652 



NEW ENGLAND F-IRIVIER. 



Oct. 



ed ; ■vvlieroa?, had we given tbem thorough 

 culture and a little care in selection, we 

 niiiilit have retained them in all their ex- 

 cellence, if not ini])roved upon the original. 

 A man ])rocnre.« a fine variety of potatoes, a 

 superioi- kind of s(|uasli, or any otlier ydant, 

 vegetal)le, or fruit ; plants it without any regard 

 as to its reiiuirement.s of soil, location, &f. 

 and then cultivates in the same careless man- 

 ner, and soon concludes that gardening, frnit- 

 raisinp, &c., is unprotitahle ; and tliat, as fur 

 him, it is far better to buy or go without—the 

 latter most likely — than to attempt gardening. 

 IMost farmers nn"<iht produce garden vege- 

 tables and fruit sufficient to give a good sup 

 plv, in their season, to their families ; yet few 

 of them in our own happy New England are 

 well suitplied with the most common varieties. 

 "Why is this so? Our answer is, simply, they 

 do not give sufficient attention to diversified 

 productions of the fann and garden. We are 

 glad to notice that much is being done througli 

 the Inflence of Agricultural and Hortieultiiral 

 papers, as well as by societies and individual 

 example, to induce greater attention to the 

 culture of gardens by our rural residents. 



The season for the cessation of direct labor in 

 the garden is rapidly ap7>roaching, and what 

 remains to be done should be done at once, for 

 there is no forei-asting what a week may bring 

 forth. Besides the harvesting of any remain- 

 ing crops before freezing, there is much that 

 may be done to enhance another year's profits. 

 First in importance are the destruction of 

 weeds and their seeds ; diagincr and hauling 

 muck, sods, woods-mould, &c.,for competing, 

 or for winter use as absorbents, deodorizers. 

 &c., for making manure, the secret of success 

 in growing nice vegetables and fruits. Over- 

 look no source of sup})ly from which material 

 may be drawn to add to the compost pile, and 

 you will be astonished at the amount next 

 spring. 



Asp.vRAGUS. — Time is gained, and other ad 

 vantages are obtained, by sowing, the seed or 

 setting the roots early in fall. The deeper 

 and rii-herthe beds, the better. Remember, 

 an asparagus bed once made, is made for a life 

 time, and should be thoroughly done. A good 

 bed is profitable ; a poor one unprofitable. 



Bkei s should be harvested and stored be- 

 fore freezing weather ; dry them before stor- 

 ing. 



BLAfKUKKitiES. — New plantings may be 

 i.iade this month, soon as the leaves fall from 

 the plants. Enrich the soil with a compost of 

 leaves, turf and well rotted manure. 



Cahbagks. — These may be wintered by set- 

 ting in trenches, the heads even with the sur- 

 face and covered with stalks, straw or otlier 

 coarse litter, with a board or two over them, 

 so they may be reached during winter ; or they 

 may be set in trenches, heads down, and cov- 

 ered with five or six inches of soil. Plants 



for wintering may be set in cold frames, in- 

 serted down to the leaves, set close together. 

 Cki.kky. — Remove any decaying leaves, 

 and earth up with dry earth before freezing. 

 C\derv must be kept dry and cool, but free 

 from "frost. Care must be used to keep 

 dirt from getting between the leaves into 

 the centre, as it is ai)t to injure it in several 

 way- . 



Coi.i) Fi:a>ii:s may still be made in time 

 for proHtal)le winter use. 



Grai'KS. — Gather late varieties as fast as 

 ripe ; remove defective berries, and save by 

 p;*icking in boxes, in a dark cool place, with 

 gra[)e or fern leaves between the layers. 

 T)ianas, thus jjaeked, may be kept till grapes 

 come Mguiii, where an even, cool temperature 

 is maintained. Vines may be pruned soon 

 as the leaves fall. It is claimed by some Eu- 

 i()])eaii viiiexardists that the vine is more fruit- 

 ful if pruned in September. A. S. Fuller 

 savs he prunes in December. With my own 

 viiies, 1 iiave best crops by pruning in Febru- 

 arv. This may be from greater age, or some- 

 thing else, in the vines or season. 



Lkttitce sown last month, will now be 

 large enough to transplant for permanent 

 growth. Transplanted into cold fran>es over 

 a be<l of leaves or spent manure, will enable 

 one to enjoy this salad all throiigh the winter, 

 with a little protection and care in guarding 

 against frosts. 



Onions. — Seed sown in very rich, light soil, 

 in drills a foot apart, with a light protection of 

 litter, will start very early in sprmg. 



Parsnips, wanted for winter use, may 

 be dug just before the ground closes in and 

 be packed down in sand in the cellar ; 

 which is the best way for preserving roots of 

 anv variety for domestic use. Leave others 

 in the ground where they grew, as they are 

 sweeter in spring, thus preserved. 



Salsify. — Treat the same as above directed 

 for the ])arsnip. 



SnxACii. — Thin out young plants and give 

 liglit protection of leaves, &c. 



SiHAWBERKY Bkds. — Give protection of 

 evergreen boughs at the apj>roach of cold, 

 freezing weather. A sprinkling of the beds 

 with good hard wood ashes will be a benefit, 

 inducing greater fruitfulness in future. 



ToMAToKs. — Where these have not been 

 already cut by frost, they may be still longer 

 preserved by covering the plants, or by pull- 

 ing the vines and hanging them in a warm, pro- 

 tected situation. Fruit set and partly grown 

 will thus often ri])en up, and may be enjo) ed 

 for some time. Small, partly grown fruit, 

 makes excellent pickles, mixed with peppers, 

 &■. 



T(-RNiPS improve greatly after cool weather, 

 before freezing, in the ground. 



W. H. W^UITE. 



Soulh Windsor, Conn., 1871. 



