206 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[July, 



high temperature in the soil is checked, whicli 

 gives one of the great advantages to the grass 

 culture of orchards. 



The tin^e when Currants and Gooseberries 

 mildew and drop their foliage is at hand. Some 

 have found a mulch of salt hay to be good 

 against these troubles, but, in fact, anything that 

 cools the surface, and thus helps to keep the at- 

 mosphere about the plants, is good. A heavy 

 mulch of old corn-stalks we have found to be 

 excellent help to success in growing these 

 fruits. 



In the fruit garden, if trees set out last fall or 

 spring do not show signsof growing freely, cut- 

 ting back a portion of the branches will make a 

 great difference in their favor. It is a great 

 point with good fruit-growers to have all the 

 branches in a tree of uniform vigor. This can 

 be gained by pinching off the growing points of 

 the stouter ones, leaving the weaker ones to gain 

 strength by the check to the others. Where the 

 branches are likely to be too thick, some may 

 be taken out while green, instead of waiting till 

 winter to do it ; not forgetting, however, that a 

 loss of foliage is, in some degree, an injury to 

 the tree ; and, that as little of this should be 

 done as is consistent with necessity. Some re- 

 commend trees to be pruned in summer, because 

 the wounds heal better then. It is true the 

 wound does heal better, but the loss of so much 

 foliage is an injury not compensated by the heal- 

 ing of the wound. However, where the trees are 

 young, and the branches to be cut away but a 

 small fraction of the foliage, the injury is little, 

 and the summer trimming is thus a gain. Nur- 

 sery trees are best served in this way. Straw- 

 berries, Kaspberries and Blackberries are " sum- 

 mer pruned " chiefly by thinning the suckers 

 and runners. Strawberries are often grown ^in 

 beds, and the mass of runners suffered to grow 

 together as they will. This is the best way for 

 parties who have little time to give to their gar- 

 dens. When grown in hills, or with the run- 

 ners cut off, something is necessary to place be- 

 tween the rows or the plants, in order to keep 

 the fruit from getting gritty after rain. When 

 they are in beds, the fruit keeps cleaner without 

 much difficulty. But with this plan, the run- 

 ners should be thinned out at this season of the 

 year, leaving them only about three or four 

 inches apart. Of course, we weed these Straw- 

 berry-beds ; a large part of the runners should 

 be treated as weeds and taken out at the same 

 time. Raspberries and Blackberries should be 



served the same way. All the suckers not 

 wanted to bear next year, should be taken out 

 as they appear. If the kind be valuable, the 

 young offsets taken up may be transplanted any 

 time through the season, by well watering and 

 nipping out the young tender tops. About the 

 end of the month it is often the practice to clip 

 off the growing ends of Blackberries and Rasp- 

 berries. It is said to stiffen the canes, and it 

 renders stakes to supi^ort them in a measure un- 

 necessary. 



In many amateurs' gardens late Peas are 

 valued. It is essential that they be planted in 

 the coolest part of the ground. The Pea is a 

 cool country plant, and when it has to grow in 

 warna weather, it mildews. The Marrowfat 

 class are usually employed for late crops. They 

 need support. All Peas grow better and pro- 

 duce more when grown to stakes. Bush Beans 

 may be also sown for late crops. A very deep, 

 rich soil is necessary to tender, crisp pods. The 

 Lima Bean will now be growing rapidly. It is 

 time well spent to tie them to the poles as they 

 grow. The poles should not be too high — about 

 eight feet is enough. They commence to bear 

 freely only when the top of the pole is reached. 



The Lettuce is another cool country plant. It 

 can only be grown well in hot weather when in 

 very rich and cool soil. For winter use, Beets 

 are occasionally sown now, and also Cucumbers 

 for pickling purposes ; but not often ; and, at 

 any rate, it must be attended to early in the 

 month. Tomatoes trained to stakes give the 

 sweetest fruit, and remain in bearing the longest ; 

 but many cultivators, who grow for size and 

 quantity only, believe they nave the best results 

 when growing them on the level ground. Celery 

 is the chief crop requiring attention. The great 

 point is to get short, thick-growing varieties, as 

 the long kinds require so much more labor to 

 blanch. The Boston market variety is, there- 

 fore, popular, and is really a very crisp and 

 nutty-flavored variety. After so many trials 

 with different ways of growing them, those who 

 have their own gardens — amateurs, for whom we 

 write — find that the old plan of sinking the 

 plants in shallow pits is about the best. Trenches 

 are dug about six inches deep, and three or four 

 inches of manure then dug in, of which cow-ma- 

 nure is the best. They can be watered better this 

 way in dry weather, when in these trenches, and 

 it is so much easier to fill the earth about them 

 for blanching purposes than when grown on the 

 level surface. Soap-suds, as well as salt in mode- 



