124r 
AMERICAN ACRIOULTURIST. 
[April, 
Sea Kale. —A plant, the young shoots of which 
are eaten. A perennial, and groAYn in beds much 
in the way of asparagus. The p)lants are started 
from seed sown this month; keep well weeded. 
Spinach. —IhQ jilants wintered over may be 
thinned for use. Sow seed in 15-inch drills. 
Seeds. —Whatever roots, bulbs, etc., are to pro¬ 
duce seed should be looked over, the best speci¬ 
mens selected and set in a rich soil. Keep related 
varieties at a good distance from one another. 
Swiss C'/mrd—Excellent for greens, and is grown 
the same as the beet, of which it is a variety, with 
large and eatable leaves which arc cooked as spinach. 
Sweet rotatoes.—Thci manner of starting these 
without a regular hot-bed is given on page 143. 
Those who have a hot-bed have only to lay the po¬ 
tatoes on the rich mould of the bed and cover them 
with 3 inches of rich com]oost. Those who wish 
only a few plants had better buy of those who ad¬ 
vertise them for sale. They go well by express. 
Tomatoes. —Those well up in the hot-beds should 
be transplanted to another hot-bed or potted, and 
kept under glass. Seeds may be so’sj’n under glass. 
Turnips. — Sow early A'arieties as directed for 
beets, on light, well enriched soil. 
Windoiti Boxes., as we have often mentioned, are 
vei-y useful in getting a few early plants. A box 5 
or 6 inches deep, filled with good soil, and set in 
the kitchen window, will give quite a stock of 
young plants. The box may be set out in the sun 
for a few hours during the warm portion of the day. 
Flower Garden and Fawn. 
The preparatory work of road and path making, 
and repairing old walks, should be out of the way, 
as the ground will be in good condition to be 
forked over for planting. In old beds it is well to 
take out a portion of the earth and replace it with 
some fresh soil from a pasture. In all planting of 
Ornamental Trees, take as much pains in the pre¬ 
paration of the soil and the tree as if it were a 
choice fruit tree. A single specimen is in small 
places often better than several. The Weeping 
and Copper Beech, the Cut-leaved Birch, and a 
score of others among deciduous trees, make glori¬ 
ous specimens. Don’t pilant exactly such varieties 
as your neighbor has. In many of our villages one 
person sets the fashion and all others copy it. 
The custom of staking the trees is a bad one, 
but if they need to be anchored put some large 
stones over the roots. Then have plenty of 
Shrubs. —There are so many beautiful ones that 
we are at a loss to designate them. Everyone 
wants Lilacs and Snowballs, just for the old associa¬ 
tions, and does not wish to be without Weigalas, 
Japan Quince, Spiraeas, and a host of others, native 
and exotic. Where, to make a division. 
Hedges are desirable, it is for the most part best 
to use evergreens, as they are pleasing all the year 
round, but if deciduous ones are preferred, set them 
early. If properly attended to, any woody thing, 
from a beech tree to a barberry bush, Avill make a 
garden hedge, and if neglected, nothing will make 
a hedge of its own accord. The Japan Quince is 
very ornamental as a hedge, and when in flower, is 
in a blaze of glory. Most of the line 
Edgings, as a general thing, are an abomination. 
Nothing is neater when Avell kept, but they are so 
seldom seen thus. Reset box, digging a trench 
Avith one perpendicular side, and split up the old 
plants, preserving as much root as possible to the 
divisions. Set them regularly, crowd the earth 
against them firmly, and clip the tops evenly to 
about two inches. Why don’t some one make a 
cheap and neat edging tile and advertise it? 
Roses, for general cultnrc, should alAvays be on 
their own roots. The catalogues give the varieties. 
The “ perpetuals ” are not perpetual at all, but the 
China sorts bloom all summer, though thej^ arc 
not hardy in Aviutcr. Don’t forget the A'arious 
Climbmg Roses and Wistarias, Honeysuckles, 
Clematises and other vines. The old clumps of 
Ho'baceous Plants, such as Phloxes, Dicentra, and 
others, if they have become large, should be divid¬ 
ed and reset. Those from seed last year, as well as 
Biennials, such as Sweet Williams, Hollyhocks, 
etc., must be transplanted to the borders. 
