1863 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
35 
Planting should be done as early as the weather 
will admit. Have the ground well prepared, and 
don’t hurry the job. Recollect that an orchard is 
for a life time, and extra care in planting is time and 
labor well invested. Stake the trees, to prevent 
them from being whipped about by the wind. 
States, labels, tallies, mats for packing, etc. See 
that these are ready and in abundance. Labels and 
tallies can be ma.de at odd hours; have the latter 
strung and ready for use. 
Kitchen ancl Fruit Garden. 
Here, too, but little can be done except in prepar¬ 
ing for the season of work. Where forcing is car¬ 
ried on, this is a busy month, but the number who 
grow vegetables in this way, is limited to a few pro¬ 
fessional gardeners who do not need our sugges¬ 
tions. The demand for early vegetables, which in 
England is supplied from forcing houses, is here 
satisfied by the products of more Southern locali¬ 
ties, the West Indies and other Islands, and the 
Atlantic coast of the United States. 
Cold Frames, need the same care as directed for 
last month—plenty of air on mild days, and protec¬ 
tion from sudden changes of temperature. 
Cuttings of gooseberries and currants may still 
be made : prepare them for planting, by carefully 
cutting out all the eyes from the portion which is 
to go below ground. Bury them in the cellar or 
open ground, if it is not frozen. 
Crape Vines, should have been pruned in the 
Fall. Those neglected then, should be trimmed as 
early as possible now. 
Fences .—Repair and make proof against stray 
animals. See that the gates have fastenings and will 
swing without dragging. A few nails driven in 
time will often prevent much trouble. 
Hot-beds for the family garden had better be 
left till next month, except at the South. See that 
frames and sash are in readiness, and do all paint¬ 
ing and glazing in season: read note for last month. 
Horseradish .—Dig wherever the frost will allow. 
If more is taken up than can be marketed or used, 
cover with sand, to prevent wilting. If a new bed 
is needed, save the crowns for planting out. 
Manure .—Have a supply of stable manure 
ready against the time for making hot beds. See 
that fertilizers from every source are saved. Com¬ 
post heaps should be turned over aud well mixed. 
For large gardens manure may be carted to the 
places where it is to be used, and placed in heaps. 
Pea Brush and Bean Poles should be provided in 
sufficient quantities to meet all anticipated de¬ 
mands. The old stock that has been exposed to 
the weather, had better be burned. 
Pnine currants and gooseberies, if neglected in 
the Fall—cut judiciously so as to leave the bush 
well balanced. These are too valuable to be absent 
from any farm or other garden. 
Rhubarb .—If new plantations are needed, make 
preparations to operate as soon as the ground can 
be worked, or the plants will get the start of you. 
Give room enough; 4 feet each way is none too 
much. Give plenty of manure ; there is no danger 
of over-feeding. Remove the earth from the 
crown of the old plants, and take off with a sharp 
spade a bud with a portion of root attached. The 
roots are very brittle, and should be handled with 
care. Get early supplies by placing a few roots in 
boxes of earth in the green-house, or by covering 
some of the plants in the bed, with a box or barrel 
open at both ends. Fresh stable manure is piled 
around this, and the heat will soon cause the plants 
to start. The box or barrel should only be covered 
when there is danger of frost. If roots are not 
accessible, try the seed from our free distribution. 
(Seeds.—Overhaul and supply deficiencies—send 
orders to the seedsmen early. Those who can af¬ 
ford it, can try, as we have done for some years, 
every novelty that is offered. For the guidance of 
those who have had no experience, a list is given 
on another page, of the varieties we have found to 
be of good quality. Better be at a little trouble to 
obtain seeds from reliable sources, than to buy from 
irresponsible peddlers, who too often carry old seed 
around, because they can buy it cheap. If a large 
stock of some favorite variety was secured from 
the garden last year, distribute freely to the neigh¬ 
bors and thus encourage raising good vegetables. 
Seed Drill .—No garden of any considerable size 
should be without a machine for sowing seeds. 
Planting large patches by hand is slow and back- 
aching work, and it is not done as well as by a 
proper machine. There are several contrivances 
for the purpose. We have used the “ Wethersfield 
Seed Sower ” for several years, with satisfaction. 
Tools .—Make all needed repairs now. Get out 
an extra supply of hoe and rake handles, unless it 
is cheaper to buy them. Paint all the wooden parts 
which need it, and have everything in readiness. 
In purchasing new tools get the best, at any price. A 
few hours of time gained will well repay the differ¬ 
ence in cost between a good and poor implement. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
Unless the weather is mild enough to admit of 
transplanting, but little work can be done in these 
grounds. Still they should be watched to see that 
any damage from winds or snow be avoided or re¬ 
medied. The borders present a dreary appearance 
at this season. Recollect in the planting season to 
provide against this, especially if they are where 
they are visible from the house. The borders may 
be made to wear a cheerful look, even in Winter, by 
a judicious introduction of evergreen shrubbery, 
the foliage of which will set off the flowers in 
Summer, and be pleasant to look upon in Winter. 
