1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



229 



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m %t^ttMt antr motjutt &nthm. 



Garden Work For September. 



By the Associate Editor. 



The principal work to be clone this month is to 

 keep your crops well cultivated and free from 

 weeds. Cabbages, winter radislies, ruta bagas and 

 late beets should be frequently stirred, to make 

 them grow fast and tender. Keep your celery 

 earthed up as it grows. All onions not taken up 

 should be attended to at once, or they will start and 

 grow again. Onion sets should be planted, if not 

 already done, for an early crop next spring; but 

 for a late crop not before the last of next month. 

 They should be planted deep, say three inches, so 

 they will not leave out in the winter; plant in 

 drills eighteen inches apart, and six inches apart in 

 the drills ; four inches, or even three apart will do, 

 but they will not grow so large, unless you pull or 

 thin them out for immediate use in the spring. 

 Spinage can now bo sown for fiill use, and the last 

 of the month or beginning of next, for early spring 

 use. Let no weeds go to seed in your garden if you 

 wish easy cultivation in after ycare ; you will find 

 it much the cheapest in the end. Nearly all kinds 

 of budding can be done this month, and as long as 

 the bark peels freely. This is a very convenient 

 way of propagating many plants with little stock ; 

 but we prefer grafting when it can be done, being 

 of much less trouble. 



Xbe Vegetable Garden. 



By W. H. W., Connecticut. 



Ed. Pomolooist and Gardener: A few im- 

 plements especially for the garden are essential to 

 its convenient and thorough culture. The plow, 

 harrow and cultivator arc needed on every farm, 

 and these can be used in the garden. Aside from 

 these we should have a digging fork, spade, pronged 

 hoe, steel rake, scuffle hoe, garden roller, marker, 

 seed drill, dibbler, fine rose watering-pot made 

 from best double or xxx tin, reel and line, garden 

 trowel, hoes of different sizes, shovel, wheelbarrow, 

 hand glasses, cold frames, hot bed frame and sash. 

 These implements should be the best of their kind 

 — the first cost may be a little more, but the ease 

 and pleasure of using good and light tools is much 

 greater and more satisfactory, as well as their 

 greater durability; and when once obtained they 



should be kept well painted and oiled, the wood 

 work, and always taken care of by cleaning and 

 housing after using. Have a place for everything 

 when not in use, and see that everything is in 

 place. Thit is tlie great secret of having and keejnng 

 good tools. 



Hot Bed. — This and the cold frames are more 

 properly adjuncts of a good garden than imple- 

 ments, and should be so described. The hot bed 

 stands in the same relation to the farmer's vegeta- 

 ble garden that the forcing house does to the pro- 

 fessional and market gardener. Being of smaller 

 cost, it can be made much more generally avail- 

 able. Something of this kind is needed in order to 

 start and forward many varieties of vegetables and 

 plants, that we may bring them to maturity earlier 

 than can be done in the open air, and also that we 

 may grow some plants which require a longer 

 season than we can otherwise have. 



Size of Sash. — The most convenient and general 

 size for sash to hot beds is three by six feet, made 

 out of one and one -half inch clear pine. These 

 are made without cross-bars, the glass being al- 

 lowed to lap about one -fourth an inch, pinned and 

 puttied, not bedded to the stiles, and back puttied 

 in the laps. Rods of iron are put across near the 

 middle to hold from springing, etc. These should 

 be well painted with white lead and oil as well as 

 the frames. The frame should be made of one and 

 a -half inch stuff, with tenons or staples and morti- 

 ses to put and hold them together at the corners, so 

 that they may be taken apart to store when not in 

 use. The frame should be made six feet wide and 

 of length to accommodate any desired number of 

 three feet sash, with rebatted rests for the sash to 

 rest and slide on ; cleats are put on the end pieces 

 and back of the frame also for the sash to rest on, 

 the sash resting on the beveled top of the front 

 side. Make the back side of the frame twenty - 

 four inches high and the front fifteen, the ends 

 sloping to match, allowing the ends to rise the 

 thickness of sash above the front ; nail strong cleats 

 across the end pieces, six inches from the bottom, 

 for a plank to rest on for weeding, etc. We want 

 the slope of frame to give inclination to the sash to 

 shed the rain and receive the sun's rays. The sash 

 should fit the frames closely, so as to retain heat 



