56 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
ings two kinds, one large and ripening in October, the 
other of medium size, deeper green, and ripening too 
late for exposed situations ; the Gill-flowers , white and 
black, good s apples; the Rear mains, generally known and 
esteemed; the Swaar apple, one of the finest of fruits, 
large and high flavored, and deserving a place in every 
orchard; the Roxbury Russet, keeping well and of good 
flavor; with others that are known and esteemed in par 
ticular sections of the country. 
To the cider apples mentioned above may be added 
the Golden Harvey, called the brandy apple on account 
of the flavor of the liquor made from it; Knight’s Sibe¬ 
rian Harvey, from the Golden Harvey and Siberian 
crab, and produces liquor of the extraordinary gravity 
of 1091; and Hewes’ Virginia Crab, the qualities of 
which are much the same as Hagloe’s, and from which 
the highly prized Crab cider is made. 
It will be seen at once that there is a great variety of 
excellent apples to select from, and that while grafting 
is so easily performed, and the best kinds of fruit are 
accessible, there can be no excuse for growing fruit that 
hogs will not eat, or encumbering the ground with trees 
that bear little or no fruit. 
Work for the Month. 
If the meadow grounds of the farmer are not natu 
rally free from stones, one of the first things that require 
his attention, after the frost has left the ground, and it 
has become settled, is carefully to pick up all stones 
that appear, and which if left will be in the way of the 
scythe or the rake. Besides the vexation and loss of 
having your man half the time employed in grinding or 
sharpening stoned scythes, there will be the additional 
loss arising from these stones not permitting the mower 
to approach the surface with his implement, where, if 
the bottom is white clover, the best of the grass is found. 
Gather all these stones, and use them in filling in blind 
drains, for which there is much necessity on almost 
every farm; but if you do not want them in drains, pile 
them ; they are less hurtful almost any where than in the 
meadow. 
In the spring of the year much benefit may be derived 
from what is termed waste water; that is the water 
that flows over the surface without being absorbed. All 
such waters contain more or less vegetable and animal 
matter which if allowed to subside, forms one of the most 
fertilizing materials. As proof of this, wrn need only re¬ 
fer to the sediment deposited by large rivers, as the Nile 
or the Mississippi. If such spring waters are allowed 
to flow oft' rapidly, they carry these fertilizing matters 
with them ; if they are made to pass off slowly, or are 
spread over a large surface, these particles are deposi¬ 
ted or intercepted, and their value retained. The wash 
of roads in the spring is peculiarly rich, and every pre¬ 
caution should be taken to secure the advantage they 
afford. It is almost a criminal negligence in the farmer 
to allow the vmste of the roads, yards, &c. to be lost to 
the farm. A thorough irrigation with such waters 
will hardly fail of leaving as large a quantity of the 
salts of lime and fertilizing matter on the soil, as an or¬ 
dinary dressing with manure. In this way every far¬ 
mer may and should make important savings. 
Dairy cows demand particular attention this month, to 
keep them from falling away. A cow that is turned into 
the pastures in May in good flesh and condition, is worth 
one month more to the dairyman than another cow 
equally good for milk, that has lived through the winter 
by hook or by crook, and which instead of giving the 
product of the first month’s feed in milk, is obliged to 
appropriate it to the formation of flesh and the gaining 
of strength lost by the poverty of the winter’s keeping. 
Roots now show their value. Half a bushel of carrots, 
ruta baga, and we presume sugar beet, though we have 
never tried them, will materially aid the animal, and 
daily add to the quantity of milk. Carrots we like the 
best of any roots for milch cows; but ruta baga, if the 
roots are sound and fresh, and given with a little salt, 
will not injure dairy products. 
Trees may be transplanted in this month with every 
prospect of success, where reasonable attention is paid 
to them. As the nourishment of trees is derived from 
the fibrous roots, as many of these must be leit as pos¬ 
sible when the tree is taken up. The practice is too 
common in transplanting trees to dig a small hole, and 
then cut off the roots in order to force the tree in. The 
fine roots are lost in this w T ay, except in very young 01 
small trees, a.nd a failure of many must be expected. 
The root of a tree should never be dried from the time 
it is taken from the earth till it is re-planted. To pre¬ 
vent drying, nursery men in packing them use moss, 
saw r -dust, &c., substances that retain water with great 
tenacity, and thus preserve the roots moist for a long 
period. ” . 
April is a good month for the application ol plaster 
to plants. Experience serves to show that profuse ap¬ 
plications of this substance are useless, and that a 
bushel and a half, or two bushels, will usually produce 
as much effect as five or ten. The finer it is ground the 
better ; and there is always the most effect observable 
when the grains or the grasses on which it is used, have 
started sufficiently to cause a considerable part of the 
dust to be deposited on the leaves. Plaster is of no 
value on wet clay lands. Sandy or gravelly soils feel 
plaster the most, and it is on such too that ashes do the 
most good. On such soils the growth of clover and its 
kindred grasses, lucerne and sainfoin, is astonishingly 
increased by plaster, and no good farmer will deprive 
himself of its aid. 
