AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
1883 .] 
other pigs, and provided with warm, dry pens, 
bedded with leaves or straw. A rail fastened to 
the wall, eight inches from the floor, will prevent 
the young pigs from being crushed. It is well to 
feed the sow some raw linseed oil a few days be¬ 
fore the pigs are born. 
Poultry .—Unless well kept, vermin may be ex¬ 
pected as the weather gets warmer. If lice are 
present, apply kerosene to the perches, from which 
it will spread to the fowls. Sitting hens should have 
a warm and quiet room. Feed young chicks often. 
Work in tlie Orchard. 
It is strange that more is often expected of the 
area appropriated to the orchard than of any other 
land upon the farm. It is expected to produce 
two crops each year, and to do so without manure. 
The space between the rows is occupied by some 
crop, or the whole surface is in grass, and made to 
afford a crop of hay as well as a crop of fruit. 
The many “ run-down ” orchards in all of the older 
States testify to the prevalence of this custom. 
In the renovation of an old orchard, the first 
6tep should be to give the trees the whole of the 
soil, and the next, to improve the soil, in order to 
nourish the trees. There is but one crop which 
should share the soil with the trees—that is, the 
pork crop ! As a means of keeping a productive 
orchard in good condition, and as a method of 
bringing up an unproductive or run-down one, give 
it a generous manuring, and sow red clover. It 
would have been better had the manuring and 
plowing been done last fall, but better do it now 
than to wait. When the clover is well established, 
the pigs may be pastured upon it, but no other 
animals should be allowed in the orchard. 
The Trees will also need attention. If the trunks 
and larger branches are moss-grown, or covered 
with old scales of bark, scraping and washing with 
soft-soap, as mentioned on page 60, last month, 
will be of great benefit. Pruning is likely to be 
required, but if the buds have begun to swell, this 
may be omitted until next winter. A branch, espe¬ 
cially a large one, should never be removed, unless 
some definite object is to be gained. The first ob¬ 
ject in pruning an old tree is, to have the head so 
open that light and air can readily enter. The 
next is, to secure an evenly-balanced head, with no 
limbs crowded or crossing one another. In cut¬ 
ting, leave no stub, make the surface of the wound 
smooth by use of a drawing-knife, and paint it 
over with shellac varnish, melted grafting wax, or 
thick paint. 
Insects .—If search has not already been made for 
the eggs of the Tent-caterpillar, let it be done at 
once, as they will hatch as soon as the leaves ap¬ 
pear. The hands of eggs can be seen near the 
ends of the twigs, and must be removed by cutting 
off the twig just below them ; then burn. In each 
locality where the Canker-worm is known, there is 
usually some guard or preventive in use. All ap¬ 
plications depend upon the fact that the female 
moth has no wings, and must crawl up the trunk 
in order to reach the branches and deposit her 
eggs. Whatever will keep her from doing this, 
with the least trouble and expense, is the best. 
The most common barrier is a band of thick brown 
paper, about 10 inches wide, tacked around the 
trunk. If there are any spaces where the insects 
can crawl under between the paper and the bark, 
place cotton so as to fill them. The paper is to he 
painted with tar to within an inch or two of its 
edges. Some prefer old printers’ ink instead of 
tar. Whichever is used should be applied at once, 
and looked to every few days, to renew the ma¬ 
terial if necessary. Dust or dead insects may form 
a bridge, over which the living insects may cross 
the barrier. 
Nursery Trees should have been ordered earlier. 
If yet to be done, do it at once. When trees ar¬ 
rive, unpack them, and if not ready to plant at 
once, heel them in. The operation of heeling-in is 
a temporary planting, where the roots are covered 
with soil and kept from injury. Open a trench in 
a dry place, and lay in the trees at an angle of 45°, 
and cover the roots and about half of the 6tems 
107 
with fine soil, taking care to leave no open spaces. 
When this is well done, the trees may remain for 
some weeks. Take care that all of a sort are put 
together, and that there can be no mixing of varie¬ 
ties, or confusion as to labels, when the trees are 
taken out to be planted. 
Planting the Trees should not be hurried. The 
treatment to be given before planting is described 
on page 126. Before the tree is planted, remove 
the label placed upon it at the nursery. If labels 
are to be used, apply the one determined upon ; 
but it is better to recognize the varieties by their 
position, according to a record of the planting. 
Make the hole wide enough to allow all of the 
roots to be extended. Do not set the tree any 
deeper than it stood before. If any of the fibrous 
roots are matted, separate and spread them apart. 
Use the fine top-soil for filling in around and over 
the roots. When the hole is partly filled, water 
may be applied with a watering-pot, to settle the 
earth in among the roots. When the roots are well 
covered, the soil may be pressed gently with the 
foot, to make itfirm. After the hole is filled, make 
a conical mound of earth around the stem, this 
may be a foot or 18 inches high, and will support 
the tree against the winds better than stakes. When 
the growth begins, the mound is to be levelled. 
The Fruit Garden. 
While we would have farmers plant currants, 
strawberries, and other small fruits in the old- 
fashioned way in the vegetable garden, rather than 
not have them at all, it is so much better to ap¬ 
propriate a separate place for them, that we advise 
all to do so. Select the best soil, and all the better 
if not far from the house, as the bushes will be 
better guarded and tended, and be the more 
convenient for picking. 
Blackberries should be set out very early. Six 
feet apart each way is a good distance. Set a stake 
six feet high to each. See that plants that are to 
bear this year are well tied to their stakes. 
Currants .—If new bushes are to be set, let them 
be four feet apart. If old bushes were not pruned 
last fall, do it at once, before the leaves start. 
