Dear Sir: I am quite an admirer of your monthly calendar of operations, and hope you will not quarrel with me for saying that I consider it the very best part of your work. I think, however, that a little more care exercised in its compilation or composition would aid the credit of its author, and increase its already extensive usefulness. I would not have it supposed that I make these remarks in any carping spirit; the errors that we occasionally see committed, are evidently the result of haste, which the writer himself would I am sure observe if a little more care were bestowed on his efforts. It struck me that as a new year was about to commence, it would be a good time to make the suggestion, which I am sure will be received in the spirit in which it is offered.

As an instance of what I refer to, a recent calendar taught that fall planting was much to be preferred; but that unless it was performed early it was objectionable - all of which I consider very orthodox. In the November No. we have the idea continued: "Trees may yet be planted in sheltered situations," but "the ground must be thoroughly prepared." "To prepare the ground the practice is much commended to prepare the holes now, throwing out the soil and leaving it exposed to be acted on by frosts; by that means it will obtain a friability not otherwise easily obtained." The writer must admit that waiting for the frost to mellow the soil, is an ill method of effecting early fall planting. Even as a preparation for spring planting I should be disposed to join issue, and take my position on the ground of its being all moonshine; it has the shadow of rationality in its favor, but little if anything more. Formerly, great stress was placed on the necessity of summer fallowing and winter freezing in preparing the soil for the service of the husbandman; but these ideas are now pretty generally laid aside as relics of the barbaric age of agriculture. In the case of light soils fall ploughing is universally considered by our most scientifically practical agriculturists, as positively injurious.

In very stiff or wet soils the practice of fall ploughing continued longer in favor, until it was found that such soil so treated, was heavier in summer, when lightness and friability were much needed, than the same soil ploughed in spring. This led to investigation of the causes, and it was discovered that the frost - the power that disintegrated the soil, and, for the time being, rendered it friable - also decomposed the numerous vegetable fibres, roots of weeds, and past crops; and thus had an injurious influence on that summer friability of much greater importance. But the more modern, and as I think more accurate conclusion is, that all such treatment of soils is mere cobbling, and unworthy of our age. If gentlemen wish to render soils friable, they now do it firstly by draining, then by adding silicious and vegetable substances. Depend upon it, if you are about to plant a tree in a soil, which frost will have a beneficial effect on in the way of rendering it friable, you had better not plant it. In such a soil, first get it drained, then go to the nearest woods and get a wheelbarrowful of decayed leaves, and to the public road for a barrow of well washed sand to mix with your stiff soil, then you may go ahead without hesitation.

The mechanical constitution of the soil is a matter of first importance, and in such an affair as tree planting should be performed in a thorough and lasting manner. Turning it up to freeze is but a very temporary affair at the best, and unworthy of being considered a commendable practice.

I have chosen this subject to remark on, because I think the recommendation of your correspondent in this case, shows less of that haste to which I frequently refer what I deem errors in his advice. I remember with what hesitation our hard-fisted gardeners received his recommendation to banish the rake from their collection of tools, because raking soils fine made it bake in dry weather. They very justly thought that soils that were of a nature to bake when finely raked, would bake nevertheless, no matter in how rough a state the soil might be left after cropping; and that the proper mode of procedure would be rather to ameliorate the soil, than to take revenge on the harmless implement.