158 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 373 



the centre the bunch would fall Hat when placed in a dish, 

 which would greatly spoil its appearance for table use. All 

 fair-sized bunches should have the shoulders tied up a little, 

 and with large bunches it is often advisable to tie up several 

 of the upper divisions. This allows the berries room to swell 

 without being thinned out so severely. Grapes intended for 

 winter use require more thinning than those to be used early, 

 or they are apt to damp off in the centre of the bunch. 



Tarry town, N. Y. William Scott. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



IN this latitude work in the vegetable garden is backward. 

 Our first sowing of Peas was not made until April 6th, more 

 than three weeks later than the earliest sowing last year. But 

 there is too often imdue hurry about getting seed into the 

 ground as soon as frost breaks and before tlie soil has be- 

 come sufficiently warm and dry. Sometimes a gardener takes 

 pride in getting his seed in before his neighbors do, but those 

 who wait until the ground works freely have the best garden 

 in the end. We have now made sowings of Spinach, Car- 

 rots, Turnips, Beets, Parsnips, Salsify and Onions. We shall 

 make a second sowing of I^eas about the 20th of April, using 

 Maclean's Advancer, Shropshire Hero and Juno. Champion 

 of England, Stratagem and Telephone for the main and late 

 crops are sown early in May. The middle of May is soon 

 enough for Bush Beans, but for early picking we work in some 

 well-decayed manure where the Violets are done blooming in 

 cold frames, and plant one or two sashes with Early Mohawk 

 about the 15th of April. In this way we get beans a month 

 ahead of the first outdoor plants. 



Onions in Hats, under glass, should now be well hardened 

 and ready to plant out. They produce much finer bulbs 

 than when sown outside in the ordinary way. They ought to 

 have rather more growing space, some eighteen inches be- 

 tween the rows and six inches between plants. Beets can be 

 transplanted m the same way, but being more susceptible to 

 injury from frost they should not be set out before May. Lettuce 

 raised in frames can be planted out at once, and sowings of 

 Lettuce and Radishes made at short intervals. Shallots and 

 Garlic should be planted without delay. Leeks are not suffi- 

 ciently appreciated, as they are much superior to onions for 

 soups on account of their more delicate and milder Havor ; 

 they are easily cultivated and stand the most severe winter 

 without injury. In the north of England and south of Scot- 

 land many people of the working class pay special attention 

 to this vegetable and grow marvelously fine specimens, and 

 the competition in the numerous vegetable shows is very 

 keen. Seeds started now will give leeks before winter. They 

 should be planted in trenches containmg plenty of well-rotted 

 manure and treated liberally like Celery. The finest variety 

 we have grown is the Lyon ; other standard sorts are Mussel- 

 burgh and Giant Carenlan. 



Early Celery should now be pricked off in boxes and kept 

 growing in a warm house. Before it becomes crowded we 

 transfer ours to frames, planting some six inches apart each 

 way. A little warm manure below the compost will give the 

 plants a good start. Succession sowings for winter use can 

 now be made. For this purpose we find Giant Pascal and 

 Kalamazoo the most satisfactory. We tried a trench of the 

 last named during the past year, and it kept in good condition 

 until the middle of March. Egg-plants and Peppers, when 

 large enough to handle should be pricked off, and Tomatoes 

 for the main outdoor crop should be handled before they be- 

 come crowded and spindling. For an early crop the plants 

 should be grown singly in pots and staked up securely. They 

 must not be allowed to get pot-bound and take on a yellowish 

 color. Tomatoes fruiting under glass will now require abun- 

 dant waterings. With the increasing sunlight artificial pollina- 

 tion may now be dispensed with. Liquid-manure, applied 

 twice a week, and a surface-dressing of sheep-manure or some 

 chemical fertilizer in addition, will suit pot-grown plants ; lat- 

 erals will require removing weekly, and some of the leaves 

 shortened to admit light to the fruit. 



Cabbage-plants should l)e well hardened before they are set 

 out, and we find it risky to plant out CauliHowers before May 

 ist. The plants grown in frames will need plenty of water and 

 liquid stimulants to keep up free growth. Brussels Sprouts 

 are the most useful of the Brassica family for winter, and the 

 fact that large quantities are imported annually from Europe 

 would indicate that more of tliese should be grown to supply 

 the demands in the large cities. Many worthless strains of 

 this vegetable are on the market, and it seems to be difficult 

 to secure a reliable strain. It is very annoying to raise a good 

 bed of these plants and find that not over one in twenty is worth 



the space it occupies. Sutton's Exhibition and Aigburth are 

 excellent sorts if they can be procured true to name, and now 

 is a good time to make a sownig. 



Melons and Cucumbers for an early outdoor crop can now 

 be started in pieces of turf or in four-inch pots, thinning the 

 plants out to four or five in each. Cucumbers in hot-beds 

 require copious supplies of water in clear weather. The 

 frames should be closed early in the afternoon after watering ; 

 the fruit will swell quicker. if the blossoms are artificially polli- 

 nated. Lettuce, Parsley, Beet, Carrot and any other crops 

 in frames should have abundant ventilation whenever the 

 weather permits it, and the surface soil should be stirred occa- 

 sionally, and the sashes removed whenever there is a warm 

 rain. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Bulbocodium venium.— In warm, sunny spots this plant, the 

 Spring Meadow .Saffron, has been blooming for a fortnight or 

 more. A native of southern Europe, it has long been in cul- 

 tivation, but it is not generally planted in this country. Uhe 

 flowers are about four inches long, of a bright rosy purple 

 when in bud, which changes to a somewhat lighter shade on 

 full expansion. The plant associates admirably with the 

 Crocuses and Snowdrops, adding a new and distinct color. It 



Fig. 25. — Carnatii-'ii Plant with Aerial Roots. 



is perfectly hardy, and, when once established, should not be 

 disturbed for several years, since it is, like many of this class 

 of plants, most effective wlien grown in masses. It should 

 have the same treatment as the Crocus or Snowdrop. There 

 is a variety with variegated foliage which is not desirable. 

 Boston. R. 



Correspondence. 



Aerial Roots of Carnations. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Samples of strange-looking Carnation-plants have been 

 sent to this station, with queries as to the nature of the trouble 

 and the remedy for the same. At first sight the stems seemed to 

 be covered with a peculiar dark growth unlike that of any 

 fungus known to me. A further inspection showed that the 

 stems had pushed multitudes of small roots (see fig. 25, on this 

 page), which stood close together, and had turned dark brown 

 incolor, due tothe growth of a black mold — Macrosporium.sp. 



The precise reason for this peculiar development of roots 

 along the stems cannot be stated, but since the plants had been 

 watered frequently in excess it is not improbable that the 

 formation of the roots was a result of this surplus of moisture. 



