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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE OLD FARM GATE. 



The old farm-gate hangs sagging down, 

 On rusty hinges, bent ajid brown, 

 Its latcii is gone, and, here and there 

 It shows rude traces of repair. 



The old farm-gate has seen each 5'ear, 

 The blossoms bloom and disappear ; 

 The bright green leaves of spring unfold, 

 And turn to Autumn's red and gold. 



The children have upon it clung. 

 And in and out with rapture swung, 

 When their young hearts were good and pure. 

 When hope was fair and faith was sure. 



Beside that gate have lovers true. 



Told the old story, always new ; 



Have made their vows, have dreamed of bliss, 



And sealed each promise with a kiss. 



The old farm-gate has opened wide 

 To welcome home the new-made bride. 

 When lilacs bloomed, and locusts fair, 

 With their sweet fragrance filled the air. 



That gate with rusty weight and chain 

 Has closed upon the solemn train, 

 That bore her lifeless form away. 

 Upon a dreary Autumn day. 



The lichens gray and mosses green, 

 Upon its rotting posts are seen, 

 Initials, carved with youthful skill. 

 Long years ago, are on it still. 



Yet dear to me above all things. 

 By reason of the thoughts it brings. 

 Is that old gate, now sagging down. 

 On rusty hinges, bent and brown. 



EuGKNE J. Hall. 



Forcing Rhubarb. — Outside of places 

 where there are professional gardeners, the 

 forcing of vegetables is very little known in 

 this country. People in general are content 

 with "things in their season," and do not 

 trouble themselves to force or retard. Per- 

 haps the easiest vegetable to force is rhubarb ; 

 and by taking a little trouble, material for 

 pies and sauce may be had some weeks in 

 advance of the supply from the open ground. 

 The things needed are clumps of rhubarb 

 roots, soil, and a dark warm place. The 

 roots should be dug before the ground 

 freezes, but in most places there is usually 

 an "open spell " when it maybe done. As 

 fine rhubarb as we ever saw was forced in a 

 a barrel or cask ; the roots packed in on a 

 layer of soil and surrounded by it, the cask 

 covered tight, and set near the furnace in 

 the cellar. A box to hold the roots, and set 

 in a cupboard or closet in the kitchen will 

 answer ; or a box or barrel may be placed in 

 the kitchen. Keep moderately warm, and 

 see that the roots are sufficiently moist. A 



few roots will give an astonishingly abundant 

 supply, much more tender and crisp and less 

 violently sour than the out-door crop. — 

 American Agriculturist. 



PAPER BAGS ON GRAPES. 



The following is the result of the 

 Rural New-Yorker'' s experiment with 

 paper bags : — 



In order to ascertain Avhat effect paper 

 bags have in preserving grapes, we have 

 left a number of bunches bagged until the 

 present time (Oct. 20). To-day we removed 

 them from several bunches of Wilder and 

 Highland to find the berries plump and 

 perfect in every way. Goethe (Rogers No. 

 1) were mildewed, though less than those 

 uncovered. JN othing remained of bunches 

 of El Dorado (Rickets) except trac3s of the 

 stems. This bagging of grapes, though it 

 will not keep many of Rickett's squeamish 

 hybrids and other ne'er-do-wells of the 

 same sort, is a splendid success upon most 

 kinds, and the person who first suggested 

 it is entitled to the thanks of all who 

 love to cultivate the queen of fruits, as we 

 think the grape is richly entitled to be 

 considered. Nothing in fruit culture has 

 ever given us greater pleasure than, upon 

 removing the paper bags, to find the clus- 

 ters as perfect as if made of wax. Every- 

 body will bag his grapes, or some of them, 

 at any rate, another year, and the grape 

 displays at fairs will show the results. 



At the October meeting of the Mont- 

 gomery County (Ohio) Horticultural So- 

 ciety, Mrs. Longstreth stated that she had 

 tried paper bags, and with results so satis- 

 factory that she wished to impress upon all, 

 whether they had a few or many vines, 

 the efficiency of this rather novel and to 

 many, new way of protecting grapes. She 

 had noted the difference in vines so pro- 

 tected, growing by the side of those not 

 protected. The difference in favor of those 

 thus protected was so marked that she 

 knows she does not err in commending 

 the method in the highest terms. The 

 labor of doing it is but slight. A woman 

 can put on one hundred per hour. By 

 this method the bloom is preserved and 

 and the mildew and rot guarded against. — 

 Rural New Yorker. 



PRINTED AT THE STEAM PKES3 ESTABLISHMENT OF COPP, CL/RK & CO., COLBORNE STREET, TORONTO. 



