1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



423 



For the Nmc England Farmer. 



LITTLE THINGS : 



Or, a Walk in My Garden No. 1. 



One of my many sources of enjoyment is derived 

 from a survey of my garden, at least twee a day. 

 It affords me much pleasure to know that my prac- 

 tice now and then conforms to the experience of 

 others. The first thing I noticed in my ramble to- 

 day was an 



ORANGE QUINCE. 

 I transplanted it a year ago to the border of an as- 

 paragus bed, but was in doubt wliether it would do 

 where so much salt had been spread over the 

 ground. It grew finely, and lias been covered M'ith 

 blossoms, the ])rescnt season. I recently saw an 

 article in the Farmer, recommending salt for the 

 quince, and this seems to confirm its use. On the 

 border of the same bed are some 



HOUGHTON SEEDLING GOOSEBERRIES, 



which have throwTi out shoots the present season 

 two and a half feet already. I must attribute this 

 unusual growth to the deep trenching of the bed, 

 which was made four feet in depth, and filled with 

 alternate lajers of earth and manure. Against a 

 wall near by, are some 



GRAPE VINES. 



I have learned one lesson from sad experience. In 

 tliis latitude, it is absolutely necessary to protect 

 grape \ines during ^^■inter, and on laying them dowii, 

 if ])laced on the ground and covered up, they are 

 quite sure to be killed, especially if there be any 

 water on the ground. I adoj)ted the plan last win- 

 ter ^nth my sweet water grape vines, of placing on 

 the ground a good layer of spnice or fir boughs, 

 laj-ing the \ines on them, and covering them with 

 the same. They came out in the finest order, while 

 my Isabella was badly injured for want of a similar 

 protection. 



Pursuing my walk, I look at a few liills of early 



CUCUMBERS. 



I brought these fonvard in the cheapest possible 

 manner, simj)ly by making a deep hole, jjutting in 

 good manure, and placing around the hill four 

 bricks laid Hatwise, and on them a square of glass. 

 Broken glass from the stores will answer just as 

 well, which the sho])-keeper will give you. After 

 the plants are up, slij) oft' the glass during the day 

 in warm weather. The bricks absorb the heat of 

 the sun during the day, and retain it during a por- 

 tion of the night. They commenced blossoming 

 the fourth of July, which is at least two weeks ear- 

 lier than they can do in open air, in this vicinity. 

 Among the many plans aaopted, I have met with 

 none better than this. 



Stepping along, I saw with jjleasure my 



PEAR TREES, 



whicli have grown better than any of my neighbors' 

 trees, I suppose, because I saturated the nndching 

 last jear occasionally with soap-suds and Uquid ex- 

 crements, (a.) Just over the fence I see a native 

 apple, which I call the 



BETHEL BELLE APPLE. 

 I regard it the best grower and bearer of any fall 

 cooking aj)ple in this vicinity. The original tree 

 has borne every year for eight years past, and near- 

 ly the same in quantity each year. The Avood is re- 



markably healthy and A-igorous, as has been proved 

 by graftmg into other stocks. The original tree 

 has supplied my family of eight or nine persons 

 M'ith cooking aj)j)les from the first week in August 

 till the middle or last of Novemlier, besides furnish- 

 ing a supply for drjing. It now hangs full. At- 

 tention is not sufficiently paid to secure good cook- 

 ing apples in our collections of fruit. 



This walk has afi'orded me ])leasure enough for 

 one day, a pleasure free from alloy, and especially 

 from the cares of professional life. Who beheves 

 that Adam and Eve Avere not happy while in the 

 Garden of Eden ? N. T. T. 



Bethel, Me., Jidy 5, 1855. 



Remarks. — The writer of the above is a stranger 

 to us, personally, though from the tone and spirit 

 of his frequent communications, we cannot but feel 

 the interest and attachment of a brother. This ar- 

 ticle is not only brief — a cardinal virtue in newspa- 

 per writing — but it is terse, compact, pleasantly ex- 

 pressed, takes up a single point, discusses it, and 

 lays it down a perfect work, finished in all its parts. 



(a.) In connection with "N. T. T.'s" practice of 

 manuring his pear trees, we wish to utter a single 

 word of warning. Soap suds and water from the 

 chambers are undoubtedly among the best fertili- 

 zers we have for any plants, but they must be used 

 in a diluted form. In seasons of drought they are 

 particularly dangerous ; as they are not diluted and 

 washed through the soil by rains. We know now 

 of dead pear trees and choice grape A-ines that im- 

 doubtedly m ere killed by the application of undilu- 

 ted chamber ley and soap suds during the extreme 

 drought of last summer. They may be used with 

 great advantage, and in unlimited quantity, if great- 

 ly reduced in strength. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE CROPS AND SEASON IN NORTH- 

 ERN NEW YORK. 



April was a cold and wet month ; vegetation made 

 but little progress during the month, even the pas- 

 tures looked as barren as in the month of March. 

 May came, with its cold and dry winds, and scarcely 

 any rain fell during the whole month, vegetiition 

 languid, the cattle on the hills lowed for food, but 

 the farmer had no iiay or grain to give them, for 

 the contents of his barns and granary were exhausted. 

 June at last came, with abundance of rain, hut cold; 

 grass grew, though thin, from being killed by the 

 ice and excessive freezing during the winter. July 

 came forward with warm weatlier, the 2d da}', the 

 thermometer indicated a degree of heat that was 

 opj)ressive to man or beast, 90", and for the past 

 17 days the thermometer has ranged at 2 P. M., 

 from 74° to 90", which has jjroduced, with suitable 

 showers of rain, a wonderl'ul change in the whole 

 vegetal)le kingdom. Rye, oats and i)otiitoes now 

 look finely, and liid fair to become a good cro]), l)ut 

 corn is liackward. 'I'iie black cut worm, in tiiis 

 vicinity, has injured the crop very nuich. I ])lanted 

 al)out the lOlh of May six acres on grei'usward tiiat 

 had been to jiaslure for 15 years ; the corn Ciune 

 well and looked nice, when it first made its appear- 



