THE GENESEE FARMER. 



24:7 





TALKS AND TALKS IN THE GARDEN.-No. IV. 



" Come and eat some raspberries. It will be a 

 larity. They are very fine and never more abun- 

 mt." 



" Carft you sell them? " 



" No, you can hardly give them away. I asked 

 grocer yesterday what they were worth, and he 

 plied shortly, " Worth nothing." 

 " The ' black-caps ' sell best. They are not so 

 ft, and can be taken to market in better condi- 

 )n than the red-raspberries." 



" Look at these Brinckle's orange. Nothing 

 ,n be handsomer, and the canes bend almost to 

 e ground under their load of berries. The Red- 

 ntwerps are also magnificent, and so are the 

 istolffs." 



" The young suckers that I set out last month all 

 ew and are doing well." 



"There sire still too many young suckers left. It is 

 ell to thin them out now to four canes, leaving, 



course, the strongest. In this way you get good 

 rong canes for bearing next year." 



" Strawberries will do very well, set out in Au- 

 ist, if the young plants are strong and the weather 

 rainy. If not, it is better to wait till next spring. 

 ie advantage of setting out in August is that the 

 ants will bear the following year, while those set 

 it next spring will not. You thus gain a year." 

 " I am going to set out a lot on this plat where 

 e have had early peas. The land was trenched 

 3t year, and is in splendid condition. Strawber- 

 3s like a deep, rich, loamy soil. It is very impor- 

 nt to have the 6ubsoil broken up, and manure 

 rked into it. That is to say, in trenching, throw 

 me mannre into the bottom of the trench, and 

 rk it into the subsoil. The roots will then de- 

 end down into this rich soil, and the plants will 

 )t be likely to suffer much from drouth. The fi- 

 ist berries I ever saw were raised on land prepared 



this way. They were Hookers' Seedling." 



" By the way, the Hooker has done better this 



>ar than for the past two or three seasons. It is 



a splendid berry, large, handsome, and productive, 

 and where it does not winter-kill has no superior." 



"Downing's plan of cultivating in alternate strips, 

 was to set out the plants in rows three feet apart 

 and a foot apart in the rows. He allowed the run- 

 ners to take possession of every alternate strip of 

 three feet, the other strip being kept bare by 

 continually cutting off all runners upon it. This 

 bare strip of three feet served as an alley from 

 which to gather the fruit. After the crop is over, 

 dig up this alley and prepare it for the occupancy 

 of the new runners for the next season's crop. The 

 runners from the old strip will soon cover the new 

 ground, and as soon as this is the case, (say about 

 the first of September,) dig under the whole of the 

 old plants, and the strip will serve in its turn for 

 an alley the next season. In this way the strips 

 occupied by the plants are renewed every season, 

 and the same plot of ground may thus be continued 

 in a productive state for many years." 



" But if you wish fine, large berries it is better 

 to plant in hills two feet apart one way and from 

 eighteen inches to two feet the other way. Cut 

 off the runners whenever they appear. Keep the 

 ground clear by the use of the hoe and by mulch- 

 ing in summer, and top-dress with littery manure 

 in the fall. This will enrich the ground and serve 

 as a protection to the plants. Planted in the spring 

 they will bear a good crop the next summer twelve- 

 month, ( and if in August a very fair crop, ) and 

 will give two heavy crops and perhaps three, 

 though it is better to have anew plantation coming 

 on and dig up the old plants after the fourth year. 



Mr. K says they will bear good crops for a 



dozen years or more, and as he is a ' Rev.' we dare 

 not doubt his word." 



" How are the cauliflowers that were planted out 

 early and covered with l/oxes ? " 



" "Well sir, they are all eaten up except two. We 

 eat one or two in the house, and the worms and 

 flies eat up the rest ! However, I replanted, and 

 have a nice lot coming on. A gardener must never 

 be discouraged. Plant and replant, and plant 

 again. Persevere, and you will finally triumph 

 over all obstacles." 



" But the pear Might ? " 



" Well that is discouraging; but the same princi- 

 p.o will hold good. If a tree blights set out another 

 one this fall, and if that blights plant again. There 

 is nothing else to be done. I have to cut out 

 blighted branches almost every day, and I have 

 known a branch to blight while I was at dinner ! " 



" The disease has been known for a century, and 



