190 horticultural JVotes. 



prune their trees up high. Like most tyros, we began so too, and it has inflicted 

 one perpetual sorrow upon us. The low tree is healthier, not so subject to affections 

 of the bark or insects, not injured by winds, the fruit is easier gathered — in fact, 

 every reason in favor of low growth. We now try to form a head not higher than 

 three feet from the ground, for apples, letting the branches grow out. 



Mow to Water Plants. 



From careful experiments, Mr. Mechi discovered that plants sligjitly watered 

 every day often perish, and always become dwarfed ; whereas a good soaking, given 

 twice a week, almost invariably proved very beneficial. He says : 



The sum of our experience in watering amounts to this — that thorough soaking of 

 the ground two or three times a week is much better than the same amount of water 

 applied in driblets daily, only sufficient to wet the upper surface, but not the under 

 strata of earth contiguous to the roots. Cold spring water should, before applying it 

 to a heated soil, be allowed to stand exposed to the sun and air for a few hours. 

 The colder the water is, and the warmer the soil, so is the necessity of applying it 

 in abundance ; for it is evident, though we cannot explain it, that, the result pro- 

 duced upon plants by applying cold water to the soil, when at a high temperature, 

 unless so copiously applied as to saturate the soil completely, is fatal to tender or 

 weakly plants, and often less or more injurious to strong or healthy ones. 



Grouping of Plants. 



There is no way in which the deadening formalism of our gardens may be more 

 effectually destroyed than by the system of naturally grouping hardy plants. It 

 may afford most pleasing results, and impress on others the amount of variety and 

 loveliness to be obtained from many families now unused. Trees and shrubs, dis- 

 tinguished for their fine foliage, collected in a quiet glade ; and then bright-foliage 

 trees should be set in contrast with quieter colors, and varied with bright beds of 

 flowers and leaf plants, or hardy flowering shrubs. Those groups should be irregu- 

 larly but artistically planted. Then on a knoll plant a large bouquet of the 

 rosaceous family — hawthorns, cherries, plums, pears, peaches, almonds, etc. There 

 is so much that may be done to add to the bewildering beauty of a landscape by 

 naturally artistic planting, that we are often astonished that people do not "see 

 it." — Rural New Yorker. 



Transplanting Strawberries. 



A good deal of care must be observed in transplanting strawberries. The ground 

 should be well worked, all lumps should be pulverized, and the soil rich. The 

 strawberries for garden culture should bo in rows eighteen inches apart, and the 

 hills a foot. The roots of the vines must be covered with fine soil, and after planted 

 it is desirable that the rows should be mulched with straw, leaves, or litter. The 

 runners should be cut, and the vines be contained in hills as much as possible. 

 The mulching will have tendency to keep the ground moist. 



Pear Stocks. 



At a recent meeting of Potomac Fruit Glrowers' Society, Washington, the question 

 as to the relative merits of foreign and native grown pear stocks was discussed, and 

 the decision was in favor of imported stocks — being far superior and less disposed to 

 blight. Mr. Saul maintained the same to be true of quince stocks ; those imported 

 from France being far superior to those grown in this country. Mr. C. Gillingham, 

 the President of the Society, and an old experienced grower of pears, said : "I have 

 tried to raise pears from native stocks, and it was a complete failure." 



Among the reasons assigned why foreign stocks are and should be best, is that 

 they are more carefully grown ; are, in general, at least once transplanted, after 

 being shorted in both tops and roots ; have therefore more fibrous roots, fruit earlier 

 and more easily bear transplanting without injury from nursery to orchard. 



