66 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[March, 
be well fed and brought gradually into hard work. 
Cows near calving should have roomy stalls at 
night. Don’t forget to use the card on cattle. 
Cellars —Remove the banking up, and ventilate as 
soon as danger from cold is past. If cabbages have 
been kept in the cellar, see that no leaves are left to 
decay and cause foul odors. Clean out rubbish gen¬ 
erally, aud apply a coat of whitewash. 
Clover .—This may be sown the present month. 
By taking advantage of a light fall of snow, the casts 
can be seen and the sowing be done more evenly. 
The melting snow will carry the seed into the little 
crevices in the earth. We have had the best success, 
however, in sowing upon wheat and rye toward 
the close of freezing weather, choosing a still morn¬ 
ing when the surface is well opened by frost cracks. 
The thawing 60 il closes over aud covers the seed. 
Drains —If the land is not underdrained, surface 
drains are better than none. Clear out open drains 
especially in the wheat fields. Commence laying 
tile or stone drains as soon as the ground will allow 
working. See notes last month. Obstructions 
„ should be removed from those drains already laid. 
Fences.—H .ave material ready to build as soon as 
the frost is out of the ground. Gates in place of 
bars are great savers of time and consequently of 
money. There are plenty of stormy days in which 
they can be made. Where rail fences are used, the 
appearance of the whole farm is greatly improved 
by sawing the ends of the rails square and making 
them all of equal length. 
Grain .—Keep free from injury by dampness, or 
mice. Consider if you are raising the best sorts. It 
costs as much to cultivate a poor, as a good variety. 
Help. - Hire as soon as possible. As stated last 
month, better secure a good man a little before he 
is actually needed, than to wait and take the chances 
when work presses. Avoid great story tellers, vil¬ 
lage politicians, and bar-room frequenters. Where 
thSre are several men employed, assign to each one 
his duty so definitely that there will be no shirking. 
A little personal responsibility for the well doing of 
a job, often incites a laborer to care and industry. 
Hot/s .—Keep them at their proper business— 
making manure. See page 79. Litters of pigs 
may be looked for. Provide proper bedding for 
breeding sows. Cooked roots will be relished by 
them, and will be found nutritious. 
Horses .—As their work increases, give more care 
to their feed. Add carrots to their daily rations, 
if you have them. Recollect that it is as injurious 
for a horse to stand in a cold wind after becoming 
warm from exercise, as it would be for yourself. Do 
not let the horses forget that there are currycombs. 
Ice .—In many localities, this, on account of the 
mild Winter, is yet to be secured. Do not let the 
first opportunity pass. Better take poor ice than 
none. If the quantity is small and the quality poor, 
extra care should be taken for its preservation. 
Maple Sugar .—See hints on page 39, of last month. 
Manure .—This can be advantageously hauled to 
the fields while the ground is still frozen. Fork 
over compost heaps and see that fertilizers from 
every source are saved. Muck and plaster occa¬ 
sionally thrown into the privies, will prevent un¬ 
pleasant odors, and furnish valuable poudrette. 
Pasture and Grass Lands .—Remove bushes and 
stones. Read article on regenerating old pasture 
lauds on page 42, last mouth. Meadows are usually 
improved by a top-dressing of compost, bone-dust, 
or ashes. Keep stock of all kinds out of them. 
Plowing .—There are few northern localities where 
plowing can be done in March. This is one of the 
operations in which it is well to “ make haste slow¬ 
ly.” It should only be done where the land is in 
such a condition that it will be left mellow. Have 
every thing in readiness so that there may be no 
delay when the proper time arrives. 
Potatoes .—In some places early varieties maybe 
planted the last of the month. Secure best sorts. 
Poultry .—If they have been properly kept during 
the Winter, there should be plenty of eggs now. 
Give cabbages and boiled potatoes for a change from 
grain, and a supply of chopped refuse meat. Set 
for early chickens. 
Seeds .—Procure the needed stock at once, and not 
put it off until planting time. Too much care can 
not be given to secure one of the first essentials of 
good culture, good seeds. 
Sheep.— Some early lambs may be dropped during 
the latter part of the month, they will need shelter 
and care. Breeding ewes should be separated from 
the rest of the flock, and fed with a little grain, and 
with roots if ou hand. 
Tools .—Are they all ready ? Don’t neglect them 
now and waste valuable time by and by in tink¬ 
ering aud sending to the blacksmith. Recall the 
old adage of “two strings to your bow,” and of all 
parts particularly liable to break or be lost, such as 
plow points, etc., have spare ones on hand against 
accidents. It is cheaper to keep on hand three ex¬ 
traplow points or shares, harrow teeth, whiflle-trees 
etc., than to lose a half or whole day in the best 
working season, in going after or making the need¬ 
ed implement. 
Orchard, asid Rtursery. 
The open season will probably allow of early work 
in this department. Send orders to the nursery¬ 
man as soon as a selection can be made. This is 
likely to be a busy month in the nursery, and the 
nurseryman should be prepared with everything 
that will facilitate his Spring’s business. 
Apple Trees .—Scrape the trunks of old trees, and 
wash with a strong solution of soft soap or weak 
lye. Plant early. See if there is not some unoccu¬ 
pied spot that will admit of a tree. The list of va¬ 
rieties determined by the Fruit Growers’ meeting, 
will be too late for this month’s paper, but will ap¬ 
pear in April. There are certain standard sorts that 
are good everywhere, and others have been proved 
by your neighbors. Plant largely of the best market 
varieties and fewer of the fancy sorts for home use. 
