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FARM, ORCHARD, DAIRY AND GARDEN. 



GARDEN SPIDERS, To Destroy.— 



Various kinds of fruits and plants, both 

 in the garden and the hot-house are 

 frequently infested with insects, such as 

 aphides, earwigs, red spiders and other 

 pests. The vine, the peach, the melon, 

 the cherry, the currant, and some hum- 

 bler plants, afford them appropriate 

 places of abode, to the discomfort of the 

 gardener and the detriment of his fruit. 

 Several modes of expelling these pests 

 have been devised. One of the most 

 successful is the frequent washing of the 

 plants and fruit trees by means of the 

 watering-pot and rose. This itself will 

 vastly diminish the numbers, and at 

 length destroy them. Lime-water, how- 

 ever, will be found much superior to the 

 common water for the purpose, care being 

 taken that the fluid shall reach the lower 

 sides of the leaves, and those parts of 

 twigs and branches in which the insects 

 take refuge. Six o'clock in the morning 

 is an excellent time to perform the work. 

 And when the leaves and fruit have been 

 thoroughly washed care should be taken 

 to completely shade the plants in the 

 hot-house or forcing-house with matting, 

 to prevent injury to them from the heat 

 of the sun while they are in a wet, cool 

 state. The washing may be repeated 

 about three o'clock in the afternoon. 



GARLIC. — The common garlic is pro- 

 pagated usually by the offsets known 

 technically as " cloves " — that is the old 

 bulbs are pulled apart, and the small 

 •divisions planted in spring. They are 

 usually set in rows eighteen inches apart, 

 and the sets four to six inches in the rows; 

 plant with a dibble, or by thrusting them 

 into the soil with the forefinger and 

 thumb. Give them the same culture as 

 •onions, gathering in autumn, and tie in 

 bundles, the tops being left on for this 

 purpose. The young bulbs will throw up 

 long stalks, and it not checked are very 

 likely to run to seed, which must be pre- 

 vented by breaking down the stems, or 

 tying them in a knot, which is the prac- 

 tice of European gardeners. Garlics are 

 mainly used by foreigners, especially the 

 Germans, and by our people for medical 

 purposes. 



GRAFTING WAX.— i. Take i lb. of 

 tallow, 3 lbs. of beeswax, and 4 lbs. of 

 resin ; put in*<) a kettle and melt slowly 

 until ail the ingredients are combined. 



If to be used in the open air in cool 

 weather, add a ^ to j^ lb. more tallow. 

 Melt the resin first, and be sure it is well 

 melted before adding the wax and tallow. 

 If this be not done, the grafting wax will 

 be full of lumps. When melted pour 

 it into cold water, and work it by hand 

 into rolls of convenient size. In cold 

 weather, soften the wax by putting it into 

 warm water before using. When the 

 scions are set — say as many as 20 or 30, 

 or few as is wished — have the mixture ready 

 and apply it warm, with a small wooden 

 paddle. See that every part is covered 

 and the air completely excluded. It 

 requires no bandage. 

 . GRAFTING WAX, Liquid. — Mr. 

 L'Homme-Lefort invented, not many 

 years ago, a grafting composition, which, 

 when generally known, will no doubt 

 supersede all others now in use, either for 

 grafting purposes or for covering the 

 wounds of trees. It is very cheap, very 

 easily prepared, and keeps corked up in 

 a bottle with a tolerable wide mouth, at 

 least six months unaltered. It is laid on 

 in as thin a coat as possible, by means of 

 a flat piece of wood. Within a few days 

 it will be as hard as a stone. In addition 

 to all the advantages indicated above, it 

 is not in the least affected by the severe 

 cold of our winters; it never softens or 

 cracks when exposed to atmospheric ac- 

 tion or changes. There is no better pre- 

 paration for covering the wounds of trees. 

 As long as the inventor kept it a secret it 

 sold at a very high price, and even now 

 it is generally unknown. The recipe is as 

 follows : Melt 1 lb. of common resin over 

 a gentle fire. Add to it 1 oz. of beef 

 tallow, and stir it well. Take it from the 

 fire, let it cool down a little, and then 

 mix with it a tablespoonful of spirits of 

 turpentine, and after that about 7 oz. of 

 very strong alcohol (95 per cent.) to be 

 had at any druggist's store. The alcohol 

 cools it down so rapidly that it will be 

 necessary to put it once more on the fire, 

 stirring it constantly. Still the utmost 

 care must be exercised to prevent the 

 alcohol from getting inflamed. To avoid 

 it, the best way is to remove the vessel 

 from the fire, when the lumps that may 

 have been formed commence melting 

 again. This must be continued till the 

 whole is a homogeneous mass similar to 

 honey. 



