GARDEN HINTS. 



" The Horticultural Society of Mas- 

 sachusetts is trying the following plan : 

 Cash prizes of $15, $12 and $10 are 

 offered for school gardens ; these prizes 

 not to be awarded on exhibits of ordin- 

 ary garden plants, but on wild plants 

 such as ferns, fancy grasses, violets, as- 

 ters, vegetables and grains. Prizes are 

 also awarded on herbariums made up by 

 the school children. This plan cannot 

 fail to awaken interest among the little 

 folks, as the desire to be first in every- 

 thing is as strong in them as in those of 

 larger growth. 



" The Germans, always noted for 

 their love of flowers, have started a school 

 of gardening for girls in one of the sub- 

 urbs of Berlin. There are several pu- 

 pils, who wear a uniform of dark gray 

 material, consisting of a bodice and 

 skirt, the latter being made in such a 

 way that it can be shortened at will 

 when at work ; they do all the work of 

 the garden, raising vegetables, flowers 

 and fruit, for all of which a ready sale 

 is found. Many of them are fitting 



themselves for head gardeners, and 

 some have already left the school to go 

 to such places. In a large place where 

 under gardeners are kept, there seems 

 to be no reason why women cannot fill 

 the position of head gardeners, if they 

 fit themselves for the work. 



" In Russia it is a common custom to 

 have school gardens in connection with 

 the village schools : the use of the land 

 is given by some landlord or hired by 

 the government, and the small expenses 

 connected with the work are also pro- 

 vided for in the same way. The work 

 is taught regularly in the schools, usually 

 by the school master, who has received 

 his instruction from some practical gar- 

 dener. Some sections of the country 

 being tree-less, the work is almost en- 

 tirely devoted to the raising of trees, 

 which are given out among the children, 

 when of sufficient size, to plant at their 

 homes. In other places, grapes are the 

 principal crop, while in others, silk 

 worms are raised and mulberry trees 

 cultivated for them to feed on." 



GARDEN HINTS. 



TTHOSE who contemplate grow- 

 ing tomatoes for the 

 English market, should 

 sow seed at intervals so 

 as to keep up a succession of fruit. A 

 special variety must be selected which 

 does not grow too large. The Ignotum 

 was the variety sent forward last year, 

 and the complaint was that it was too 

 large. In instances we selected only 

 the small size, of uniform grade, and 

 these sold at good prices. We allowed 

 the plants to spread as they chose, with- 



out any pruning, and the yield was good 

 but we notice that some writers advise 

 confining them to a single stem. No 

 stopping, they say, of the leaders is nec- 

 essary or advisable till at least four clirst- 

 ers of fruit are set on the stem. No 

 superfluous side shoots should however 

 be allowed to grow, but be kept instead 

 closely pinched out. The side leaves 

 should be left on the single stem, only 

 the side shoots being removed. Other- 

 wise the stem would be laid bare and 

 this is undesirable. 



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