1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
129 
about 1,000 acres, 500 of which, he states, are in grass. 
He keeps 120 head of cattle, 97 of which are cows. He 
made last year 30,000 pounds of cheese, 20,000 lbs. of 
which he sent to New-Yorlc at one time and sold for 6| 
to 7 cents per lb. He feeds his cows mostly on hay and 
carrots—2,000 bushels of the latter have been grown on 
his farm last year. He prefers giving each cow a half 
bushel of carrots per day. He saved from his grass 
grounds last year, 300 bushels of grass-seed. 
GARDEN OPERATIONS FOR APRIL. 
“ Spring ! the year’s youth, fair mother of new flowers, 
New leaves, new loves, drawn by the winged hours, 
Thou art returned.” 
This month opens to us a busy season for Gardening 
Operations. In the month of April, we have frequently 
very delightful summer-like days, which cause the buds 
to expand, as it were, by magic; and every fine sunny 
day, accelerates the progress of vegetation, and is ex¬ 
tremely apt to remind us of the beauties of Flora. 
Now, as there is a peculiar pleasure in viewing rare and 
beautiful flowers implanted in the breasts of most of us, 
so is there in others also a love of cultivating them, and 
“ training them up in the way they should grow-” 
The beginning of this month is the proper time to 
commence work in the garden. Let every border and 
flower bed be dug and neatly raked. If there is an 
edging of box, it should be neatly trimmed; box edgings 
may still be planted if this work has not been attended 
to last month, which is the proper time. The month 
of April is peculiarly suitable for propagating by cut¬ 
tings. This month is considered the best for planting 
out Evergreens , but shrubs of all kinds and herbaceous 
plants may be transplanted in all this month. Give 
Dahlias a gentle heat in the hot bed, or bring them for¬ 
ward in pots or boxes in the house, to induce the break¬ 
ing and shooting of the buds, each of which, cut off 
with a portion of the tuber, will become a plant. Flow¬ 
er-seeds may now be sown, the tender kinds not until 
the last of the month. Plants in green- houses or par¬ 
lors must now have constant air; want of a free circu¬ 
lation of air will cause the plants to spindle up, and 
flower weakly. Such plants as require now more room 
may be shifted into larger pots, and kept shaded for a 
few days until they have taken fresh root. All other 
plants or shrubs in pots should have fresh mould added 
to the surface; remove dead twigs and leaves, and give 
moderate waterings occasionally. Grafting may still 
be performed. Repair the compost, or clay, of former 
grafts, if it be cracked or injured. Search for and de¬ 
stroy caterpillar s nests, and exterminate insects of 
every description. But let us return to the flower 
garden.. 
The beds still look gay with the bulbs that were in 
flow r er last month; but these will soon disappear, and 
be succeeded by the fragrance and beauty of the Hya¬ 
cinth and Narcissus. The varieties of this last named 
bulb, are quite numerous; the Incomparable is the 
hardiest, and produces its bright yellow flowers the be¬ 
ginning of this month. This variety is the well known 
pasche , or pans flower. 
Of the Hyacinth, there are some hundred varieties, 
embracing a great variety of colors; their hardiness and 
earliness of flower, offer a strong inducement to all 
lovers of Flora to cultivate them. They are of every 
shade of white, yellow, pink, red, crimson, purple and 
blue; they produce their deliciously flagrant flowers 
early in the month, and the different varieties continue 
in bloom four or five weeks. Next in order we have 
the Tulip. The Tulip wants nothing bu: an agreeable 
prefume to render it the finest flower in the world. 
There are endless varieties of it totally differing from 
each other, some of them blossoming from the last 
of this month to the middle of the next. For brilliancy 
of tint, and combination of all the different colors, the 
Tulip surpasses all other plants of the garden. 
Of the Herbaceous plants now in flower, we have 
(< The Polyanthus broad, with golden eye;” this is an 
early blower; one of the first flowers which announces 
spring: 
“ Fair handed Spring unbosoms every grace; 
Throws out the snow-drop and the crocus first; 
The daisy, primrose, violet, darkly blue, 
And polyanthus of unnumbered dyes.” 
The double white and blue European Violets are now 
in bloom. The flower is delightfully fragrant, but ot 
short duration: 
“ The trembling violet, which eyes 
The sun but once, and unrepining dies.” 
Then we have the thick leaved Saxifrage with its pur¬ 
ple flowers; the stem changes every year into root. 
The foliage of this species is very handsome. 
The Ornamental Flowering Shrubs contribute but 
little to the embellishment of the garden. Of the few 
in blossom, we may enumerate the C or chorus; although 
a native of Japan, it is one of the hardiest shrubs we 
have; it displays its bright yet low double blossoms to¬ 
wards the last of the month in the greatest profusion, 
and continues in flower until autumn. The Leather- 
wood is a pretty shrub; the flowers are yellow, and ap¬ 
pear before the leaves. It has the appearance of a large 
tree in miniature. Of the Missouri Currant, there are 
two varieties, both flowering very profusely towards 
the last of the month. P. 
Note. —In my last communication, in the quotation, 
“Though lifeless,” &c.—for inverting; read, “invest¬ 
ing every spray.” 
Westchester Co., March 14 th, 1846. 
FINE WOOLED SHEEP IN CHITTENDEN CO. VT. 
Within the past two years quite a number of the far¬ 
mers of Chittenden county, Vermont, have established, 
on a larger or smaller scale, fine flocks of sheep, mostly 
Merinoes. These sheep are now found in Charlotte, 
Hinesburgh, Williston, Colchester, Shelburn, and else¬ 
where in the county. In Colchester and Williston are 
to be found Saxons, and in other places grade Saxons 
and grade Merinoes all over the county. In Williston 
is now to be found the entire flock of Rambouillet Me¬ 
rinoes, formerly belonging to D. C. Collins, Esq., of 
Hartford, Ct. They are now owned by L. G. Bingham. 
They are a splendid and magnificent variety of pure 
Merinoes, imported in 1840. Mr. Collins has never sold 
a full blood ewe until he sold the flock to Mr. Bingham. 
Four of the imported ewes are still alive. Some have 
been destroyed while in the hands of Mr. Collins. All 
are pure descendants from the imported ewes and old 
Grandee. All other Rambouillets in the country—ewes 
—are grades, being produced by a cross of the pure 
Rambouillet Buck with the American Merino ewe. 
A few days since Merrill Bingham, Esq., of Corn¬ 
wall, Vt., sold 110 full blood ewes to go to Williston, 
to lay the foundation of two new flocks. 
No better sheep can be found in Vermont than can 
now be found in this county; and some folks are begin¬ 
ning to colonise in order to establish other flocks. We 
hope to see the time when we can offer to the wool 
growing public as great inducements to come here to 
buy wool or sheep, as can be offered by any county in 
the State. 
I presume you will hear more of the 110 ewes spoken 
of above about shearing time. They were purchased 
by Messrs. J. G. Chittenden, Thomas H. Canfield and 
L. G. Bingham. Iota. 
COAL TAR FOR SEED CORN. 
Mr. Editor —It may be of service to some of your 
readers to know that crows will not eat, or scratch up, 
corn that has been saturated with coal tar. It does not 
prevent vegetation as the common pine tar does; is 
much less trouble to put on, and half a pint is sufficient 
to saturate a bushel if poured over it and well stirred. 
It may be well to say, that coal tar can be obtained in 
any of the cities, and is made at the gas works, and is 
most excellent to preserve out side wood work. Bryer- 
field, near Hampton, Va., February 16th, 1846. 
A. B, M’Clean. 
