deep soil, and a top dressing of guano every spring adds greatly to the size of 

 the fruit. 



Look over your cherry-trees, and see that none of them suffer from being hide 

 bound. If they look unnaturally small in any part of the trunk, and swollen in 

 other parts, you may be sure this is the case ; and if you do not relieve it by slit- 

 ting the outer bark with your knife, the tree will soon decline. Old cherry-trees 

 are very much improved in health and productiveness by shortening-in the long 

 branches at this season of the year, thus forcing them to make some thrifty new 

 shoots. 



Plum-trees like a moist soil. I have found that covering the ground four inches 

 deep with old spent tan-hark, is a good way of preserving the moisture, and keep- 

 ing the tree in health. I scatter fresh lime thickly over the surface of the tan 

 every year, as soon as the green fruit begins to fall. This kills every curculio that 

 attempts to enter the ground. The tan prevents the weeds from growing, keeps 

 the roots cool, and insures me good crops of plums. I spread it as far as the 

 roots extend, and it wants renewing, or adding to, once in three or four years. 



Don't indulge in the folly of hilling up all the plants you raise in your kitchen 

 garden. If you study nature, you will see that, as plants grow older, the roots at 

 the base of the stem always incline to raise out of the earth ; from which it is 

 clear that they prefer not to be wholly buried up in it. Besides, unless it is a 

 plant that dislikes moisture, you lose half the benefit of the summer showers by 

 piling up a hill over the roots to turn off the rain. It is much better to loosen 

 the ground thoroughly, and keep it nearly level. 



Liquid manure is of great advantage to crops in a growing state ; but it has 

 double the usual effect if applied in damp and cloudy weather. 



In raising hedges, the great point is to get breadth at the bottom. It is easy 

 enough to get a hedge high enough ; but if you let it run up without cutting it 

 back, so as to make a broad and thick base, you can never make that base broad 

 and thick afterwards. Shorten back, therefore,'lill you achieve what you want at 

 the bottom, and the top will afterwards take care of itself 



If you find any of your favorite fruit-trees are failing from dryness of the season, 

 or heat of the sun, cover the surface of the ground two or three inches deep with 

 straw. Indeed, nothing benefits any delicate tree so much, in this climate, as 

 keeping the roots in a uniform temperature, by this coat of straw laid on the 

 surface of the ground. 



There are few trees such gross feeders as the grape-vine. Soap suds and liquid 

 manure, applied every week, will give an amount of luxuriance and a weight of 

 fruit, on a single vine, that seem almost incredible. I have seen an Isabella Grape 

 produce 3,000 fine clusters of well ripened fruit in a single season, by the liberal 

 use of manure, and soap suds from the weekly wash. 



If you wish to bring fruit-trees into bearing at an early age, pinch off the ends 

 of the shoots now, and again at the end of six weeks. This accumulates the sap, 

 and the surplus becomes fruit buds for the next season. 



The secret of neatness and economy in summer culture of a garden, is to stir 

 the ground often. It is a trifling task to destroy an acre of weeds, if you take 

 them half an inch high, but a very laborious undertaking to get them subdued, 

 if they once are allowed to make strong roots, and leaves of full size. 



An old Digger. 



