44 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



den-crops until the land has been in cul- 

 tivation with these for one season. An- 

 other way to pi-epare the land for gar- 

 den crops is, to plough, harrow, and sow 

 it to buckwheat. When this is in flower, 

 plough it under, and sow it again to 

 buckwheat. Turn this under at the 

 proper time, and in September, or at the 

 usual time, sow the land with rye, to 

 be plowed-in next spring. The object 

 should be to bring the land, a few acres 

 at a time, into condition to raise any 

 garden- crops. The rai)idity with which 

 this can be done will depend upon the 

 amount of manure at command for the 

 purpose. It will be worth while for 

 all farmers, who are within easy reach 

 of a market, to give this subject proper 

 thought, and be ready to commence the 

 coming spring to make a farm-garden. 

 — Dr. Thurber iri American Agricul- 

 turist/or February. 



THE BEST AUTUMN-FLOWERING 

 SHRUBS. 



If we had to name the best spring- 

 blooming shrub, a fii-st choice among so 

 many beauties, might be hard, but 

 among fall-bloomers the Hydrangea 

 panicitlata grandijlora stands supreme 

 above all competitors, and. considering 

 its many excellent qualities, it seems 

 strange that it is still compai-atively 

 rarely found in cultivation. For small 

 inclosures it is rather large, and not as 

 well adapted as for large, open lawns, 

 where its effect, especially when seen 

 from a short distance, is I'eally grand. 



In a neighboring lawn, in full view 

 from the window near which we write, 

 and several hundred feet distant, stands 

 a group of half a dozen large bushes in 

 full bloom, completely covered by their 

 large panicles of white and rosy pink. 

 A superb specimen of Abies Nordman- 

 niana, with its deep-green, glossy leaves, 

 furnishes a splendid back-ground ; on 

 one side stands a Magnolia raacrophylla, 

 which by the slightest breeze turns the 



under side of its monstrous leaves to 

 view, giving a peculiar shining, glaucous 

 tint to the entire tx'ee. A little further 

 distant on the other side, is a beautiful, 

 well-shaped Kentucky Coffee-tree, the 

 tips of its branches just changing to 

 golden yellow in pleasing contrast to 

 the bluish-gi-een of the main foliage. It 

 would be useless to attempt to describe 

 in words the imposing effect of this 

 magnificent combination of rich colors 

 and graceful forms, which, we fear, 

 shows to better advantage from our 

 window than from the proprietor's own 

 grounds. — Am. Garden. 



FARM-GARDENING. 

 The farmer who continues to i-aise 

 the same crops that he grew before 

 towns and manufacturing villages 

 sprang up all around him, makes a 

 great mistake. In the older States, at 

 least, there are but few farms not 

 within an home's or two houi's' ride of 

 a market. It is worth while for 

 farmers in such localities, to consider if 

 they can afford to raise field corn, when 

 sweet corn will pay them much better. 

 It is true, that sweet corn needs high 

 manuring, but when the ears are off, 

 there will be a heavy crop of the very 

 best fodder. The ears will bring in 

 ready money, just how much will 

 depend upon the market, but safe to 

 say, more than any ci-op of ripe corn 

 would be worth. It is a mistake to 

 grow late ])otatoes, to be dug when 

 eveiy one else has potatoes, anl prices 

 are low, while early potatoes will bring 

 several times the price of late ones. It 

 is so with other crops. There are but 

 few garden vegetables that may not be 

 grown as farm crops, and it is a mis- 

 take to raise produce that will bear 

 transportation from a distance, instead 

 of that suited to a near market, and 

 must be disposed of at once. A farmer, 

 on the other hand, would make a mis- 

 take, were he to devote his land to a 



