2 



aiHlen, 



SEASONABLE HINTS, 



The saving and accumulating of fertilizers 

 of all kinds should be made the special work 

 of the winter months. Manure from the sta- 

 bles, muck from the swamps, leaf mold from 

 the woods, ashes, poultry-house sweepings, 

 all are valuable in the garden, but ' 'no manure 

 pays as well as brains. " This kind of manuring 

 the garden has to be applied now, before the 

 commercial fertilizers are spread and worked 

 under, and the seeds entrusted to the soil. 



All plans for the coming season should now 

 be made and worked out. not only in the mind, 

 but on paper also. A 

 sketch or map of the 

 ground to be planted, 

 no matter how roughly 

 drawn, with all the rows 

 marked out and the 

 name of every kind of 

 vegetable to be planted, 

 written down at its ap- 

 propriate place, facili- 

 tates spring work aston- 

 ishingly. With such a 

 map, the varieties and 

 quantities of seeds re- 

 quired can be selected 

 with more care and sat- 

 isfaction, and may be 

 procured early enough 

 to avoid hurry and dis- 

 appointment. 



Cold Frames should 

 be examined frequent- 

 ly and opened on all 

 warm days ; the object 

 being to keep the plants 

 dormant, not growing. 



Roots in pits, if not 

 already sufficiently pro- 

 tected, should be cov ■ 

 ered enough to exclude 

 the severest freezing. 

 Roots in cellars have to 

 be looked after occasi- 

 onally, and all those 

 showing signs of decay 

 should be removed at 

 once. 



Bean Poles and Pea 

 Brush are easier cut now 

 than when leaves are 

 on the bushes. A suf- 

 ficient quantity should 

 be secured during the 

 winter, pointed and 

 stored under shelter, 

 ready for use. Poles 

 last mu«h longer for being seasoned. 



Wood Ashes, especially from hard wood, con- 

 tain much fertilizing material : they should be 

 saved carefully and kept under shelter ; when 

 exposed to rains, much of their value leaches 

 out and becomes lost. For Potatoes and all 

 root crops ashes are a most valuable fertilizer. 

 Coal Ashes are beneficial on heavy land, where 

 their use helps to lighten and loosen the soil, 

 otherwise they are of little fertilizing value. 



Winter Protection of Vegetables. — Boughs 

 of evergreens make the very best covering for 

 Spinach, Corn Salad, Parsnips, Salsify, and 

 other hardy vegetables remaining in the 

 ground. 



DWARF PEAS, 



The great advantage of Dwarf Peas in not 

 requiring "brushing" has always made them 

 favorites in the garden. From the days of the 

 "Dwarf Spanish" and "Early Frame," al- 

 though gradual improvements have been made 

 in this class, no variety was found to combine 

 all the desirable qualities, until Mr. Charles 

 Arnold, who has made hybridizing and cross- 

 ing a specialty, succeeded in producing a va- 

 riety — Bliss' American Wonder — which leaves 

 nothing to be desired. It is a cross between 

 "Little Gern" and "Champion of England" 

 and combines in an exceptional degree the 

 good qualities of both its parents : dwarf 

 habit, earliness, productiveness, hardiness and 

 excellent quality. Our illustration is taken 



MERICAN WONOEF 



from a photograrjh, reduced to one-half its 

 actual size and gives an excellent representa- 

 tion of the habit and productiveness of the 

 plant. It is so dwarf and bushy as not to re- 

 quire more space between the rows than Let- 

 tuce or Radishes, and its great earliness admits 

 of the raising of several crops from the same 

 ground, in one season, furnishing more Peas 

 from the same area than any other kind. For 

 forcing under glass and as a very early garden 

 variety it has no superior, and, taking all its 

 desirable qualities together, if we were re- 

 stricted to the planting of one single kind 

 of Peas, we should choose ' ' Bliss' American 

 Wonder, " 



HOT BEDS, 



The numerous devices that have come up 

 from time to time, and found their way into 

 print, for starting vegetable plants in dwelling 

 houses for family use by means of artificial heat, 

 have not been successful. Up to this time 

 the only reliable, and certainly the cheapest 

 plan is the old fashioned hot bed, a plan that 

 comes within the reach of every one, no mat- 

 ter whether his garden is large or small. To 

 make and take care of these, does not call for 

 the aid or presence of an experienced garden- 

 er, while the outlay in getting two or three 

 sashes, and making a coarse board frame is a 

 mere trifle when compared with the benefit, 

 as well as the pleasure, of having, when the 

 time comes, a bountiful supply of Tomatoes, 

 Egg Plants, Lettuce. 

 Cabbage. Cauliflowers, 

 and Peppers to stock 

 the kitchen garden. In 

 a thickly populated 

 neighborhood, one can 

 often sell enough of 

 those plants to cover all 

 the expense of raising 

 them besides having an 

 abundance for their own 

 use free of cost. This 

 I know to be the case in 

 several instances coming 

 under my observation 

 during the past few 

 years, and I mention it 

 here with the hope that 

 it may be an incentive 

 for others to go and do 

 likewise. 



The time of starting a 

 hot bed depends more or 

 less on the locality. In 

 the Southern and Mid- 

 dle States any time be- 

 tween the 10th and 20th 

 of February will be 

 found about right. A 

 couple of weeks prior to 

 these dates some horse 

 manure should be put 

 aside, having the coarser 

 parts of the bedding tak- 

 en out. If dry the ma- 

 nure should be made 

 damp by throwing on 

 some water to encour- 

 age fermentation. The 

 heap should be turned 

 over once or twice be- 

 fore using, to prevent 

 "ftre-fanging," as it is 

 commonly termed, and 

 have the whole mass of 

 even temperature, and 

 thoroughly hot without burning. 



In selecting a spot for a hot bed the expos- 

 ure should be east or south-east and at the 

 same time have the bed protected from the 

 north or west winds, either by a building or 

 board fence. 



The ordinary sash is made 3x6 and two of 

 these will give am2)le space for a family gar- 

 den. Instead of making the bed on the sur- 

 face level, it wiU be found more economical to 

 excavate the soil from the intended space 6x6, 

 to the depth say of eighteen inches. The 

 manure may then be put in place, in thickness 

 about two and a half feet, spread evenly and 

 packed down firmly. The frame may then 



