76 A'bies from my Garden. 



Notes from my Garden. 



BY PORTE CRAYON. 



IN establishing a garden, six years ago, I proposed to make it supply my table with 

 fresh vegetables and fruit all the year round. 



With vegetables, the result was obtained the first season, and the supply has been 

 ample and continuous to date, the carrots, parsnips, salsify, beets, turnips, cabbage 

 and potatoes of one season always overlapping the spring greens, lettuce, radishes, 

 spinach and asparagus of the succeeding year. 



By the third season, the small fruits and peaches were all established and in full 

 bearing, and from the first of June to October the supply of strawberries, currants, 

 raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, peaches and grapes was continuous and abund- 

 ant. My experiences in this department have been given iu former letters, and I 

 have nothing new to add, except the fact that the strawberry beds, which 1 have cul- 

 tivated in matted rows, and mowed every season after fruiting, have given me less 

 trouble and more fruit than any other. 



Besides the usual varieties of vegetables and small fruits, my garden is stocked 

 with all the tree fruits suitable to our climate — apples, cherries, peaches, pears, 

 plums and quinces — sixty-five trees in all, including the best varieties to be found in 

 the catalogues. 



My apple list comprises the Early Harvest, Red Astraehan, Maiden's Blush, 

 Smoke House, King of Tompkins County, and English Golden Pippin, and two 

 dwarf Vandeveres, young trees in thrifty bearing. The Fenton, Hunge, Eoxbury 

 Russet, Newtown Pippin, Beauty of Kent and Northern Spy, young trees which 

 have not fruited, with two Rambos and two Winter Sweet Paradise, old trees, which 

 I found in the grounds, worm-eaten and neglected ; by cultivation and attention they 

 have yielded me satisfactory and increasing crops every year since I came in posses- 

 sion. 



The Rambo is our standard dessert apple from October until January ; and the 

 Sweet Paradise, until March and April. This latter fruit, imperfectly described by 

 Downing, is one of our favorite winter apples here, being of handsome appearance, 

 above medium size, with a rich blushing cheek toward the south ; in texture pecu- 

 liarly tender, fine grained and light, very sweet, crisp and juicy in November, and 

 attaining in time a delicate aromatic flavor, like that of a ripe Banana. 



I also found on my grounds an old quince bush, forlorn and neglected, which bore 

 two (quinces the first season. By cultivating it with manure and a quart of rock salt 

 every seasqn it has brought me annually increasing crops, and this year yielded one 

 hundred and ten sound quinces. 



Of cherries, I have five handsome and thrifty trees, comprising three varieties, the 

 May Duke, Early Richmond and Yellow Spanish, which have been in bearing three 

 seasons. Up to date I have been unable to secure a single ripe specimen to test their 

 flavor, on account of the birds, who eat them all as soon as they begin to turn red. 

 As we have abundance of other fruit in cherry season, I legitimize the robbery and 

 accept the return in cheerful music. 



My list of peaches included the Early Hale, Crawford's Early, Stump the World, 



