86 THE FLORIST AND 



you have no other resort, fill the house ivith smoke. We have frequently 

 applied this remedy with success under the above circumstances, and can 

 confidently recommend it to those similarly situated. 



Planting. — Real lovers of gardening never consider anything a trouble 

 that has in it the remotest likelihood of success. Therefore if you have a 

 few choice trees or shrubs that you intend transplanting by and by, suc- 

 cess will be more certain if the soil where they are to be placed is turned 

 over occasionally during bright sunshine, and covered up at night with a 

 sprinkling of rough litter of any description, to prevent radiation. Not 

 only will the soil be rendered more friable by this means, but considerable 

 heat will be absorbed, and thus some of the advantages of autumn planting 

 secured. 



Raspberries. — If not already done, no time should be lost in pruning 

 out the old bearing wood from these, leaving four or five canes for this 

 year's crop. Wood ashes, bone dust, and lime rubbish are good for top 

 dressing, forking it in between the rows. In forming a new plantation 

 trench the ground deeply, manuring heavily in the bottom of the trenches. 

 On thin soils with a hard bottom, these fruits seldom come to much, unless 

 they are heavily mulched — a practice that cannot be too often insisted on 

 in all cases where it can be applied. They ripen at a season generally 

 warm and dry, and if the roots have not some resource beyond the mere 

 surface, the fruit will shrivel and ripen prematurely. Plant in rows four 

 feet apart every way. Tying to upright stakes is the common method of 

 securing them. Those who have a fancy for neatness combined with utility 

 may form a wire fence and train them on it like grape vines. The finest 

 we ever saw were produced in this way. Not that we place much weight 

 on any method of mere training for the securance of any crop, provided 

 other circumstances are favorable, but in the case of raspberries when bun- 

 dled close together one half is crushed and suffocated. It may also be re- 

 marked in passing that this fruit is worthy of being cultivated more largely 

 than it is. It has many commendable properties when well cared for. 

 Horticulturists are ever running to extremes. At present pears and straw- 

 berries are monopolising all the talk from Cincinnati to Boston. S. B. 



MARCH — APRIL. 



Flower Garden. — In the annual trimming of the "verges" or grass 

 edges of walks, they ought not to be cut so as to appear like a wall on each 

 side — the smaller it can be made the better the walk will appear. Where 

 they have become deep from the washing away of the gravel, now is the 

 time to apply fresh. The old gravel should be stirred with the point of a 

 pick before the application of the new. Lawns should have all litter that 

 may have blown on them during winter at once cleared off, if with a birch 

 broom it will be much preferable to the rake — and receive a good rolling 



