APR 



69 



APR 



years. The Moor Park mostly on spurs 

 upon two and three years' old branches. 



Siim7ner Pruning. — Take off all fore- 

 right shoots and others that are irregular 

 and misplaced ; reserving those that are 

 vigorous and that will train in well for 

 next year's bearing. If done early in 

 May the finger and thumb will super- 

 sede the knife for this pruning. Con- 

 tinue to nail the shoots to the wall as 

 necessary during all the summer. Over- 

 vigorous shoots may be topped in June, 

 and be thus induced to put forth more 

 fertile laterals. 



Winter Pruning had best be done as 

 soon as the leaves have fallen, though 

 it may be carried on until the buds be- 

 gin to swell in March. Cut out the 

 most naked of the two previous years' 

 shoots, and old branches not well sup- 

 plied with young wood, to have their 

 places re-occupied by younger and bet- 

 ter branches. Keep a leading shoot at 

 the end of each branch. Vigorous 

 shoots of the last year shorten about 

 one-eighth — weaker shoots about one- 

 half This promotes the production of 

 laterals for next year's fruiting, and 

 gives a fuller supply of sap to the blos- 

 som buds ; but if the shortening is too 

 great, the latter will be converted to 

 leaf-buds. Cut off all fore-right spurs ; 

 but lateral spurs may be retained, as 

 they sometimes produce blossom buds, 

 as they always do in the Moor Park. 



Espaliers are to be formed as those 

 on wails, and standards only require 

 dead, crowded, or chaffing branches to 

 be removed. 



When an apricot gets old and dis- 

 eased, it is much more j)rofitable to re- 

 place it by a younger, than to attempt 

 its renovation. 



Gathering should take place before 

 the fruit is quite ripe, or it will be 

 mealy. 



Thinning, as soon as the fruit is large 

 enough for tarts, in May or early in 

 June, should be boldly done, no fruit 

 being left nearer than six inches to 

 another. 



Insects. — Wasps and flies are best 

 kept off by a net, not nearer than a foot 

 to the wall. 



Mildew is often the most formidable 

 assailant of the apricot, as it usually 

 arises from excess of moisture to the 

 root ; draining the border, and mixing 

 lime with the soil, will be in such case 

 found efficacious as a preventive, and 



at the time a syringing with water 

 containing one-eighth of gas ammonia- 

 cal liquor. 



APRIL. In this fickle month the 

 sheltering of wall fruit requires particu- 

 lar attention. F2asterly blighting winds 

 always prevail towards its close, and 

 early in May. 



The work required to be attended to 

 in the various departments in the lati- 

 tude of Philadelphia, is as follows. It 

 should be performed early or later as 

 we reside south or north of that lati- 

 tude : — 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Alexanders, sow. — Angelica, sow. — 

 Artichokes, plant, b. or dress. — Aspara- 

 gus, sow, plant, force, and dress beds. 

 — Balm, plant. — Basil, sow. — Beans, 

 sow, hoe. — Beets, sow, b. — Borecole, 

 sow, prick out, leave for seed. — Bro- 

 coli, sow. — Borage, sow. — Burnets, 

 sow, and plant. — Cabbages, sow, plant. 

 — Capsicum, sow. — Cardoons, sow. — 

 Carraway, sow. — Carrots, sow, weed. 

 — Cauliflou'crs, late, sow in open 

 ground, b. — Celery, sow, leave for seed. 

 — Chamomile, plant. — Chives, plant. — 

 Chervil, sow, leave for seed. — Cole- 

 worts, plant. — Clary, sow. — Cress, sow. 

 — Cucumbers, sow. — Dill, sow. — Earth- 

 ing-up, attend to. — Fennel, sow or 

 plant. — Finochio, sow. — Garlic, plant, 

 b. — Horse-radish, plant, b. — Hotbeds, 

 make and attend. — Hyssop, sow, plant. 

 — Jerusalem Artichokes, plant, b. — Kale 

 (Sea), sow and plant, b. ; dress beds. — 

 Kidney beans (dwarfs), sow ; (runners), 

 sow, e. — Lavender, plant. — Leeks, sow, 

 b. e. ; leave for seed. — Lettuces, sow 

 weekly; plant from frames. — Marigolds, 

 sow. — Marjorams, sow and plant. — 

 Melons, sow. — Mustard, and Cress, 

 sow; leave for seed. — Mushroom beds, 

 make ; attend to. — Mint, plant. — Nas- 

 turtiums, sow. — Onions, sow, b. e. ; 

 weed ; plant and for seed ; (Potatoe and 

 Tree), plant, b. — Parsley, sow ; leave 

 for seed ; (Hamburgh), sow. — Parsnips, 

 sow, b. ; hand weed. — Peas, sow ; hoe; 

 stick. — Pen7iy-royal, pla.nt. — Pompions, 

 sow, b. — Potatoes, plant; attend forc- 

 ing. — Purslane, sow. — Radishes, sow ; 

 thin. — Rape, sow. — Rocambole, plant. — 

 Rue, plant. — Salsafy and Savory, sow, 

 e. — Scorzonera and Skirrcts, sow, e. — 

 Shallots anii Sag-c, plant, b.—Sorr<?/«, sow 

 and plant. — Spinach, sow ; thin; leave 

 for seed. — Tansy and Tarragon, plant. 

 — Thyme, sow and plant. — Tomatos, 



