1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
163 
but it should be given them now regularly and 
plentifully. Feed the older horses on cut hay, wet, 
.and mixed with meal or bran. Oat straw may be 
cut with hay and fed to good advantage. In no 
case neglect the daily use of the brush and curry¬ 
comb. A good grooming is said to be worth a 
quart of oats to a horse. Ill-fitting and very rough 
collars often gall the shoulders ; keep them smooth 
and wash off the shoulders and wipe dry whenever 
the team comes to the stables. 
Sheep. —The care bestowed on sheep by some far¬ 
mers during the winter, invites weakness, and a 
troublesome irritation of the skin and loss of wool 
often follow poor treatment. Raising lambs for the 
spring market is a profitable business, but great 
care of both ewes and lambs is necessary. The 
strength and vitality of the lamb after birth depend 
largely on the condition of the ewe previous to par¬ 
turition. Much injury is done to the unborn lambs 
by compelling the ewes to go without water. 
Licking the snow to quench thirst chills the 
foetus and weakens the lamb, even if more serious 
results do not follow. The feeding of cold or frozen 
turnips to ewes has a similar effect upon them. 
Among various afflictions of sheep during winter 
and spring, is nasal catarrh, causing an excessive 
discharge at the nose. It is the immediate result of 
taking cold, and not a serious disease as long as 
the lungs are free. Stir the drinking water occa¬ 
sionally with a tarred stick, and if necessary rub a 
little tar on the sheep’s nose so that it may be licked 
off. It is sufficient to give salt once a week. No 
stock appreciates regularity in feeding more than 
sheep. Be on the lookout for ticks. 
Swine .—Vigorous growth later on will depend 
very much on avoiding now a morbid condition of 
blood, arising from indigestion. Feed vegetables 
for their salutary effect on the bowels, if for noth¬ 
ing more. Coal ashes, charcoal, and the like should 
be constantly at hand. The trough should be as 
far from the uest as possible, to insure greater 
cleanliness; the nests should be partitioned off 
from the main pen. Hogs are cleaner animals than 
we often credit them with being. Breediug sows 
will need extra care. They should have plenty of 
room for exercise, and not have much, if any, 
stimulating food for a little time previous to par¬ 
turition. If any grain at all is fed, let it be wheat 
bran or shorts. Do not keep breeders too fat, as 
their pigs will not be so large or vigorous at birth, 
and for a few days after parturition feed lightlylest 
there be a surfeit of milk, causing scours in the 
pigs. Construct a fender around the sides of the 
nest, about eight or ten inches above the floor, as a 
protection for young pigs. Pigs need to have plenty 
of exercise, and a clean bed. 
The Orchard and Nursery. 
The first spring work is to repair the damages of 
winter. If storms have broken any trees, make 
such a wound as will heal properly. Saw off the 
broken branch close to its starting point, smooth 
the surface by use of a drawing knife or chisel, and 
cover it with melted grafting wax or paint. The 
neatest and best covering for such wounds is shel¬ 
lac varnish, but with the present tax upon alcohol 
it is too expensive. On the whole, we find melted 
grafting wax, applied with a brush, the best. 
Mounds around young trees, placed as a protec¬ 
tion against mice, may be levelled. 
Orchard planti/g will be done largely this month, 
and we gave, last month and earlier, a number of 
items having direct reference to planting. Between 
the time when they are taken up in the nursery and 
their final planting in the orchard, trees have a hard 
time. If they make a long journey, they some¬ 
times are badly dried, so much so that the bark is 
shrivelled and the tree appears to be dead. Trees 
in this condition, if it happens this month or later, 
should be buried in the ground. They should be 
laid in a trench, and the soil come in contact with 
every portion of the bark. If there is sufficient 
life left in the tree, the bark will be quite restored 
in a few days to its former smoothness. 
When Trees are too warm on the passage, often 
from the heat of a steamer or from the weather, the 
buds start into growth, and sometimes make white 
weak shoots several inches long. The buds near the 
ends of the branches start first, and they will be 
gradually less alfected below. Usually there will 
be some of the lower ends that have not started. 
Every branch should be cut back to a good sound 
bud, if there is but one, and the tree is left but 
little better than a bare stick. 
Starting an Orchard cheaply .—Many a settler is 
obliged to postpone the outlay for an orchard until 
he can better afford it. The cheapest way to start 
an orchard is to raise the stocks and graft them : 
but this costs time and skill, which one may not 
have. An orchard may be had for the least outlay 
of money by buying root-grafts. These are adver¬ 
tised by many Western nurseries. They consist of 
a root, or part of one, grafted with a cion of two or 
three buds. These are prepared during the winter, 
packed in boxes of sand, and kept in the cellar un¬ 
til they can be set out in spring. The nurseryman 
grows these two or three years, and then sells them 
as trees. The farmer can, if he wishes, purchase 
the root-grafts and grow them himself. 
In Planting Root-grafts , g-ive them good corn land ; 
lay out the rows the width to work with the culti¬ 
vator ; the root-grafts may be dibbled in every foot 
or 18 inches, letting but one bud come above the 
surface. In three years, a majority of them will 
make trees large enough to plant in the orchard. 
Grafting oil Trees .—A tree is to be grafted when 
it is of a poor kind, and we wish to change the kind 
of fruit it bears. If the tree is very large, it is well 
to graft only the lower third of the branches the 
first year. The best time for apple and pear trees 
is just as the buds are swelling. 
Insects .-—The bauds of eggs of the Tent-caterpillar 
may be seen and removed until the tree is in leaf. 
The eggs hatch as soon as there are leaves for the 
young caterpillar to feed on, and the small “ tents ” 
soon appear in the forks of the twigs. Remove 
these as soon as discovered. 
