1880.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



141 



like what we in America want. Here we have 

 a furnace and boiler combined, with twenty feet 

 of four-inch pipe, and all the necessary fittings 

 complete for S25. It may be that there is al- 

 ready some contrivances of the kind in existence 

 in our country. If there is, it would, we thmk, 

 be profitable to advertise them. We are satis- 

 fied that if some cheap and easily managed 

 heating apparatus like this were introduced. 



small greenhouse or bay window plant culture 

 would rapidly increase. There is no one but 

 likes flowers about the house, if it be not too in- 

 convenient or expensive to care for them. 



Raffia Fibre.— Mr. Theo. Schuster, agent for 

 Mr. Wunderlich, places on our table a sample 

 of this fibre. It is very strong, and is much 

 better than anything we know for tying material 

 where strength and neatness is required. 



Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



In the cultivation of garden crops, the hoe 

 and rake should be kept continually at work. 

 Weeds should be taken in hand before they are 

 barely out of the seed-leaf, and one-half the 

 usual labor of vegetable gardening will be avoid- 

 ed. Hoeing or earthing up of most garden 

 crops is of immense advantage in nearly every 

 case. One would suppose that in our hot cli- 

 mate flat culture would be much more bene- 

 ficial ; but a fair trial, say on every other row of 

 a bed of cabbages, will show a great dilference in 

 favor of the earthed up plants. It would be 

 easy to explain the reason of this, but in this 

 column we try to confine ourselves to '' hints," 

 and leave reasons to our other departments. 



Cabbage, Cauliflower and Brocoli are now set 

 out for fall crops, and Endive sown for winter 

 salad. Lettuce also for summer and fall use. 

 This, however, must be sown in very rich soil, 

 and in a partially shaded situation, or it will go 

 to seed. Peas, beans, and other crops should be 

 sowed every two weeks. They do much better 

 than when a large crop is sown at one time, and 

 then have too many on at one time to waste. 



Melons, cucumbers, corn, okra, squash, beans, 

 sweet potatoes, Lima beans, pepper, egg-plants, 

 tomatoes, and other tender vegetables that do 

 well till the sun gets high, and the ground warm, 

 should go into the soil without delay. 



Bean poles should be set before the beans are 

 planted ; and near cities where they are com- 

 paratively high priced, their ends should be 

 charred. This will make them last some years. 

 Try also short stout poles for cucumbers and 



tomatoes. They do remarkably well this way. 



Fruit culture for profit has had to contend 

 with over-abundant crops the past year or two, 

 and the trees in such cases are weakened. Now, 

 this may be remedied by thinning out fruit in 

 infancy. This prevents a glut, gives finer fruit, 

 and saves the trees. 



Besides thinning the fruit, we should thin the 

 young branches. Handsome forms are as desira- 

 ble in fruit as in ornamental trees. Xo winter 

 pruning will do this exclusively. It ma}' furnish 

 the skeleton — but it is summer pinching which 

 clothes the bones with beauty. A strong shoot 

 soon draws all its nutriment to itself. Never 

 allow one shoot to grow that wants to be 

 bigger than others. Equality must be insisted 

 on. Pinch out always as soon as they appear 

 such as would push tob strongly ahead, — and 

 keep doing so till the new buds seem no stron- 

 ger than the others. Thus the food gets equally 

 distributed. 



Fruit growing primarily for pleasure, to follow 

 with plenty of good fruit, has been much encour- 

 aged by the greater success of the grape of late 

 years. There is much more interest in having 

 collections of varieties than there used to be. 



As to the best system of pruning grapes, there 

 are several "schools," all contending that their 

 views are " decidedly best." In such cases we 

 have generally found there is much to admire in 

 them all — situations a^d peculiar circumstances 

 deciding the point in each individual instance. 

 There are a few points incontrovertible to in- 

 sure success, and it matters little what system of 

 pruning is followed, so that they are secured. 

 First, a health}' set of roots of the previous year's 



