174 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[June, 



are diseased ; if they are do not propagate from 

 them. Spotted leaves or rust)- shoots particularly 

 avoid. I 



Grapes first coming in bearing should not be j 

 permitted to perfect large crops of fruit while 

 young. It is excusable to fruit a bunch or so on 

 a young vine, "just to test the kind," but no 

 more should be permitted till the vine has age 

 and strength. Vigorous growth, and great pro- 

 ductiveness, are the antipodes of the vegetable 

 world. Encourage as much foliage as possible 

 on the vines, and aim to have as strong shoots at 

 the base as at the top of the cane ; this can be 

 done by pinching out the points of the strong 

 shoots after they have made a growth of five or 

 six leaves. This \\ill make the weak ones grow 

 stronger. Young vines grow much faster over a 

 twigg}' branch, stuck in for support, than over a 

 straight stick as a trellis, and generally do better 

 every way. Where extra fine bunches of grapes 

 are desired, pinch back the shoot bearing it to 

 about four or five leaves above the bunch. This 

 should not l>e done indiscriminately with all the 

 bunches. Too much pinching and stopping 

 injures the production of good wood for next 

 season. These hints are for amateurs, who have 

 a few vines on trellises ; for large vineyard cul- 

 ture, though the same principles hold good as 

 far as they go, they will vary in their application, i 



Fine, rich color is always esteemed as one of 

 the criterions whereby to judge of the excellence 

 of a fruit. Sun-light is of first importance ; but 

 it is not generally known that this is injurious [ 

 when in exce^. In a dry atmosphere, with 

 great sun-heat, where the evaporating process 

 goes on faster than the secretive principle, what 

 should become a rich rosy blush in a fruit, is 

 changed to a sickly yellow; and the rich jet black 

 of a grape becomes a foxy red. Some Grape- 

 growers of eminence, in view of the facts, shade 

 their vineries during the coloring process; but 

 others, instead, keep the atmosphere as close and 

 moist as possible. The latter course detracts 

 from the flavor of the fruit. The best plan is 

 that which combines both practices. 



Ked spider, or some species allied to it, is get- 

 ting to be a fearful pest in small orchards. A 

 powerful garden water engine is the best thing 

 that we know. Usually in large orchards there 

 are not these troubles, and fortunately, no engine 

 is required. In large orchards codling moth and 

 the curculio are the chief enemies, but even here 

 growers often depend on the great number of trees 

 being too many for the pests. In small gardens 



the trouble from birds is as bad as the trouble 

 from insects. 

 Here is a sketch from an English source of 



a wind clapper, to drive the birds away. 



In the vegetable garden we must prepare for 

 summer and fall vegetables. The market gar- 

 dener depends on manure doing most of the 

 work, but the amateur in his small patch will do 

 well to look to deeply moved soil. Beans, peas, 

 celery, salad, and such things do very well indeed 

 in deep rich soil during even hot weather, but 

 no where else. 



CO M MUNI C A TIONS. 



THE MUCK QUESTION. 



BY HON. JUDGE J. G. KXAPP, LIMOXA, FLORIDA. 



It seems a little strange that there should be 

 any diflference of opinion upon the subject of 

 muck, as a fertilizer. Muck may be defined as 

 vegetable matter, preserved in water ; generally 

 in water that is nearly or quite stagnant. Muck 

 in time may become peat, without losing its 

 vegetable character ; and very respectable miner- 

 alogists insist it may be converted into coal ; in 

 which case it has lost most of its vegetable 

 characteristics, and acquired accessions from 

 other minerals, particularly sulphur. While its 

 character of muck, and even peat remains, it is 

 capable of being decomposed, or if you will, 

 rotted, by additions of quick-lime, and also by 

 sulphuric or nitiric acid, and thus be fitted for 

 pulverization and mixing in the soil for plant 

 food. Freezing and thawing will also disintegrate 

 muck. This last is not practicable in this region 

 where the ground never freezes. 



Men in the laboratories have succeeded in per- 

 fecting a few grains of wheat or other grains in a 

 soil, out of which all vegetable matter which 



