106 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



slacked lime may be mixed with each cord, to has- 

 ten decomposition. The soil will absorb the gas- 

 es. If the heap becomes very hot, shovel it over. 



IN THE ORCHARD AND NURSERY. 



Grafting. — April is a good season for grafting. 

 Cherries, plums and apricots should be set first. 

 They generally succeed well, if set by the middle 

 or 20th of the month. Pears do better if set tolerably 

 early; but if the scions are in good condition, any 

 time in the month or the first of May is in season. 

 Apple scions may be set any time in this month or 

 in May. Young stocks grafted late at the ground, 

 are apt to bleed and fail, and in all cases of late 

 grafting, there will of course be less growth; and 

 for this reason some graft in June, lest the scions 

 grow too rank. 



Transflanting. — It is a good plan to take up 

 trees early, before they start, and then if the ground 

 is not dry enough to set them, they may be heeled 

 in, and remain till the soil becomes dry enough to 

 work well. This is better than to set early in a wet 

 soil. It is not important to set early, but the trees 

 should be taken up early. 



Pruning. — As this is not a favorable season for 

 this operation, it should be confined to the removal 

 of dead and decaying limbs, small twigs, &c. 



Sowing Seeds. — Pears succeed best on rather 

 moist laud; but they cannot be sowed on heavy 

 lands early in the season, and if they are delayed, 

 the seeds start and grow so much as to become 

 spoiled. If sowed on dryland, the hot sun of sum- 

 mer usually blasts them. We prefer keeping them 

 back with ice or snow this season, and sowing on 

 moist land. Apples, plums, cherries, and peach- 

 es, do well on tolerably dry soil, and may be sowed 

 early. The quince is similar to the pear. 



Cutting Back Stocks. — We prefer delaying this 

 operation until the leaves begin to start from the 

 stock, then tiie strong ascent of sap, that has been 

 invited up by the stock, will start out the bud 

 with greater force than if the stock is cut off before 

 vegetation commences. Many lose their buds, by 

 cutting the stock too early. 



IN THE GARDE.f. 



The subjects that require attention in the garden 

 are too numerous to mention. We will refer to a 

 few. 



Peas are hardy, and for early use they should be 

 sowed as soon as possible. Neither frost nor snow 

 will injure them. Early Kent and Prince Albert 

 are among the very earliest and best kinds. Hill's 

 Early and Early Washington are good varieties to 

 follow, and are nearly as early. 



Brans of most varieties are tender, and cannot 

 be forwarded much by very early planting; cold 

 storms, and cold weather blast them. We have 

 planted beans early in April, and again the first of 

 May, and the latter were as early and succeeded best. 

 But in a warm spring, it is better to plant a few 

 rather early, for early uss; thoy may escape harm. 



Potatoes. — As the old crop is poor and dear, it is 

 desirable to raise some very early. A few for 

 seed may be started around the kitchen fire, and 

 they should be planted in a warm soil, dressed with 

 a well-decomposed compost manure , or in a good soil 

 without manure. 



Corn for early use should be planted early. If 

 killed down by frost it will start again. The early 

 White Jefferson is a very early kind. 



Early Beets, Carrots, Cabbages, Turnips, and 

 various other plants should be sowed in a warm 

 border as soon as the frost is out of the ground. 

 They are hardy, and when sowed in fall, will start 

 as soon as the snow is gone. 



Spinach makes excellent greens, and grows rap- 

 idly. Cabbages and turnips should also be set out 

 very early for greens. 



Cucumbers, Squashes and Melons, for early use, 

 may be started early under glass boxes; and in this 

 way Tomato, Cabbage, and Lettuce plants may be 

 started. Plants thus started may remain, or be 

 transplanted, as convenient or expedient. 



GRAFTING PEARS. 



Mr. Editor: — Owing to the scarcity of pear 

 seeds and pear stocks, nurserymen are frequently 

 tempted to set the scions of the pear on apple stocks. 

 The pear grows as well and vigorously when so 

 placed, as it does in a pear stock, but this vigor is 

 but temporary, and after a few years' bearing, the 

 tree always fails, and can never by any effort be 

 made again to flourish. There seems to be a want 

 of constitution, so to speak, which no attention or 

 care can remedy. To set grafts, therefore, in apple 

 stocks — knowing the legitimate consequences, with 

 a view to dispose of them to the ignorant and un- 

 enlightened in such matters, is sheer dishonesty. 

 Purchasers should be particular to inquire whether 

 the stocks are apple or pear stocks, before they 

 buy. The best substitute, probably, for the pear 

 -stock, is the root of the pear. These may be ob- 

 taiued in almost any desired quantity when remov- 

 ing pear trees from the nursery. Even the roots 

 of old bearing trees may be resorted to for this pur- 

 pose, as scions set in them do very well, and gen- 

 erally make good and healthy trees. Next to this 

 the quince stock should be chosen. Although the 

 pear is dwarfed on it, the fruit is improved in fla- 

 vor, and the trees come into bearing two or three 

 years earlier tiian when set in the apple or pear 

 stock. As the scion, when so placed, does not de- 

 velope according to its original nature, the trees 

 make beautiful linings to a walk or border, and 

 may be set eight feet apart. On the quince as on 

 the apple, the pear is comparatively short lived. 

 It endures but a few years, and then as if smitten 

 with some fatal and irremediable disease, fails not 

 only to produce, but to respond to every effort 

 made for its resuscitation, and soon dies. The 

 white thorn gives a good degree of vigor to the 

 pear scion, and is preferable to either of the afore- 

 mentioned, as being both more hardy and more 

 nearly allied in nature to the pear; but even this 

 ought not to be used only in cases of extremity, 

 and when pear stocks caimot possibly be procured. 



Germantown Telegraph. 



