ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 



59 



flower pots. Thus we frequently read 

 in books "the pots should be well 

 drained," which means that in the 

 bottom place pieces of pot, or, as they 

 are called, "crocks," to enable super- 

 fluous moisture to pass away easily. 



Drilling. — This word applies to one 

 item in the sowing of the seed, of 

 which there are two general ways, 

 broad-casting and drilling. In the 

 former the seed is thrown widely but 

 evenly over the piece of ground upon 

 which a crop is desired. Drilling 

 means that shallow furrows or drills 

 are made with a hoe or sharp pointed 

 stick, or with a hand drill, which is 

 very inexpensive, this not only mak- 

 ing the drill, but sows the seeds also. 

 Careful drilling means that the seels 

 are sown at equal depths, and there 

 is no waste of material. 



Feeding. — This term is often use-' 

 in books. It means giving food in 

 either liquid or concentrated form to 

 plants for the promotion of a more 

 abundant crop, whatever that crop 

 may be. 



Forcing. — Many fruits, vegetables 

 and plants are brought to maturity by 

 artificial warmth, and that is called 

 forcing. It is a term much used in 

 connection with horticulture. 



Layers. — A method of propagation 

 much practised in the increasing of 

 certain trees and plants. A very fa- 

 miliar instance is the carnation, which 

 is usually propagated in this way. 



Leaf Mould. — A very valuable ma- 

 terial, used chiefly in soil prepared 

 for pot plants. It may be summed up 

 in the following description: "The 

 product of tree leaves." The way to 

 get a good supply is to collect the tree 

 leaves and stack them whilst damp 

 in a heap to decay. If they are dry 

 when collected, soak them in water. 



Moulding Up. — At first this strange 

 term may seem difficult to explain, 

 but this and blanching have about 

 the same significance. It means 

 drawing earth to the stem. One ex- 

 cellent illustration is in the case of 

 the potato, the forming tubers being 

 kept from light and air by moulding 

 up the soil to the young shoots. Bus'- 

 or dwarf roses are also moulded up 

 to protect the bark — the most valu- 

 able part — from injury. 



Peat. — Every garden should pos- 

 sess its bin of peat, that is, where 

 plants are grown under glass. It is 

 made chiefly of vegetable fibre and 



some portion of sand, some orchids 

 and ferns in particular requiring 

 some portion, larger In some cases 

 than in others, in the soil in which 

 they are planted. ' 



Cuttings. — These are slips or pieces 

 of young growth of the plant, and 

 when properly made In preparation 

 for going into the soil, they are called. 

 "cuttings." About 1-3 of their 

 length is inserted, and the soil that 

 promotes tlie formation of strong 

 roots most quickly is that in which 

 sand forms a large part. In due 

 course basal roots are emitted, and 

 the life of the young plant has be- 

 gun. The base of the cutting should 

 always be just beneath a leaf joint, 

 and two, sometimes three, of the low- 

 er leaves removed to give a clear 

 space for inaertion in the soil. 



Runners. — A few plants are in- 

 creased or propagated by what is 

 known as the "runner," and the 

 strawberry is chiefly multiplied in this 

 way. The strawberry sends out trail- 

 ing shoots, and at the end of each of 

 these a little plant is formed which 

 is to give the fruit of the future. Take 

 these off in August or spring and 

 plant in the places In which they are 

 to fruit. 



Pruning. — Unless certain classes of 

 fruits are pruned more or less there 

 Is no crop, or very little, and that 

 little poor. Thousands of orchards 

 are in sorry plight through neglect of 

 this practice. There are two forms, 

 stem and also root pruning. It is 

 often essential to prune the roots 

 when a tree is making too much leaf 

 and branch growth, which is at the 

 expense of the fruit. There is an 

 absence of fruit spore. This opera- 

 tion requires much care and judg- 

 ment, and is done by opening a 

 trench at a fair distance from the 

 stem of the tree of sufliciant width 

 and depth to get hold of the roots 

 and sever them. In very neglected 

 orchards it is wise to do one-half this 

 year and the other the next to pre- 

 vent too great a strain on the tree. 

 To get hold of the downward roots 

 dig underneath the ball of soil. When 

 the root pruning has been carefully 

 carried out the beneficial effect is 

 soon seen on the growth and fruit 

 bearing of the trees. 



Trencliing. — This term is used to 

 denote double digging or deep tilling 

 of the soil, and thus treated the crops 



