DICTIONARY OF SEASONABLE GARDEN WORK. 



6g 



II. GARDENING for TABLE AND MARKET 



Apples. — The crop seems to be short this season. 

 Whoever has good apples should gather them carefully, 

 and market them in good shape ; they are sure to bring 

 a good price. There is every reason to believe that 

 evaporated apples and cider-vinegar are not abundant. 

 Here we have only a small crop of gnarly, scabby fruit. 

 It should be gathered and turned into vinegar. We look 

 for a big apple crop next year. Feed the trees now. 



Asparagus. — A heavy application of rich compost to 

 the beds will pay well. For forcing under glass later on, 

 strong plants of some age should be procured, and stored 

 where they will be convenient when wanted. 



fleets. — They keep best in pits. Some may be kept 

 in the cellar for use during winter, but cover them with 

 sand or sods to prevent shriveling. 



Blackberries. — Cut away the old wood and mulch 

 the roots. Tender sorts should be laid down and lightly 

 covered with soil at the tips. 



Carrots. — Treat as advised for beets. 



Celery. — Dig up the stalks, leaving the roots on, and 

 stand them close together in a narrow trench, tops just 

 even with the ground-level. Gradually cover them with 

 boards, earth and manure. Another way is to set them 

 upright upon the floor of a damp cellar or root-house, 

 keeping the roots moist and the tops dry. Celery can 

 stand some frost, but not exposure to less than 22° Fahr 

 The stalks intended for use before Christmas, may in 

 most localities be left outdoors, to be used as wanted. 

 Should cold weather set in early, they will need covering 

 in some way. 



Currants. — Cut away old wood. Make cuttings, if 

 still wanted, and either pack them in sand or moss in the 

 cellar, or plant out at once. 



Garden Management. — Clean up the garden, plow, 

 and otherwise prepare for the next season. Look up 

 the needed manure supply in time. We want good old 

 compost, not fresh stable-manure, for immediate appli- 

 cation. Often good compost may be found at almost 

 nominal prices in one's own vicinity. 



Gooseberries. — Treat as advised for currants. 



Grapes. — Pruning is in order. Do not be afraid to 

 cut close. More grapes are lost from lack of pruning 

 than by the use of the knife. If there are any tender 

 varieties, lay them down and cover them from the 

 weather. Then take time to give the trellis a coat of 

 paint, if it needs it. Painting once in two or three years 

 is cheaper than renewing it in eight or ten years. If the 

 wood is strong and healthy, the prunings may be used 

 for cuttings. Make them 8 or 10 inches long, pack them 

 in bundles, and bury them in sand or sawdust in the 

 cellar. 



Greenhouses. — Have you a greenhouse for forcing 

 vegetables, at least for family use ? If not, why not ? 

 It would be a great convenience, and profitable in more 

 than one way. Hotbeds, in cold climates, are not trust- 

 worthy things to start very early in the season. A green- 

 house is alawys ready. 



Hotbeds. — Gather, repair, repaint, and store the 

 sashes. 



Keeping Grapes. — Gather as soon as ripe ; remove all 

 immature and imperfect berries ; carefully pack in shal- 

 low baskets, and carry them into a dry storage-room or 

 cellar, where the temperature will remain only a few 

 degrees above freezing. If moisture collects on the fruit, 

 give sufficient ventilation to remove it. Keep the room 

 dark as well as cool. Some varieties keep much better 

 than others ; those with rather thick skins and firm pulp 

 are usually the best for long keeping. Half-ripened or 

 frosted fruit will not keep well under the most favorable 

 conditions. Vergennes is one of the best keeping grapes. 



Lettuce. — The plants in forcing-pits need plenty of 

 ventilation. Guard against mildew and greenfly. 



Mushrooms. — Beds may now be m:.de under the 

 greenhouse benches, in a warm shed, or in the cellar. 

 Guard against extremes of moisture and drouth. 



Orchard Maitagemcnt . — Young trees should have a 

 mound of earth raised around the stem as a support, and 

 protection against mice, etc. Small and lately planted 

 trees must have stakes set beside them, and be tied to the 

 stakes with a broad band. Apple and pear trees may 

 yet be planted. Trim superfluous or unhealthy wood 

 out of the old orchards. 



Raspberries. — Treat as advised for blackberries. 



Rhubarb. — Store plants for forcing, as directed for 

 asparagus. 



Spinagc. — Cover the beds lightly with leaves or litter 

 before winter sets in. 



Squashes. — The storing and keeping of winter 

 squashes has proved a difficult task with many. Accord- 

 ing to Dr. Hoskins, the best place to keep a few Hub- 

 bards is in a corner of some warm room. In this way, 

 if they are ripe, unbruised and sound, with the stems on, 

 you can keep them until it is time to plant the seed. 

 But they must be quite ripe when stored, and free from 

 bruise or scratch. Harvest them in a wheelbarrow, 

 lined with a heavy horse-blanket. You can hardly keep 

 a squash too dry, and if you scratch or bruise one, don't 

 try to keep it. As well try to keep a cracked egg. Those 

 who make a business of squash-growing build warm 

 houses, with shelves for the squashes, and keep the 

 houses uniform in temperature by means of stoves at 

 both ends. The temperature should not go below 50°. 

 The cellar is the very worst place you can find to keep 

 squashes, as it is important to keep the air both warm 

 and dry. 



Strawberries. — Soon it will be time to mulch the 

 beds. Provide marsh-hay, or other coarse litter, free 

 from weed-seeds, and when the ground has frozen an 

 inch or so, spread it all over the surface thinly and evenly. 



Tools. — Examine the stock on hand, and place it in 

 good repair, ready for use in the spring. Tools will last 

 longer, and look better, if given a good coat of paint or 

 linseed oil at least once a year. 



Vineries. — In early houses prune the vines at once, 

 and give the houses a thorough cleaning with hot water 

 and soft-soap. Exotic grapes are sweet and luscious, and 

 much more easily grown, even in coldhouses, than most 

 people imagine. The subject will be fully treated in the 

 next issue of American Gardening. 



