2 
AMEKICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
by practice; they learn from each other’s methods ; 
they talk more about their work and the best way 
of doing it, than farmers who are separated from con¬ 
stant intercouse by their broa* acres. The meet¬ 
ings for social chat about farm matters held at the. 
school house, or from house to house, are of great 
utility. No one ever attended such a meeting with¬ 
out carrying home some new hint, or having anew 
train of thought started. Too much formality, too 
long a constitution and bye-laws, are to be avoided. 
The more familiar, conversational they are, the 
better. Every neighborhood in which they are 
held will be benefited, and their effects will be seen 
not only in greater crops, better roads, tidier farms, 
and better stock, but in healthier, and happier in¬ 
habitants. Especially should the young men be 
induced to take part in these meetings : they should 
be taught that agriculture is ever progressive, and 
that he who does not keep pace with it, must be, 
like Tim Bunker’s neighbor, Jake Brink, always 
“ runnin astarn.” (See, Dec. Agriculturist , page 364.) 
Hogs. —Those to be slaughtered will lay on fat 
all the faster for being kept warm. Those having 
large numbers fattening on the western prairies may 
hasten their plans and save corn, by providing good 
nests, if not in warm pens, then among the stalks, 
or in straw heaps. It will pay to dig pits for them in 
the ground, covering with straw or sheltering to 
shut out cold and storms. Feed the lighter grains 
and soft corn first, finishing off always with good 
sound corn. Experience proves that it pays well to 
grind and steam hog food.—Store hogs, those kept 
over, will at the East, almost pay for their board in 
making manure, if rightly fnanaged. See rules for 
making “ Prime Pork,” on another page. Supply 
them plentifully with coarse litter, forest leaves, 
straw, etc., and they will manufacture a valuable 
fertilizer without the help of machinery, without 
the help of an overseer, even without instructions. 
Give fattening hogs plenty of cooked food, and pro¬ 
vide good shelter for all. 
Horses.—Avoid sprains and hoof diseases from 
frozen ground, or snow and mud slush, by prompt 
and careful shoeing; prevent coughs and colds by 
comfortable blanketing when standing in cold winds 
and promote general health by just enough of good 
food, and by comfortable, clean, light, and ventilated 
stables, and frequent cleaning and rubbing 
Humbugs. —Look out for them. They always 
come upon one unawares in a new and attractive 
garb—goklen-tinged. When anything is offered as¬ 
tonishingly cheap, look out for a cat in the meal, 
especially if it is an article with which you are not 
familiar. See notes elsewhere. 
Zee.—Get in a full supply as soon as sufficiently 
thick and solid. In the better preservation of food 
in hot weather, and in case of sickness alone, it may 
be worth its full cost, to say nothing of the luxury 
of having at hand a supply of “ pickled coolness ” 
in midsummerweather. Ice is not difficult to keep. 
A rough shed about 12 feet square and 10 or 12 feet 
high, well roofed and out of the sun, with enough 
of clean saw-dust to fill in five or six inches thick 
between the ice and the boards, and also to cover it 
well, will preserve enough ice for a season’s sup¬ 
ply for an ordinary family. If the shed is not built, 
erect the frame and cover it; then pack in the ice 
in freezing weather,' and sprinkle on water enough 
to fill up and make the pile a solid block. Then 
commence at the bottom to fasten on the outside 
boards and fill in the sawdust as the boards rise. 
A double frame that would admit of sliding the 
boards in between the posts, would enable the fil¬ 
ling to be done in this way, year after year. 
Implements. —There may be a scarcity of farm la¬ 
borers during the coming season, and those who 
secure the best labor-saving implements will be for¬ 
tunate. Though these can not all be practically 
tested in Winter, it is well to be on the lookout for 
information relative to them. Visit first class 
farmers, bring up the subject in farmers’ club meet¬ 
ings, and read agricultural publications. A day de¬ 
voted to finding an implement that will save a 
week’s labor, besides paying good interest on its 
cost, is time well spent. By all means see that 
• those already on hand are in good repair, and well 
preserved from rust, rot and accident. As hither¬ 
to frequently suggested in the Agriculturist , a coat¬ 
ing of three parts of lard and one of rosin melted 
together and rubbed on them, will prevent iron and 
steel from rusting. 
Manure. —Our Western readers, on the virgin 
soils, where organic matter yet abounds, usually 
skip the manure articles. Eastern farmers, on the 
old lands, are annually learning more of the value 
of good manure. A few loads of good manure per 
acre will often double a crop without increasing the 
other expenses of preparing the gro .md, seed, and 
cultivation. Every kind of animal or vegetable mat¬ 
ter, from the dead carcass, to the black earth in the 
woods or swamp, will by decay furnish nutriment 
to any growing crop. The compost heap is the gold 
mine of the farm. Into this heap, let every hand¬ 
ful of animal droppings go, and with these all the 
vegetable matter possible, the leaves from the for¬ 
ests and elsewhere, black earth from the woods and 
swamps, sods, weeds, etc. Theheterogenous mass, 
frequently forked over and well rotted, will tell on 
next Summer’s crops. See article on covering ma¬ 
nure, page 14. 
Marketing. —An important feature in successful 
farming is judicious marketing. Many farmers 
must sell as soon as possible, but it is desirable to 
have good facilities for reaching the market, and 
also to be so forehanded as not to be obliged to sell 
when fair prices can not be obtained. The farmer 
can then watch the market reports and study the 
probable home and foreign supply and demand, and 
determine with considerable accuracy when it is 
best to sell. The farmer who gets $1 per bushel for 
his wheat realizes double the profit that he does 
who only gets 80 cents, provided the cost of pro¬ 
ducing is with both 60 cents per bushel. It pays to 
study marketing well, and also to prepare and put 
up in the best manner all perishable produce, such 
as butter, poultry, fruit, pork, vegetables, etc. 
