THK CANADIAN FIORTICCLTURIRT. 



191 



Tomatoes raised in poorish light soil 

 will ripen ten days earlier than those 

 raised in rich soil. We know this from 

 the actual test during the present season. 

 If large, showy tomatoes are wanted, re- 

 gardless of flavor or time of ripening, 

 then the rich soil and the rank growth 

 are needed. Cutting off all but one or 

 two fruits of the clusters while they are 

 small and green will also cause those re- 

 maining to grow to a larger size. — Rural 

 Neiv Yorker. 



The Silver Bell Tree, — Halesia tetrap- 

 tera, known in England as the snow-drop 

 tree, and in this country as the silver bell, 

 is one of the handsomest of all our hardy 

 shrubs. It is a native of upper Virginia 

 and Southern Ohio, Its white, bell- 

 shaped flowers appear in May, and impart 

 a graceful appearance to the whole plant. 

 The flowers are followed by a four-winged 

 fruit, hence its specific name. It some- 

 times grows twenty feet or more in height, 

 hut in gardens is usually a large shrub. 

 (^n account of its rather difticult propaga- 

 tion it has not been largely introduced 

 into cultivation. — Country Gentleman. 



Large Peach Orchards. — The largest 

 peach orchard in the world, without ex- 

 ception, is that of John Parnell, at West 

 Point, Ga,, which contains 135,000 trees. 

 The frost on the 23rd day of April de- 

 stroyed about one-half the crop. The 

 next largest orchard belongs to Judge 

 Cunningham, at Griffin, Ga. , and has 

 60,000 trees. About one-third of this 

 crop is injured. The fruit centre of 

 Georgia is two miles from Griflin at Vine- 

 yard, where the prospects are good for a 

 tine crop. The peach crop of Georgia, 

 this year, will be about half the usual 

 average, but the fruit will be larger and 

 better, from the thinning out by frost, — 

 Furm, Herd and Home 



Apricot-Growino in California. — 



The Wine and Fruit Grower says ; — We 

 learn from the xMarysville Appeal, that 

 apricot orchards are the rage in its imme- 

 diate section. The past season, trees 

 three years old paid ten dollars to the tree. 

 The Appeal adds its testimony to the fact 

 '!iat there is not the slightest danger of 

 ordoing the business, as the canneries 

 ' .ui handle all the fruit that can be pro- 

 duced. It is stated that some of the far- 



mers in the vicinity of Berryessa, located 

 on what they have recently learned to call 

 apricot lands, are preparing to engage ex- 

 tensively in fruit culture. Thousands of 

 aprioQt trees are to be set out on lands 

 heretofore "wasted" on grain culture. 



Preserving Peas. — The most effectual 

 method we have found for preserving 

 peas from withering or drying up in a 

 drouth, is to mulch them thickly with 

 coarse hay or straw, to a width of at least 

 two feet on each side of the row. Our 

 garden soil is a fine, porous gravel, and 

 unless the season is cool and moist, the 

 pea vines dry up so badly as to produce 

 little fruit. Mulching heavily is conse- 

 quently a necessity in order to save them. 

 By doing this, we have obtained as good 

 crops as when May. June, and July were 

 cool and ratlier rainy. It is not necessary 

 to bush dwarf peas. Still, when exposed 

 to a strong wind, they will sometimes 

 blow down, and then the further advan- 

 tage of their being mulched is that the pods 

 are kept clean and dry, and escape being 

 mildew^ed. It is an excellent thing also 

 to mulch both pole and bush beans, 

 melons, squashes and cucumbers in the 

 same way. — American Argiculturist for 

 June. 



Ampelopsis Veitchii. — Among our 

 beautiful climbing vines, the Ampelopsis 

 veitchii stands in the front rank ; and its 

 well-deserved popularity should cause it 

 to be more freely planted than it is. It 

 is a native of Japan, leaves some-what 

 smaller than those of the well-known 

 American ivy, A. quinqnefolia, overlapp- 

 ing one another and forming a dense sheet 

 of green. The plant is a little tender 

 when young, and requires slight protec- 

 tion the first winter. It is of rapid growth, 

 and has the clinging nature of ivy. Its 

 foliage is of most beautiful green in sum- 

 mer, changing to variegated crimson scar- 

 let in autumn. For ornamenting brick and 

 stone structures, it is superior to all other 

 climbing vines. The citizens of Boston 

 are peculiarily attached to this vine, and 

 many of the finest structures there are 

 made more beautiful by the addition of 

 tiiis plant. It cannot be too highly re- 

 commended, and will meet the fondest 

 expectations of all who plant it. — Country 

 Gen*leman. 