The Holly-leaved Barberry,Rhododendrons, Tree 
Box, Laurel, Daphne Cneorum, and others, accord¬ 
ing to the locality, may be used. Make all project¬ 
ed improvements on paper, and if the place is large, 
and the means warrant it, call in the services of a 
landscape gardener. 
Cold Frames need to be properly ventilated. 
Give water only when absolutely necessary; remove 
decayed leaves. Guard against the entrance of 
mice, and cover from frost in cold weather. 
Evergreens —See that the branches are not broken 
down by accumulations of snow. Large snow banks 
will be apt to break the lower branches as they 
settle; avoid this by shoveling away. 
Hot-beds .—Make all necessary preparation. Where 
early annuals are wanted, they may be started in 
the latter part of this month, but it is better to 
wait until the next. - 
Labels and. States .—Prepare an ample supply 
during the stormy days. 
Manures may be collected and carted out. 
Protection .—Inexperienced persons are apt to re¬ 
move this as soon as they think the severity of 
winter has passed. Many things require protec¬ 
tion, not on account of the severe cold of our cli¬ 
mate, but from the sudden alternations of heat and 
cold in Spring. If the straw or other covering has 
been torn off by the wind, have it replaced. A 
warm spell this month may induce some things to 
start too early. Shade these from the sun. See 
article on straw mats p. 49. 
Shrubbery —Have an eye to it after a heavy fall 
of snow. In mild weather pruning may be done. 
Pruning does not mean an indiscriminate cutting 
at a bush. Those shrubs which flower on the new 
wood, should be cut in a way to induce a vigorous 
new growth. Many flower only on the wood of the 
previous year, and should be only sparingly thin¬ 
ned when the branches are too crowded. 
Transplant shrubs and deciduous trees whenever 
the ground is in suitable condition for working. 
Determine beforehand, what the effect will be, be¬ 
fore you plant out or remove a tree or shrub. 
Trellises .—Repair old and make new ones. If 
disposed to try your hand at ornamental work, 
choose simple and graceful forms rather than elab¬ 
orate ones. Study what the effect Will be when 
covered with vines. 
Grecn-IIouses. 
These will require but little to be done beyond 
what was indicated last month. Now that warm 
days are likely to occur, care should be taken to air 
freely. The temperature should be maintained as 
uniform as possible, and should never get above 
45°, where plants are merely kept, not growing at 
present. In case of a cold spell, fire heat will be 
needed. In giving air be careful to avoid a draft. 
Bulbs which are growing, should be placed near 
the glass, to secure healthy growth and strong bloom. 
Decaijed Leaves .—These should be carefully re¬ 
moved, as they are not only hurtful to the plants, 
but detract from the neat appearance of the house. 
Insects .—Keep up a constant war upon these, by 
fumigation with tobacco, solution of whale oil soap, 
and other destroying agents. 
Mice .—These often cause great trouble in the 
green-house ; they are very fond of carnations and 
many bulbs. Set traps or keep a cat. 
Prune plants which need to be brought into shape. 
Repot all plants needing it. Have plenty of earth 
and drainage material always in readiness. 
Top-Dressing .—Loosen the surface of the soil in 
the pots, and where it is moss-covered, replace it 
with fresh earth. 
Water .—Use but sparingly, increasing the quan¬ 
tity as the plants commence to grow. 
Hot House and Conservatory. 
If the weather continues as variable as it has 
been, extra care will be required to maintain a 
proper temperature. The sun’s rays have now be¬ 
come more powerful, and as many plants have com¬ 
menced a vigorous growth, great care should be 
taken to prevent checking this by a sudden cold. 
Air should be admitted by the upper ventilators 
whenever the thermometer shows a temperature of 
75° or 80°—currents of cold air should be avoided. 
Annuals .—Those required for early planting or 
for growing in pots, may be sowed, such as Balsams, 
Rhodanthe, Nemophilas, Leptosiphons, Cobea, 
Maurandia, etc. 
Azaleas are now in flower, and require more 
water and frequent syringing. Young plants should 
be repotted. 
Bedding Plants .—A good stock of these should 
be propagated. Verbenas, Petunias, Pelargoniums, 
Ageratums, Gazanias, Lantanas, and the like, will 
be in large demand at tire season for planting out. 
Bulbs .—A constant succcession of bloom should 
be kept up by bringing in from the reserve stock 
in the green house. 
Camellias .—These should now be rewarding the 
care of the cultivator by abundance of flowers. 
Keep the foliage clean, but avoid wetting the pe¬ 
tals. Look out for the red spider. 
Carnations, need turning frequently to prevent 
them from drawing over towards the light. Give 
water more freely. Propagate by cuttings. 
Fuschias .—These are now pushing their growth, 
and require an increased amount of water. Put in 
cuttings—especially of hardier kinds for bedding. 
Insects need watching to prevent them besom¬ 
ing “masters of the situation.” Freedom here is 
only preserved by eternal vigilance. 
Pelargoniums need more water now that they are 
growing. Cuttings may be made. If attacked by 
the green fly, they need fumigation. 
Repotting .—This will be necessary with quick 
growing plants. Gloxinias, Gesnerias, and others, 
require plenty of pot room in order to flower well. 
