104 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[June, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



The unusual lateness of spring has caused 

 the accumulation of a great amount of work, 

 with but a short time for its performance. 

 Consequently, many things are done hur- 

 riedly and carelessly, resulting in failure, 

 which, with sufficient time and care be- 

 stowed on them, might have proved suc- 

 cessful. 



In Planting Trees, the fact that success de- 

 pends more on the condition of the tree at 

 the time of planting than on the earliness or 

 lateness of the season is too frequently 

 overlooked. A tree or shrub that has been 

 dug early in spring, properly cut back, care- 

 fully heeled in, and kept in a cool place, is 

 on the first of June in better condition for 

 planting than one taken from the nursery 

 row and planted some weeks earlier. All 

 plants accommodate themselves in a great 

 measure to the conditions and variations of 

 seasons. If the season is early they develop 

 slower at first, while in a late one, when it 

 does open, they make haste to ' ' catch up " ; so 

 that one season with another there is but 

 little difference in the time of maturity. 



JleeJmg-in of trees provides for them an 

 artificial late season, retarding their develop- 

 ment and fitting them for immediate growth 

 when set out. How long plants may be re- 

 tarded was shown by a shipment of trees 

 made by Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, of 

 Rochester, to Australia some years ago, 

 before we had direct steam communication. 

 The box containing the trees was accident- 

 ally delayed at several points, so that it did 

 not arrive at its destination till just one year 

 after leaving the nursery. Yet the trees, 

 having been packed in the careful manner 

 customary at that establishment, arrived in 

 good condition, were planted, and lived, 

 having actually been kept dormant for an 

 entire year of their lives. 



Barked Trees. — The statement in a previ- 

 ous number, that trees deprived of their en- 

 tire bark all around the stem could not live, 

 was, of course, meant to imply, if left to 

 themselves without remedial agents. It is 

 well known to fruit growers that by bridging 

 the gaps with new wood so as to reestablish 

 the interrupted circulation through the bark, 

 the trees can generally be saved, as shown 

 by the experience of Mr. D. R. Cudney, of 

 Canada. He says : 



•' Four years ago I had a fine, large Apple- 

 tree completely gnawed by mice to the hard 

 wood ; not a particle of bark remained. 

 About grafting time I took from another 

 Apple-tree some suckers the size of a goose- 

 quill, cut them off square at both ends, 

 long enough to reach below and above the 

 gnawed parts. Then with a small half-inch 

 gauge I cut in deep enough to insert my 

 grafts, being careful to have them long 

 enough to fit snugly. Four years have 

 passed ; it has borne fruit three years, and a 

 finer tree I have not in my orchard. The 

 stem is perfectly smooth, showing only a little 

 enlargement where the grafts were put in." 



Strawberry Picking commences in this 

 vicinity with the second week in June, and 

 those who have not already done so should 

 lose no time to place straw or some other 

 mulch around their bearing plants. 



INDOOR GRAPE CULTURE. 



PRUNING. 



If the vines have made a strong and vigor- 

 ous growth the first year, and their wood is 

 well ripened, about four feet of cane may- 

 be left when prunjng for the second year. 

 This pruning may be done any time before 

 spring, while the vines are dormant. Cut 

 back the side shoots to the eye at their base 

 made during the previous season, and the 

 main shoot, if strong, to about four feet ; if 

 weak, cut back further. The stronger the 

 growth, provided it is well ripened, the 

 longer may it be left. The chief point to be 

 observed is to try as far as possible to get 

 all the eyes on the shoot left, to start iuto 

 growth, so that there shall be no deficiency 

 of fruit spurs. Pinch back the side shoots to 

 the second eye from the front, and allow the 

 leading shoot to make all the growth possi- 

 ble, pinching back the laterals as recom- 

 mended for the first year's treatment. 



Only a few branches should be left to 

 mature on a vine the first year of fruiting, 

 and on weak vines not more than is neces- 

 sary to ascertain that the varieties are true 

 to name. 



It is bad policy to fruit young vines too 

 heavily, although when they are strong and 

 healthy two-year old vines may be fruited, 

 sometimes, without apparent injury. Some 

 years ago I had on a two-year-old vine of 

 Victoria Hamburg four bunches of Grapes, 

 one of which weighed five and one-half 

 pounds, and the berries of all of them were 

 uniformly large and well colored, for this 

 variety. This heavy fruiting did not ap- 

 parently affect the vines after vigor. 



THINNING THE FRUIT. 



