12 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[January, 



il 



RUIT AND lEGETABLE GARDENING. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



In getting ready for spring vegetables do not 

 fear to pile on the manure. It is the rank rich 

 growth which gives the agreeable tenderness to 

 them, and without an abundance of manure this 

 cannot be done. Deep soil is also a great ele- 

 ment of success. Though we do not favor sub- 

 soiling and underdraining for fruit trees, we 

 regard it as very profitable in vegetable growing 



Asparagus beds may have the soil raked ofi' them 

 a little, if it was thrown up from the alley-way in 

 the fall. It allows the sun to get to the roots ear- 

 lier, and the crop is forwarded thereby. If the 

 beds are poor, they may have a dressing of guano, 

 or superphosphate, which has been found very 

 beneficial to this crop. It has become almost a 

 stereotyped recommendation to have "salt ap- 

 plied," but there is a good deal of the humbug 

 about it. In dry, sandy soils it does a little good, 

 and a little in whatever manure is applied is 

 acceptable to them, but more has been made of 

 the salt theory with Asparagus than it deserves. 

 Asparagus beds may be got ready as soon as the 

 ground is sufficiently dry to admit of working. 

 A deep soil is all-important; two feet, at least, 

 and a situation should be chosen that is warm, 

 and yet not too dry. The roots should be set 

 about four inches luider the surface, twenty 

 inches or two feet from each other, and the rows 

 eighteen or twenty inches apart. Large, fine 

 Asparagus cannot be obtained by crowding the 

 plants ; strong two and three year old plants are 

 the best; although in good, rich soil, one year 

 old plants will often bear a good crop the year 

 after planting. The length of time Asparagus 

 requires to come into bearing depends much on 

 the soil. It is useless to attempt raising it in poor 

 ground. 



This is generally supposed to be the pruning 

 season. Orchard trees generally get too much 

 pruning. In young trees only thin out so as not 

 to have the main leaders crossing or interfering 

 with qne another. Or when a few shoots grow 

 m.uch stronger than the rest, cut these away. 

 Insist on all the branches in yoving trees growing 

 only on a perfect equality. On older trees which 



-jave been in bearing a number of years, it will 

 often benefit to cut away a large portion of the 

 bearing limbs. By a long series of bearings, 

 branches will often get bark bound and stunted, 

 preventing the free passage of the sap to the 

 leaves. In such cases the sap seems to revenge 

 itself by forcing out vigorous young shoots a long 

 way down from the top of the tree. It is down 

 to these vigorous young shoots that we would 

 cut the bearing branches away. One must use 

 his own judgment as to the advisability of this. 

 If the tree bears as tine and luscious fruit as ever 

 of course no such severe work need be done, but 

 if not, then now is the time. 



In young orcliards some species of scale insects 

 are likely to be troublesome. These should be 

 killed by washing at this season. If the trees 

 be very badly infested, cut back the young shoots, 

 and the stouter branches can then be more thor- 

 oughly done. Some people use weak lye for 

 washing, with good results ; we do not object to 

 some lime and sulphur going in with it. Old 

 trees are very much assisted by having the rough 

 bark scraped oft' of the trunk and main branches, 

 and then coated with a similar wash. Never 

 mind what people say about stopping up the 

 " breathing pores." Try it once, and you will 

 always want to repeat the practice. 



And above all look after the nutrition of the 

 trees. Some people say that land which will 

 raise good corn will grow good fruit trees, which 

 is all right ; but they should add that like corn 

 they require regular and continuous manuring. 

 There are some parts of the country where corn 

 can be successively taken for a half a life time 

 without manure; on these soils we need not ma- 

 nure fruit trees, but in all others we must, to 

 have good results. This is particulary essential 

 where trees are grown in grass, as both the trees 

 and the grass require food. Where trees are 

 grown in grass, we prefer top dressing in June or 

 July, but if it has not been done then, do it now. 

 Where trees are kept under a clean surface cul- 

 ture, the manure is of course ploughed or har- 

 rowed in with the crop in the spring of the year. 

 To know whether trees require manure or not 

 ask the leaves. U in July they are of a dark 



