1807.] 
4:3 
AMKRICAN AGRICULTUJJIST. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
The “unto of preparation” should be Bounding 
In every department. Occasional mild days will 
allow of Huno out of door work, and the tool-house 
and repairs in the work shop will >;ive abundant 
indoor employment. Have everythin*' ready, not 
only the tooLs aud appliances, but have all plana made 
for the ojH*nin}j season. This month, cataloj'ues of 
the dealers are ready, and if trees or other nursery 
stuff or seeds, etc., arc to be purchased, our adver¬ 
tising columns will show where the articles are to 
bo had. Order early, as the stock of some thinj's 
is often exhausted later in the sea-son. In sendinj; 
an order to nurserymen or seedsmen write plainly, 
and put only one article uiK)n a line. Mistakes arc 
usnally os much the fault of the purchaser as of the 
seller, who is often puzzled to And out what in 
wanted. If any corre.spondence is necessary, have 
it separate from the order. Give cle.ir directions 
how the articles are to be sent, and do not omit to 
given the address In full. A dealer of our acquain¬ 
tance recently received an order inclosing money, 
but no name was signed; a few days after he re¬ 
ceived a letter from the same writer, which in¬ 
formed him that an ortlcr had been sent a few days 
before, but that the name had been forgotten, and 
Util letter of explanation also had no name to it. 
Oirliui'd and Xiirttcry. 
The princii>ai Items of out door work w'crc indi¬ 
cated last month. As the severity of the weather 
motleratcs, the knife may be used in shaping 
Young' Trees .—Cut Giem back to secure a stocky 
growth, and a well balanced fonn. Uo not cut so 
close to a bud as to endanger it, nor so far above as 
to leave a stub. The treatment of young trees that 
have been badly formed i.s noticed on page 62. 
Though February is not the best possible month for 
Pruning, there arc many who arc obliged to do it 
now ; select a time when the wood is not frozen, 
and observe the precautions mentioned on page 62. 
Old trees and neglected young ones may have a 
a w.vih of Boff Boap, mixed with water enough to 
apply with a brush. If there is much loose bark, or 
a great accumulation of moss, a blunt scraper may be 
used. Some arc made for this use. Every cluster of 
Caterpillar's Eggs removed now is clear gain; 
the Tent-caterpillar’s were described in January. 
Cions are to be cut on mild days, and kept in saw¬ 
dust or moss until wanted. Earth or sand will keep 
them as well, but they are less pleasant to use than 
when preserved in moss or saw-dust. Cions are 
readily sent by mail; tic them in a bundle, wrap in 
oiled Bilk, and over all put a stout brown paper, and 
tie Bccnrely. Mark “ cuttings only,” and put no 
writing in the package. Postage is 2 cents for 4 oz. 
Grafting should be deferred until the buds of the 
stock begin to Bwell—which they will do this month 
in some parts of the South. Root grafting ought to 
be finished up, and the grafted roots ready to set out. 
Nursery trees will be received by flomc of our 
southern readers, and if long on the way may have 
I offered from drying, or they may be frozen. Com¬ 
pletely bury all dried or shrivelled trees, and if not 
too far gone they will become plump in a few days. 
.Kns packages, the contents of which arc likely to 
be frozen when they are received, should be allowed 
to thaw gradually in a cool place before opening. 
Manure may be spread in the orchard wherever 
the ground is not frozen. 
rriilt tJardcii. 
Continno to exercise oversight, and see that no 
injury comes to trees and plants by animals. If 
Grape Vines were not pruned in autumn, tike 
advantage of the first thaw, and do it this moiiUi. 
The wood from winter pruning is not so good for 
cuttings ns that removed In fall, and if used for 
this puriKise must be can-fully selected. 
Currants may also be pruned, and the cutting 
buried until the weather allows of their being 
Lwarf trees treat as noticed above, under Orchard. 
Kitchen Oardcii. 
As there is but little to be done here, in northern 
localities, our notes for January arc equally good 
now. Make every preparation for spring work. 
Manure, whether for garden use or for hot-beds, 
should be accumulated. When the heap becomes 
hot it should be turned to avoid injury. 
Hot-heds arc to be made at the South, and at the 
North, if very early plants are wanted. For the 
simplest form of hot-bed see page 63. Prepare 
Straw-covers, as described on page 6.3, or straw 
mats; the last are made by stretching a warp of five 
tarred strings, the width of the sash and a foot 
longer, then laying on handfuls of straw, each of 
which is to be bound to the warp by a small string. 
Cold Frames need more close attention as the 
weather gets milder. Open them whenever the 
weather is not severe, and harden off the cabbage 
and other plants i,o fit them for early transplanting. 
Foot crops still in the ground, such as horse¬ 
radish, parsnips and salsify arc to be dug and mar¬ 
keted whenever the ground is sufficiently thawed. 
Onions, if frozen, should be kept so by a covering 
of hay to prevent alternate freezing and thawing. 
Jhles and bnush that may be needed for beans, 
peas and other climbers, are best cut before vege- 
tiitiou starts, and while the swamps arc frozen. 
Fliubarb is easily forced where there is plenty of 
manure. Cover the roots with boxes or barrels, 
and surround -them well with heating material. 
The leaves soon start, and when grown in the dark 
in this way are exceedingly tender. Do not forget 
that .all labor is lost unless you ha-^i good 
fieeds .—If there is any doubt about the quality of 
seeds, be at any trouble or expense to procure those 
of a reliable character. Buy of responsible parties 
only. The postal arrangements, for all except 
points reached by the over-land mail, are such that 
it makes but little difference where one lives, ;as 
the mail puts him in reach of all the seed stores in 
the country. See “Basket” item on page 50. 
Flower Garden and Fawn. 