Sowing grass-seeds on winter gfain" is generally per¬ 
formed this month, and is perhaps as well as if done 
earlier. The ground is now moist, there are frequent 
rains that assist in covering the seeds, the spring soon 
begins to have some influence, and the vegetation is 
more likely to succeed than if delayed until the young 
plants, before being rooted, would be exposed to the 
heat and drouth of summer. Farmers are rarely libe¬ 
ral enough in the use of grass seeds. Lands but half 
seeded can give but half a crop of meadow or pasture ; 
and as a large portion of the soil is left uncovered, the 
seeds of noxious weeds find a resting place and get root 
where they would not, if occupied by useful plants. 
One of the most essential operations of the farm is 
plowing, and on most farms the greater part of this is 
performed for spring crops, as they are called. If this 
business is not done well, or if the soil is not in a proper 
condition for plowing, poor crops may be expected.— 
Soils that are gravelly or sandy may be plowed almost 
at any time, but those that are retentive or clayey, 
should never be plowed for crops while wet, as a part 
is converted into mortar in the operation, and does not 
recover itself from this state till some months have 
elapsed, and frosts and atmospheric changes have acted 
upon it. It is not uncommon where clay soils have 
been cultivated a long time, to find a stratum of earth at 
the depth to which the plow usually penetrates almost 
as hard and impenetrable as stone. This is occasioned 
by the repeated action of the plow, where the soil was 
too wet, in compressing and smoothing the particles be¬ 
low the share. In England it has been found very use¬ 
ful to break up this pan with a plow running deeper 
than ordinary ones. If this is thrown up when dry, and 
pulverized by frosts in the coming winter, a greater 
depth is given to the soil; and wffien properly manured, 
the crops are materially improved. Such deep plowing 
has in some respects the effect of spading; but neither 
deep plowing or spading the soil, can produce good 
crops in the first instance, unless all is rendered fine 
and thoroughly incorporated with manures. 
Spring wheat is one of the crops that must be attend¬ 
ed to this month. It must be sown as soon as the 
ground can be fitted for its reception. It grows best on 
lands new and rich, but land that will grow good winter- 
wheat will also grow good spring wheat. The land 
should be clean, and it therefore does best after well 
manured hoed crops. It does very well after peas, or 
on a clover ley, if clean and rich. Heavy manuring the 
crop itself is prejudicial, as it gives more straw than 
will fill well; the manure therefore intended for a spring 
wheat crop should be given to the preceding crop of 
corn or roots. Spring wheat does best on a dry soil 
when turned in w-ith a light furrow, harrowed smooth, 
and rolled. The cultivator is a good instrument to cover 
spring wheat; but on all grounds where there is the 
least danger of surface water from spring rains, furrows 
must be made by the plow to conduct it off, as few crops 
are more fatally injured by standing water than spring 
wheat. 
The Garden. 
Though the month of April is too early for much 
gardening in the open air, still there are manj r opera¬ 
tions which may be advantageously performed, and 
some seeds should be planted, particularly such as are 
not liable to be injured by frosts. If the ground is of 
the nature most proper for a garden, or if it has been 
brought into such a state by skilful Cultivation, it will 
be in a condition in the course of the month to receive 
some seeds, and be partially fitted for the reception of 
others. As a general rule, however, nothing is gained 
by putting seeds into the ground too early in the season, 
or before the temperature is sufficient to promote ordi¬ 
nary vegetation. Seeds put in early may eventually 
vegetate, but they rarely produce as vigorous, thrifty 
plants as those that spring quick and under a more fa¬ 
vorable temperature. 
Lettuces may be sowed early, and some English gar¬ 
deners have recommended that a bed be fitted and sow¬ 
ed as late in the fall as possible, as such seeds will 
appear and grow on the first opening of the spring. 
We have not found such plants, or those that are self- 
sown, materially earlier than those grown from seeds 
planted in the spring on ground fitted for their reception 
at the time. Lettuces require little attention, other than 
being kept clean, and when heads are desired, properly 
thinning the plants for this purpose. All farmers, how¬ 
ever, should have a small iorcing or hot bed to grow 
early lettuces, &c. The expense is little, and the value 
of early vegetables in the family great. 
Radishes are a plant that will admit of early sowing, 
and very desirable for the table. It is not as safe from 
frosts as lettuce, but if such are apprehended a covering 
of matting on these or other similar plants wall secure 
them. A radish bed should be made with horse manure, 
fresh from the stables, well mixed with good garden 
mould. While growing the ground must be frequently 
stirred and kept loose about them, as well as carefully 
free from weeds. The more rapid the growth of a 
radish the more crisp and excellent it of course wall be. 
Carrots too, are plants the seeds of which for garden 
culture may be sown early. The ground must be made 
fine, and the seeds sown in drills ten or twelve inches 
apart. The seed must be covered half an inch deep in 
the earth. Carrots require a deep soil, or the roots will 
be branched and inferior. Beets require similar treat¬ 
ment with carrots; but it is better to sow the last at dif¬ 
ferent times, as the later sown ones, if matured, will be 
kept over the winter for culinary purposes the best. 
