438 



CURRENT GARDEN LORE. 



ful mesembryanthemums, which present on a sunny day 

 a never-to-be-forgotten sight. There is one lesson to be 

 learned from the illustration given of these gardens. In 

 all cases where terracing is desirable or desired, care 



should be taken to allow breadth for 



informal 



TtRRACE-GARDEN AT CORK, IRELAND. (Flower-beds edged with 



planting. In the view presented breadth is a strong 

 point. If this cannot be given it would be infinitely bet- 

 ter and wiser to expend the money and labor which it 

 would cost to make the terrace, in forming good walks 

 winding sufficiently to make the ascent or descent quite 

 easy. By the side of such walks, at irregular intervals, 

 suitable spots would present themselves for growing 

 plants in a natural way without making the walk or its 

 surroundings too prominent in the landscape. — Garden- 

 ing Illustrated. 



Spading Hard Ground. — The first point in rapid, 

 easy digging, is to keep one side-edge of the spade always 

 out of the earth, in sight. Fig. i shows how a non-expert 

 will bury both edges of the spade at gh, ij, kl, mn, and 

 have harder work thereby, both in sinking the spade and 

 in breaking off the slice of earth. Fig. 2 shows how an 

 expert will sink his spade ; ab, cd, ef, being the curves 

 cut by the spade, the edge a being "out" the first cut, 

 the edge c being out the second cut, etc. Thus held, the 

 spade sinks more easily, and the one edge breaks off true 



Spading Hard Ground. 



and easily. Sink the spade by a succession of quick 

 "shoves" or thrusts with the foot, throwing one's whole 

 weight with a quick impulse upon it, and working the 

 handle slightly back and forth in sympathy with the 

 efforts of the foot. It will take from two or three to six 



or eight "shoves" to send a 16-inch spade "home." 

 The best way to get this motion is to watch a real expert 

 and get him to teach you. I almost never use a pick or 

 mattock. A good ditching-spade well handled will dig 

 almost anything but the stoniest clayey gravel, faster 

 alone than with the help of the 

 pick. — Gleanings in Bee-Culture. 



Fumigating with Tobacco- 

 Juice. — In the stoke-hole or boiler- 

 pit we have in one corner a cylinder 

 which holds about 50 gallons. Con- 

 nected with our steam-boiler is a 

 34^ -inch pipe, which passes through 

 the head and descends to within 

 six inches of the bottom of the cyl- 

 inder, as shown in the drawing; 

 this Is a supply steam-pipe to boil 

 the fluid and raise it to any pressure 

 required. Connected with the top 

 or head of the cylinder, is the water- 

 pipe, the same that supplies the 

 houses. Connected also with the 

 top of the cylinder is a small tobacco- 

 tank capable of holding five or six 

 gallons of the extract, of which 

 we can supply to the cylinder any 

 quantity desired by an X L valve connected with the same 

 close to the cylinder. With further experience we find 

 that a small quantity of fluid, say one gallon, is all that is 

 necessary at a time, and no addition of water is needed, 

 as the steam continually passing from boiler into fluid is 

 all that is required. We have also two other X L valves 

 connected close to the head of the cylinder, to control, one 

 the supply of steam, the other the evaporized juice. So, 

 having let one gallon of 

 the liquid flow from 

 supply-tank to cylinder, 

 shut valve and open steam- 

 s-upply valve. In a few 

 moments the juice is at 

 boiling point. Now open 

 water-pipe valve ; then go 

 into the house or houses, 

 open any of the faucets 

 where the aphis is trouble- 

 some, and in 30 minutes, 

 at the most, it will destroy 

 the most venerable green- 

 fly, although as with other 

 systems it is far better to 

 use lightly now and then as 

 a preventive rather than a 

 cure. We find the system 

 has the following advan- 

 tages : There is no possible danger to the most delicate 

 flower ; fumigation is applied instantly ; there is no hin- 

 drance from other work ; no necessity of being in the 

 fumes ; no space taken up with large tobacco-baler, ; it is 

 cleanly and effective. We get the tobacco-juice from a 



Greenhouse Fumigator, 



