762 



DICTIONARY OF SEASONABLE GARDEN WORK. 



from the trellis and lay them flat upon the ground, held 

 down with a piece of board or a stone. 



Grapery. — In the early houses maintain an average 

 temperature of 65° during the night, and 70° or 75°dur. 

 ing the day. Tie as needed. Protect the border by a 

 thick covering of leaves or coarse litter. Vines in late 

 houses to be pruned and laid down. 



General Directions. — Read horticultural books and 

 papers, and gather all information possible to enable 

 you to do your work better and with less expense here- 

 after. Make your plans for next season's operations. 

 Decide what trees, plants, seeds and requisites you will 

 want. Then correspond with dealers, get their prices, 

 and place your orders. All this should be done early, 

 and not left until nearly the time when you wish to use 

 the articles. Nurserymen and seedsmen often run short 

 of just the most desirable varieties. If your son takes 

 an interest in gardening or fruit-growing, encourage him 

 by getting good books on these subjects for him. A soil- 

 tiller cannot make a more useful present to his son or 

 hired man than a half dozen — more or less — good hor- 

 ticultural books. 



Mice and Rabbits. — Young trees should be protected 

 ;n some way against the teeth of rodents. On clean 

 grounds, with all weedy growth banished from near the 

 trees, and free from rubbish heaps, the danger is not 

 great. It will then be sufficient to tramp down the 

 newly fallen snow around the trees. If left loose, mice 

 often approach under this congenial shelter, and girdle 

 many trees before the owner becomes aware of it. 

 Rabbits where they abound should be trapped or hunted 

 out with ferrets. The bodies of young trees may also 

 be encased in tarred paper, or wire screen, and may then 

 be considered safe. A mound of soil around the base 

 of each tree also affords protection. 



stored in cellars should be frequently inspected. 

 Remove at once all specimens showing signs of decay. 

 Watch both fruit and market, and sell your surplus 

 whenever in best condition, or when the demand is good. 



Onions to be protected from severe freezing, from 

 warmth, and from dampness. Sets planted in the fall 

 to be given a light mulch of leaves or coarse litter. 



Parsley to be treated like dandelion. 



Raspberries and Blackberries of tender varieties to be 

 pruned and laid down. Cover the tip ends slightly with 

 soil. 



Requisites. — Look up, repair and repaint the sashes 

 and frames needed for spring. Repair and store tools. 

 Make arrangements for new implements, seeds, sashes, 

 frames, and all other fixings. Gather leaves to mix with 

 the manure for hot-beds. 



Potatoes stored in pits out-doors may need additional 

 covering as the winter advances. 



Root Crops, if stored in pits, can get along with slightly 

 less covering than potatoes. If you desire to have easy 

 access to the pit during winter, a foot or more of dry 

 litter, placed upon the south end of pit, will give it. 



Spinach planted in open ground should be given a 

 light mulch. 



Straii'berry Forcing. — It is time to begin. Place the 

 plants at first in a temperature of 45° and gradually in- 

 crease this until 60° has been reached. Increase the 

 water supply gradually at the same time. Plants for 

 late forcing should be carefully protected from severe 

 freezing. 



Strawberiy beds to be given a light mulch just as soon 

 as the ground freezes hard enough to hold team and 

 wagon. We prefer marsh hay to anything else for 

 mulching ; but straw that is free from weed seeds, or 

 fresh coarse manure, will answer. The plants suffer 

 more from frequent thawing and freezing in the sun- 

 shine than in any other way. Put the mulch on so as 

 to cover from sunshine, yet give some air, and allow the 

 surface water to run off freely, before it has time to 

 freeze around the plant. Evergreen boughs also make 

 good covering material. 



Storing Cabbages. — This crop can stand considerable 

 freezing without injury ; and we must be careful not to 

 cover it too soon, or too warm. A good way is to lay a 

 board or line of boards upon the ground in some well- 

 drained spot, and set the cabbages up in a long row, 

 heads downward and close together. Then put a 

 board or line of boards against them from each side, 

 and cover with marsh hay and soil, leaving the roots 

 sticking out. The boards can also be left out. For im- 

 mediate use in early winter, a few heads may be cleared 

 from the coarse outside leaves, each head wrapped with 

 several thicknesses of ordinary newspaper, and hung up 

 in the cellar by the roots. We also are in the habit of 

 storing a quantity on the barn floor in a heap. Here 

 they will keep well until cold weather sets in in Decem- 

 ber, when a little covering of straw, hay, or cornstalks 

 will protect them sufficiently from all harm until long 

 into the winter. This method has the advantage of 

 giving easy access to the heads at all times. 



Figs in pots or tubs for early forcing may now be 

 placed in the warmest part of the early grapery. 



Lettuce Forcing. — Water sparingly during damp, dull 

 weather. Air freely when weather is suitable. Decay- 

 ing leaves should be frequently removed. The greenfly 

 can be kept in check by occasional moderate fumigation, 

 or by mulching with tobacco stems ; and the lettuce-mil- 

 dew by the fumes of boiling sulphur, as told in replies 

 to queries. 



Root-grafting may now be done in bad weather. Prof. 

 Budd says that crown grafts make the best trees. Pack 

 the stalks operated upon in sand in the cellar. 



Rzibbish should not be tolerated on the premises. 

 Brush heaps, weed patches, and the like, are favorite 

 haunts of rabbits, mice and other pests, and they also 

 harbor insects. Get all such waste material together as 

 soon as possible, and set fire to it. 



Scions can be cut at any time now. Do not omit to 

 label them properly. Pack in sand in the cellar. 