Beets and carrots will sometimes shoot up for seed the 
first season. When this occurs, they should at once be 
pulled and given to cattle or pigs, as they are unfit for 
the table, all such plants being hard and w'oody. 
Onions should be cultivated in every kitchen garden; 
they must like carrots be sown in drills twelve inches 
apart, the ground very fine, and the seeds put in shallow, 
simple covering being all that is required. If manure 
is used on the beds, it must be thoroughly rotted, and 
the ground worked fine at least five inches deep. If the 
seed is good and they are well sowm, they are usually 
up in about a fortnight. We have known a farmer who 
raised very fine onions, who made his beds early, and 
let them remain until all the seeds of weeds near the 
surface had sprouted. He then covered the beds with 
straw about a foot in depth as evenly as possible, and 
then burnt it over. The result was a fine dressing of 
charcoal and ashes, and a complete destruction of all 
surface weeds or seeds, and such insects as w r ere pre¬ 
sent. The onion seeds were immediately put in in 
shallow drills, and the weeds at subsequent dressings 
were easily subdued. Onions are one of the few things 
that seem to contradict the theory of rotation. In S co 
land they have been grown for more than a century on 
the same spot, withoutany diminution of crop ; and the 
experience of the Weathersfield onion growers would 
seem to prove that a change of location is not best for 
this plant. In a good soil, onions should be thick in the 
drill, as they crowd one another from the ground, do not 
grow as large, and ripen earlier and better than when 
at greater distances. 
A few potatoes may be usually pot in the ground the 
latter part of this month without much danser of their 
being nipped by frost; although to risque any consider¬ 
able quantity W'ould be unadvisable. If planted it 
should be done pretty deep, as the plants will take a 
firm root, and be longer in showing themselves than 
when shallow planting is used. 
Peas should be sown this month, and as they are ge¬ 
nerally much esteemed, considerable space may be 
allotted to them. A moderately rich soil is best for 
peas; in one too rich there will be more vines than pods, 
and the pea will not be as productive. Garden peas 
must be sown in drills, covered 2| or 3 inches deep; the 
distance between the rows to be determined by the 
height to which the kind sown usually grows. Thus 
the tall marrowfat should be four feet apart; the dwarf 
marrowfat three feet; early frame pea two and a half 
feet; and the dwarf blue Prussian two feet. There can 
be no great advantage in sowing many kinds, but some 
two or three may be advisable. Repeated sowings of 
the best kinds will secure a continued supply. 
Where there is no forcing beds for cabbages, a piece 
of ground in a warm and sheltered situation may be dug 
up, thoroughly incorporated with manure, and seeds to 
produce plants for transplanting sowm upon it. They 
will rarely be injured by frosts after coming up, and 
will be much earlier than if let alone till the usual time 
of planting. There are many varieties of this plant, and 
pains should be taken to have a succession of them 
from the earliest fit for culinary purposes to those 
intended for fall or winter’s use. A late variety of 
cabbage if sown early, or an early variety allowed to 
stand after maturity, is apt to crack open and become 
worthless. This is perhaps more the case with the 
drumhead, which is the common kind, than any other. 
The early York, imperial, sugar loaf, &c. are good vari¬ 
eties for the table, and valuable vegetables to cultivate. 
The cabbage plat is an important part of the kitchen 
garden, and should receive particular attention. 
In this month strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries 
and currants should be removed when necessary, trim¬ 
med or transplanted, as is required. A strawberry bed 
is an essential requisite in every garden, and the farmer 
who loves a supply of this delicious Iruit, or does not 
wish to have his grass lands trampled over by children 
in pursuit of the inferior wild varieties, will not neglect 
to allot a part of his garden to this fruit. As a market 
fruit perhaps there is none equal to it for certainty of 
growth and profit. A hedge of the common black rasp¬ 
berry on one side of a garden, will furnish a supply of 
good fruit, in most cases earlier, and by some preferred 
to the kinds usually cultivated in gardens. Neither, 
however, should be neglected. 
The transplanting of trees is an important part of the 
operations of the spring, though not strictly appertain¬ 
ing to the garden, except so far as fruit trees are con¬ 
cerned. Few are aw-are of the value given to a place 
by having the grounds planted with useful or ornamen¬ 
tal trees, independent of the pleasure which every per¬ 
son of taste must feel in their observation. The spring 
is the best time for the removal of most trees, and trans¬ 
planting should be performed before the leaves have 
expanded or the circulation complete, as in such case 
the quantity of sap required is more than the disturbed 
and mutilated roots can supply. Trees taken from the 
forest require more care than from nurseries or open 
fields. Evergreens must be removed later than other 
kinds, or the operation is not apt to succeed. The 
fruit garden is one of the most useful and profitable 
parts of tlie farm, when the trees are well selected and 
cultivated, and particular pains should be taken to se¬ 
cure this result by selections from the best nurseries and 
varieties. 
Currants and Gooseberries. 
A supply of this valuable fruit contributes much to 
the comfort of the farmer, and its cultivation should 
not be neglected. Currants are good made into pies, 
served up with sugar, the juice may be converted into 