Grafting .—This may be done with cherries. Other 
fruits should be left until next month. Root graft¬ 
ing if not already finished, should be completed and 
out of the way of other work. If you are so unfor¬ 
tunate as to have an orchard of poor natural fruit, 
make preparations to graft it with good sorts. If 
the cutting' of cions has been neglected until now, 
attend to it at once, and keep them in earth or sand 
until wanted. 
Insects .—No trees should be sent from the nursery 
or planted, that are covered with scale. The moths 
of some destructive worms ascend the trunks dur¬ 
ing the present month. Paper smeared with tar 
mixed with oil enough to keep it soft, and tied 
around the trees, will arrest a great number. 
Manures .—Ground for planting should be pre¬ 
pared with well decomposed manure. The pratice 
of surface manuring fruit trees is growing in favor. 
The soluble portions are carried down by rains, and 
the coarse material is left as a mulch. 
Pruning should this month be confined to re¬ 
moving dead limbs and cutting out small shoots 
and suckers. If necessary to make a large wound, 
cover it with grafting wax or other composition. 
Transplanting and Planting Out may be done 
with deciduous trees and shrubs as soon as the frost 
is well out of the ground, and it is not wet and 
heavy. Evergreens shouldnot be moved at present. 
I£itcEa«si <Sar«l«Ei. 
It is very difficult to give directions for the pres¬ 
ent month, on account of our great diversity of cli¬ 
mate, which is perhaps more apparent now than at 
any other season. In the middle and southern States 
the weather will doubtless admit of extended oper¬ 
ations, while in many northern localities the ground 
is still closed by frost. Along the seaboard, the in¬ 
fluence of the warm breezes is felt in rendering the 
season much earlier than at some distance inland 
in the same latitude. Hence, while in many places 
the hints here given will be timely, in others ’those 
of last month should be noticed, and these reserved 
for April. The notes upon the small fruits arc 
placed under the separate department of “ The 
Fruit Garden.” Where the space is limited, the 
small fruits may be cultivated with the vegetables ; 
but where there is sufficient land available, it is on 
many accounts desirable to have a separate place 
for them. If the work has not been planned, as 
suggested iu January, there is yet time to do it. 
Read the article on “ Rotation in the Garden,” on 
page 51, in February Agriculturist. 
Artichoke .—This is seldom cultivated in our 
country, except by Europeans. It is a plant bearing 
a large thistle-like head, the scales or flower cups of 
which are eaten. Old beds should be cleared of 
their winter protection, and a dressing of manure 
forked in. Make new beds by planting the offsets 
of old plants, 4 feet apart each way, in deep rich soil. 
Asparagus .—The manure placed on the beds last 
Fall, may be forked in as soon as danger from frosts 
is over. Apply brine or salt freely. Early cuttings 
can be readily obtained by forcing. Cover a portion 
of the bed with a hot-bed frame, bank up around 
the frame with stable manure, and cover it over 
with sashes. Lettuce may be sowed between the 
rows of asparagus. Make new beds, using roots 
one or two years old, if obtainable. If not, sow 
seed to produce roots for future use. This is one 
.of the best very early table products of the garden. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers .—Sow iu hot-beds for 
early plautiug out. The young plants are usually 
beuefitted by ashes aud plaster. Allow plenty of 
air to harden the plants before transplanting. 
Cabbage Stumps, set out, to furnish spring greens. 
Cold Frames .—These are frames covered with sash, 
like those for a hot-bed, aud are placed on good 
mellow soil without any heating material. They 
should be banked up slightly with earth, to prevent 
the cold winds from creeping in between the frame 
and the soil. They should be covered with mats or 
shutters in cold weather. They answer to winter 
over many half hardy plants. Cabbages and cauli¬ 
flowers may be sovm in Autumn and kept through 
the Winter in this way. Cabbages, lettuce, radishes, 
etc., may be obtained iu them much earlier than 
when sovm in the open ground. When the plants 
have started, give plenty of air on tine days. 
Compost .—The heaps should be turned over, all 
coarse stones aud rubbish picked out, and, if not 
sufficiently decomposed, some stable manure should 
be added to induce fermentation. See item on 
fining manure, on page 73. 
Cress or Peppergrass .—Sow early. It is very lia¬ 
ble to attacks from insects,—apply ashes freely. 
Drains .—If the garden Is not already drained, 
manage to get iu a few tiles or covered stone drains 
in the wettest places. Well drained soil can be 
worked earlier in Spring, and yields better returns. 
Hgg Plants .—For earljqjjow seed from the middle 
to the last of this month, iu a sheltered place. 
Fences and Gates .—Put in a condition to repel the 
depredations of poultry, swine and other animals. 
Herbs .—The perennial herbs, like wormwood, 
mints, hyssop, etc., may be divided and reset. 
Hops .—Roots maybe, planted and poles provided. 
Horse-radish .—Dig for family use and for market¬ 
ing. Though generally left to take care of itself, it 
is much improved by liberal manuring. New beds 
may be made by plautiug crowns or pieces of root. 
Hot-Beds .—May be made from the middle to the 
last of the month. See Calendar for January, for 
construction of frame and sash. Fresh horse ma¬ 
nure is the best material for generating heat. If 
this is mixed with an equal bulk, more or less, of 
leaves it will give a more gradual heat, and will last 
longer. The manure should be thrown into heaps 
and when fermentation commences, it should be 
turned over once or twice before making the beu. 
The bed may be made upon the surface of the 
ground,or an excavation a foot deep, and a foot wider 
each way than the frame may be made. The ina- 
