WINTER 



hundred of the native orchids I have under the 

 seat." 



" How do you determine the exact shape of those 

 groups of trees and shrubs ?" 



"Cut and grub to the shape they are in now. 

 For a new design to plant on a flat surface, toss a 

 child's necklace on the table, or twirl a skipping 

 rope on the floor." 



" But wouldn't you need a barbed wire fence or 

 something to keep people from overrunning your 

 beautiful things ?" 



" People don't overrun beautiful, but ugly things. 

 Make your plantations really beautiful and the com- 

 mon people will be as choice of them as you are." 



This was a rather personal remark, for dowager 

 No. 2, in the time of her first husband, had tried 

 broken bottles set in cement on the top of a stone 

 wall, without effect ; but Mrs. Tarryer hastened to 



SPINA CH. ■ 479 



suggest that " a hedge fence, such as the boys used 

 to snare partridges, or stumps and dead mossy wood 

 might be laid arouild wild borders and stuffed with 

 woods-mold, while the plants were young, to check 

 unwjtry trampling ; and all such designs should be 

 carefully weeded, and planted in strict accordance 

 with sylvan fashions." 



[Remarks by the Editor. — Mr. Tarryer mentions no 

 names, but many favorite wild beauties will occur to the 

 lovers who go far to seek, or pine in the absence of them. 

 Arbutus, of course, is one his party were thinking of ; 

 also the walking fern and several other ferns, orchids, 

 etc. : and when will our naturalist-gardeners study the 

 habits of fringed gentian, and give the flower market all 

 it will take ? In learning to grow these three plants in 

 profusion, a thousand wild-wood elegancies will be pre- 

 served for our use and enjoyment. Besides, this due 

 exercise of our observing faculties would bring light 

 into the darkest problems of our civilization,] 



WINTER SPINACH. 



AMONG market gardeners winter spinach is 

 an important crop requiring careful prepa- 

 ration of soil, good seed, timely sowing, in 

 a suitable place for withstanding exposure 

 of winter. If successfully wintered it is very profit- 

 able. Spinach is used as a second crop. I plant it 

 after early beets, early cucumbers, early cabbage, 

 beans and early corn. The middle of August to 

 the first of September is my range for planting the 

 seed. After repeated trials I have chosen the Viro- 

 flay (Henderson) or the Savoy-leaved for fall sow- 



Fig, CC. Cereus (Pilocekeus) .senilis. See page 460, 



ing, and try to get the seed fresh. Ten pounds to 

 the acre is not too much. I do not think it possible 

 to over-feed the spinach crop with manure. The 

 first sown seed will make spinach for fall use ; 



or if in a favorable locality it will keep over winter. 

 I think it is still a disputed point among our most 

 successful gardeners whether the three-quarter or 

 the one-quarter grown spinach is the most likely to 

 withstand the winter. The largest grown killed last 

 winter in some fields and lived in others. So also, 

 the plants which only appeared above ground with 

 two leaves in the fall came out all right in spring, 

 as fine as the best spring sown, and two weeks earlier. 



I have experimented with coverings of various kinds ; 

 leaves, hay, corn stalks, tomato vines, and pine bought. 

 To place any covering is a work of time, and most cul- 

 tivators seek, by planting large areas, in the most favor- 

 able spots, to secure some success in wintering without 

 covering. The pine boughs have yielded the best shelter. 

 Land laid out in beds four feet wide, with a deep furrow 

 between, affords good surface drainage. The lightest 

 lands, those earliest and driest in spring, are the best, 



I have seen a slight depression in an area otherwise 

 well drained holding water to the depth of two inches, 

 and the spinach was killed. Frequent freezings and 

 thawings do not seem to damage the plant as a cold 

 water bath does in winter. The Prickly-seeded spinach 

 is recommended for winter, but I always plant the 

 Round-seeded, It passes through the seed drill much 

 better and is as sure to live over winter as any. 



The past two seasons have been unusually favorable 

 for wintering spinach in this locality, for though the 

 land has not been covered with snow, there have been 

 also times when the frost has left the soil, allowing the 

 spinach to grow in winter. We are still at a loss to 

 know how to keep fall spinach that is large enough to 

 market when winter sets in and snow falls. We have 

 tried cutting and spreading, and partly drying, but such 



