Editors Letter- Box. 253 



D. B. S. has a half-acre of ground of which he wishes to make a fruit, 

 flower, and vegetable garden, and wishes us to give him a plan for planting it. 

 To satisfy fully this desire, we should be under the necessity of writing a small 

 volume ; and, as we cannot do this, we will give a few hints which may assist 

 " U. B. S." in avoiding errors which novices are apt to fall into. First of all, the 

 ground should be thoroughly manured and stirred, either by subsoil-ploughing 

 or trenching ; and, if not naturally drained, it should be artificially. If this is too 

 expensive, do part at a time ; but any other course than a thorough preparation 

 of the soil at the start is poor economy. As to the division of the space, " D. B. S." 

 knows much better than we can whether he prefers most of fruit, flowers, or 

 vegetables, and therefore we leave this to him. Now, in regard to planting: for 

 so small a garden as this, the selection should be confined mainly to trees of 

 secondary growth, and shrubs ; admitting only a few trees of the largest size, like 

 the Norway spruce, whose spiry tops rising out of a group of round-headed trees 

 will give spirit and character to it. By all means avoid planting too near the house, 

 so as to exclude the light and air, but dispose the trees so that they shall form 

 a back ground for and give support and shelter to it. Above all, beware of plant- 

 ing large trees, especially evergreens, too near the walks. It is difficult for the 

 beginner who plants a Norway spruce in the shape of a bushy pyramid three 

 feet high, to realize, that, in less time than it takes for a child to grow to a man, 

 this tree will be forty feet high, and spreading twenty feet or more ; but it does : 

 and then he wishes it was more than four feet from the walk, for it cannot be 

 pruned up without spoiling its beauty. Neither should the trees or shrubs be 

 crowded too close to each other ; for they need air just as much as they do rain 

 and sun. A few well-grown flowering-shrubs, which have had the opportunity 

 to develop on every side, so as to become perfect specimens, will be much more 

 satisfactory than a tliicket, where each one must needs starve the others. The 

 same principles will apply to the planting of fruit-trees and vegetables. A full- 

 grown apple-tree will occupy thirty by thirty- feet ; and six such would fill a 

 quarter of the half-acre plot. There are, however, some varieties, like the Garden 

 Royal and Golden Russet, which do not attain so large a size, and are therefore 

 more eligible for gardens : and other varieties may be planted on dwarf stocks. 

 But we have already made this of sufficient length, and must therefore refer our 

 correspondent, for the selection of the trees and plants best adapted to fulfil the 

 conditions we have named, to the lists given in " The Journal of Horticulture." 

 If he plants these, and follows the directions given for their cultivation, he need 

 have no fear of failure. 



George W. Marshall, Woodstock, Vt. — We would not undertake to pro- 

 nounce certainly which of your potatoes is the true Early Rose, or whether 

 either is ; but, if either, it is the last one you describe. The excitement in 

 regard to new varieties of the potato, and the high prices obtained for them, 

 have stimulated unscrupulous men to put mauy spurious varieties on the market 

 We advise all our readers to procure their new varieties of fruits, vegetables, &c., 

 either from some seeds-man whom they know to be trustworthy, or else to send 

 to the originator or his authorized agent.. 



