78 



THE GARDENER' S MO.\ 1111. ) 



[A/<i,r/,, 



beforo tho hpfrinninpf of next month, if the 

 jjjround is not too wot; many phmt Cabbage be- 

 tween the Potato rows. 



Onions are better put in early, but the ground 

 <ui£jht to be dry, and trodden or beaten firm when 

 the sets are phmted; the ground ought not to 

 have rank manure — wood aslies and pure un- 

 duiiized loam will alone produce an excellent 

 crop. 



To have Turnip.s good in Spring they must be 

 sown very early ; they arc hardy, and must be 

 put in as soon ji.s the ground ^an be caught 

 right. 



Parsley delights in a rich gravelly loam, and 

 should be sown very early. 



Parsnips, another crop which should receive 

 early attention, also delights in a deep gravelly 

 soil, but detests rank manure. 



I^ettuce and Radishes continue to sow at 

 intervals. 



Herbs of all kinds are best attended to at this 

 season — a good collection is a good thing. 



The Carrot will thi-ive in soil similar to the 

 Beet; lime is an excellent manure for it — we 

 use Long Orange. Celery may be sown about 

 the end of the month, in a bed of very light rich 

 soil, and Tomatoes, Egg Plants and Peppers 

 sown in pots or boxes, and forwarded. It is as 

 bad to be too early with these as too late, as they 

 become stunted. 



In vegetable garden culture it must be remem- 

 bered that we have to operate the reverse of 

 fruit culture. A woody growth is what we 

 require for fruit trees ; but we need for vege- 

 tables a soft, spongy, succulent character, the 

 very reverse of this. For this end the ground 

 cannot be too deep, too rich, or too much culti- 

 vated. The hoe and the rake should be kept 

 continually going, loosening the surface and 

 admitting "air and light," as the old books used 

 to say. There is not only an advantage in this 

 for the direct benefit of the plant, but an early 

 use of these tools keeps down the weeds, and 

 thus we save labor. It is a great thing to be 

 "forehanded" in the weed war. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



FRUIT NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA. 



BY JAMES SIIINX, NILES, CAL. 



I shall at present confine my observations to 

 that portion of the State with which I am most 

 familiar — the counties of Alameda and Santa 

 Clara, embracing the great vallev which extends 



from San Pueblo on the north to (Jilroy on the 

 south. This district, embracing over one thou- 

 sand square miles, is one of the most important 

 fruit sections of the State. All the fruits of the 

 temperate climes are grown in perfection, and 

 many of the so-called semi-tropical. 



The climate is varied and nmch modified by 

 the ocean winds, which are chiefly felt in tln^ 

 northern portion, lying near the bay of San 

 P'rancisco. The southern portion is warmer and 

 drier, hence produces earlier fruit. It may be 

 safely said that the whole district under cultivjv- 

 tion ])roduces in great perfection apples, pears. 

 l)eaches, plums, cherrifs, the leading nuts, etc. 



Very large quantities of the small fruits art- 

 grown. The vicinity of the San J^orenzo Creek 

 has proved the best soil for currants, the Cherry 

 being the leading variety, as the Red Dutch does 

 not succeed. San Jose, Santa Clara and vicinity 

 supply most of the strawberries used in San 

 Francisco and the interior towns. The British 

 Queen, an old favorite, has been discarded, and 

 now^ Peabody's Seedling takes the lead. The 

 new Monarch of the "West is coming into favor. 

 Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries grow 

 well everywhere. The foreign varieties of grape 

 do extremely well in the foothills of this entire 

 region, and over much of the valley, but are dis- 

 posed to mildew near the bay. This can be pre- 

 vented by using ^a trellis to keep the vines off 

 the ground. The favorite kinds are Black Ham- 

 burg, Malvaise, Rose de Peru, Flame Tokay. 

 Mu-scat of Alexandria, Chasselas, &c. 



Figs, pomegranates, olives, lemons, limes and 

 oranges have been grown, of excellent quality, 

 and it is not unreasonable to expect large 

 orchards of thtese at no very distant day. In 

 some sheltered places we have even fruited the- 

 banana ; but this is a rare event. 



The apple is extensively grown in this entire 

 section, and in great variety. The size attained 

 by many varieties is larger, perhaps, than in any 

 other part of the State ; but apples grown with 

 us are somewhat lacking in that sprightly acid 

 which characterizes the same varieties when 

 grown in more mountainous regions. They are 

 also lacking in keeping qualities. With few 

 exceptions, the Winter apples of the East ripen 

 in the Fall or early Winter. The following 

 apples have succeeded best with us : Early 

 Harvest, Red Astracan, Summer Queen, Ameri- 

 can Summer Pearmain, Gravenstein, Fall Pippin , 

 Holland Pippin. Washington Strawberry. Maiden 

 Blush, Smith Cider. Yellow Belletlower, Rhode- 



