THE GENESEE FARMER. 



155 



CONDUCTED BY JOSEPU FROST. 



GARDENING OPERATIONS. 



May is a busy month for the farmer and gardener. 

 The severe cold weather during the lattc-r part of 

 JIarch retarded agricultural operations, and left more 

 than the usual amount of labor to be performed 

 during April and May. Although there may 1)e 

 more work to be done in less time, do not on that 

 account undt^rtake more than you can thorouglily 

 perform ; for the adage holds true, " once well done 

 is twice done." 



Our readers have often been reminded of the indis- 

 pinsable necessity of jDroviding suitable food, and va- 

 ideties of food, for the proper maintenance of their 

 stock ; and e(^ually important is it that the farmer's 

 table should Ijc supplied with healthy, succulent and 

 well-grown vegetables. ^Sledicid writers declare that, 

 as a class, the agricultural portion of conunuiiity use 

 too much tlcsh, or meat, during the warm season of our 

 clima.te. During the prevalence of the cholera in 

 this city, the writer and his family made no change of 

 their diet :'n any particular — vegetables in a proper 

 marketal)le condition were freely used — and he had 

 CO reason to regret having so done. 



Equally important with the careful and thorough 

 pulverization of the soil, is the selection of good, w ell- 

 ripened seed. Supposing that you have procured 

 good seed, you may sow at any time the condition of 

 your soil will allow. 



Lettuce — the Brown Dutch, Drumhead and AVhite 

 Silesia, for late summer use. 'I'he seed should be 

 sov,-n thinly on fresh-spaded ground. AVhen an inch 

 high, thin to two or three inches apart. 



'J'lie Prince Aliiert is the earliest pea — and a very 

 good variety is the Early Kent. The soil for peas 

 should be light, dry and sheltered. Some cultivators 

 find a greater tendency to vine^ than seed. A remedy 

 for that difficulty would probably be found in not 

 manuring so high with stable manure, and thoroughly 

 incorporating broken bones, bone-dust, or better still, 

 bi-phosphate of hme, thoroughly with the soil. Those 

 who are fond of an early dish of peas, tomatoes, &c., 

 may provile smooth sods six to eight inches square, 

 inverted, and placed on a suitable board — fine loam 

 over the sod to the depth of two inches — and sow in 

 double rows, keeping the board in a warm, sheltered 

 locality; water suitably; and when all danger of frost 

 seems to be over remove them carefully to the gar- 

 den, and you will have them a month earlier than is 

 possible by simple open air culture. 



Tonmtoes are nearly indispensable in the list Place 

 a small box or plant-pot, tilled with good rich loam, 

 and sow a few seeds. Transplant at suitable time. 

 When transplanted, if the nights are cold, cover with 

 straw or Ijrush. 



Beet seeds shoidd be soaked about forty-eight hours 

 iu lukewarm water, otherwise thej' may be a long time 

 in germinating. Sow in drills of sufficient width to 

 allow the hoe to be freely used between the rows. 

 When about two inches high, thin your plants to 

 about eight inches apart. The Turnip-rooted is the 



earliest variety ; the Blood beet is the kind in most 

 general use; but for table use we know of none supe- 

 rior to the White Silesian or Sugar beet. 



Carrot seed may be so^w n and managed in the same 

 way. It is a good plan to mix radish seed with seeds 

 of slow germination, that your rows may be clearly 

 defined for convenience in weeding. 



Cabbage seed (Early York, Savoy and Drumhead) 

 may be sown for late use from the"2Uth of April to 

 the' '20th of May. If you have had time to prepare 

 a hot-be<l (which cveiy one who has a farm or gar- 

 den should have), your plants can be grown iu it, and 

 when of a suitable size be transplanted to the space 

 allotted to them. Cabbages are ■ among vegetables 

 what Indian corn is among cereal or grain crops — a 

 great feeder — and your ground must be in good tilth. 

 Watch carefully the cut worm or grub ] and if you 

 discover his presence, give him an extinguisher be- 

 tween your thumb and finger. Sometimes a small 

 black beetle will destroy your plants as soon as they 

 appear above ground. Soot, slaked lime, ashes tind 

 charcoal-dust arc part preventives. A coop of small 

 chickens is a great means of preventing the ravages 

 of wor)ns and insects. 



Sow your melon, encumber and squash seeds in 

 hght, loamy earth, made rich by well-decomposed 

 manure and' old decayed turf. Watch carefully for the 

 striped bug and squash bug. A box frauie from fifteen 

 to twenty inches square, and about eight inches high, 

 is quite a protection against their ravages during the 

 early part of their growth. Dr. Hull, of Newburg, 

 N. Y., in an article in the Horticvllvrist, gives the 

 following preparation as an effectual preventive of 

 their ravages : "Pour a gallon of boiling water on a 

 pound of quasia chips, digest for twelve hours, then 

 dilute with four or five gallons of cold water. For 

 the squash bug make of double strength, and add a 

 quarter pound of glue."' 



Care and forethought will do more than unthinking 

 toil in providing the little comforts and fixings that 

 compose so great a part of life's ha]!pin«ss and en- 

 joyment ; and a few moments' labor in the garden at 

 the proper time will not perceptibly diminish the 

 products of the field.; * 



THE CURCULIO. 



Mr. Editor : — So many remedies have been pro- 

 posed to prevent the ravages of the curcuho on our 

 stone fruits, and particidarly the plum, that a brief 

 recapitulation of the experiments tried and facts ob- 

 served may not be uninteresting to your readers. 



The following is a description of the little 7\irl; 

 by Prof Harris : " They are from three-twentieths 

 to one-fifth of an inch long, exclusive of the cm-ved 

 snout, which is rather longer than the thorax (or 

 chest), and is bent under the breast between the fore- 

 legs when at rest. Their color is of a dark brown, 

 variegated with spots of white, ochre yellow and 

 black. The thorax is uneven. The wing covers have 

 several short ridges upon them — those on the middle 

 of the back forming two considerable lumps of a 

 black color, behind which there is a wide band of 

 ochre yellow and white. Each of the thighs has two 

 little teeth on the under side. They begin to sting 

 the plums as soon aa the fruit is set, and continue 



