A FEW RULES AND MAXIMS. 333 



Men of these types are as disastrous on a fruit farm as 

 the Lachnosterjia or currant worm. Unless the reader has 

 far more native goodness and acquired grace than the writer, 

 he had better dismiss them speedily, or his feelings may re- 

 semble those that Sam Jubilee described on page 168. I 

 have given two extreme examples, but there are also grada- 

 tions of these characters, who had better find employment 

 from those requiring " hands " only. Successful work on a 

 fruit farm, or in a garden, requires a quick brain, a keen eye, 

 a brisk step and a deft hand. Many of its labors are light, 

 and no profit can follow unless they are performed with de- 

 spatch, at the right time and in the right way. 



The majority of those we employ wish to do right and to 

 give satisfaction. They are not only willing but are glad to 

 learn ; and while only actual and long- continued experience 

 can make a thorough gardener, perhaps the following rules, 

 maxims, and principles, embodying the experience of others, 

 may be of service to beginners, giving them a start in the 

 right direction : — 



1 . Never put off till spring work that might be done in 

 the fall. Spring is 'always too short for the labor it brings, 

 even when not wet and late. 



2. Plow in the fall all heavy, loamy land that you intend 

 to plant in spring. This exposes it to the action of frost, 

 and if done late, tends to destroy insects and their lan'se. 

 Do not plow sand in the fall unless there is upon it sod, 

 stubble, etc., that is to decay. 



3. Top-dress very hght land with an inch or two of clay 

 or heavy loam in November, and let the winter frosts and 

 rains blend the two diverse soils to their mutual advantage. 

 Harrowing in fertilizers on light ground is better than plow- 

 ing them in. 



4. In the fall top-dress all the small fruits with com- 



