268 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{September, 



is essential tliat it liave a very well enriched 

 soil, as good large leaves constitue its perfection 

 as a vegetable. As soon as the weather be- 

 comes severe, a light covering of straw should 

 be thrown over it. A few radishes may be sown 

 with the spinach for Fall use. 



Cabbage and cauliflower are sown this month 

 for Spring use. The former requires some care, 

 as, if it grow too vigorous before Winter, it will 

 all run to seed in the Spring. The best plan is 

 to make two sowings — one early in the month, 

 the other at the end. The rule is, get them only 

 just so strong that they may live over the win- 

 ter in safety. Many preserve them in frames; 

 but they should have wooden sashes or shutters 

 instead of glass, so as not to encourage them to 

 grow much. 



Cauliflower, on the other hand, cannot well be 

 too forward. Most persons provide a pit of 

 stone, brick or wood, sunk five or six feet below 

 the surface of the ground, into which leaves, 

 manure, or any waste vegetable matter is filled. 

 When quite full it is suffered to heat a little, 

 when it will sink somewhat and have more ma- 

 terial added to it ; about six inches of good rich 

 loam is then placed on it, and early in Novem- 

 ber the cauliflower is planted out. The object 

 in refilling the leaves so often is to insure the 

 plants remaining as near the glass as possible, 

 which is very essential in the growth of cauli- 

 flowers. Lettuce is treated in the same way, 

 and seed should be sown now to prepare for the 

 planting. The cabbage lettuce is the kind usually 

 employed. 



In planting fruit trees it will be found best to 

 go to work as soon as the leaves change color. 

 If they have good roots, are not dried before 

 planting, and are hammered in very tight indeed, 

 they need not be much pruned; but as the season 

 advances before Winter sets in, prune in propor- 

 tion. Many go to considerable expense in pre- 

 paring ground for trees, but if the trees are 

 heavily surface manured after planting, it often 

 does just about as well. 



Some talk, in preparing an orchard, about 

 making " one large hole " for all the trees. 

 This seems witty, but it is an expense which 

 very few orchards will ever repay. Water is 

 likely to stand in the deep holes we recommend; 

 but in such cases we would, rather than go to the 

 expense of subsoiling the whole orchard or un- 

 derdraining, plant higher than they grew before 

 — higher than the surrounding soil, mounding 

 the earth, as it were, above the level. Ko water 



will ever stand here. And the money usually 

 spent on making " one big hole " of the " whole" 

 orchard, or in underdraining, we would spend in 

 annually surface-dressing the ground. 



Trees that have long stems exposed to hot . 

 suns, or drying winds, become what gai'deners 

 call "hidebound." That is, the old bark be- 

 comes indurated, — cannot expand, and the tree 

 suffers much in consequence. Such an evil is 

 usually indicated by grey lichens which feed on 

 the decaying bark. In these cases a washing of 

 weak lye or of lime water is very useful ; in- 

 deed, where the bark is healthy, it is beneficial 

 thus to wash the trees, as many eggs of insects 

 are thereby destroyed. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



JAPANESE PERSIMMONS. 



BY samuj;l b. parsons. 



In the June number of the Gardener's 

 Monthly I noticed that E. Manning says: 

 " The Japan Persimmon tree is like many other 

 expensive curiosities extravagantly puffed by 

 propagators, and which to the purchaser is only 

 to end in chagrin and disappointment." He 

 does not question the excellence of the fruit, 

 because that is asserted by many undoubted 

 authorities, but condems it because it has not 

 proved hardy with him. It must be borne in 

 mind that the American Persimmon is a South- 

 ern tree. It is rarely found indigenous with us 

 but abounds in all the old fields of the South 

 from Virginia to Florida. While old trees 

 have proved perfectly hardy here. Red Cedars, 

 Altheas, Arbor vitse, and other supposed hardy 

 trees have been killed. Young trees of four to 

 six feet high cannot be left unprotected with im- 

 punity. The orange cultivators know this prin- 

 ciple well, for they lose thousands of young 

 trees annually from a cold which does not touch 

 trees ten years of age. The growth of young 

 trees is succulent and late in maturing. That 

 of old trees is short, hard and early in maturity. 

 A young Bartlett Pear is often killed by a cold 

 which does not aff'ect the older tree. I think 

 Mr. Manning would not discard the Bartlett for 

 that reason. 



He forgets too, that the Japanese Persimmons 

 which have thus far been sent out have not been 

 propagated in this country and have therefore 

 not been " extravagantly puffed by propagators" 

 who were Japanese. The truth is that Dr. 



