made by setting down stakes, and nailing ou 
boards. It should be eighteen inches high in the 
rear, and twelve inches in front. The slope should 
be towards the south, and the bed placed where it 
is sheltered from cold winds. The soil within the 
bed must be light, fine, and rich. Expose the 
glass to full sun during the day, and in the after¬ 
noon cover it with mats or board shutters. Work 
over the soil every few days, and when it has be¬ 
come well warmed, sow the seeds. When the plants 
are up, the sash must be raised at one end, to air the 
bed during the day; water must be given as needed. 
Hot-beds are like the cold-frames, but with a mass 
of fermenting manure at the bottom, to give more 
heat than that supplied by the sun. The old way 
was to make a heap of manure, three feet high, 
and place the frame upon it. It is much more 
economical of manure to place it below the sur¬ 
face. A pit is dug about two feet deep, and of a 
size corresponding to the number of sashes to be 
used. A frame is made within the pit by boarding 
up, and the rear of it is to be eighteen inches, aud 
the front twelve inches above the surface of the 
ground. Bank up around tho outside of the frame. 
Fill the pit with fermenting stable manure, which 
will be all the better if mixed, one-third or more 
of its bulk, with leaves. Put in the manure 
evenly, and beat it down firmly with the fork. Put 
six inches of light, rich soil upbn the manure, and 
spread evenly, and put on the sashes. A ther¬ 
mometer should bo placed in the soil, and when 
the heat falls to about 90’, seeds may be sown. 
When the plants are up, they will need daily care. 
The glass must be raised in the morning, aud 
closed in the afternoon, and shutters or mats must 
be put on at night. Neglect in airing at the proper 
time will burn the plants, and leaving the sashes 
open too long, when the heat of the sun declines, 
will chill them—extremes which are to be avoided. 
Egg-plants, Peppers, Tomatoes, and other plants, 
of warm countries, are raised in this way. Hot¬ 
beds arc to be started about six weeks before 
planting can be safely done in the open air. 
Cabbages and Caulijloiver, that have been wintered 
in cold-frames, may generally have the sash remov¬ 
ed by the first of this month. Those who do not 
keep fall sown plants over winter, can get a very 
good start by sowing in the boxes described above, 
and placing them, at first, in a mild liot-bed. When 
tho plants have made a proper growth, they should 
bo transplanted to other boxes, and when establish¬ 
ed, tho boxes are to be transferred to a cold-frame, 
and gradually hardened off, by exposure to the air 
whenever the temperature will allow. Enough 
plants for a family garden may be grown in win¬ 
dow boxes , these should bo exposed ou mild days. 
Cucumbers , Squashes, and other plants that do 
not transplant readily, may be started in hot-beds, 
cold-frames, or iu the house, by the use of small 
squares of sod, which are placed grass side down, 
and the seeds are sown in the earth. The bits of 
sod containing the plants are to be set out at the 
proper time. See article in “Basket” on “Hay- 
Baskets for Starting Piauts” for other contrivances. 
Plow or Spade the soil whenever it is dry enough. 
Uso plenty of manure, and work fine and deep. 
Asparagus and Rhubarb Beds may be forked over 
if the season permits, working in manure. 
Peas .—Sow early sorts as soon ns practicable. 
Potatoes for the early crop should be placed in a 
warm room, to induce tho sprouts to start. After 
cutting, allow the surface to dry before planting. 
Oniems .—Plant Sets, Top, or Button Onions, and 
Potato Onions, as soon as the ground, which 
should be rich, is ready. See “ Basket ” article. 
General Planting .—The hardiest vegetables are 
carrots, beets, spinach, salsify, onions, leeks, and 
early turnips. The time for sowing them will de¬ 
pend upon locality and season. To these may be 
added radishes, cress, and lettuce. 
Flower Garden and l.uvvn. 
The articles upon “Laying Out a Flower Garden,” 
given last mouth, and this month, will be found 
to contain hints which need not be repeated. 
IPod&s should be made permanent, and, if of 
gravel, must have a good foundation of stone. 
Asphalt walks, page 100, are worth considering. 
Laums .—Attend to the work of preparation 
early. Drain, if necessary. Let the soil be deep 
and fertile, and use a plenty of seed—from two to 
five bushels to the acre. June grass (Kentucky 
Blue), or Red-top alone make a good lawn. Vari¬ 
ous mixtures are sold by seedsmen. Imported 
lawn mixtures are unsuited to our climate. 
See last month’s notes for other suggestions. 
Perennials .—Those which have been in one place 
for three years or more, should be taken -up, di¬ 
vided, and reset in fresh soil. 
Gi'een>house nu<l Window Plants. 
Now that the heat of the sun increases, more 
frequent airings can be given, and more care in 
watering will be required. Many plants that have 
been dormant will be pushing their growth, and 
many of those that have been kept for the winter 
in the cellar may be brought out and started. 
Propagation of plants for summer use in the 
borders, such as Verbenas, Geraniums, and tho 
like, should now go on rapidly. The sedret of 
success is in keeping the air of the house at a 
lower temperature than that of the cutting bench. 