Canker-worms .—It now turns out that there are 
two canker-worms, which accounts for the differ¬ 
ent statements formerly made. One of these 
worms comes out of the ground and lays her eggs 
upon the branches in the fall, while the other ap¬ 
pears in spring. Of the former, the eggs are al- 
' ready laid, and the only remedy is to poison the 
worms when they are troublesome. The female of 
the other kind appears soon after the ground thaws; 
she has no wings, and must climb up the trunk. 
Bands of coarse paper, smeared with tar or printer’s 
ink, renewed as needed, make the best protection. 
TTie Fruit ttarden. 
In localities where vegetation has not started, 
any pruning omitted last fall should be done now, 
beginning with the grape. 
Planting of all kinds should be done as early as 
the soil is in good condition. 
Cuttings of grape vines, currants, etc., that were 
preserved in the cellar may be set out. 
Grapes .—We have advocated the planting of grape 
vines wherever there is a place for them to run. 
Fences, sheds, barns, and houses may be made to 
serve as trellises. The vines are more readily taken 
care of, if planted in rows and trained to low trel¬ 
lises. In one way or another, vines enough should 
be planted on every farm to furnish the family all 
the grapes they wish, with some to give away. 
Plant one-year-old vines, of the varieties known to 
succeed best in the vicinity. 
Strawberries should be in abundance in their sea¬ 
son. Lay out rows far enough apart to be worked 
with the cultivator, and set the plants a foot apart 
in these rows. The ground should be kept clean by 
the use of the cultivator and hand-hoe. By cutting 
off all the runners as they appear, the plants may 
be kept in “ single hills.” By allowing those run¬ 
ners that will, to take root in the row between the 
other plants, and removing all the others, the plants 
may be grown in “ matted rows.” In either case, 
much of the work can be done with a horse. Es¬ 
tablished beds should have a dressing of some fer¬ 
tilizer applied as a top-dressing. 
Kitchen :in«l Market harden. 
While the market gardener in Florida and 
Georgia is bunching his asparagus for the Northern 
markets, the beds near New York have not yet 
pushed a sprout. While the asparagus season for¬ 
merly lasted but a month or six weeks, by the aid 
of steam transportation and Southern gardens, it 
now extends over four months. The same change 
has taken place with respect to other vegetables 
which bear long transportation. 
Asparagus .—However the season may be pro¬ 
longed by supplies from the South, the market is 
never glutted with the home crop. As a plantation 
must be made three years before it gives returns, 
the home supply does not keep up with the in¬ 
creased demand. Fanners seldom have an aspara¬ 
gus bed.—Let them begin this spring to prepare for 
one by sowing the seeds, in order to have plants 
ready to set out next spring. The seeds may be 
planted in rows 15 inches apart, dropping them 
about an inch apart in the row. When well up, 
thin to about four inches, and keep the plants clean 
all summer. Plants can be bought, but they are 
not usually so good as those one can raise. In set¬ 
ting out the plants, make the rows four feet apart, 
and set the plants every 30 iuches, forking in a 
shovelful of good manure for each. This will al¬ 
low the work to be done by horse cultivation. 
j Beans can not be planted until the ground is 
warm. Get poles ready for Limas. 
Beets, sow as soon as the frost is out, in rows 15 
inches apart, and, when up, thin to 4 inches. Egyp¬ 
tian is best; Blood Turnip and Bassano are good. 
Cabbages and Cauliflowers .-—The earliest crop is 
from plants wintered in cold frames or raised in 
hot-beds. In either case they must be prepared by 
proper exposure to harden them. They are set out 
as soon as the land is dry enough, giving heavy 
manuring, making the rows 24 inches apart, and 
setting the plants every 18 inches. 
Carrots .—The Short-liorn may be sown when 
frosts are over, in 15-inch rows. 
Cucumbers are best sown in pots or on inverted 
sods placed in a hot-bed. 
Egg Plants .—Sow seeds in hot-bed or in window- 
box. It will be all the better to pot the plants 
when they are large enough. 
Lettuce .—Plants from hot-beds or from window- 
boxes may be set out a foot apart each way. Seeds 
may be sown in the open ground for a later crop. 
Onions .—All small onions and those that have 
sprouted may be set out in rows 18 inches apart, to 
give a crop of new bulbs or “rare-ripes.” Suffi¬ 
cient was said last month on onions from seeds. 
Parsnips .—Sow as soon as the soil can be worked, 
in rows 15 inches apart; use last year’s seed. 
Peas .—Plant early and cover deep—at least two 
inches. The tall kinds may be in double rows, six 
inches apart with the brush between, or they may¬ 
be scattered thickly in a broad drill, three inches 
wide, and the brush stuck on each side of the row. 
Dwarf kinds, like the “American Wonder,” may 
be in rows a foot apart. Cut brush before it is in 
leaf, and pile it, with some logs or other weight on 
top to flatten it. If each piece is fan-shaped, it 
goes much further. Stick the peas before they fall. 
Potatoes .—Plant early sorts as soon as possible. 
Radishes .—A few may be sown every week. 
Salsify .—Sow as directed for parsnips, by hand. 
The long and narrow seed does not sow well by 
drill. Black Salsify is sown in the same manner. 
Spinach .—Stir the soil between the wintered 
plants. Sow seeds in drills 15 inches apart. 
Tomatoes .—Every care should be given to secure 
stocky plants. On the small scale, it will pay to 
protect with paper or other screens against an un¬ 
expected frost. In the garden, tomatoes should 
have a trellis or other support. Individual plants 
may have three barrel hoops, held in place by tack¬ 
ing them to stakes. 
