56 



GARDENING. 



Nov. 



45 to 60 feet high on north side— sepa- 

 rated only by a drive way. could not be 

 improved. The prepared border for the 

 vines is 12 feet wide outside of the house 

 and runs its whole length, and the whole 

 space inside of the house was also pre- 

 pared as a border. The grade of house 

 and outside border is 2 feet above the 

 surrounding level. 



Under the center of both house and 

 outside border a drain was constructed 

 to insure good drainage. It was exca- 

 vated about 3 feet deep and the bottom 

 to the depth of about a foot was filled 

 with oj-ster shells and this covered with 

 inverted sods, the top spit from an old 

 pasture. Wesaved the loose soil (reddish 

 sandy loam) and mixed it with decom- 

 posed barn yard manure, largely excre- 

 ments from cows from a city milkman 

 for the compost and later, added bone 

 mealand|WOod ashes. Although the prep- 

 aration of the soil under the entire house 

 is the same as what it is in the prepared 

 border we encourage the vines to find 

 their nourishment in the outside Ijorder, 

 as well as in that imder house. 



The house contains 13 vines, all foreign 

 varieties; they are Black Hamburgh, Mus- 

 cat Hamburgh, Golden Hamburgh, 

 Wilmot's New Black Hamburgh, Victoria 

 Hamburgh, White Chasselas, and Lady 

 IJowne's Seedling, some of them in dupli- 

 cate. We have ripe grapes from the fiist of 

 September till the end of November, the 

 Chasselas coming in earliest and the 

 Lady Downe's latest. From the time the 

 grapes begin to ripen till after they are 

 all cut we keep the ventilators more or 

 less open according to the weather, but 

 shut them against storms. 



The grape house was erected in 1869, 

 and is still in good preservation; new sills 

 were put in ten years ago. 



In November we prune the vines, spur 

 mode and this has proved very satisfac- 

 tory, indeed we have not failed to get a 

 crop of grapes during the past 24 consec- 

 utive years. After pruning wc brush the 

 vines over with a sokuion of soft soap, 

 lime and sulphur, about the consistency 

 of cream. Takedown the vines from the 

 trellis, and arrange them along the lower 

 part of the hoiise and then cover them 

 with straw matting to protect them from 

 the sun during the winter months. About 

 the 1st of April uncover them and tie 

 them up to the galvanized iron rods used 

 as a trellis. 



As a rule we do not practice watering 

 inside of the house. In early spring, we 

 syringe the vines with tepid water to 

 soften the wood. After the fruit is set 

 we rarely water the vines inside the house 

 except in extraordinary dry times during 

 any part of the growing season. In this 

 way we encourage the vines to find their 

 support largely in the outside border, 

 also we avoid mildew and other ailments 

 to which vines are subject I know this 

 is contrary to the usual practice, never- 

 thcl f s, it has been very successful with 

 us. For this information I am indebted 

 to the late Wm. Watt, a Scotch gardener 

 and an expert in grape culture under 

 glass. 



I attribute our success largely to a very 

 favorable location and the protection of 

 the house on t'.ie north side and to the 

 careful preparation of the soil, good 

 drainage, and not watering inside of the 

 house except in very dry times. We never 

 use any liciuid poisonous preparations for 

 mildew, but we u.se pvilverized sulphur 

 freely scattered about the house all 

 through the growing season. 



KF.i\|AMi.N G. SMrrii. 



Cambridge, Mass., October 22, ISO.''). 



CARE OF BERRX -fLflNTS. 



Blackberry and raspberry plants in the 

 north have cast oft" their summer drapery 

 and are prepared for their long winter 

 sleep. Let them be carefully laid down, 

 covered with earth and nicely tucked up 

 for this needed rest. Delay this necessary 

 work no longer. If you have doubts as 

 to benefits of winter protection, even in 

 mild climates, protect apart, leave apart 

 without protection, and mark the results. 



After the ground is well frozen, straw- 

 berries should be covered lightly with 

 clean straw or marsh hay. In spring this 

 covering should be placed between the 

 rows for summer mulch. 



For pruning grapes bear in mind the 

 following facts. The object in pruning is 

 to get a well Corn ed vine and alargeyield 

 ot the best fruit. .At least two-thirds of 

 the new growth should be cut away for 

 this purpose. Unless severely pruned more 

 fruit will form than can be well matured. 

 Remember, the vine bears its fruit on new 

 wood only, so canes grown this year are 

 the ones to preserve for fruit next season. 

 Cut back the vigorous canes to three or 

 four buds each, keep up a supply of new 

 wood every year. Train the vine so it 

 may be laid down and covered withearth 

 in winter and raised and tied to a stake 

 or trellis in the spring. One and two year 

 old vines are not expected to bear fruit 

 and are cut back to two or three buds. 



Trim your grape vines in the fall. Re- 

 move ail weeds, trimmings and surplus 

 rubbish from the garden. See that every 

 plant and bush is properly protected for 

 winter. Cover the ground with finely 

 composted manure and you may then 

 look forward to a fruitful resurrection in 

 the spring. M. A. Tiiavkr, 



T«E BEST PEARS FOR HOME USE. 