As soon as the fruit is all set on a vine, 

 thin out all superabundant bunches, leaving 

 the best shaped and those most evenly dis- 

 tributed over the vines. Thinning of the 

 berries should be done when they are about 

 the size of Peas ; cut out all crowded 

 berries, giving those left sufficient room for 

 full development. Do not handle the bunches 

 much, nor allow anything to rub against 

 them, as this is apt to cause a rust on the 

 skin, and checks them from swelling. 



Maintain during the time of growth a 

 good, strong, moist heat, especially for 

 Muscats. When coloring of the berries be- 

 gins give an increase of air, as the flavor of 

 the fruit depends a good deal on the amount 

 of air given during the time of maturing. 

 At the same time syringing the vines should 

 be discontinued, and the air in the house 

 kept as moist as possible. 



INSECTS. 



If a moist atmosphere is not kept up 

 during this period, that worst of all pests on 

 Grape-vines, the red spicier — which is much 

 easier prevented than cured — gets a foot- 

 hold. An over-dry atmosphere is the life 

 of this pest, while a moist one is detrimental 

 to its increase. 



I have often noticed remedies for the 

 destruction of this pest given by writers on 

 Grape-vine culture, but I do not believe there 

 is a cure for it after it gets a foothold. 



Another pest which often infests Grape- 

 vines is tlwvps, which can be destroyed by a 

 succession of fumigations. A single applica- 

 tion does no good, as the tobacco fumes affect 

 only the mature iusects, and then only when 

 used strong. 



To prevent ihildew a liberal sprinkling of 

 sulphur should be kept on the hot-water pipes 

 and elsewhere about the house. A rush of 

 cold air, striking violently against the vines 

 while the temperature of the house is high, 

 will often cause a severe attack of mildew. 

 Therefore, while giving all the ventilation 

 necessary, all sudden changes of temperature 

 should be scrupulously guarded against. 



I find one of the best preventives for mil- 

 dew is the giving of a little top air dur- 

 ing nights, from the time the fruit is set. 

 When the house is syringed in the afternoon, 

 shut up close for two or three hours, then 

 open several of the top ventilators just a 

 little, and let them remain open during 

 night, unless the outside temperature is very 

 low. Mansfield Milton. 



WHEN TO PICK FRUITS. 



Housewives, as well as growers and market- 

 men, often complain that fruits do not keep 

 in good condition, and various causes are 

 assigned for this. One of the most preva- 

 lent and the least understood is that of 

 showers or rains just before picking. The 

 amount of increase in bulk, size, and weight 

 that rains impart to fruits is not fully ascer- 

 tained ; yet it is a well known fact that in boil- 

 ing maple sap to make sugar one hundred and 

 twenty gallons of sap after a wet fall and 

 winter will produce no more sugar than one 

 hundred gallons after a dry season. 



In Strawberry culture berries of great 

 size can be produced by irrigation, though 

 the increase is but dropsical. Recent ex- 

 periments have shown that Strawberries 

 picked after a heavy rain shrink ten per cent. 



Grapes, also, lose in bulk and weight 

 under similar circumstances. A bushel of 

 Grapes weighs about forty pounds when 

 picked and packed after a rain, decreasing 

 afterward from two to four pounds to the 



These facts tend to show that at least ten 

 per cent., both in bulk and weight, may be 

 imparted to fruits by showers or rains, and 

 will readily account for berry baskets not 

 being full after having been packed a day or 

 more. 



Much of the ill success in the preserving 

 and keeping of fruits may also be ascribed 

 to this cause. 



To have fruits, which are said to be " only 

 condensed sunshine," in perfection, and best 

 condition for long keeping, they should be 

 picked in clear weather, after the dew is off, 

 and before the heat of the day, and then 

 stored in a cool, dry place where a current of 

 air passes over them. J. B. Rogers. 



PLANTING RASPBERRIES IN SUMMER, 



Although the best season for planting 

 Raspberries is autumn or early spring, there 

 is still a loop-hole left for those who have 

 been neglectful and yet desire to have fruit 

 next siimmer. The young sprouts which 

 spring up freely around old Red Raspberry 

 bushes may be taken up now and trans- 

 planted with safety, provided proper care is 

 taken. A cloudy, damp day is necessary 

 for the operation. Soak the ground well, 

 then dig out the sprout with a solid lump of 

 soil, and carry on the spade to the hole pre- 

 viously dug for it ; plant carefully, water 

 again, and shade for a few days. Such 

 plants will produce a fair crop next summer. 



