FRUIT AND VEGETABLE NOTES. 



147 



be at all injured by the transfer. I throw out a furrow 

 with a small plow, place the plants in it, and fill up by 

 turning a furrow with a hand-plow, afterward firming 

 the soil with the feet. 



One spring I had 500 extra cans, and in them planted 

 early sweet-corn for a trial. For the lot I received 20 

 cents per dozen ears more than I have received per 

 dozen since. From 1,000 hills of butter-beans I sold two 

 pickings at 30 cents per gallon more than I have ever 

 received for ordinary outdoor plantings. The hotels 

 save their empty cans for me. When not in use I place 

 ten, one over another, and store them away. I use sev- 

 eral thousands, and they last from six to eight years. 

 One man and boy can transplant at least 2,500 a day. 

 By the use of them all trouble from frost is avoided, and 

 when set out the plants are so large that injury from the 

 bugs is easily escaped. — J. W. Olds, Illinois. 



HOW A BOSTONIAN GREW CAULIFLOWERS. 



Either cauliflowers are easily grown or I had wonder, 

 ful luck with them. I grew Henderson Snowball, and 

 100 per cent, made good heads. The seeds had a good 

 start ; first, some good loam was sifted fine and put into 

 a shallow box three or four inches deep, some strong 

 liquid manure was strained and boiled in an otherwise 

 useless old kettle. This boiling hot tea was poured on 

 the soil in the box, and just as soon as it was cool enough 

 not to injure the seeds, they were scattered over it. A 

 very little dry sifted soil was put on to cover the plants, 

 and the box was left in a warm bathroom for the 

 seeds to germinate at leisure. The plants were soon up) 

 and as soon as large enough were set out at the north- 

 west side of a shed, where no gardener would have put 

 anything he wanted to grow. They had plenty of water 

 from the hose, and every one grew into a fine head of 

 cauliflower. I think anyone can grow them. The green 

 cabbage-worms were picked off when found. Last sum- 

 mer when raising cabbages I scattered a mixture of flour 

 and red pepper all over the heads, and it seemed to stop 

 the ravages of the pests. — Boston Suburb. 



HOW AN elder's WIFE PLANTS HER GARDEN. 



For some years I have sown seeds in combination to 

 some extent, and shall do so more extensively in the 

 future. After the drills are made I sow about as thickly 

 as I want the plants to stand, seeds of beet, carrot, sal- 

 sify, cabbage, cucumber, etc.; then retracing my steps, 

 I sow radish-seeds as thickly as they should be, and 

 cover. In three or four days every row in the garden is 

 plainly visible if the weather and soil have been in a 

 favorable condition, and cultivation may begin at once 

 and be kept up as occasion demands, without waiting for 

 the slow-germinating varieties to appear above ground. 

 The radish-seeds I sow are a mixture of turnip and 

 olive-shaped summer sorts, in all varieties, and Chartier 

 — two-thirds of the former to one-third of the latter. 

 From the one sowing these give a nice variety in form, 

 color and flavor for a long time. 



Sometimes I have sowed lettuce instead of radishes, 

 but the plants give too much shade and are net out of 



the way so soon, and I have discarded it in favor of the 

 radishes, which meet with ready sale if pulled fresh and 

 if the roots are set into a pail of cool water while in 

 transit from my garden to the customer's door. 



I prefer to plant everything in drills, even cucumbers 

 and squashes, and cultivate well until the vines begin to 

 run. The drills are made closer or farther apart, ac- 

 cording to the growth of the plants, though to economize 

 space and keep the vines separated I usually alternate a 

 row of vines with one of small-topped vegetables, like 

 carrots or salsify. When the vines start to run, I keep 

 them turned lengthwise of the rows, which tends to 

 cover the ground and keep it moist and cool, and is 

 more convenient and tidy than to let them run all over. 



Of course, after much vine has been made, cultivation 

 cannot be continued ; but if the garden spot was plowed 

 once in the fall and twice in spring, and given a little 

 early cultivation, few weeds will start, and those that do 

 can be successfully pulled up by hand. — Elder's Wife. 



A dentist's success in home GARDENING. 



In the fall of '89 I built a house on a blue-grass lot, 

 on which there wasn't a tree or plant. Practising my 

 profession from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m., I could give only a few 

 hours in the morning and evening to my planting and 

 gardening. Early in '90 the ground was broken. My 

 lot is nearly square, and contains slightly more than an 

 acre. My aim was to set the apple trees and let them 

 be coming up ; but to get fruit in one or two years I 

 must "make things hum " in the line of strawberries, 

 raspberries and grapes. The apples were set 30 feet 

 apart, and raspberries planted in line with every row of 

 apple trees, and strawberries, corn and vegetables be- 

 tween the apples and raspberries. 



Near the house dwarf pear trees were planted, with 

 grape-vines between them. Grapes were set along a 

 woven wire fence between the yard and garden. Plums 

 were put in the poultry-yard, and cherries in front of 

 the house. Peach trees were planted in the center of a 

 square made by four apple trees. After every hard rain 

 we took pains to stir the surface around everything. 



Here are my main varieties, chosen from reading and 

 inquiry: strauiberries, Haverland, Bubach and Crescent, 

 with Mt. Vernon as a fertilizer; raspberries. Turner, 

 Cuthbert, Shaffer and Ohio; grapes, mainly Concords, 

 with a few vines each of Catawba, Martha, Brighton, 

 Worden and Norton ; pears, Clapp and Duchesse, with 

 two standards each of Bartlett, Anjou, Seckel and Kief- 

 fer ; plums, Wild Goose, Green Gage, Lombard and 

 Bradshaw; cherries. Early May, Governor Wood and 

 Napoleon ; peaches, mostly Stump-the-World and Old 

 Mixon. Of apples I planted too many sorts, and not 

 enough of winter kinds. Everything was kept reason- 

 ably clean by the use of a horse-hoe. To offset all this 

 work I had an abundant supply of all sorts of vegetables 

 throughout the season; and after reserving potatoes, tur- 

 nips, beets, etc., for winter's use, sold $19 worth of stuff. 

 My strawberries were ' ' laid by " for 1891 after they had 

 been covered with straw. 



