C^e barter's |ltBiit|lB. 



time to make the beds. Sage, Thyme and Laven- 

 der, grow from slips, which may be set in now pre- 

 cisely as it an edging of box were to be made of 

 them. They grow very easily. Basil and Sweet 

 Marjoram must be sown in a rich warm border. 



South of Philadelphia, the more tender kinds of 

 garden vegetables may now be sown, beans, co'-n, 

 cucumbers, squa.shes, ect., that it is not prudent to 

 plant in this latitude before the first of May ; and 

 tomato, egg-plants, etc., may also be set out in 

 those favored places. Cucumbers, squashes, and 

 such vegetables can be got forward as well as toma- 

 toes, egg-plants, etc., by being sown in a frame or 

 hotbed, and potted off into three int h pots. They 

 will be nice plants by the first week in May. Rot- 

 ten wood suits cucumbers and the squash tribe ex- 

 ceedingly well as a manure. Tomatoes and egg- 

 plants that are desired very eailv are best potted, 

 soon after they come up, into small pots. They 

 can then be turned out into the open air witiiout 

 any check to their roots. Of course, they .should 

 be gradually inured to the open air — not suddenly 

 transferred from a warm and moist air to a very 

 dry one. 



Early York Cabbage for early use should be set 

 out early in this month. It iS an excellent plan to 

 make the holes with a dibble first, where the cab- 

 bage is to be set ; then fill up the holes with ma- 

 nure-water ; and, after the water has soaked away, 

 set in the plants. It is rather more laborious than 

 the old way ; but the cabbage grows so fast after- 

 wards that it pays pretty well. 



It is not a good plan to cut all the asparagus as 

 soon as they appear. A few sprouts should always 

 be left to grow from each, to strengthen the plants. 



Celery, with most families, is an important crop, 

 and should be sown about this period. A very rich 

 moist spot, that will be shaded from the mid-day 

 April sun, should be chosen ; or a box in a frame 

 by those who have the conveniences. 



Salsafy and Scorzonera like a damp rich soil. 



Bean poles may be planted preparatory to sowing 

 the Lima bean in May. Where bean poles are 

 scarce, two or three hoop-poles, set into the ground 

 one foot from each other, and tied together at the 

 top, make as good a pole, and perhaps better. 



Dwarf beans should have very warm and deep 

 ; soil, — sow them only 2 inches apart. The Valen- 

 tine is yet the best early, take it all in all. 



Peas should be sown eveiy two weeks for a suc- 

 cession—do not make the soil very rich for them. 



Lettuce, for a second crop of salad, should be 



sown about the end of the njonth. The Drumhead 

 cabbage is usually sown for a summer crop ; but the 

 old kinds of Cos lettuce would, no doubt, ba found 

 very valuable in rich soils. 



FRUIT GAHDEN. 



In planting dwarf Pears, it is very important to 

 have then) on a spot that has a moist subsoil, either 

 naturally, or made so by subsoiling or mixing some 

 material with the soil that will give out moisture in 

 dry weather. Trees already planted on a dry grav- 

 elly-subsoil, should have a circle dug out two feet 

 deep, and two or three feet from the tree. This 

 t-hould be filled up with well-enriched soil. If the 

 dwarf Pear does not grow freely, it is a sign that 

 something is wrong. It should at once be severely 

 pruned, so as to aid in producing a vigorous growth. 



Strawberry beds are very frequently made at this 

 season, and though they will not bear fruit the same 

 year, are much more certain to grow, and will pro- 

 duce a much better crop next year than when left 

 till next August. Though it is a verj common re- 

 commendation, we do not value a highly manured 

 soil. It should be well trenched or subsoiled ; this 

 we consider of great value. In rich soils there is 

 too much danger of having more leaves than fruit. 



Grafting can be continued till the buds of the 

 trees are nearly pushed into leaf. Sometimes, 

 from a pressure of other work, some valuable scions 

 have been left on hand to late to work. It. may be 

 interesting to know, that if such scions are put into 

 the ground much the same as if they were cuttings, 

 they will keep good for six weeks or two months, 

 by which time the bark will run freely, when the 

 scions may be treated as buds, and will succeed just 

 as well as buds taken from young summer shoots. 



Buds that were inoculated last fall should not be 

 forgotten, but as soon as vegetation has pushed 

 forth, the buds should be examined, and all other 

 issues from the old stock taken away. It may also 

 be necessary to make a tie in order to get the young 

 shoot of the bud to go in the way from which you 

 would not hereafter have it depart. 



Above all, do not allow the month to pass with- 

 out posting yourself afresh on the various methods 

 recommended for destroying insects, or preventing 

 their attacks. The advantage of a stich in time is 

 never more decided than in the great struggle with 

 fruit destroying insects. A mass of information on 

 these points lies scattered through our past volumes, 

 that will well repay a careful reperusal for the pur- 

 pose alone of refurnishing ones ideas in that line. 