Hardy Annuals are to be sown early. By a ridic¬ 
ulous misprint Ave were made, last month, to say 
that they “ do best when warm as soon as the frost 
leaves,” when we wrote it sown, and Amry 
plainl}'. By hardy annuals, we mean Larkspurs, 
Gilias, Whitlavias, Candytufts, SAveet Alyssums, 
and all things that come readily from seeds that 
Avere self-sown last season. Sow seeds of 
Tender Annuals, such as Asters, Balsams, Ever¬ 
lasting floAvers, etc., under glass, or in Avindow 
boxes. The coverings should be gradually remoA"- 
ed, as the weather gets warmer, from the beds of 
Bulbs, to give Hyacinths, Crown Imperials, and 
the rest of them, a chance to sIioav themselAms. 
Do not be too anxious to get out 
Bedding Plants that have been raised in the atmos- 
p)here of a green-house; they are generally warm 
Aveather plants, and stand still in cool weather. 
Buying Plants. —Those. Avho IHe near towns and 
cities will often be tempted to buy plants that have 
been forced. Many of our common herbaceous 
plants are potted and forced. These plants are at 
their best when you buy them, and you Avill get no 
more satisfaction from them this year. 
GreeM und Hot-Houses. . 
As the plants will all go out of the green-house 
as soon as the Aveather suits, they should be gradu¬ 
ally hai'dened off by abundant Amntilation at all 
seasonable times, at the same time avoiding the ill 
effects of the sudden changes of temperature. 
Camellias, making their new growth, need more 
Avarmth. Keep them free of insects. 
Pelargoniums now coming into flower, should 
have all possible light, and a plenty of Avater, as 
should other plants now blooming. 
P'opagating of bedding stuff for out of door 
planting, should be pushed rapidly. The great cle¬ 
ment of “ luck ” is to keep the air of the house 10° 
to 1.5° cooler than the sand on the bench. If pot¬ 
ted enttings have filled the pots Avith roots, shake 
out the earth and repot in the same pots. Sow 
Seeds of those annuals that have Amry fine seeds, 
such as Lobelias, in pots or pans Avith scarcely any 
covering of earth. Put the roots of 
Dahlias in a Avarm place Avhere they will sprout. 
Cannas and Colocasia, or Caladium csculentum, 
so valuable as foliage plants, may be forwarded. 
Tuberoses. —Usually very unsatisfactory if put out 
as dry bulbs, if started Avith a little heat, and then 
planted out in Avarm Aveather, Avill floAver finely. 
Plants in Pits and Frames must not be allowed to 
suffer by being kejAt too close, nor for Avaut of Avater. 
Apiary in April, 
The full notes by Mr. Quinby, given last month, 
are in good measure applicable to this, especially, if 
on account of the Aveather, or for other reason, or 
no reason, the suggestions were neglected. Mr. 
Q.’s memoranda for April have not come to hand. 
-Be sure that each hhm contains a laying queen, 
and food (honey) enough to last them until flowers 
are abundant. If all the stocks are strong and well 
provided, there Avill be little danger of robbing. 
The bees will be busy gathering pollen and nursing 
the young brood. But if severe frosts and rains 
cut off the supply of pollen, they will very likely 
begin to rob. At such times watch the hives and 
contract the entrances. Robber bees may be de¬ 
tected by their greasy look, and by the ferment of 
excitement the robber-colony is in. In the robbed 
colony there is great excitement also : bees leave 
Avith full honey sacks, and if flour be dusted upon 
them as they leave, they maybe tracked to the hive 
in Avhich they belong. It is sometimes advised to 
change two such hives, placing each on the other’s 
stand. April is a favorable time to transfer bees to 
moA'able comb-hives. This is best done by driving 
the bees from their liHe, inverted, into a box of 
about the same size placed aboAm it, and when 
nearly all have gone up, set the bees at one side 
and open the old box liHe by prying off one side, 
so as to expose the flat sides of the combs. Then 
cut the combs out one after another, and laying 
them upon a soft cushion of some kind; cut them 
to fit snugly, and tic them into several of the 
frames of a movable comb-hive. The combs may 
be tied into the frames by fastening splints on 
each side, or by winding strings or AA'ire round and 
round, which are removed after the bees fasten the 
combs to the frames. Arrange the combs as nearly 
in the same relative position that they had originally 
as possible. Finally, shake the bees upon the top 
frame and put down the cover. Injury may happen 
to the brood if this be done in the open air; hence 
the hive should be removed to the Avorkshop. Put 
nCAV hives and old ones in order for use. 
