THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



113 



autumn. With a paii' of shears, cut 

 off the first growth by the last of June, 

 and do not let any jjods mature except- 

 ing those especially desired for seed. 

 It ruins pansies to let them seed plenti- 

 fully in September and October. Those 

 who gather these flowers with lavish 

 hands for themselves and their friends, 

 always succeed best in their culture, for 

 their plants will constantly send forth 

 fresh buds and flowei'S. There are no 

 dowel's more beautiful for parlor decora- 

 tion, for the dinner table and for bou- 

 quets than pansies. Their odors are 

 not overpowering, and yet are delicious. 

 A basket filled with pansies is a pleas- 

 ing gift to every one. — S. O. J. in 

 Country GentUman. 



MULCHING POTATOES. 

 Mr. Editor, — Noticing in the April 

 number an account of some experiments 

 with potatoes, one of which was the 

 application of a mulch or covering of 

 straw, instead of cultivating the ground 

 in the ordinary manner, it occurs to 

 me that your readers may be interested 

 in a short article on the subject which 

 I send you, clij)ped from the Farmer 

 and Fruit Groioer. It is written by a 

 resident of the State of Illinois. He 

 says : — 



It might be of some interest to give 

 the mode of mulching practiced for the 

 past twenty years in this and adjoining 

 counties : and here at the outset let me 

 say that for early potatoes it is best not 

 to mulch (or straw them, as we say), for 

 the reason that the straw keeps the ground 

 cold and damp, and that is a hindrance to 

 early maturity of the jjotato, as early in 

 the season the ground is cool and moist, 

 but for potatoes planted later, mulch is 

 required or is beneficial. 



It often occurs here on the flat lands in 

 this part of the State that we are kept back 

 from planting potatoes (by wet weather) 

 until what would be late in the season, say 

 well up in April. Then is mulching profit- 

 able, as the heat is becoming gi-eater and 

 we mulch to keep the ground cool. As to 

 2 



planting, prepare the ground in the best 

 order by plowing deep and manuring. 

 The gi'ound should be laid off to drain ; 

 that is, the rows should run up and down 

 the ridge so as to carrj' off the surplus 

 water, as no water should be allowed to 

 stand on the ground. 



To lay off the rows, use a large shovel 

 plow, making the furrows four inches 

 deep. The plow should be run deeper 

 than that for part of the dirt will fall in 

 after the plow, so have the opening four 

 inches deep and furrows two feet apart or 

 closer if possible. Plant the seed 15 inches 

 apart in the row, then throw two furrows 

 on them, forming a ridge over them. If 

 ■properly done, there will be no middle 

 furi'ow left between the ridges. 



After they have lain about one week, 

 take a stout pole twelve feet long, hitch a 

 horse to the middle of it, and drag it over 

 the rows like a harrow, letting the horse 

 Avalk between the rows. This will flatten 

 the ridges some, and destroy all young 

 weeds starting. Now the}' are ready for 

 the straw or mulch, which should be 

 spread all over the ground from 6 to 10 

 inches deep. Dry straw is the best, but 

 if it is wet it should not be put on so 

 deeply, as it lies solid. You need not be 

 afraid of the young plants not coming 

 through, as evexy plant that starts wiU 

 make its way through. Some defer put- 

 ting on the straw until the plants begin to 

 show, but I think it is much better to put 

 the straw on before plants come through 

 the ground, as then they come right on. 



If enotigh straw has been put on, no 

 weeds will trouble you through the season. 

 Then there is nothing more to do but wait 

 for the harv^est It is more laborious to 

 plant an acre this way than the old way, 

 biit it is far surer, and a much larger yield 

 is obtained — nearly double — and when 

 the tubers have ripened they do not take 

 the second growth, but may lay till late 

 in the fall, until there is danger of a freeze. 

 Indeed, we often have seen them keep 

 under the straw this way till spring. 



When the crop is to be taken up, the 

 straw must be forked off to one side. We 

 usually take up the potatoes with a four- 

 pronged fork, and they come out nice and 

 clean. 



A word about the straw. It is in the 

 very best condition now for covering 



