American agr tcui/ru rist. 
4,35 
18G8.] 
for the sake of economy of fodder aucl in the pro¬ 
duction of manure. We have repeatedly said, pine 
lumber is a great deal cheaper than hay as a means 
of warming stock, for fodder is little besides fuel, 
to maintain the internal heat in exposed animals. 
Morses .—We do not believe in keeping horses as 
warm as other stock in tire winter. Always rub 
down and blanket one that comes in wet or tired. 
Never expose a horse to drafts of air, or let him 
stand in the wind, if it can be helped, and if obliged 
to leave horses in the wind always blanket them. In 
the stable, pull off the blanket soon after a horse is 
cooled off. A horse ought to have a good portion 
of hay daily. High feeding without it gives him a 
neater barrel, but it is unnatural diet, and of course 
less healthful. The good grooming and regular 
care and exercise of city horses, and those fed in 
the same way, make good in a measure the defects 
of this diet, while farmers’ horses, that live on dry 
hay and corn stalks the winter through, and are 
only brushed off a little, to get the hay seed out of 
their foretops, Sundays, remain healthy (if they do) 
on account of their more natural fare. 
Swine .—As a rule, kill family pork when the 
weather becomes cold enough. It requires so 
much more feed to make a pound of pork in cold 
weather than when it is mild, that it will not pay 
to continue the fattening. Market hogs, if they 
have warm quarters, may be held for a short time if 
the markets are crowded, but it generally pays bet¬ 
ter to hold pork for a few days rather than swine, 
if the weather be cold, so that it will keep well. 
Sheep .—Feed so as to keep them gaining; if fat¬ 
tening, feed pretty freely, being careful that none 
get too much, and none too little grain. A sheep 
overfed a few days is apt to get seriously off its 
feed and run back so that it will hardly recover its 
former stand all winter. Litter the yards freely. 
Work in the Horticultural Departments. 
By the Almanac, this month closes the year. To 
the horticulturist there is no such abrupt division of 
time ; each month is linked with that which pre¬ 
ceded it, and with that which shall follow, and at 
present lie is much more inclined to look forwards 
than backwards. It is always well to look back a 
month or two and see if our notes do not suggest 
something that has been left undone—or forward a 
month, which will require turning to last January’s 
number, to find if matters are not indicated there 
which can be more favorably done now than at any 
other time. While wo would not disregard the les¬ 
sons of our successes or our failures, we mainly 
look towards the New Year in our plans for work. 
Snows and bad weather stop out-of-door labor, and 
we congratulate ourselves that at this season there 
is time to read, and think, and discuss. 
Orchard and Nursery. 
Wherever the condition of the soil will allow, ma¬ 
nure, plow, and subsoil, and prepare for planting. 
Heeled-in Trees should be made all safe for winter. 
If there is any danger of water settling around the 
roots, make a ditch to carry it off, and if, in the 
hurry of heeling-in, tire roots were not thoroughly 
covered, bank them up well with earth. Put no 
straw or other litter over the limbs, to harbor mice. 
Domestic Animals often do much damage to trees, 
especially young ones. Good fences and well- 
closed gates are a preventive against these, as well 
as those human vandals who think it their right to 
disregard roads when there is snow on the ground. 
Mice .—Various devices have been given to keep 
off these vermin—wrapping the tree with cloth or 
tarred paper, or surrounding it by a cylinder of tin, 
sheet iron, or two horse-slioe tiles, and putting a 
mound of earth around the tree about a foot high. 
If the soil of the orchard is light, clay or stiff loam 
is sometimes carted on for the purpose. Clear 
away weeds and litter of all kinds from around the 
tree, and if the earth protection is used, trample 
the snow hard after each fall. 
Rabbits .—Use traps and guns. Sprinkling the 
trees with blood is said to be effectual, as is the 
above-mentioned use of tarred paper. Laths bound 
on with annealed wire are also used. 
Water should not stand upon the surface; opeii 
ditches to let off such accumulations. 
Old Orchards are better pruned in winter than to 
be neglected altogether. Old and decaying limbs 
are to be cut out altogether, as well as those that 
crowd one another. Others arc to be headed back 
to get anew growth. Where large cuts are made 
they should be covered with melted grafting wax. 
Cions , for root-grafting this winter, or stock- 
grafting in the spring, may bo cut wherever the 
wood is not frozen. Label carefully after tying in 
convenient bundles. Sawdust is the best material 
for packing. Where there are but few they will 
keep well in a close tin box, or tight glass jar, with 
no packing, if kept in a cellar or other cool place. 
Manure maj 7 be applied to the orchard. Good rich 
compost is the best. Long or littery manure should 
never be put near small trees, to harbor mice. 
Fruit .—Watch that in the fruit room or cellar, 
and as its period of ripening approaches, bring it 
into a warm room to finish the process. Send off 
fruit to market before softening begins. 
Root-grafting may occupy the time when out-door 
work cannot be done. It is best to work at but 
one variety at a time, to avoid mixing. 
What to Plant may well be considered in time. 
Get all possible neighborhood experience. During 
the winter, especially at tlie West, there will be 
numerous pomologieal meetings; attend these, if 
possible, hear discussions, see fruits, and talk with 
fruit growers. Read works on pomology, and be 
able to make an intelligent selection of fruits for 
spring planting, for home use, or for marketing. 