The mild days will allow pruning to be done. 
Ornamental trees, as a general thing, should be 
left to a.ssume their natunil form, but it sometimes 
becomes necessary to remove branches that arc in 
the way, .and others that have become injured by 
winds or snow. All pruning of them should be 
done with as much care as with fruit trees for 
which see article on page 62. 
Shrubs, too, will need the knife and the shears. 
They ought not to be cut into form.al shapes, but 
left stilUn their natui-al form. Those that bloom 
upon the new growth may be shortened at pleasure, 
while those that have their flower buds ready formed 
only need to have crowded branches thinned out. 
Fepairs of fences and of trellises, arbora, and .all 
garden fixtures m.ay be made and painting done. 
Pts and cellars where plants arc stored will need 
lookin*'to. Give air on mild days; if the plants be¬ 
come very drj' and likely to suffer, water moderately. 
Dahlias, Cannas, and other roots, stored in the 
cellar for winter must not be allowed to be damp 
enough to mould or rot. If this occurs, separate 
the affected ones and remove to a dryer place. 
Giceii and Ilot-IIouscs. 
The variable weather this month will dcm.and 
care with the fires to secure that uniformity of tom- 
ncraturc so necessary to success. 
^ Disects arc easily kept in check if taken in time 
Bum tobacco occasionally at night at closm„ 
house to keep the green fly in check. 
Camellias and other shmbs that have done flower- 
in*' may be trimmed into shape. The camellia, 
especially, is often neglected in this respect. 
JMbs are to be brought into the house to sup¬ 
ply the place of those that have gone out of flo^i ei. 
Propagation of all kinds of bedding stuff may be 
comiaeneed, and sepds of annuals may be sown. 
Foses coming into flower may have very weak 
liquid manure, not more highly colored than tea. 
Tlie Apiary for February. 
Bee culture requires, in its most successful man¬ 
agement, the right thing to be done promptly at 
the right time, hence, all necessary appli,ances 
should be in readiness before wanted. Bees do not 
wait our convenience, and so we must closely 
observe their habits and accommodate ourselves to 
them. A knowledge of them can be gained from 
the standard works on Bee Culture, but practice, 
in connection >ith the theoretical knowledge, is 
essential to success. It is easily gained, and so, 
young bee keepers need not be discouraged by a 
lack of success for a year or two. Bee keepers in 
most of the United States and Canada encounter 
two draw backs—namely, cold winters, and an in¬ 
terrupted and irregular succession of flowers. 
These may be obviated, to a considerable extent, 
by protection in winter, and by cultivating honey 
producing flowers, adai^ted to bee pasturage. 
Success depends to a great degree in being able 
to know what is going on within the hive—for this 
moveable frame hives are necessary. Then it is 
proved that Italian Bees are superior to the common 
or black ones, not only because they are more in¬ 
dustrious, better workers and breeders, but espe¬ 
cially because more easily handled (if pure), hence, 
it is best to have them if they can be obtained. 
MEMORANDA, VURNISHED BT M. QUINBT. 
Only the light newly fallen snow is dangerous to 
bees; if a warm, bright day should come the day 
after snow has fallen, sh.ade the hive to discourage 
the bees leaving. Should bees that arc housed 
become uneasy, and some of tliem, leaving the hive, 
discharge filth on its sides, it is well to put them 
out some good warm day, and return at night. If 
bees arc to be changed to any new stand or bee- 
house, let it be done this month, or next, .at least, 
before they fly out to mark the locality. It is worse 
to move a short distance than a great one. Separate 
stands and roofs are approved by many, and if 
adopted, should be crowded with hives, to secure 
all possible advantages. This involves the necessity 
of making artificial sw.arms, and rearing and in¬ 
troducing laying queens to all the hives as tiiey 
need them; this is not a ditficult operation. 
See that no full colony is without one longer 
than two to seven days. Those intending to do 
this, should prepare now a few miniature moveable 
comb hives, with a few of the combs filled with 
dry combs. Directions for raising and introducing 
queens will be given at the proper season. This 
month is a good time for purchasing more stocks, 
if wanted, as they may be moved safely by sleigh. 
When purchased stocks have been housed dur¬ 
ing the winter, they should have at least one fair 
day on which to fly, before starting on a journey. 
Tltc IiMliaMa Ilorticiiltaral Soci¬ 
ety. -The annual meeting of this Society was held at 
Indianapolis on January 8th. We extract the fol louung 
from the letter of a correspondent ^ ' 
veteran President, J. D. G- Nelson, of Fort Mayne, open¬ 
ed ^meeting with some interesting and encouragmg 
statements as to the 
Sundry papers and reports were presented by the otticcrs 
S't .odcy .nd f~n. .ou« Jt'"rilcC 
members were elected to office: J. D. G. ^ei^ 
son Fort Wayne. Vice-Presidents, A. Furnas, Danville , 
SlIh7r.Ind..».po...; d.O. 
E. C. Siler, Parke County. Secretary S- W. Wan , 
Piainfiehk J “Siatpofif-C^mmib 
Haute. 7 Vca. 5 «rer,J.S. Dunlop, ino ^ , e,j,iura8 
tecs were appointed to .^as 
upon the array of native wines 
very extensive and fin . Q naners of interest were 
was also on exhibition. e gessrons—but the great 
read during the comso revision of the Fruit 
work of the meetin„i jjjg 
Catalogues, the result w 
.fflcW report, eoon *» coP.lder.Uon. 
<lI,cu.sion», e m groned *»»> 
and many testified * fine evenin*** was dc- 
reading .h. ft. Bo.lor, 
volcd u, Ih. Vo . largo and at 
MUw'aXnco ol U. Mlow-elUaoM Mid admirart. 
