1807.] 
AMKRTCAN AGRICri/rURIST. 
casioiuilly worked over with the addition of muck 
or any vcgeUihle mold, and thus the quantity avail¬ 
able for com may bo ;;reatly iucreasciL 
Liquid Manttrf has great effect upon grass, and 
no better application can be made upon winter 
gram, though the labor attending its ai^pliealion is 
considerable. A liquid manure distributor is a rare, 
but needed, article ou American farms. In buying 
Concfntriitfd yfcinurts do not purchaso any be¬ 
cause they are cheaj>. The adulteration of guano 
is notorious. The farmer can much better afford 
to mix in the sand on his own farm tlian to pay $G5 
in gold a ton lor sand, and cart it a dozen miles be¬ 
sides. Tlio other jx)pular manures, superphos¬ 
phate, etc., arc quite as liable to adulteration, or 
even more so. After all, it is best to make one’s 
own fertilizers, or buy only of reliable i>artics. 
Ifomf-made FertilL:fr*.—Ut, Poudrette. Mix dry’ 
soil, muck or peat with the contents of the privy 
every three days, remove and work over the con¬ 
tents, once a fortnight adding more. 2d, Guano. 
Sprinkle plaster under the hen-roosts, and also 
earth or muck, cleaning all out once a week. Mix 
in a dry place, moistening with chamber ley, barn¬ 
yard Icachings, or simply water, and cover the heap 
with soil pressed down. Work over, adding more 
soil, or muck and plaster, ns often as it heats well. 
77>r,vf.—Feed according to the amount of labor 
reiiuircd of them. Groom daily and thoroughly. 
Give air and sunlight in the stables, feed and water 
regularly, blanket only when exjmsed after labor. 
Oim .—Sec hints for March. Warbles, or grubs 
in the back, often become very obvious at this sea¬ 
son and later; destroy such as show their heads. 
We have never known of harm to result from kill¬ 
ing the grubs by pressure or by puncturing the 
skin before their he.ads protrude. Feed grain if 
hard worked, and do not neglect carding regularly. 
Cows and Calt<e *.—If allowed to nm together, it 
is best to put two calves upon one cow, as a rule, 
and to h.ave these of different ages, so that both 
shall not be removed at once when lit for veal. The 
calves should be fed gruel besides, and some veal 
raisers allow them free access to dry corn meal, or 
better, linseed-cake meal, and com meal mixed. 
Shfrp .—Give ewes and lambs the attention they 
require at lambing time. The flock should have 
the personal snpervision of the owner. Give, if 
]>ossiblc, shelter of some sort, and at least keep the 
flock of ewes as near as possible to the honse and 
closely watched. Distribute the lambs among the 
ewes having most milk, not necessarily leaving 
twins with their own dam.s. 
iSwiuf .—Sec hints in former numbers for treat¬ 
ment of breeding sows. Employ’ all hogs in mak¬ 
ing manure, supplying sods and all vegetable refuse. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
Frequent showers and the increasing warmth of 
the sun remove tiie last vestiges of snow and ice, 
and this i.s emphatically a working month. As so 
many things have to be hinted at this month, we 
shall assTimc that preparatory work is generally 
done or in progress, and refer the reader to pre¬ 
ceding months for whatever relates to that. 
Orclisird :»n<l Xarscry. 
As.suming that the land for the new orch.ard h.as 
been plowed and subsoilcd, and if need be, drained, 
and th.at the needed trees have been ordered. 
riantinrj may be done as soon as the trees come 
to hand. Do not leave the roots exposed any longer 
than necessary, and if pl.anting can not be done at 
once, cover the roots with c.arth. Trim mutilated 
roots, shorten the to^w and, at the same time, re¬ 
move useless branches. Do not plant too deeply; 
make a broad opening for the roots, spread them in 
a natural position, cover with flue soil, press it 
down firmly with the foot, and tlio tree will not 
need to be staked to keep it in position. 
Shrivelled Trees arc to be buried, root and branch, 
until the bark becomes plump, and those that have 
started in the package, must bo cut back severely. 
