Horticultural Memoranda for April, 159 



ing attention to the subject, and quite large quantities of some of the 

 kinds were planted; in no instance, that has come to our knowledge, 

 have those who have followed our advice been disappointed; and we 

 would again urge upon gentlemen, marketmen, and farmers who have 

 not yet tried the sorts we noticed, to do so this season. 



Turnips are yet sufficiently jjlenty. Onions, though not scarce, can- 

 not be said to be more than moderately abundant, considering that the 

 season is not yet far advanced. Horseradish is abundant, and of finer qual- 

 ity than that which has lately come to hand. Radishes are now brought 

 in of very fine quality, and sales are more brisk and prices moderate: 

 the scarlet and purple turnip varieties are raised in considerable quan- 

 tities, but they do not command, at this season, a very ready sale. 

 Cabbages are scarce, notwithstanding they have come in in greater 

 abundance than during mid-winter. A few cauliflowers are occasion- 

 alFy to be had. Lettuce is brought in of most excellent quality and in 

 abundance for the early season; some heads, of considerable firmness, 

 were to be had the present week. Celery is almost gone; only a few 

 roots occasionally coming to hand. 



There is scarcely a crookneck squash to be had in the market; occa- 

 sionally a few are brought in from a distance, and these bring the prices 

 in our quotations; l)ut the very late arrivals of large quantities of West 

 Indias has glutted the market so that the former do not sell as high as 

 at the time of our last report; the latter have come to hand of fair 

 size and good quality. 



In fruit very little is doing: sales of apples are extremely dull, and 

 prices remain the same; those of the first quality of some sorts yet re- 

 main on hand: Golden pippins and Bellflowers are all gone. Of pears 

 none are now to be had except the common baking sorts. Grapes are 

 nearly out of season. This week the first cucumber of the season was 

 brought in; it was of fair size, and sold at our quotation: probably 

 the market will soon be supplied. Cranberries are yet high. Chest- 

 nuts are all gone. Walnuts have fallen a shade in price since our for- 

 mer reports. — Yours, M. T., Boston, March '2bth, 1837. 



HORTICULTURAL MEMORANDA 



FOR APRIL. 



Up to this time, (March 24th,) the weather remains, in the latitude 

 of Boston, cold, and the snow yet lies upon the ground in considerable 

 quantities in some situations; the frost is not yet out only in some spots, 

 and, consequently, little can be done in the garden. We have known 

 seasons when the mildness of the weather, in the last week in March, 

 was such as to allow the uncovering of grape vines, strawberries, &,c., 

 and among the flowers, tulips, hyacinths, and perennial flowers in gen- 

 eral; but we fear, unless a great and sudden change takes place, that it 

 will be late in April before the frost wholly leaves the ground, and it 

 shall have become suitable for the operation of digging, and more espe- 

 cially of putting the seed into it, with hojtes of vegetation. 



Now is the time to gather up and carry off all decayed flower stalks 

 from the flower border, and in the vegetable garden the same should be 

 attended to. This done, all will be ready to proceed to digging as soon as 

 the state of the earth will perinit. Prune gooseberry bushes, and, 

 where yet neglected, such small shrubs and plants, as, from their situa- 

 tion, require it. Do all now that can be done with facility, in order that 

 the planting season may not pass and find but half of the seeds trans- 

 mitted to the earth. 



