CA NAD I A iV IIOU TICUL TURIST. 



249 



juiiiual were uneaitlied, liut they were 

 so completely covered with a perfect 

 network of stnall fibres as to he almost 

 indistinguishable. 



" These rootlets had penetrated into 

 every crack or inecjuality of the bones, 

 which evidently liad been of great 

 service as food for the plant. Beyond 

 (juestion iron in the soil is of great 

 benetit for coloring the fruit. Iron 

 lilings and turnings answer an excellent 

 purpose, and the etiect may be notice- 

 able the first season after application. 

 Above all else the sweepings of a 

 blacksmith shop have given excellent 

 results, as we then secure manure in 

 concentrated form and of a variety of 

 constituents — the horse-droppings, hoof- 

 parings, iron-tilings, etc., combine to 

 form a powerful fertilizer. Perhaps no 

 other plant is more quickly beneiited 

 by the contents of the wash-tub every 

 week. It is a mild solution of potash 

 and appears to be greedily absorbed at 

 once. A plentiful allowance of wood- 

 asln^s forked in the soil in the .spring 

 pays well in the crop of fruit. It may 

 not destroy mildew on the foliage, as 

 some claiu), but it will certainly invigo- 

 rate the plant." 



IAjw men are able to speak with 

 greater authority than J. 1>. Moore, of 

 Concord, Mass., on grape culture, 

 and this is what he told the New 

 England Farmers' Club about ma- 

 nures : 



" Any land that is rich enough to 

 bear forty bushels of corn to the acre 

 is rich enough to grow grapes. As far 

 as my course is concerned, I liave not 

 used manure after planting. 



" I have u.sed applications sometimes 

 of bone and potash .salts, with occasional 

 plaster of Paris mixed with it, because 

 the givape reipiires more or less .sulphur 

 in the soil ; the plaster of I'aris is the 

 cheapest way you can get it. It is 

 sulphate of lime, and does not cost 

 much. You can buy a ton for five or 

 six dollars, and it is as good an appli- 

 cation for that purpose as anything 

 that I know of. 



"The reason why you don't want to 

 apply animal manure largely to your 

 grapes is, that it induces a rank, coarse 

 gi'owth of wood and foliage, which is 

 unfavorable to the production of fruit. 

 You want a fair, moderate growth of 

 wood and that is all. You want a 

 medium-sized wood. The cane should 

 be about the size of your little linger, 

 and it will bear larger bunches and 

 more of them than if it is three times 

 as large. 



"You want to have the canes well 

 ripened also. Stimulating the vine l)y 

 animal manure makes it grow until lat(r 

 in the fall, and the wood will not ripen 

 as well. The fruit buds do not thoro- 

 ughly develop until the wood is partially 

 ripe. I think you can make a much 

 stronger fruit l)ud by moderate than 

 by over-manuring." 



THE SMALL FRUIT GARDEN. 



Commendable Strawberries. 



The one berry that 1 can reconnuend 

 with confidence as being earli(!r and 

 more productive than the Wilson, is 

 the Crescent, especially as it succeeds 

 everywhere. It requires very little 

 skill or care to grow it, but after one 

 has it, it possesses so little real merit 

 as a fruit that one can not prize it. 



The May King is just as n'iiable, about 

 as early, a little less productive, of 

 larger size and better <]uality, dei-idetlly 

 a better berry for home use. From 

 what I have seen and heard, Wartield's 

 No. 2 is more desirable than either of 

 tlie above, and will probably supersede 

 them. As it may be obtained from 

 almost any nurseryman, I would advise 



