188S.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



45 



HORT2CL uTURE. 



Seasonable Hints. 



When fruit trees are grown witli root or otlier 

 • ■I ps, it is well known tliat sueli root crops will act 



I w itliout nuiuure. In this operation the trees steal 

 111 le inteuiied for the root crops. Hence trees so 



mown are very likely to have a green, nice color, in 



ig contrast with neglected trees in grass. It 



1 not be forgotten that trees need as much food 

 my other crop and that there is no better way to 

 lr.,1 them than by applying at this season on the sur- 

 l:u <: ; give tlicni something, if only ditcli cleanings. 

 I'l lining of fruii trees should be completed as soon as 

 ] i' ^-siblC) and as a general thing the less pruning 

 Mil- better. In apple or pear trees, strong slout 

 M|iniuts are apt to come out along tlie main branches 

 if I he tree. These are best cut out, as in time they 

 i;ikc to tliemselves the food destined for the branches 

 1" vond, and in this way injure those branches. At 

 III lior times a branch for some time bearing becomes 

 \»i ikcned by some cause, iu which case it is often a 



I I iiclit to cut this oil' back to a vigorous sprout. This 

 is particularly the case when bark gets what the 



iiluners call hide-bound. In this case the branches 

 liettered by slitting the bark longiludiually, or 



' ultiug back to a young sprout aforesaid. 



-lime have found injury to the trees from slitting 

 link' bound bark. The writer practiced it for years 

 I 11 upple and pear trees, and always with excellent 

 n biilts. In pruning dwarf pears cut out the weaker 

 Iu finches where pruning is believed to be at all de- 

 I siiuble, even to thiuuing out the spurs, rather than 

 ! cut back the strongly vital wood which many do. 



The grape is very apt, when trained on trellises, to 

 ml its bearing wood weakened. In this case it is 

 always wise, iu pruning, to watch for a chance to 

 -it a strong young branch from near the base as a 

 n nrwal cauc. 



Manuring of grapes should be regulated by the na- 

 I iiif of the soil. If it be damp — in most cases a bad 

 I niiilitiou for grape growing — stable manure in great 

 iiiiantities means diseased vines. In dry ground, it 

 lias a beneficial effect Many persons of small 

 jiices have grapes iu damp ground, or can have 

 niiiic. They must take care to keep the roots near 

 liii- surface; never crop the ground about them to 

 ili>iroythe small fibres, if it chu be avoided ; and 

 rvriigood may often follow, when the vines seems 

 li failing, lo carefully follow up the roots, lift near the 

 suj-lace and encourage, as much as possible, those 

 remaining there. Wood-ashes, bone-dust, and such 

 like fertilizers are best fur grape vines in low ground. 



Iq the vegetable garden the work for February 

 will for the most part consist of preparations for fu- 

 ture operations, and particularly for dealing with 

 the manure question. All those kinds that are 

 grown for their leaves or stems, rei[uire an abund- 

 auce of nitrogenous manures ; and it is useless to at- 

 tempt vegetable gardening without it. To this class 

 belong cabbage, lettuce, spinach, etc. The othei 

 class, which isgrown principally for itsseeds or pods, 

 ab beans, peas, etc., do not require much manure of 

 this character ; in fact they are injured by it. It 

 causes too great a growth of stem and leaf, and the 

 earliness — a great aim in vegetable growing — is in- 

 juriously affected. Mineral manures, as wood ashes, 

 bone dust, etc., are much better for them. For 

 vegetables requiring rich stable manure, it is best 

 that they have it well rotted and decayed. Nothing 

 has yet been found so well fitted for the purpose as 

 old hot-bed dung ; though to the smell no trace of 

 " ammonia" remains iu it. 



Parsnips and Salsify. 



The same treatment in winter will not answer for 

 all root-crops alike. Beets and carrots are the least 

 hardy of all, and when frozen lose their sweetness lo 

 a marked extent. The parsnip is not only not injured, 

 but many think it is greatly improved by freezing. 

