1872 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
83 
vious ■winter, by sheep; but in this country our 
heaviest crops are raised on soil of a more loamy 
character. The essential point on these heavier 
soils is, to get them thoroughly fine and mellow the 
year or fall previous. Barley is sometimes sown 
on a cloversod, but unless it was plowed last fall, 
it is not a good plau. As a rule, barley is sown on 
corn stubble, and is followed by winter wheat. 
1 Oats do not require as careful culture and nice 
judgment as barley, but they will well repay far 
better treatment than they generally receive. They 
will grow well on land too mucky for barley, and a 
great crop is sometimes obtained on heavy clays. 
AVe believe in thick seeding for this crop, and would 
drill in not less than 3 bushels per acre, or 
bushels, if sown broad-cast. 
Feas should be sown earl}-. If on sod-land, we 
should plow as soon as the frost was out of the 
ground, and drill in the seed, 3 bushels per acre, as 
fast as the land was plowed and harrowed. After 
drilling roll the laud smooth. Two bushels of 
plaster per acre, sown before or after the peas come 
up, as most convenient, usually prove beneficial. 
Oats and Feas sown together is a favorite crop with 
us. If the land is rich enough and in good order, 
and the crop is sown early, a great amount of val¬ 
uable fodder and grain may be obtained per acre. 
AVe would sow bushels peas and 1% bushel oats 
per acre. They can be sown together with an ordi¬ 
nary grain-drill, but it is necessary to see that they 
are well mixed in the drill. Roll the land after the 
drill, and pick ofi everything that would interfere 
with a mowing machine. On rough land they are 
a troublesome crop to harvest, but when the land is 
so smooth that the machine can be set to run as close 
as a mower, they can be cut and delivered in bun¬ 
dles with a self-raking reaper. 
Potatoes .—We are iucliued to think that farmers 
seldom plant their potatoes earl}- enough. If 
planted earlier and deeper, and the laud was har¬ 
rowed repeatedly with Thomas’s harrow before the 
potatoes came out of the ground, and afterwards, 
far less lioeiug would be required, and we think a 
better yield would be obtained. 
Harrowing Winter Wheat is a practice we would 
earnestly commend. Many farmers are afraid that 
the harrow will pull up the wheat, but such is not 
the case. If the land is dry, a good heavy, forty¬ 
toothed harrow will destroy many weeds, break the 
crust, stir the soil, and greatly benefit the wheat. 
Clover Seed can be sown on the snow, or when the 
ground is frozen hard enough on the surface to 
make good walking. But when the wheat is to be 
harrowed, it is necessary to defer sowing clover and 
grass-seed until the land is dry. Harrow first, then 
sow the seed, and, if necessary, roll afterwards. If 
Thomas’s smoothing harrow is used, sow the seed 
first, and then harrow it in. Our own practice is to 
sow eight quarts of elover-seed alone per acre. Six 
quarts clover and four quarts timothy is a good and 
liberal seeding. If tire land is intended for pasture, 
we would add one quart of white clover and four 
quarts Kentucky Blue-grass. This is heavy seeding, 
but we think it will pay. 
Harrowing Meadows and Pastures is often very 
beneficial, and we are surprised that the practice is 
so generally neglected. Put three horses to a har¬ 
row, and get on and ride. Harrow the field botii 
ways, and lap, if necessary. 
Horses that have had little to do during the win¬ 
ter, and have been kept principally on straw, should 
now be fed more liberally and gradually accustomed 
to work. Let them be well groomed. AVken 
brought in heated, rub them dry. Do not suffer 
them to be blanketed in the stable, unless very 
much exhausted from hard driving. In this case 
put on a blanket, and rub the legs, ears, etc. Nine 
tenths of all the complaints in horses are caused by 
indigestion and consequent derangement of the 
bowels. Overwork, improper feeding, exposure to 
a chilling wind when heated, ill-ventilated stables, 
and want of grooming are the chief causes of in¬ 
digestion in farm-horses. For colic we know of 
nothing better than an injection of warm water and 
soap. If this does not afford'relieve, give two table¬ 
spoonfuls of laudanum in warm water or ale or 
whisky. If the pain is very severe, give four table¬ 
spoonfuls of ether in addition to the laudanum. 
If this does not afford relief, repeat the ether 
every hour, and repeat the laudanum in four hours. 
Blanket the horse, and set three or four men to 
rub him vigorously—legs, ears, belly, etc. Fomenta¬ 
tions of hot water on the belly arc excellent. 
Cows. — Treat them gently. Card freely, water 
regularly, and feed liberally. Nothing is better for 
a cow at calving than good hay and warm bran- 
mashes. Give all the water the cow will drink, but 
for a week after calving take the chill off it. See 
hints for last mouth. 
Sheep wilt now require better feed and more care. 
Nothing tests the judgment of the sheep farmer 
more than thawing weather and cold rain-storms. 
The great enemy of sheep is dampness. No sheep 
will thrive in damp, close quarters, or with ferment¬ 
ing manure under them. Even young lambs will 
stand dry cold far better than moist warmth. As 
lambing time approaches, it is well to have the 
ewes in small flocks, and there should be conven¬ 
ient pens for putting the ewes and lambs by them¬ 
selves for a few days. Keep close watch of the 
ewes, but do not be in haste to assist at lambing, 
until it is necessary. If a lamb get chilled, wrap 
him in flannel and take him to a stove. If nearly 
dead, put the lamb in a pail of warm water, as hot 
as you can bear your hands in. Many a lamb, ap¬ 
parently almost dead, has been saved in this way. 
See that the lambs get milk enough. A lamb will 
sometimes suck warm milk from a bottle, furnished 
with an India - rubber nipple, when it has not 
strength enough to suck the ewe. Give the ewes 
good hay and bran, and roots, if you have them. 