All filth and refuse, dead bees, etc., must be care¬ 
fully cleaned out, and tlie bottom boards kept 
clean. Salt sprinkled under the hives Avill keep 
away the ants, and the moth Avorms must be sought 
out and killed. Wrens, if their boxes are set near, 
or among the hives, Avill help keep moths in check. 
Study carefully the progeny of Italian queens; see 
Avhich have the brightest colors, and AA'hich queen 
is best to select as the mother of ncAV queens for 
“Italianizing” your stock, or for improving the 
breed, if it is already Italianized. There is a great 
difference in queens, and the stock Avhich contains 
the best one should lack nothing—neither bees 
nor honey, nor empty brood cells for her to lay in ; 
and according to the needs of your apiary, she 
should be furnished with Avorker or AAuth drone 
comb in Avhich to lay. With proper care, the Ital¬ 
ianizing of an ajAiary may proceed A^ery rapidly. 
CoUl Grapery* 
April is usually the month for uncovering and 
putting up the vinek In order to insure an CAmn 
breaking of the buds along the Avhole length of the 
vine, it is not put up in place at once, but is sus¬ 
pended so that the upper end shall bend downAvard, 
and the whole vine hang in the form of a boAV. 
This counteracts the tendency of the upper buds 
to get the advantage of the lower ones. AVhen all 
have t.aken an equal start, Avhich can be secured by 
altering the curvature of the A’ine, and the shoots 
have groAAm 3 or 3 inches long, the vine may be put 
in place. Fork OA-er the inside borders and syringe 
the house thoroughly. If any injury has happened 
to the Aunes in Avinter, Avhich Avill be indicated by 
cracking and bleeding, and a failure of the upper 
buds to start, the A'ine must be cut back, and .a 
strong loAver shoot selected to be trained in place 
of the A'ine cut aAvay. Keep the temperature of 
the house at about 65° until near the end of the 
month, Avhen it may increase to 70° or 80°, and the 
syringe bo used to Avet all parts of the house and 
Adnes, morning and CA'cniiig. Avoid sudden 
changes of temperature Avithin the house. 
Iiiterestins* Fniig:i*aitioBi. StsLtistics 
for 1866. —During 10 months, from Jan. 1st to Oct. 
31st, 1866, there arrived at the port of NeAV York aione 
209,723 Emigrants or New Settiers from different 
parts of the Old World—much the largest proportion of 
them from Germany, Ireland and England—as folloAvs; 
Jfm..l0,861 I Mar..14,204 I Ma5'..41.550 I July..29,322 I Sep..1.1.483 
Feb.. 6,108 I Apr..20,418 | June.34,183 | Aug..17,438 | Oct..19,597 
The destination of these netv comers is also interesting. 
Largo numbers stop in New York City, and are set doAvn 
to this State, though many of them aftertvards move on 
AvestAvard and to NeAV England. Why Indiana received a 
greater number than any other State is not clear to us. 
So far as ascertained, their destination was as folloAvs: 
Ngav York....93,565 
Indiana.22,893 
Pennsylvania.21,843 
Illinois.....19,995 
Ohio..11,147 
Massaclnisetts.10,719 
Wisconsin.7,983 
Ncav Jersey.... 6,988 
Missouri. 4,266 
loAva .3.973 
Michigan.3,.515 
Connecticut... 8,361 
Minnesota.3,247 
Utah. 3,C82 
-Kliode Island. 2,124 
Maryland. 1.628 
Canada...1,561 
California.1,465| Mississippi. 
KentuclvV.1,430 
New BrunsAvlck, 
.50 
Virginia. 
897 
Ore.gon. 
Dist. Columbia. 
799 
Nova Scotia. 
85 
Tennessee. 
496 
Colorado. 
Kansas. 
418 
Arkansas. 
Louisiana. 
394 
South America.. 
20 
Maine. 
311 
AVest Indies. 
15 
Vermont. 
221) 
Mexico. 
11 
DelaAvare. 
206 
British Columbia.lO 
Georsria. 
193 Florida. 
8 
NeAV Hampshire 
169 Pr. Edward’s Isl. 
6 
South Carolina. 
148 Central America. 5 
North Carolina. 
136 Cuba. 
Nebraska. 
97 Nevada. 
Texas. 
86 Australia. 
Alabama.. 
58 Idaho. 
