23G 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



\ August, 



the season ; but the buds are apt to burst if done 

 too soon. In like manner, pear and apple trees 

 that grow well, but produce no fruit, are benefited 

 by having, say half of some of the young growth 

 cut back. The buds then left are very likely to 

 form flower buds, in place of growth buds for 

 next season. Many take out the old shoots of 

 raspberry and blackberry after they have done 

 bearing, and we have in times past recommended 

 it ourselves; but on further observation, we see 

 very little good, if not positive injury. The 

 partial shade the old stems make, seems rather 

 beneficial than otherwise under our hot suhs. 



Strawberry planting often commences in Au- 

 gust, providing the weather offers a chance. 

 Get the soil in readiness for this chance. Heavy 

 manuring is not good for the strawberry except 

 in very poor soil. Wet soils are not good. 

 JBut the soil cannot well be too de.ep. In the 

 field subsoil, — in the garden dig at least twelve 

 to eighteen inches. Strawberries do better 

 moderately close than too wide, some kinds do 

 very well in beds. 



After a piece of ground is dug at this season 

 for strawberries, roll it well with the garden 

 roller. When ready to plant, make holes with a 

 dibble, fill the holes with Avater, and when it 

 soaks away, put in your plant which has been 

 kept in water to prevent wilting. But in put- 

 ting in the plant do not plant too deep. "Too 

 deep" kills ninty-nine-hundredths of all the straw- 

 berries that die in the year from transplanting. 

 " Too deep " is when anything but the small 

 fibres are buried under the surface. 



Almost all trees, and in particular the grape 

 vine, at this season will require attention to see 

 that the leaves are all retained healthy till 

 thoroughly ripened. It is not a sign of healthi- 

 ness for a vine to grow late ; on the contrary 

 such late growth generally gets killed in the 

 Winter, but the leaves should all stay on to in- 

 sure the greatest health of the vine until the 

 frost comes, when tliey should all be so mature 

 as to fall together. Frequent heavy syringings 

 are amongst the best ways to keep off insects 

 from out-door grapes, and so protect the foliage 

 from theirtavages. 



Towards the end of the month a sowing of 

 spinach may be made in rich soil, which will 

 come in use before Winter. That desired for 

 Winter and early Spring use is usually sown in 

 September in this region. A few turnips may 

 be also sown for an early crop, but will be hot 

 and stringy unless the soil is very rich. 



Celery will require earthing up as it grows, to 

 get it to blanch well. It is not well, however, 

 to commence too early, as earthing up tends in 

 a slight degree to weaken the growth of the 

 plants. Take care also, not to let the soil get 

 into the heart in earthing, or the crown is apt to 

 rot. 



At this season of the year, more than perhaps 

 at any other, it is important to hoe and rake be- 

 tween the rows of growing crops. A loose sur- 

 face soil not only admits the various gases that 

 the roots luxurate in, but it also prevents evapo- 

 ration and checks a too great absorption of heat, 

 and then, besides all this, the weeds are kept 

 down, and neatness and order reigns. After 

 every heavy shower, if the time can at all be 

 spared, the hoe and the rake should be freely 

 employed. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 



BY PETER HENDERSON, JERSEY CITY 

 HEIGHTS, N. J. 



In your July number your correspondent, 

 Gen. W. H. Noble, strikes the right key note 

 regarding the culture of asparagus. Abraham 

 Van Sicklen, of Jamaica, Long Island, is one 

 of the best growers of asparagus for our New 

 York market. He plants very wide, six feet by 

 four for field culture ; the first year after plant- 

 ing the asparagus, he plants a crop of cabbage 

 between the six feet lines. The object of tlie 

 wide planting is to allow the yearly use of ma- 

 nure to the roots, which he applies in early 

 Spring by ploughing as close as practicable from 

 the roots on each side, then applying two or 

 three inches of well rotted manure on, or close to 

 the root, then again levelling in the furrows by 

 plow or cultivator ; in this way the crop pro- 

 duced is enormous, and the bed so worked, would 

 be quite as good at the end of twenty years as 

 at four. This, though a little more labor than 

 manuring on the surface, gives the full benefit 

 of the manure to the rools. For private cul- 

 ture the plan of planting might be changed to 

 planting in rows say four feet apart between 

 rows, and one foot between plants, and turning 

 the soil from ^the roots with a fork or spade, 

 then applying manure as above and raking in 

 level. Of course it is understood that the roots 

 must not be^mutilated, or disturbed but as little 

 as possible. 