Thin out the old wood, and shorten back the 
growth of last season at least a third. By manur¬ 
ing, the size of the fruit may be much increased. 
Raspberries .—Tender kinds, that were covered 
last fall, should be lifted and tied to stakes or a 
horizontal wire when the weather is settled. Plant 
a new bed very early. 
Strawberries .—If new beds are to be made, do it 
as soon as the ground can be worked. Give a gen¬ 
erous manuring, and work it in deeply and thor¬ 
oughly. As a general rule, the best distance for 
the rows is three feet apart, with the plants a foot 
apart in the row. The Bidwell and Manchester are 
among the leading recent varieties. Sharpless and 
Charles Downing are well tested and excellent. 
The catalogues give many others. Old beds that 
were covered should have the straw removed just 
over the plants, to expose them to the sun and air, 
leaving the mulch on the ground until after the 
fruit is gathered. 
Grape Vines .—If any were left unpruned last fall, 
attend to them at once. If cuttings were made 
and placed in the cellar, it is a good plan to bury 
them, lower end up, in a place exposed to the 
south, covering them with about six inches of 
earth. By the time the ground gets warm, they 
will usually be callused, when they may be set 
right end up in trenches, placing them six inches 
apart, with the upper bud just at the surface. An 
easy way to multiply the grape is to layer a cane 
of last season’s growth ; open a trench six inches 
deep, and lay down the cane in the bottom of the 
trench, using pegs to hold it in place. When the 
eyes start, add a little soil, and as the shoots grow, 
gradually fill up the trench. In the fall, each 
shoot will be a good vine. 
Grapes in Plenty should be found on every farm. 
Barns, sheds, and other buildings will afford sup¬ 
port for the vines. Plant some good sorts this 
spring wherever there is a place. 
Tlic Kitchen and Market Garden. 
We have long advocated the planting of the 
farmer’s vegetable garden in long rows, and so far 
apart that most of the work can be done by horse 
cultivators. If we have striven for any one im¬ 
provement in farm life, it is to convince the farmer 
that he can easily have an abundance of the choicest 
vegetables at a very little cost. We are glad to 
have help in our endeavor to show farmers how 
easy it is to have a garden that will not only sup¬ 
ply the family, but bring in profit besides. It has 
come in the shape of Mr. Joseph Harris’ “ Garden¬ 
ing for Young and Old,” in which an attempt is- 
made to interest the boys in gardening, and farm 
gardening is there treated in the attractive manner 
in which farming was presented in “ Walks and 
Talks.” Farmers in the older States, especially if 
near large towns and manufacturing villages, must 
inevitably become market gardeners on a large scale. 
Raising Plants , to have them ready to set out as 
soon as the weather is suitable, is an important 
matter. These are started in liot-beds, in cold 
frames, and in boxes in the windows of the dwell¬ 
ing house. Sufficient was said on the liot-bed and 
window-box last month. The cold frame is simply 
a hot-bed frame and sash, placed over a spot of 
good soil. It receives its heat from the sun by day, 
and this is prevented from escaping at night, by 
covering the glass with shutters, straw mats, 01 - 
even a piece of old carpeting. The soil of the cold- 
frame should be about three inches higher than the 
general surface, and the frame should be where it 
will be sheltered from cold winds and will receive 
the full warmth of the sun. This, having no heat¬ 
ing material, will not force so rapid a growth, but 
will be found very useful to start some kinds of 
plants, and to receive those that have been started 
in a hot-bed. Be sure that the plants are ready. 
Asparagus .—One can sow the seed and raise his 
plants, or save a year by buying the plants. The 
seed may be sown thinly, in rows 15 inches apart, 
covering about an inch. When the plants are well 
up, thin to four inches, and keep clear of weeds. 
In good soil, they will grow large enough in one 
season to set out. In planting an asparagus bed,, 
the modern plan is to give the plants abundant- 
room. If land can be spared, mark the rows four- 
feet apart one way, and three feet the other; set 
the plants where the marks cross, first working in 
a shovelful of good manure, and covering the- 
crown of the plant about four inches deep. In a 
garden where so much space can not be given, half 
these distances will answer. The shoots must not 
be cut until the third year after planting, and then 
but moderately. Old beds that were covered with 
manure last fall, should have the coarse litter raked, 
off, and the fine manure pointed in with a fork. 
Beets are among the hardiest vegetables, and"' 
wherever the frost is out of the ground they may 
be sown. The Egyptian is the best, but the Bas- 
sano is a little earlier. Sow in drills 15 inches apart. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers.— Plants wintered in. 
cold frames must be hardened by exposure. In the? 
vicinity of New York, the sashes are removed en¬ 
tirely on the first day of this month. Plants in hot¬ 
beds, and those in window-boxes, must - be exposed 
in the day time, when the weather will allow. Those? 
in boxes should be transplanted to other boxes or 
to cold frames. On the small scale, it will pay to 
transplant them two or three times. As soon as 
the soil is in working condition, it is thoroughly 
prepared. It should have been well manured the- 
fall before, and a good dressing of flour of bone,, 
or guano, given at the spring working. The dis¬ 
tance for planting depends upon the richness of 
the soil. Usually the rows are 30 inches apart, anal 
the plants set at every 20 inches. They should be 
set down to the base of the first leaf. 
Carrots .—In localities where heavy frosts are 
over, the Early Horn may be sown in rows 1& 
inches apart. 
Cucumbers .—In planting other seeds in a hot-bed 
or cold frame, it is a good plan to leave a space 
under each sash for a hill of cucumbers, which may 
be sown at once. For planting out-doors, sow 
seeds in pots, half-a-dozen in a three-inch pot. 
