152 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



WALKS AND TALKS IN THE GARDEN.-No. I. 



"What splendid weather we are having! A week ago 

 the snow was still on the ground in some places, and now 

 the soil is in first rate condition to work." 



" True. There is some danger of cold weather yet. It 

 seems scarcely possible that we are to have summer all 

 at once. A warm April, like this, is often succeeded by 

 a cold May. In such a climate, it is hardly worth while 

 trying to have much of a garden without the aid of haud- 

 glasses, or boxes with a pane of glass 8 by 10 on the top, 

 fitting in a groove, so that the pane can be moved up and 

 down for ventilation. The cost is but little, and the ad- 

 vantages very large. For melons, cucumbers, and Lima 

 beans, they are indispensable." 



"Even a box without glass is useful. An old cheese 

 box is just the thing. A piece of paper, or anything that 

 will break the wind, is advantageous." 



off any excess of moisture in the ground, and thus check 

 the succulent growth of the trees." 



" Spurry is perhaps the best crop for this purpose. It 

 can be sown the latter part of July. It is one of the best 

 renovating crops known, and will grow late in the fall. 

 It might lie ou the ground all winter, and be turned under 

 next spring. It is just the crop for peach orchards — far 

 better than clover, as that robs the soil of moisture du- 

 ring the early part of summer, when the trees need all 

 they can get. When plowed under, it would furnish a 

 large amount of organic matter, and this on our light, 

 sandy-soil peach orchards, is very desirable." 



" The prospects for fruit were never finer. These peach 

 trees are full of fruit buds, and if nothing happens, we 

 shall have a grand crop." 



"Confound the borers! Got a knife? No gardener 

 should ever be without one. Scrape away that soft mass. 

 You'll find him. Up his hole, is he ? Well, here is a 

 piece of wire. Poke him up. Squelch! There is one 

 »ascal less." 



"Lime and ashes are said to be good to destroy borers, 

 scattered around the base of the trees. But I have not 

 tried them. A writer in the last number of the Monthly 

 says burning fluid, applied with a sponge around the roots 

 of the trees, will destroy them. Or, if they are in holes, 

 send it 'after them with a small syringe. Possibly good; 

 but ' cold steel ' certainly is." 



"Too bad! isn't it? Nicer pear trees never were seen. 

 Over thirty blighted. Well, plant again. There is no- 

 thing else to be done. Choice pears are a great luxury, 

 and, like everything else, can not be enjoyed without 

 labor. There is no certain cure for the blight, any more 

 than there is for the cholera. People in good health suf- 

 fer the least. So healthy pear trees are less liable to the 

 blight. The great point is to have the wood thoroughly 

 matured. It is possible that we manure too highly — es- 

 pecially with organic matter. Lime, ashes, superphos- 

 phate and other mineral manures, will probably be found 

 favorable to the early maturity of the wood. Thorough 

 summer pinching is also worth trying. Mulching during 

 ' the early part of the season is undoubtedly good. But 

 toward the end of summer, it strikes me it would be use- 

 ful to sow some crop among the trees that would carry 



" It is not a hot-bed. Merely a cold-frame for sowing 

 cauliflower and cabbage seeds in, and pricking out celery 

 and tomato plants from the hot-bed. It is a great thing. 

 Quite as important as a hot-bed, and less expensive. 

 Plants raised in a hot-bed need hardening off before set- 

 ting out in the open ground. And if you have not a hot- 

 bed, a great many plants can be started in a cold-frame, 

 such as cauliflowers, cabbages, tomatoes, celery, annual 

 flowers, etc." 



" No. Melons do not transplant easily. Sow them 

 where you intend them to remain. Make the ground rich 

 and let the soil be thoroughly pulverized. Sow six or 

 eight seeds in a hill, and cover with a box. Attend to the 

 ventilation. Pull out the weaker plants, and let three or 

 four good, strong plants remain in each hill." 



"Let the whole ground be dug, and manured if needed. 

 The roots spread to a considerable distance. It is a great 

 mistake to dig a small hole and put a little niauure in it, 

 and leave the rest of the ground so hard that the roots 

 can not penetrate it, and so poor that if they could they 

 would find little plant-food in it." 



"Four feet is far enough apart for the hills. Pinch in 

 the runners thoroughly. It is nice work for a lady who 

 has any taste for gardening. You will get as many 

 melons as if they occupied twice the ground, and they 

 will be far better." 



"Treat cucumbers in the same way." 



"Rather risky to plant Lima beans yet. But I mean to 

 try a few, and cover them with boxes. If they fail, it is 

 only replanting." 



" The mice have played the mischief with these grape 

 vines. They have eaten off many of the buds and in some 

 instances whole canes. They were laid down and covered 

 with earth, but I guess it was not altogether free from 

 rubbish, which afforded a harbor for the mice. Out ou 

 the trellises in the open ground, though covered in the 

 same way, they have done no damage. These, trained to 

 the fence, alone suffered. The fence drifted the snow and 

 thus gave the mice a better opportunity to work. If they 

 had been Isabellas I should not have cared so much, but 

 who likes to have the Delaware, Diana and Rebecca used 

 up in this way?" 



" Those are some Oportos I got from Dr. Sylvester 

 yesterday. If these are a sample, the Doctor sends out 

 good vines. Canes as thick as your big finger, two feet 

 long, with plenty of roots. I can not but think these 

 more likely to succeed than the small plants, no thicker 

 than a lead pencil, generally sent out by nurserymen. 

 With proper care, however, even these do very well. 



