78 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[March, 



and ribs of the leaves, and then peg down the 

 leaf on sand or light soil, and little plants will 

 form from the severed portion. It is best to have 



the sand of a temperature of 60° or 70° to have 

 the best success. The more shrubby kinds are 

 raised from cuttings of the stems. 



Mruit and "Vegetable Gardening. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



There is notliing so worries the editor of a 

 Magazine like this, as questions as to what va- 

 rieties of fruit it is best to plant ; for every locality 

 has a favorite list of its own. The editor of this 3/(7^- 

 azine has had a wide experience, there being few 

 localities over this great country that he has not 

 had some personal knowledge of, and yet he 

 ■would not dare to give a list for any one place 

 ■without feeling sure to raise up a host of observ- 

 ers, who would be sure they would not plant 

 Buch a list on any account. We may say, how- 

 ever, that we believe there is not near as much 

 "adaptability" required in varieties, as people 

 think for. 



A very imperfect trial, perhaps with weak 

 plants, or under bad treatment, or perhaps some 

 exceptionable unfavorable seasons or circum- 

 stances, have given a variety a bad name, that 

 really deserved a better ftite. We know how- 

 very local the Triomphe de Gand strawberry 

 ■was supposed to be, and yet it became a good 

 stand-by, and the Jucunda was actually discarded 

 by some of our best cultivators, before the late 

 ■war. Knox found good in it, a decision that has 

 been abundantly confirmed. If the plant be 

 healthy and the system of culture not an exhaus- 

 tive one on the constitution of the plant, we 

 ■woulci not hesitate to try in most localities kinds 

 that had been found reliable in others. 



In fruit growing, remember that fruits are like 

 grain and vegetable crops, in this, that they must 

 have manure to keep up fertility. Unlike vege- 

 tables and grain, however, their feeding roots are 

 mostly at the surface. It is best, therefore, an- 

 nually to top-dress fruit trees. If manure can- 

 not be had, any fresh earth from ditches or road- 

 sides, spread half an inch or so under the trees, 

 ■will have a wonderful effect. Indeed, we do not 

 kno-w but that for the pear tree a thin layer of 



road sand is one of the best manures. We have 

 seen apples thrive amazingly with a coating of 

 coal-ashes. 



Whitewashing the stems of orchard trees has 

 a very beneficial effect in clearing away old bark 

 and destroying the eggs of innumerable insects. 

 The Avhite color is bad; throw in a little soot or 

 some other matter to make it brown. In green- 

 houses sulphur has been found of benefit in 

 keeping down mildew. Possibly, if mixed with 

 the whitewash in tree-dressing it might do good 

 against fire-blight, and such like fungoid troubles. 



In planting fruit trees aim to have them so 

 that the hot, dry sun will not have full effect 

 on the ground about the roots. The great heat 

 in this way injures the trees. !Many who have 

 trees in gardens, plant raspberries under them. 

 The partial shade seems to be good for the rasp- 

 berries and helps the trees. Blackberries would, 

 no doubt, do well in the same situation ; and 

 strawberries it is well known, do not do badly, 

 grown in the same way. 



This is a busy season south of Peimsylvania in 

 the vegetable garden. Here Ave must wait till 

 the end of the month, and northward still later. 

 The crops noted will, of course, be dependent on 

 the arrival of the season, which is rather indicated 

 by the ground becoming warm and dry, than by 

 the almanac. It is very important to have crops 

 early; as soon as the ground is, therefore, in 

 good condition put in the seed. Possibly a cold 

 rain might come and injure them, and you may 

 lose, and have to make a new sowing. Even so, 

 it is but the loss of the seed and labor, while if 

 the seed do 7iot die, the early crop will more than 

 repay that risk. 



Deep, rich soil, now so generally condemned 

 for fruit gardens, is of the first importance here. 

 Soil cannot be too rich or too deep, if we would 

 have good vegetables. It is, indeed, remarkable, 

 that in many respects we have to go very differ- 

 ently to work to get good fruits than we have to 