Labels.--A. good stock of these should be made 
during the winter months,—some notched to receive 
a wire by which to fasten them to trees, and others 
pointed at one end to enter the earth. Have one 
side, at least, smooth. Pine will last one season in 
the ground ; if desired for a longer time, use cedar. 
Smear the place to be written on with white lead 
paint or linseed oil, and write with a soft pencil. 
Fruit Garden. 
The care of trees in the fruit garden is the same 
as mentioned for young trees in the orchard. 
Bush and Pyramid Trees must not be allowed to 
become injured by accumulations of snow. 
Protection is to be given to all plants requiring it. 
Raspberries of the tender sorts are to be covered 
with earth, as are grape vines where protection is 
needed. Cover the earth around strawberry plants, 
but do not cover the plants themselves too heavily. 
Straw, bog-hay, or corn-stalks are used for this 
purpose, and when it can be obtained, “Pine 
straw,” or fallen pine leaves, answers. 
Grape Vines .—Finish up the pruning in mild 
weather. Save such wood as is needed for propa¬ 
gation, See last month’s notes on pruning. * 
Kitcheii Garden. 
Crops that have been harvested should be looked 
after and made secure, and roots, celery, etc., in 
pits and trenches have a covering proportioned to 
the severity of l he weather. 
Parsnips, Horseradish, and Salsify.—A good por 
tion of the crop of these is usually left in the 
ground, to be dug in early spring or during mild 
spells in the winter. By covering the beds with 
litter the freezing up may be postponed, and the 
season of digging prolonged. 
Spinach, Kale, Leeks, and other crops left in the 
"-round in Northern localities need a covering of 
straw, leaves, or some other similar matter. 
Cabbages .—Cover the inserted heads with earth, 
if not already done. The earth should be about six 
inches deep over the heads, and the edges pointed 
and smoothed with a spade so as to shed rain. 
Cold Frames must not on mild days be allowed to 
become hot frames. There will be but few days 
on which the plants will not need air, and many 
on which the sash may be kept off until night. 
Tools .—Many conveniences of the garden may be 
made during the winter. Arrange for a tool-house 
in some convenient place, if there is not one already. 
Manure is the gardener’s main care in winter. 
Every town and village allows valuable fertilizers 
to go to waste, as does almost every farm. Have 
an eye to the various factories, breweries, and the 
like, in the neighborhood, and see what their waste 
products are. It often happens that good fertiliz¬ 
ers may be had for the expense of carting. 
Seeds .—If any are not put away, thrash or rub 
out, label, and put in a safe place. Overhaul old 
stock, and keep none, the vitality or identity of 
which is doubtful. Those who purchase largely 
should be prepared to order early, as some kinds, 
seedsmen inform us, are likely to be very scarce. 
Flower Gardeu sm«l Luwii, 
There is usually more or less clearing up to be 
done of the remains of those vines and herbaceous 
plants which, after a long struggle, have at last 
yielded to heavy frosts. Take timely care of 
Trellises, and all supports of a movable character. 
They should be put undercover, and permanent 
ones repaired and painted; if they require it. 
Bulb Beds , whether new or old, if not already 
covered, should be protected by coarse manure. 
Protection, with a covering of earth, will enable 
many half-hardy Roses, Wistarias, etc., to winter 
safely much further north than they would if left 
exposed upon the trellises. 
Herbaceous Perennials, such as Pseonies, Phloxes, 
Dicentras, and the like, come out all the better in 
spring for a forkful of manure as a winter blanket. 
Half-hardy Shrubs, deciduous as well as ever¬ 
green, do much better with some cedar boughs tied 
or stuck around them, than in the old way of bun¬ 
dling them in straw, and with less trouble. 
Snow will often break down or bend out of shape 
evergreens and dense masses of shrubbery. Shake 
out the snow before it becomes icy. 
Rustic Work affords pleasant occupation for the 
winter. Scats for the garden should be solid and 
substantial. Vases and baskets ought to display 
taste without being painfully elaborate in design. 
Cold Frames, in which Roses, Verbenas, and other 
half hardy plants are stored for the winter, will need 
careful management. These plants will endure a 
low temperature, and even a slight freezing, pro¬ 
vided they are perfectly dormant. Endeavor to 
preserve an uniformly low temperature, by airing 
by day and covering at night. 
Chrysanthemums that have been potted for house- 
blooming should be cut back when they have pass¬ 
ed out of flower, and the pots stored in a cellar or 
shed, if it is desirable to preserve the roots for 
spring propagation. They are easily multiplied. 
Green an«I BBol-IIoai^es. 
Heat, air, water, and insects, are the principal 
things to be managed in this department. 
Heat must of course be governed by the nature 
of the plants. Amateurs are apt to keep the house 
too warm, especially at night. There should be 
about 15° difference between the day and night 
temperature, the change being gradual. 
Air is to be given whenever the outside temper¬ 
ature will allow the ventilators to be opened. 
Water .—The frequency with which this will be 
required will depend upon the temperature. Where 
the house is large enough to warrant it, a force 
pump and hose will save much labor in watering. 
Insects .—Tobacco smoke is the main reliance to 
kill the green fly, and the red spider lias a horror 
of showering. The thumb aud finger will do much. 
Bulbs in pots should be brought from their cool 
quarters, a few at a time, for a succession. 
Sods .—The basis of good potting soil is well-de¬ 
composed sods. These may be collected now in a 
mild spell, and stacked up, laying the grass sides 
together, to decay. This is a stock of which one 
can hardly have too much, and the heap of it 
should be increased at every favorable opportunity. 
