Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1844-02-24
N'rom The American AgricuhArist)
SOUTHERN CALENDER FOR
FEBRUARY.

HotsCh III
In the beginning Of this month repair all
your fences, and employ your men in cutting
up and rolling logs-and your woInen and
children in knocking down cotton. stalks,
when not Too large, with a stick, cutting corn.
stalks firing log-heaps, and burning chunks
and The brush that may have fallen from
trees,clearing up hollows, &C., aud be- in
readiness to blowing yoiir cot.
ton fields as soon as the season will admit.
By the latter end Of the month, If the weather
be favorable, keep as many ploughs running
as Is convenient when the earth Is in proper
condition. BY keeping busy at this season Of
the year, it will enable you to control your
crop, and give you time to do your work eff.
ectually, which is one half ofths battle.
If your land was in corn or cotton last year,
run off the o in the old water furrow with
a short pillow this year, using two horses and
running deep. Then, with 4 turning pillow,
throw 10 this two furrows, one from each side
in order to reverse the beds. Leave the
ground in this condition until a day or two
before you wish to plant, and then break out
the entire surface between the roWs-the
baulk. Prepare your ground and SOW your
tobacco seed, if you have not done il before.
Give to your cows boiled cotton seed, with
a little chopped corn added. 1t will give the
butter a rich favor and fine yellow color.
The seed must be well cooked which will
require but a few minutes. :
Mark off your sweet-potatoe ground some
time in this month with a double horse pillow,
and lett lie until it becomes well settled by
two or three rains.
If you have good grapevine. take care of III
and propagate others from it by cuttings and
layers, and its fruit will repay your labor. IF
you have not, buy one and plant it the present
spring. The second year after planting. ii
will produce you fruit which will increase
every year as the plant enlafges. The fruit
will be found to be wholesome and grateful,
and you will realize the pleasure of "sitiing
under gour oaon tiHs'' during the intense
heat Of summer. The native varieties most
worthy of cultivation, are the IzabelIa,
Whine, and Catawba. If you wish foreign
fruit, the s~weet-water, Chasselas, black
cluster, and Burgundy, are to be preferred.
A little experience will make YOU familiar
with their management.
As soon asthe black frdsts are over, which
~ust.ally occurs by the last ofthe month, and
the ground becomes sufficiently dry, the cover
ing 6fthe cane that was planted in autUui or
early WINTER snoul0 De reduced 10 one or Two
inches, by scfaping With hoes the earth from
the top ofthe drills toward the centres Of the
spaces between the rows. After this, the
hoes followed by the plows, should be passed
through the field about every ten days. in or
der to keep down the grass and weeds.
Should the season have been so backward
as to have prevented you from finishing plant
ing your sugaf-cane, it can be done az the
close bfthe month. Do not cover it at a depth
excesding two inches.
Sow all kinds Of early melons, cBcumbers
kidney beans, squashes, asparagus. radishes
lettuce, and garden crosses of seed. Sow
late dwarf peas and onion seed, carrots
~parsnips and red beets Sow tomatoes in hot
beds, or in boxes in the house, if the season
is backward the egg tomato and the colder
drop are the best kinds. A compost pigeon
dung and earth will give them an early start
This month is proper for grating the cleft
If your trees have not been %pruned, do it a
once. Set out fig trees-plant hop roots ant
all kind Of aromatic herbs. Set our cabbages
lettuce. carrots. ~parsnips turnips, &c, de
signed for next years seed. Sow oats, plan
Indian corn, and early Irish potatoes.