 If the amount of sugar is not actually increased, its 

 rtesh is so modified that it tastes sweeter. Tlie pars- 

 nip and salsify are our hardiest roots (though we 



should include hoise-radish), and maybe left with- 

 out harm in the soil where they grew. But as we 

 cannot depend upon finding the ground open at all 

 times, a share should be dug to supply the table. 

 These may be packed in boxes or barrels, and if they 

 are to be kept in the cellar, should be covered with 

 sand to prevent them from shriveling. They can as 

 well be placed iu some shed or other out-building. 



Potato Sports. 



It is not a very rare occurrence that potatoes of 

 diffeient colors and of different form even, grow 

 from the same parent tuber. When we consider 

 that the potato tuber is but an underground stem, 

 and that its eyes are analogous to the buds of trees 

 and shrubs, it appears not more surprising to find 

 " bud variations " iu one case than in the other. 

 Flowers of different cblors are sometimes found on 

 one plant, and several distinct and permanent varie- 

 ties have originated and beeu propagated from 

 sporting buds. In roses such sports are not rare. 

 The well-known Bouvardia Hendersonii, a variety 

 with white flowers, is a sport or bud variation from 

 a red variety, and the double B. Alfred Neuner is in 

 the same manner derived from the single variety, 

 Davidsonii. Variegated leaved branches are some- 

 times found on green leaved shrubs, and when prop- 

 agated by cuttings do often perpetuate their epecial 

 characteristics. Leaf variations occur also among 

 potatoes, as an instance, of which the variegated 

 Early Rose, or "Harlequin" may be cited. The 

 Late Kose, Late Snowflake and late Beauty of He- 

 bron are notable sports or bud variations. Buds are 

 more nearly related to seeds and possess more indi- 

 viduality than is generally supposed by the superficial 

 observer. Either may produce individual plants 

 which may vary in some features from their parents. 

 Br. F. M. lltxumer. 



A California Tree. 



The region around Guerneville, in Sonoma county, 

 is somewhat noted for its remarkable growth of 

 large timber. The following account of the saw- 

 logs cut from one of the "giants of the forest," 

 recently felled, will no doubt be found especially in- 

 teresting to our Eastern friends. The details can be 

 relied upon, as they were furnished by Mr. W. L. 

 Doreii to the editor of the Petnhiiiia Ar(jHs. 



The standing height of the tree was 3-t7 feet, and 

 its diameter near the ground was 14 feet. In falling, 

 the top was broken ofl LOO feet distant from the 

 stump, and up to the point of breaking the tree was 

 perfectly sound. From the tree saw-logs were cut 

 of the following lengths and diameters : 1st, 14 feet 

 long, 9 feet diameter ; 2d, 12 feet long, 8 feet diame- 

 ter ; 3d, 12 feet long, 7 feet 7 inches diameter ; 4tli, 

 14 feet long, 7 feet U inches diameter; .5th, li! feet 

 long, 7 feet 6 inches diameter; 6th, Ki I'let long, 7 

 feet diameter ; 6th, 10 feet long, 6 feet 10 inches di- 

 ameter; 7th, 16 feet long, 6 feet 6 inches diameter; 

 8th, 16 feet long, 6 feet 4 inches dii.meter ; 9th, 16 

 feet long, 6 feet 3 inches diameter; 10th, '8 feet 

 long, 6 feet diameter ; Uth, 12 feet long, .5 feet 10 

 inches diameter ; 12th, 18 feet long, .5 feet 6 inches 

 diameter. It will thus be seen that 180 feet of this 

 remarkable tree was converted into saw-logs. As the 

 length and diameter of each log is given, the reader 

 can, at leisure, figure out the quantity of inch lum- 

 ber the tree contains. If, instead of being cut into 

 lumber, it had lieen worked up into 7 foot pickets, it 

 would have afforded fencing material to inclose a 

 good sized ranch. • 



Can any of our mill men in the East furnish us 

 with statistics exceeding those of the above-described 

 "giant?" — Sun Francisco Architect. 



The Sweet Brier Hedge. 