But it is very desirable to save a few roots for the 
lambs in April and May. Oats are better for the 
ewes than corn, and this year nearly as cheap. 
Figs '.—The low price of pork has disgusted thou¬ 
sands of farmers with the pig business. They have 
disposed of everything that would sell. Spring pigs 
that were intended for wintering over, have been 
slaughtered, and the fresh-meat market lias been 
flooded with last fall’s pigs. Breeding sows have 
been fattened and killed, and the indications are 
that there will be a scarcity of hogs to fatten next 
fall. Or, at any rate, there is little probability that 
there will be an excess. Those who have farrow¬ 
ing sows, should take good care of them. Thou¬ 
sands of little pigs perish every spring for want of 
proper attention. Farmers have no one to blame 
but themselves for having sows that will not let 
them go into the pen, to bestow the necessary care. 
A savage soiv, in a cold pen, with a litter of chilled 
pigs, on a stormy night in March, is a case not 
provided for in the books. But with a quiet sow 
there is little difficulty in saving the pigs, no matter 
how cold the weather is. The first thing to be done 
is to stop up every hole or crevice in the pen. Shut 
the door, and bank it up on the outside with straw 
or litter. If the pigs are chilled, it is better, as a 
rule, not to take them away from the sow as long as 
she will lie down. Cover sow and pigs with a horse- 
blanket, and tuck them in. The heat from the sow 
will revive the pigs, and they will begin to nurse. 
If the sow has plenty of milk, and the pigs take 
hold, all immediate danger is past. Give the sow 
plenty of warm slops, such as bran mash, and be 
sure that she lias all the warm water she will drink. 
In a week feed her richer food. 
Work iu the Horticultural Departments. 
The weather is usually so changeable this month, 
that it is difficult to give directions for out-door 
work. Though the winter may have been compar¬ 
atively mild, March will probably furnish its usual 
amount of cold and disagreeable weather. Every¬ 
thing should be in perfect order, to commence 
operations as soon as it is warm enough. The aim 
of the horticulturist should be to keep in advance 
of his work, and not allow himself to be driven by 
it, for if once ahead of him, it necessitates a loss of 
both time and money. Many of the directions 
given last month will apply for this in more north¬ 
ern latitudes. AVe write for the latitude of New 
York, where the season is several weeks earlier than 
in the New England States and northward. 
<J>rcla 2 W’<l aia«l Nursery. 
Planting. — AVhenever the ground is in proper 
order, plow thoroughly and apply a good coating of 
manure, which should be harrowed or plowed 
under. The sooner the trees are planted, if the con¬ 
ditions are favorable, the better, though they may be 
safely planted two months later if properly 
heeled in last fall. If any of the trees in young 
orchards have been badly injured, set new trees in 
their places. 
Manure .—Cart to the orchards as soon as conven¬ 
ient, in order to prevent delay in planting, etc., 
when the spring fairly opens. If there is snow, the 
manure may be hauled upon a sled, and save much 
labor in loading. Supply the stables with plenty 
of absorbents, iu order to save all the manure pos¬ 
sible. Fork over the manure-heap once a month, 
in order to facilitate decomposition. 
Foot-Grafting ought to be got out of the way 
as soon as possible, so that no delay will occur iu 
grafting trees in the open ground. 
Cions. — Cut when the tree is n®t frozen, and 
before the buds start, and if not needed at once, 
store in sawdust, moss, or sand, in the cellar. 
Washing and Scraping. — AVhen the weather is 
suitable, give the trees a thorough scraping, and 
afterwards apply a wash, made with soft-soap. 
Stocks, budded last year, should be cut back to 
within three inches of the bud. 
Fruit Garden. 
It is better to have the fruit garden separate from 
the kitchen garden, if one is able to do so, if for 
no other reason that the trees and bushes are liable 
to be broken in cultivating among the garden crops. 
Strawberries .—Prepare the ground for new plan¬ 
tations as soon as possible, and give the old beds a 
fresh supply of manure and work it in well between 
the rows. Set in rows two feet apart, with eighteen 
inches between the plants. 
Blackberries .—Set out in rows six feet apart, and 
allow from four to six feet between the plants, ac¬ 
cording to the variety. Cut the plants back to six 
inches before planting. The old plants should have 
their canes cut back to four or five feet. 
Faspberries .—Do not uncover too soon. Plant as 
soon as the weather will permit, setting the plants 
four feet apart each way. 
Grape-Vines may be pruned at any time in March, 
when the vines are not frozen, though it is always 
better to prune in the fall when possible. There 
are so many different ways to train a grape-vine, 
that each one can select the style which pleases him 
best, or adopt several methods. 
Cuttings of currants, gooseberries, etc., may be 
made now, and planted out in trenches prepared 
for them as soon as the weather permits. 
Dwarf Trees only should be admitted to the fruit 
garden proper. This is a good time to prune. 
Kitelaen Gardena. 
As usual at this season of the year we enumerate 
a few of the sorts of garden vegetables which 
are known to be good. The seed catalogues of the 
present day enumerate such large lists, that it is 
often difficult for a novice to select such sorts as 
will prove satisfactory. 
Hot-Beds .—Directions for making hot-beds have 
been given so often that it will not be necessary to 
repeat them here. They should bo prepared this 
month, and when the heat has subsided to 90% 
place two or three inches of soil over the manure ; 
after this has warmed through, sow the seeds in 
rows 3 or 4 inches apart. Admit air every mild 
day, and water whenever the soil becomes dry. 
During very cold nights cover the frames with 
straw-mats or shutters, to exclude the frost. 