Flow heavy soils deeply, in mild spells of weath¬ 
er, when dry enough, and thus secure the benefits 
of freezing and snow, which are often of great value. 
Poultry will pay for good housing, feed, and care 
now. Eggs retail here in the city, at this season, 
for 25 to 35 cents per dozen, and the buying price 
is correspondingly high. Give the fowls gravel and 
sand to scratch in, with grain and bits of meat. A 
little lime or powdered oyster shells, vegetables, 
ashes, and plenty of pure water should also be sup¬ 
plied. The opinion that fowls need no water, leads 
to the prevalent custom of leaving them to get 
their liquids from the filthy yard, or by eating snow 
and ice. Give the fowls, especially the laying hens, 
a constant supply of clean water. 
Foots stored in cellars or in pits for feeding out, 
may require additional protection from frost. They 
need some ventilation, otherwise the dampness 
from evaporation of their juices which is continual¬ 
ly going on, will make the surrounding air a good 
conductor of heat, and they may be frozen. If any 
are decaying, remove them at once. In feeding, give 
them as a relish with dry food, rather than as a sta¬ 
ple article of diet. 
Seeds. Keep in a dry and cool place, away from 
rats and mice; these are particularly fond of pump¬ 
kin and squash seeds. A little care now will save 
much annoyance at planting time. Now is the 
time, if not already done, to get ready all seed need¬ 
ed in Spring. It is always high at seeding time. 
Sheep need a few roots, turnips or potatoes, daily, 
with the other dry food. Do not suffer them to 
lose flesh now. Keep sheep separate from other 
animals, liable to worry or injure them. It is not 
too late to put bucks with ewes for lambs to be 
dropped during the first of June. 
Steers. Commence handling while young, as they 
are then more within one’s power, and readily be¬ 
come accustomed to being controlled. Do not load 
them heavily, or treat them harshly, Give them 
full opportunity to learn what you want of them, 
before expecting obedience. 
Wood. Store a plentiful supply in a dry place. 
The finer it is cut, the more thoroughly it will dry, 
the quicker it will boil the dinner, and the better 
answer every good purpose. See remarks on green 
and dry wood in November Calendar. 
Os'claai’d and I^Rarsery,, 
Not much active work can be done in this de¬ 
partment the present month, and but few hints are 
needed in this month’s Calendar. In laying oqt the 
plans for the year, it may be well to inquire, whether 
more trees may not be planted with profit. Fruit 
trees do not require much ground the first five 
years, and when they do, their products repay the 
loss of surface. How much does it cost to raise 
and to annually tend a tree that in a few years will 
return large crops of apples or other fruits ? It will 
be economy to now look up and engage the trees 
desired in Spring, so that they may be provided for, 
and ready to come at the best dates. Most of the’ 
leading nurserymen have catalogues of names and 
prices, which they furnish free to applicants inclos¬ 
ing a stamp for postage. See valuable list of pears 
on page 17. 
“ A penny saved is earned.” A single day’s labor 
seasonably and judiciously devoted to precaution¬ 
ary measures in the Orchard and Nursery, may save 
both money and vexation of spirit. Domestic ani¬ 
mals, rabbits, mice, strong winds, etc., are ever li¬ 
able to produce injury, and should be fully guarded 
against. Good fences, kept in good repair, are the 
best protection against domestic-animals, but these 
are of little avail, if the gates are left open, as is 
often the practice in Winter. Various methods are 
employed to protect the trunks of trees from the 
attacks of rabbits. They may be bound with pa¬ 
per near the base, which is to be besmeared with 
tar. One of the simplest, easily applied, and most 
effective protections of the base of the trunks of 
small trees, is to set around them two horse-shoe 
drain tiles, fasting them together with a wire 
w r ound around. Of course, neither mice nor rabbits 
can injure trees so protected. Dried grasses or 
weeds, or banks of snow furnish good breeding 
places for mice. The removal of the rubbish, and 
the hard tramping of deep snow around the trunk 
should be attended to when mice are troublesome. 
Occasional attention should be given to staking 
and tying up trees swayed by strong winds. 
Cions for grafting, and cuttings for propagation 
may be made in January or February before the 
sap starts. Put them in boxes of barely moist sand 
or earth, in a cool part of the cellar. They will 
thus keep well for months. Cut these from thrifty, 
well matured wood of last season’s growth. 
Drainage is quite as important for fruit trees, as 
for farm crops. Trees standing in a wet, damp soil 
are injured by freezing, and the soil is cold and 
damp all the year. No water should stand in hol¬ 
lows around the trees. A deep drain run near a 
fruit tree often acts like magic upon its growth and 
fruit bearing. In open weather this month, new 
drains may be opened to advantage. 
Large fruit trees and deciduous (leaf shedding) 
shade trees maybe moved with convenience and 
safety during the coldest W'eather, by cutting out 
and taking up around the roots a considerable 
mass of frozen earth. We assisted in successfully 
moving a shade tree two feet in diameter. A deep 
channel was cut around the trunk at the distance 
of 4 to 5 feet. The frozen mass was dug underneath, 
and boards worked under, with one end on the sur¬ 
face. Bundles of trees were placed around the 
bark to protect it, which were held in place with 
a heavy chain, to this were attached three 
yokes of oxen. A dozen ropes from the branches 
on every side, to steady the tree and keep it up¬ 
right, were held by several neighbors, who volun¬ 
teered to assist. The tree was slid along on boards 
and planks laid down, and it was thus moved some 
50 feet into a new hole, and loose soil packed 
in around the frozen earth. A large heap of stones 
put on, kept it from blowing over during the first 
year. The tree grew and flourished, as if nothing 