Sweet brier is found wild on commons and road- 

 sides iu many places, and the hips or seed vessels re- 

 ur.ain on for a long time and are usually numerous 

 and conspicuous, but it is doubtful whether any con 

 taining meaty seeds would be found on the bushes so 

 late as mid-winter. The plant is quite hardy and 



grows in any soil, but seems to prefer what is dry 

 without caring much whether it Is rich or not. Bo- 

 tanically it Is the Kosa rubiglnosa (from rusty 

 glands on the underside of the leaves), and poeti- 

 cally it Is the eglantine. Its numerous stout stems 

 rise crowding to a height of four to eight feet, and 

 are covered with strong hooked prickles. It is safe 

 from cattle even in the most exposed places; the 

 fragrance of its leaves, so dcliu'litful and exhilarat- 

 ing to us, seems offensive to them and they will not 

 browse even its tender young shoots. It does not 

 sucker, and propagates only by seeds, but In that 

 way very readily. The garden roses take on it freely 

 by budding, and grow with more than their natural 

 vigor if shoots from the root cellar are kept down. 

 Plants are quoted in Peter Henderson's catalogue at 

 $10 per 100, which Is rather a high price for general 

 hedge plants. In answer to inquiry he says that 

 10,000 plants were ordered in England, but only 500 

 were sent, showing them to be scarce there at 

 present. A gentleman who had charge of a large 

 farm in Ireland, told many years ago, in the course 

 of some talk about hedging, that he found the sweet 

 brier lo be the best plant to fill a gap iu a hedge 

 soon, being able to maintain itself and grow even 

 among the already established roots of the older 

 plants. He always kept a little nursery of the 

 plants on hand for use as a means of keeping the 

 lines of his hedges completely filled with strong 

 growing plants. 



Sand in Gardt^n Soil. 



A light, loamy, sandy soil, is by far the best for a 

 garden, and especially is tliis the case for roots. All 

 garden vegetables to be succulent and tender must 

 grow fast, and a rich soil is the main requisite, but 

 moisture is equally essential. So long as wc have 

 showery weather iu the spring and early summer, 

 vegetables will grow right along, but when the hot 

 dry weather sets in, the difference iu soils becomes ap- 

 parent. A garden that is ever so rich, with no sand 

 in its composition or other good material to hold 

 moisture will soon dry up, the plants will cease to 

 grow as rapidly as they should, and become hard 

 and tough; of course some plants are able to with 

 stand more drouth than others, while others do as 

 well as if some good mulching is put around them 

 that will hold moisture, while often it is a very hard 

 matter to keep growing during di-y weather. Sand 

 is especially valuable to this class, as it is hard to 

 excel for retaining moisture. With roots sand is an 

 almost invaluable ingredient. We have found bycx- 

 perience that with all roots crops sandy soil is by far 

 the most preferable. — Farm and Gardm. 



Fi!W (>ersons know how closely related to the pota- 

 to are many other well-known plants. Botanists 

 know them all as solanaceous plants, and under the 

 more familiar name as ■•night shades." In this 

 class of plants are to be found the potato, the toma 

 ato, egg plant, pepper and tobacco plant. Tbcu 

 among the poisonous plants are the belladonas and 

 the jimson weed; the beautiful petunia also belongs 

 to it. A large portiou of the plants of this solana- 

 ceous family are permeated by a narcotic principle 

 rendering the leaves and fruit poisonous. At the 

 same time some afford nutritious food, not because 

 free from the narcotic principle, but because the lat- 

 ter is expelled in the process of ripening and cooking, 

 as in the case of the potato and tomato. 



Household Recipes. 



To Cook Chicken. — The following is highly re- 

 commended to housekeepers : Cut the chicken up, 

 put it to a pan and cover it with water ; let it stew 

 as usual, and when done, make a thickening of 

 cream and flour, adding a piece of butter and pepper 

 and salt ; have made and baked a pair of short 

 cakes, made as for pie crust, rolled thin and cut in 

 small pieces. This is much better than chicken pie 

 and more simple lo make. The crust should be laid 

 on a dish, and the chicken gravy put over it while 

 both are hot. 