After an experience of some thirty five 

 years with pears I find myself at a loss in 

 selecting a half dozen varieties that would 

 give general satisfaction to the farmer or 

 for ordinary family use. When I left my 

 farm on the borders of Seneca Lake, in 

 Seneca County, nearly eight miles from 

 Geneva, in 1870, I had an experimental 

 pear orchard of more than 150 varieties. 

 Some of these have since become obsolete, 

 and are not now being cultivated, some, 

 while perhaps occasionally of the very best 

 quality, are not always reliable; some 

 perhaps are suitable for special localities; 

 others subject to rot at the core and need 

 special pains to ripen them; and still 

 others are subject to the early loss of 

 leaves and by premature ripening are at 

 such times of poor quality. 



The only sorts that have stood the full 

 test during all these years, and which I 

 have found thorouglilv reliable, are(l) 

 Washington, (2) Bartlett, (3) Sheldon, 

 (4) Anjou, and lo these I would like to 

 add (5) Bosc; of which Mr. Charles 

 Downing once told me that if he was con- 

 fined to only one variety it would be this: 

 to which I would fully agree were it not 

 that the tree is so subject to the blight, by 

 which it is olten killed outright. Still I 

 cannot get along without it. It is irregu- 

 lar in growth in the nursery and should 

 be top-grafted. 



For the sixth sort I am at a loss what 

 to say. The Seckel is too delicious to 

 omit, yet the insects kno v a good thing 

 and "go for it," so badly stinging the 

 fruit, that often it is difficult to find many 

 good specimens. Of course spraying 

 would be a remedy, but this is generally 

 impracticable to ordinary people. Then 

 again it needs thinning in order that the 

 balance of the fruit be of fair size. .\n 

 interested amateur or orchardist would of 



course do this, but the common people 

 will not. Some years ago I might have 

 commended Howell, but for some years 

 past it has so badly rotted at the core "as 

 to be entirely worthless with me, and I 

 have had to discard it. Boussoek is also 

 sometimes a good pear, but it has a habit 

 of early shedding its leaves, and so it con- 

 not be fully commended. Lawrence is 

 good and I know nothing particular 

 against it, but Anjou is so much larger 

 and so thoroughly reliable that there 

 does not seem to be room for it. Flemish 

 Beauty and others crack. Winter Nelis 

 often bears "boy's wooden tops," and so 

 I might go on, but objections would rise 

 up leaving the sixth variety still un- 

 named and I will have to leave it so. with 

 the hope that the planter can supply it 

 with some variety that has proved relia- 

 ble in his locality. 



In regard to the first named, the Wash- 

 ington. I sometimes think that if I were 

 confined to one sort it would be this. It 

 is only of medium or small size, a regular 

 and abundant bearer, commences drop- 

 ping from the tree about the middle of 

 August and continues for a month. 

 While it could be picked and house- 

 ripened, wnich would make it color up 

 nicely, yet it is an "every day pear" that 

 needs no coddling, and is delicious enough 

 when picked from the ground. Sweet, 

 juicv, refreshing and so pleasant and agree- 

 able to the palate that a Bartlett tastes 

 insipid after eating the Washington. lis 

 growth in the nurseries has been aban- 

 doned, as although its good ((uality was 

 known there was no demand for it. Why 

 its merits have not been recognized isjier- 

 haps because it was an American pear 

 and got passed by for the crowd of foreign 

 varieties that have been introduced and 

 praised. I may as well add that I am not 

 in the trade, haveno trees to sellanddon't 

 know who has, and hence I have "no axe 

 to grind." 



In addition to the above there are two 

 other pears that should be mentioned, 

 but they are much the best if grown as 

 dwarfs, Louise Bonne de Jersey and 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme. The first, how- 

 ever, is generally astringent under the 

 skin, and therefore not always palatable, 

 but it is very fine for canning or cooking, 

 far superior to the Bartlett which is so 

 generally used Although personally I 

 cannot commend cooked pears, yet many 

 thus Hke them, and the good housewife is 

 usually of the same opinion. If she will 

 try the Louise Bonne she will never after 

 want to use tie Bartlett for cooking or 

 canning. Gi;o. S. Conovkr. 



Geneva, N. V. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



TftE VEOETftBLE GARDEN. 



It is now t'me to get all crops up out 

 of the ground and stored away for winter 

 use. Then get all the grounds cleared 

 and cleared up, manured and dug, and 

 everything left nice for winter. 



Gi.oni; Artichokes. — Whensh rp frost 

 sets in cut them over, lay a shovelful of 

 coal ashes or earth over each crown, and 

 a good armful of leaves over that with a 

 sprinkling of sedge or litter over all to 

 keep it from blowing away. The cut 

 over tops are excellent to lay over the 

 leaves. 



Jerusalem Artichokes are perfectly 

 hardy and may be left in the ground ail 

 winter with safetv. But wc lift part now 



