ihi| ^Hrticirer's Jftonthla. 



45 



1? 



I will assure you that they both will stay nearer 

 home. 



I believe in Mr. Thompson's way of destroying red 

 spiders. Sulphur will do it if it is properly used : mix 

 it in water, and syringe the foliage all over, once 

 and well done, and they will disappear ; for mildew 

 I would recommend a free circulation of air ; it will 

 soon destroy all mildew that may appear in any 

 grape house ; but in a good circulation you will never 

 have to destroy mildew, for it will never appear 

 there. 



In the Gardener s MontMy, in the November 

 number, for '66, there is an article by C. N., Newark, 

 N. J. ofaKichard Miller, gardener for Wm. Faitaut, 

 having grown superior grapes under glass for five 

 years and without sulphur. There is nothing wonder- 

 ful in that. I like to hear of large clusters of grapes, 

 such as are mentioned. Did both of these bunches 

 grow on the one vine ? if so, and 20lb. more, then 

 I would say, that that is good grape growing. In 

 my opinion there are very few practical gardeners 

 who do not recommend front ventilation for grape- 

 house ; without such your vines will not be healthy. 

 In spring you must give front air every day until 

 your vines break their buds; for without it they 

 will break too quick, and your young shoots will be 

 ahead of your roots, and when this takes place it is 

 a very bad check to the whole vine, for the want of 

 motion in the roots as well as in the branches, both 

 must be brought into motion together, and if they 

 are not together it is a bad start. 



I think Mr. Miller may have many advantages 

 over Mr. Thompson in the way of keeping down 

 insects ; he I think has artificial heat in his houses, 

 and if so they will be clearer from insects than a 

 house without artificial heat. It is more than likely 

 that Mr. Thompson's houses are cold and in them 

 you will be troubled all the time with either mildew 

 or spiders, and when you are trying to destroy the 

 one you will be encouraging the other. 



Mr. Thompson speaks of the way we cover 

 grape-houses here. It is good, and I think it will 

 be used, universally used, in span-roofed houses 

 before long. 



PLANTING POTATOES IN THE FALL, 

 PITTING, &c. 



BY "a subscriber," BALTIMORE, MD. 



I notice, in the October No. of the Monthly^ an 

 enquiry from Illinois relative to planting Potatoes in 

 the Fall. I have no practical experience on the 

 subject, and write altogether speculatively, were I 

 to experiment. After thorouglily preparing the 

 ^and, I would run out deep, bout farrows, north and 



south. Plant the Potatoes about the last of August, 

 which will afford time and heat sufiicient to start 

 the shoots and partially decay the tubers. 



After planting, spread over the tubers four inches 

 of rough but well-decomposed manure, and on the 

 manure, eight inches of unbroken rye straw, (tan- 

 gled straw will do as well but it is more difficult to 

 cover,) and finish covering by running an angular 

 harrow turned upside down, "broad end on," which 

 will draw to the centre of the furrows a light cover- 

 ing of earth. Early in November, or before the 

 ground freezes, throw up, on either side of the Po- 

 tatoes, (by a heavy, wide-breasted plow,) a ridge ; 

 then with a one-horse plow lap those furrows, thus 

 covering the Potatoes, by the three applications, 

 about twenty inches, and on either side fifteen. The 

 frost may penetrate through the earth but will be 

 arrested by the straw. The ridges should be con- 

 vex or roof-shaped. 



In the spring (early in March) uncover down to 

 the straw. When the vines are fairly up subsoil on 

 either side, running the shear next the Potatoes 

 which will allow a free circulation of air and heat 

 afterwards, cultivate as science and practice 

 dictate. 



In the autumn of '65 I left a row of Potatoes 

 (planted in April) ungathered : early in November 

 I threw off the earth nearly down to the Potatoes 

 with a double mould board-plow, and covered with 

 straw and earthed up as pi eviously described. As 

 soon as the frost was out of the ground on the fol- 

 lowing spring I dug up a daily supply which lasted 

 nearly till my extra early crop was sufficiently ripe 

 fur use. Nearly every Potato was sound and as fresh 

 as the succeeding early crop. Granting this experi- 

 ment to be a fact, it follows that we can have at 

 command this almost indispensable vegetable every 

 month in the year. 



As regards Spring-forcing see Horticultural books, 

 and the Monthlies on the subject. 



Without seriously deviating from tho subject I 

 will add that covering a summer crop of Potatoes 

 with straw, or mulching, will add greatly to the pro- 

 duct. The mulch retains moisture, prevents ex- 

 cessive heat, and holds the rich gases arising 

 from the atmospheric air. In our Southern States 

 mulching, as regards the Potato crop, is indispen- 

 sable to success. 



Again, to keep Potatoes fresh and sound for spring 

 and summer use, select from the Potato pits, when 

 uncovered in the spring, those that are sound and 

 unsprouted; form, for example, conical pits 6 in. 

 deep, and 9 feet in cii-cumference : in these, throw 

 the Potatoes carefully ; on each layer of Potatoes 



