THE GEXESEE FARMER. 



215 



WALKS AND TALKS IN THE GAEDEN— NO. IH. 



"I HAVE just been thinning out the pears. The 

 rees are not loaded as they were last year, but 

 ome kinds require thinning more than one-half. 



made a great mistake, last year, in not thinning 

 lore thoroughly. I cut off at least two for every 

 ne that was left ; but if I had not left more than 

 alf as many, I should have had more fruit and 

 f vastly better quality.'" 



" There are few of our fruits that would not be 

 reatly improved by thinning. Last year, Mr. 

 fooDT, of Lockport, thinned out some of his 

 each trees, and he says that the fruit was double 

 he size, and sold for more than double the price 

 f peaches from unthinned trees growing in the 

 ame orchard. Furthermore, these large peaches 

 an be picked with far less labor. One man picked 

 ighty baskets in a day. He thinned out about 

 wo-thirds of the fruit. The yield for a tree so 

 binned was as much as from the trees not thinned." 



"I do not know how it is generally, but our 

 eacli trees are more heavily laden than last year, 

 nd half of them should be thinned out at once." 



" One great secret in raising good melons is to 

 lin out the fruit, and to pinch in the runners three 

 r four leaves above the melon." 



" The severe wind we had about two weeks ago 

 'hipped the leaves of the pear trees most severely, 

 Qd has certainly injured the appearance of the 

 cchard, if nothing more." 



"The more I see the more T am satisfied of the 

 reat advantage of a hedge or belt of evergreen 

 •ees to keep off the wind. That part of the gar- 

 en surrounded with an Arbor Vitse hedge is much 

 etter protected than that surrounded with the 

 (sage Orange. Where high screens are desirable, 

 think the Norway Spruce would be even better 

 lan the Arbor Vitae. It grows more rapidly, 

 nd will bear clipping almost as well as the Arbor 

 atae." 



"The cut- worm is a nuisance. I set out a num- 

 er of nice tomato plants, raised in the hot-bed 



and transplanted into pots, strong and stocky, with 

 stems as thick as my little finger. The next morn- 

 ing I found six of them gnawed off clean, level 

 with the surface of the ground. I thought they 

 would destroy the whole, but after the first few 

 days they seemed to disappear." 



" Dr. H. says they have eaten off his Lima beans. 

 The Doctor is very fond of Limas, and rather 

 prides himself on his success in raising them. 

 This year I hope to beat him. I do not care much 

 for the beans myself, but it will be a pleasure to 

 get the start of the Doctor. Last year I planted 

 the beans in hills raised six inches above the 

 ground. It was a dry summer, and the beans suf- 

 fered for want of water. This year I have plantec^ 

 them on the level, and they are doing mucli bet- 

 ter, so far. There are but few hills in which there 

 are not three and four good plants a foot high. 

 Mr. B. was here a few days since, and says he lias 

 some that are much larger. He planted them in 

 pots in a hot-bed and transplanted them. He thinks 

 this the best way to raise Lima beans." 



[Later and Important 1 — Mr. B. says (June 22) 

 that his early Limas have grown very little the 

 last ten days. He is now not sure but those 

 planted in the open air and protected with a box 

 will come out ahead.] 



" If you. have a good crop, there is nothing 

 which yields more food than Lima beans, A re- 

 turned missionary from Southern Africa says the 

 Lima beans in that country are perennial, and grow 

 to be a good-sized fee ! They bear . the year 

 round. At all seasons of the year there are flowers, 

 pods and ripe beans on the same tree, and a single 

 plant affords food enough the year through for a 

 family of five persons! " 



" No wonder the inhabitants are lazy. Few of 

 us would labor unless compelled by necessity, I 

 have the greatest difficulty to get people to hoe 

 unless the ground is covered with weeds. They 

 think it is labor lost." 



"We had a nice shower last night (June 11), 

 and this morning every thing looks fresh and fine. 

 Bnt Oh ! the poor melons, cucumbers and squashes 1 

 The striped bug is on them by hundreds. Hellebore 

 powder will keep them off, but I have neglected to 

 apply it." 



" I have been told that if you sow a little buck- 

 wheat round the hills it will keep off the bugs 

 Dusting plaster, ashes, lime, &c., over the plants' 

 does some good, and if the finger and tliumb 

 remedy is freely used at the same time the bugs 

 can be kept under." 