Old Orchards arc often brought in a state of fruit¬ 
fulness by generous manuring and cultivation. 
Grafling may be carried on as soon os the buds 
begin to swell. It is better to wait for the first in¬ 
dications of life in the tree than to do it earlier. 
Cions may be cut if the buds have not started. 
Root Grafts should be planted in nursery’ rows 
as soon as the soil is in proper condition. 
Seeds and Pits, for raising young nursery stock, 
arc to be sown as early as possible. Peaches that 
have been buried in heaps, should be looked to. If 
they were dried too long before they were put with 
earth, they will need to be carefully cnicked. 
Insects .—Continue to destroy eggs, and use the 
soap wash heretofore recommended. When pro¬ 
tectors arc used to stop the ascent of the Canker- 
worm, see that the tar, oil, or other adhesive ma¬ 
terial is properly renewed. Sec p. 102, lost month. 
Fruit Garden. 
Planting, grafting and general care of trees in the 
fruit garden is the same as for those in the orchard. 
Only dwarf trees arc in place here, and they should 
be models of hc;ilth and fruitfulness. Those who 
wish to try at the different methods of training, 
should consult Rivers’ Miniature Fruit Garden. 
Figs may be ripened in well sheltered gardens, 
but they must be taken up and wintered in the cel¬ 
lar, or be laid down and well protected with earth. 
Quinces, so beautiful whether in flower or in 
fruit, may be trained to form handsome pyramids, 
if the leading branch be kept tied up to a stake. 
Currants should be in abundance in every family 
garden. They’ will bear under neglect,but will amply 
repay manuring and care. The Cherry and White 
Grape arc the best; there is a great confusion in 
names, and any of the large fruited sorts arc good. 
Gooseberries ,—Houghton and the American Seed¬ 
ling arc the common sorts free from mildew, 
and are more valuable green than when ripe. 
Blackberries are now considered necessary in the 
garden. Tlio Kithitinny and Wilson’s Early arc 
the newest sorts, and both good. Dorchester and 
New Rochelle are older sorts. 
Raspberries —New varieties arc so nnmerons that 
it is difficult to say wliieh is best for general cul¬ 
tivation. The finest sorts all need covering in win¬ 
ter. The BLack-caps arc haniy and popular, 
Grapes.—Pbnt strong one or two year old vines 
on well drained soil, and allow only a single cane 
to grow the first year. We have given considerable 
space of late to the discussion of the leading varie¬ 
ties. A garden of considerable extent should con¬ 
tain several of the standard sorts. 
/^raicderricji.—Remove the mulch from over the 
crowns, but leave the ground covered. Set new 
beds as soon as the soil can be worked. For garden 
culture, beds 4 feet wide are the best; one row of 
pl.ants in the center and a row IS inches from it on 
each side. The plants may be from a foot to 18 
inches in the row, according to their habit of 
growth; the latter distance is none too much for 
the strong growing kinds that make large stools. 
Kitchen Garden. 
Many of the hints of last month will be timely 
now. The care there suggested in the management 
of glass is more necessary now, as the plants arc 
more liable to suffer from extremes of heat and cold. 
Asjiaragus. —Fork over the beds if not already 
done, and if new plantations arc needed, make 
early, as directed last month. Treat beds of 
Rliulbarh in a similar manner; both do much bet¬ 
ter when planted early before the growtli starts. 
Beans may be planted where there is no longer 
danger of frost, but it is generally too early at the 
North. The Early Valentine is a favorite garden sort. 
Beets.—?)Ovr in rows a foot or 15 inches apart, or, 
if preferred, two feet apart, with radishes between. 
Scver.il early kinds are better than the old Bassano. 
Cabbages.— out the plants from cold frames. 
Our market gardeners put the rows 24 to 28 inches 
apart, witli the plants sixteen inches in the rows, 
and then set lettuce iti rows equi distant between 
the cabbages, but this economy of land is not 
usually necessary In private gardens. Harden off 
the plants in hot-beds by exposure. Sow seeds in 
open ground in drills 4 inches apart, and sprinkle 
with flour of bone or air slacked lime as soon as up. 
