82 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



is, if your cabbages were attacked by worms on one 

 plot of ground last year, try to avoid tliem this year 

 by planting in another portion of the garden, and 

 putting some other crop in the place where the cab- 

 bages were. You can' not entirely rid yourselves 

 of these pests in this way, for insects mil fly, but 

 then you will be much less likely to be troubled 

 than if you put your plants right in their way. 



Tools need looking over. Perhaps this was done 

 in the fall, when you put them away for the winter; 

 if so, they will need but little attention now, but 

 too often they are put in the too! room in the con- 

 dition left by the last using, damp and not properly 

 cleaned. Such ones will now be found beautifully 

 covered with red rust, and will afford an excellent 

 opportunity for using up several sheets of sand-pa- 

 per, and several hours of hard work. 



Some tools were broken during last season. Such 

 need either to be mended, or replaced by new ones. 

 And then perhaps some new implement has come 

 out which is, or is likelj' to be a success. If it is 

 what you need, get it, but n-ot on some traveling 

 agent's extravagant recommendation. Remember 

 that good tools, like good men, never need to em- 

 ploy agents to travel the country and proclaim their 

 merits. 



About the same may be said of seeds as of tools. 

 Overhaul your stock on hand, reject all which 

 proved not pure last year, or which will not do for 

 planting this year. Make out a list from the cata- 

 logues of your seedsmen of such as you want, 

 choosing in the main only standard sorts, and then 

 add cautiously a few packages of the new "unri- 

 valed" and "unexcelled" varieties. 



Should The spring prove to be of ordinaiy earli- 

 ness, a hot bed should be in operation before the 

 close of March. Are your sashes in good order? 

 Perhaps they need painting, and it is almost certain 

 that they need a pane or two of glass. How is the 

 manure accumulating from which you expect to de- 

 rive heat? A little attention now to these matters 

 will save much valuable lime from three to six 

 weeks hence. 



And now a word to farmers who have never yet 

 used a hot bed. Do not deny yourselves this con- 

 venience longer. There is no need of making one 

 like those figured in most seed catalogues, or horti- 

 cultural books ; such ones are somewhat expensive, 

 and besides are larger than you want, perhaps. 



Take an ordinary six-light fash, putty in theglass 

 to make it tight, and fit it to a rough, but tight box, 

 so that while it can be easily taken oil" it will at the 

 same time keep in the heat; this box should be 

 about eighteen inches high. Place I his one inside 

 another, about a foot longer each way. When j-ou 

 are ready to make your bed, dig a hole in some 

 sheltered place, large enough to admit the larger 

 box and a foot or so in depth j fill with horse ma- 



nure well packed down.Jhen set on your two boxes, 

 and fill the space between them with manure also. 

 Put in earth to the depth of five inches and put on 

 the sash, and treat as the books tell you the larger 

 beds. In this way you can raise early plants as well 

 as in larger beds, and have the satisfaction of know- 

 ing that they have not cost more than they are 



worth. 



♦—♦ — t 



Uarden Work lor IHarcb. 



Asparagus, sow seed, plant roots, manure old beds. 

 Beets, sow Early Bassanno and Early Red Turnip. 

 Cabbage, sow in hot-bed Early York, Winnigstadt, 

 and Early Dutch. 



Carrots, sow Early Short Horn and Early Scarlet 

 Horn. Horse Radish, plant sets. Lettuce, sow in 

 hotbed Early Curled Silesian, Royal Cabbage and 

 India Head. Onions sets plant out Leavenworth 

 Red and Wldte Top, and sow seed of Wethersfield 

 Red and Yellow Danvers. 



Parsnips, sow Large Sugar. Peas, sow Extra 

 Early, Tom Thumb and Carter's first crop, which is 

 a few days the earliest, but McLain's Little Gem is 

 nearly as early, and much the best in qualitj'. 



Potatoes, plant Early Rose, which is the best. 

 Radish, sow French Red Turnip, Red and White 

 Turnip, also the Red Olive and Long Red Scarlet. 



Rhubarb, divide the roots and set out in very rich 

 soil. Sage, sow seed. Tomatoes, sow in hot-bed 

 Extra Early and Fejee and Large Smooth Red ; tiy 

 also the Trophy. 



Egg Plant, sow seed of New York improved or 

 large Purple in hot-bed; also Celery and Large 

 Sweet Pepper. 



Turnips, sow Early Flat Ducth. Leeks, sow. 



The Xropby Xomato. 



This new variety of the tomato is highly extolled 

 by those who gave it a trial last season, and as these 

 expressions are unanimous from all quarters, and 

 from parties, so far as we can discover, entirely dis- 

 interested in a pecuniary way, we cannot but think 

 the Trophy a new and vahiable sort. We are very 

 cautious about the recommendation of new things, 

 but from what is said of this new tomato, its superi- 

 orly seems to us beyond question. Mr. A. M. Purdy, 

 who has made the growing of small fruits (not 

 seeds) a specialty for many years, writes to the Ru- 

 ral New Yorker : 



" I consider it without exception the best and 

 most perfect tomato I have ever grown. 'As heavj- 

 as a stone,' is the expression of those who have seen 

 it. Certainly I have never seen anything to equal 

 It in size, beauty, uniformity, solidity and goodness. 

 In cutting it one is reminded of an old cheese. 

 There are'no open cavities in it. The slices, when 

 cut and laid upon a dish, are as perfect as the slice 

 of a potato; the flavor sweet and delicious; the 

 Hixiriiye weight is fully one pound each, many weigh- 

 ing one and a half to one and three-quarter pounds." 



