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NOTES FROM A IPOMANS GARDEN— JUNE. 



sows itself, growing one year as a low, spreading, fern- 

 like plant, running and blooming the next. It dearly 

 loves a cool, shady, damp spot. 



In some of Levi's " katty-cornered places" the seeds 

 of the common nasturtium are generously sown, making 

 bright spots of color almost the entire season. Then 

 there is a bed of hardy roses, so beautiful just now. In 

 the shade of an apple tree is a small bed of pansies. 

 Bachelor's buttons, coreopsis and larkspur come up 

 anywhere, and are bright and pretty ; but when we 

 found hundreds of the latter plants in our strawberry 

 bed, we felt that it was a case of "too much of a good 

 thing." 



But we must spend no more time admiring the gar- 

 den. There is much work to be done ; incessant watch- 

 fulness as regards weeds and insects during the month 

 of June is very necessary — is the price we must pay to 

 insure happy results in the future. There is little plant- 

 ing to be done, except of corn and late squashes, etc., 

 but oh, how fast the plants grow these lovely June days ! 

 but alas! the weeds grow even faster. Levi, in spite of 

 his seventy odd years, can hoe more continuously and 

 vigorously than many a younger man. Hoeing is his 

 great strong point, and he keeps at it day in and day out, 

 as long as a weed is to be seen; and early hoeing is most 

 beneficial to the welfare of the garden. We weed too, 

 but by hand, or with a trowel. 



Woe betide us if we use Levi's favorite hoe and any 

 soil is left on it! "Gals! gals! that's a purty way to 

 leave tools, ain't it now, etc., etc. " Then the insects! 

 their name truly is "legion." Sprinkle the currant 

 bushes again with hellebore. Watch for the saw-fly, 

 which begins about the first of June to nip off the tops 

 of the new branches. Cut off at once all bitten branches 

 at least an inch below the bite and burn them ; in this 

 way getting rid of the eggs, which soon turn into destruct. 

 ive worms. 



The early peas should be ready for eating by the 

 middle of the month. We usually get three or four 

 messes from the first planting. Last year, an enemy 

 new to us, appeared on the pea vines — masses of small 

 greenish worms, which ate voraciously. By isolating 

 and marking the infested places, sprinkling well with 

 hellebore, this pest was destroyed before doing serious 

 damage. Of course, the peas thus treated can only be 

 used for seed. 



A similar worm, attacking the grape vines, succumbed 

 to the same treatment. 



Old Levi doesn't believe m killing the tent caterpil- 



lars, as so many do, with fire, but fastens a sponge full 

 of kerosene on a long pole and rubs it well into each 

 nest when "the pesky things is all to hum," at noon 

 often. 



Our strawberries begin to ripen the first week in 

 June, and the robins come from near and from far to 

 make sure of getting the first taste of the delicious 

 fruit. We fight them a little ; but after a few days of 

 sunshine, there are berries enough, and to spare, for the 

 birds and ourselves. By a careful selection of varieties, 

 our strawberry season extends into July, a little way. 

 The old fashioned Cutter is a great favorite with us 

 as being very early, and having, more nearly than any 

 other variety, the real wild strawberry flavor. 



We pick our strawberries whenever we wish, from 

 very early morn until dewy eve, and so far have seen no ill 

 effects result. We cannot understand why some people 

 persist in gathering strawberries under the hot sun ; for 

 the market it may be necessary or advisable, but for the 

 home table it is surely needless. Our garden is full of 

 delights in June — the flowers, the fruit, the vegetables. 



There is no month in the year when one can almost 

 see things grow as in June. It is a daily pleasure and 

 wonder to observe this growth. But nothing is abso- 

 lutely perfect (even in our garden) in this world of ours. 

 It is not really delightful, albeit on the loveliest of early 

 June mornings, to rise with the sun and go out to kill 

 squash bugs by the primitive way of rubbing shingles 

 together, which, having lain under the vines all night 

 have trapped many of these unsavory creatures. But we 

 know no sures way to dispose of these troublesome bugs. 



Early in the morning, too, we must examine the beans, 

 melons, sometimes sweet peas ; dig wherever you see a 

 plant cut off, and catch master cut-worm ; ' ' make two of 

 him " a friend advises, but we find crushing him under 

 a heavy stone just as efficacious, less repulsive. To 

 find 15 or 20 of these worms in one row of beans is not 

 a poor morning's work. Even one cut worm left undis- 

 turbed will make great havoc in a long row of plants. 

 Fortunately they are not always with us ; it is early in 

 the season that they do their deadly work. 



We are firm believers in the virtue of mulching, and 

 mulch as soon as possible with green grass, hay, leaves 

 or straw, not only the edges of the strawberry beds (we 

 grow our strawberries in matted beds), but the cur- 

 rant, gooseberry and raspberry bushes. Unless this is 

 done we find that when July comes a great deal of our 

 fruit is dried and uneatable. 



Plymouth Co., Mass. M. E. Vigneron. 