The V akcfleld and Early York are the most com-' 
mon early sorts, and there arc several other and 
newer kinds described in the catalogues. 
Caidiflower is planted and treated same as cabbage. 
CarroLs. —Sow Early Horn in 15-inch drills, using 
lilcuty of seed to ensure a good shirt. 
Celery. —Sow seed in a rich, mellow soil, in drills 
8 inches apart—cover lightly with soil. 
C%tw>!.—Propagate by breaking up the old clumps 
and setting the bulbs 6 inches apart. 
Cress. —Whoever would keep up a supply of this 
pungent salad—well called pepper grass—should 
make a sowing every eight or ten days. 
Cucumbers may be sown in cold frames from 
which other plants have been removed. Next 
month will be early enough to start on sods un¬ 
der glass those to be planted in the open ground. 
Egg Btant .—Sow in hot-bed and keep warm. 
They arc slow’ to recover if they once get chilled. 
Garlic; —Break up the bulbs into sets and plant 
6 inches apart in rows a foot apart. 
Horseradish. —Sec very full article on page 141. 
Herbs. —Have a plenty of these for home use or 
for market. Thyme, Sage, Sweet Marjoram, and 
Summer Savory arc the most used. Prepare a bed 
of rich and finely worked soil, and sow seeds in 
rows 4 inches apart, and keep free of weeds. 
Jjceks. —Sow in rows a foot apart, in fine rich soil, 
and keep clear of weeds from the start. 
IMtuce .—Set out plants from cold frames one foot 
apart e.acli way, or the s.ame distance between rows 
of early cabbages. Sow in the open ground in 
drills 8 inches apart. The Curled Silesia is most 
commonly used, but many prefer a variety of it, 
the Curled Simpson, as it is rather earlier. 
Mustard.—Yov salads sow thickly in foot rows. 
OniaiM.—Sets arc put out as early as the ground 
can be worked. If the onions arc to be pulled 
green, the rows may be 9 inches apart, but if they 
arc to be left to ripen, make them 15 inches. Potato 
and Top Onions arc also to be put at this distance. 
Put the sets 3 or 4 inches apart in the rows, cover, 
and roll. Seeds, or “black seed” as it is often 
called, is sown in 1.5-inch drills in highly manured 
soil. Onion sets arc raised by pl.anting the seed 
very thickly in rather wide 9-incli rows in poor soil. 
Thr-t/ci/.—For early, sow in cold frames between 
the rows of lettuce; for later, sow in the open 
ground in rows a foot apart. It germinates slowly. 
Jhrwiips.—Sow in deep soil in rows 15 inches 
apart. Be sure that the seed is of hast year’s growth. 
jy.a;,._Thc early and “extra c.arly” kinds arc so 
numerous that one is at loss to choose between 
them. Dan. O’Rourke is the old standard sort. 
Some of the dwarfs are very convenient for garden 
culture, but the taller kinds arc more prolific. 
Tom Thumb and other dwarfs may be sown in rows 
a foot apart. The taller growing kinds arc usually 
put 3 or 4 feet apart, and supplied with brush be¬ 
fore they are tall enough to fall over. 
Beppers.—^ov! Squash .and Mountain Sweet varie¬ 
ties in hot-bed, and treat the same as egg plants. 
Tbto^ocs.—The Early Goodrich is perhaps the best 
for garden culture. Plant this, or other early 
sort, in well manured soil in drills 6 inches deep 
and 2 feet apart; drop seed—cut or not, as may be 
preferred—a foot apart iu the drills. 
Radishes.— Sow in any spare sp.aces in the frames, 
or in light soil in the open ground. Market grow¬ 
ers after sowing their beets, sow the ground broad- 
c.ast with radish seed. The radishes come off by 
the time the beets arc large enough to thin. The 
Scarlet Turnip and the Scarlet Short Top arc among 
the best. The French Breakfiist is a new sort. 
Salsify.—SiOW and treat the same as carrots. The 
same culture for Scorzonci-a, or Black Salsify. 
