THE GENESEE FARMER. 



151 





MTMrnrmmw^^ 



WALKS AND TALKS IN THE GARDEN-NO. 1. 



We have been requested by on© of our most en- 

 thusiastic horticulturists to continue our " Walks 

 and Talks in the Garden." We hope to continue 

 our " walks " in a garden for some time, but have 

 some misgivings as to the profitableness of the 

 "talks." Solomon says, "In all laior there is 

 profit: but the falh of the lips tendeth only to 

 penury." The man given to talking wastes not 

 only his own time, but the time of those who listen 

 to him. It would be very poor policy to let a story- 

 teller work with a gang of men, even if he would 

 work for nothing. Better pay him to stay at 

 home. Such a man should be " sent to Coventry " 

 during the busy season. 



" But let us go and look at the hot-beds. Shut up 

 this bright morning ! that should not be. Push 

 down the sash. Just as 1 feared. These young 

 cucumber plants are all dead. The hot sun in this 

 close atmosphere has been too much for them. If 

 we had been working instead of talking this had 

 not been. Well, there is no help for it now ; we 

 must plant again. A minute's labor would have 

 saved all this trouble and delay." 



" A [)retty good joke, especially as last month in 

 the Farmer you insisted so much on the necessity 

 of ventilation and shading on warm days, and 

 here on my first visit I find your hot bed closed, 

 with the sun shining bright, and the plants killed 

 by the heat and steam ! I always heard that edi- 

 tors could preach better than they could practice. 

 Your young cabbage and cauliflower plants are 

 drawn up too much by the heat; half an hour 

 longer and they, too, would have perished ! But, 

 if you will give me a few plants in a week or two I 

 will say nothing about it ! " 



" There was a sharp frost this morning, and I 

 noticed a fact that shows the advantage of ever- 

 greens for shelter. I was raking the graveled 

 walk, and in that portion of the garden sheltered 

 by an arbor vitiB hedge there was little or no frost, 

 but on coming down the walk to where the hedge 



is of osage orange the gravel was frozen so hard 

 tliat I had to give up the job. The hedge in both 

 cases is the same distance from the walk, say 50 

 yards, and there is nothing that could make the 

 ditierence except the increased shelter afforded by 



the Arbor vitse." 



" Last year we had excellent success in raising 

 melons. The seed was sown in the open ground. 

 Below some of the drills we put some manure, 

 tliinking it would forward the plants, but I could 

 see very little difference. We put a box, covered 

 with a pane of glass, 8 by 10, over each hill. The 

 boxes cost but little, and will last for years. Here 



is one. The tvro siues are a little higher than the 

 ends, with a groove for the glass to slide up and 

 down in." 



" I hope you did not forget to draw out the glass 

 a few iuches on warm days to ventilate? Any 

 old box that will keep off the winds is a great help, 

 and you can throw something over it when there 

 is danger of frost. The b6xes, too, whether cov- 

 ered with glass or not seem to keep off the bug 

 from cucumbers, &c." 



"Black hellibore powder is the best thing to 

 drive away the bugs, and also to kill the worms on 

 the gooseberry and currant bushes. I mix it with 

 a little sulphur and dust it with a dredger on the 

 leaves while the dew is on. With succulent plants, 

 however, vigorous groicth is the grand means of 

 preventing injury from insects. Let the soil be 

 warm, rich and well cultivated, and the plants 

 sheltered from cold winds, and the bugs can easily 

 be kept under by an occasional application of the 

 thum and finger machine. I was talking to a man 

 who has had considerable experience in raising to- 

 bacco, and he says the " worm" seldom does much 

 damage when the crop is strong. It is the weak 

 plants that suffer. The reason is, he thinks, tliat 

 the eggs are deposited on the under side of the 

 leaves, and when the leaves are thick and strong 

 the sun does not hatch the eggs till the plants are 

 so far advanced that the worms can do little harm." 



"Vigorous and rapid growth should be the aim 

 of every gardener. Not only on account of the 

 improved quality and quantity of the vegetables 

 themselves, but as a means of preventing, injury 

 from grubs, insects, mildew, «Ssc." 



