1871] 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



131 



Market - Gardening In tUe Country. 



The census often shows the drift of farm -life 

 more accurately than any partial ohservation, how- 

 ever minute. It is quite clear, from the returns 

 already examined, that there is a decrease in the 

 amount of live stocli in the New Euirland and Mid- 

 dle States during the past decade, and likewise a 

 decrease in tlie 3'ield of staple grains, while there 

 will he shown a large increase in the crops of veg- 

 etahles and in garden products. This shows pretty 

 conclusively that grain farming and live stock 

 raising do not pay so well as some other branches 

 of farming. The city and village population has 

 increased, and the farmers in the immediate vicin- 

 ity of these large towns arc turning their atten- 

 tion more and more to supplying their dail)- wants. 

 They can sell potatoes and turnips everj' day in the 

 year, if they have them, and garden products all 

 through the summer and fall. There is, however, 

 a brisk demand for poultry, eggs, milk, calves, 

 lambs, and swine, and they very properly raise 

 what the market demands. — Monthly Ag. Report. 



Mushrooms. — Great numbers of Mushrooms are 

 finding their way into the markets in this city. 

 One firm in the Pacific Market reports an average 

 receipt of forty boxes per day, aggregating fully 

 fifteen hundred pounds. The increasing demand 

 for this delicacy has induced a gentleman of Ala- 

 meda to enter largely upon their cultivation. — The 

 most of those now gathered are collected from the 

 fields, by Chinamen. The cultivated article is 

 much preferable to that which grows spontaneous- 

 ly. Great care sh(juld lie employed by those who 

 are not intimately acquainted with them, to avoid 

 mistaking them for poisonous toad-stools. As a 

 warning in this direction, we may mention the fact 

 that a little son of Mr. Basset, of Oakland, lately 

 went to gather some mushrooms, and mistaking 

 toad-stools for the delicate esculents he was seeking, 

 eating them, was poisoned and died from the 

 cflects. — Pacific (Gal.) Rural Press. 



liennlngs' TVIilte Straivbcrry. 



A correspondent of the Iloriiculturisi sa3fs: — If 

 there be a Seckel or a Delaware among strawber- 

 ries, this is it. I have seen it often compared with 

 a dozen of the leading varieties, but never heard 

 but one opinion, viz : 'This, for exquisite flavor, is 

 unsurpassed.' It is a moderate sized berry, not re- 

 markably even in growth, nor a very productive 

 bearer. It is, however, not a poor bearer, nor by 

 any means small in size. Its color is a delicate 

 blushed white, a sort of fleshy pink on the sunny 

 side. The plant needs carefid culture, but is a ram- 

 pant grower, spreading as rajiidly as any of the red 

 varieties. 



Tlie Tnrnlp Fly. 



Those who do much in growing the turnip, ex- 

 perience more or less inconvenience from the fly 

 upon the young plants. An English farmer says. 

 " For the last fifteen years, on sowing turnips, I 

 provide, readj' slaked, one ton of lime per acre. As 

 soon as the iihints appear the lime is spread from a 

 cart over the young i)lants in the rows. In hot sea- 

 sons the plants have hud rough usage from their 

 tormentors, but sutticient plants escape. I never 

 missed a crop, nor have I had to sow a second time. 

 The lime must be put on dry, and on a warm or hot 

 and dry day ; for if any dew or moisture be upon 

 the plants they will be destroyed. The lime must 

 be ready to |)ut on the moment the mischief begins, 

 for in the twenty-four hours of a hot season the fly 

 can ruin any crop; it is no use then going for the 

 lime." 



The Tuberose. — A successful florist gives the 

 Covntry Oe/itlnnioi the following mode which he 

 adopts for this bulbous plant. He says ; " Take the 

 flowering bulbs and break oflf all the offsets — do not 

 leave one; put them in a light friable loam, with a 

 liberal mixture of leaf-mold and well rotted cow 

 manure. In case of drought, give them plenty of 

 water, and the work is done — and yon will soon be 

 amply rewarded by delicious perfumes. There is 

 nothing in my garden does better with this man- 

 agement, or gives me less trouble." 



Horse Radish for Animals. An exchange says 

 horse radish is an excellent condiment to mix with 

 the food of cows, to give them an appetite, and 

 make them sleek and thrifty. It should be fed free- 

 ly to all animals that are not well, and it will be of 

 great .service to working oxen troubled with heat. 

 If given to cows in doses of a pint a day, mixed 

 with potatoes or bran, it will prevent or relieve 

 cows of the disease called cake in the bag. Few 

 animals refuse to eat it, and some will eat greedily, 

 as much as half a peck at a time. So says a float- 

 ing paragraph. 



CuBRANTS. — In the last report on the Fruit Crop, 

 the Fruit Committee of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, say that of currants, " Le Versail- 

 lai.se has uniformly taken the lirst prize, and is first 

 on the the list. Red and White Dutch are still 

 standard kinds." 



Bedding Plants. In making up a list of bed- 

 ding plants the following can scarcely be bettered. 

 Scarlet or Horseshoe Geranium, Verbenas, Scarlet 

 Salvias, Petunias, Heliotropes, Coleus, Cupheas or 

 Cigar Plants, Tropeolum or Nasturtiums, Fuchsias 

 for shady situations, Vincas of sorts or Perrywiuk- 

 le, Mignonette, Sweet Alissum, Canditufft Cannas, 

 and Lautanas. 



