Sh^ barter's ^onthlg. 



FRUIT GARDEN, 



There is considerable art in raising fruits; h^t 

 there is as raueli or more in gathering and ripening 

 them. Pears and apples are ready as soon as the 

 seeds begin to turn black, or as soon as they will 

 part easily from the tree by gently raising the stalk, 

 or as soon as the leaves show indications of falling 

 from the trees ; indeed, whether they are duly ripe 

 or not, no length of time will avail them aught 

 after the leaves fail. No rules can be given for the 

 exact place to put them away in, but the principle 

 must be applied to each individual case. In the 

 ' first place, the fruit-shelves must be secure from 

 fiost. In the next place, it must be just moist 

 enough to prevent withering, but not too much so, 

 or the flavor will be inferior. Nor must it be too 

 hot, or your fine Beurres may become Fondantes^ 

 or resemble cooked Pommes des terres^ alias boiled 

 potatoes. If it is too cold— barely above the freez- 

 ing point — the fruit becomes insipid and tasteless. 

 The happy idea is to strike central to all these 

 extremes. Of course, they must be hand-picked 

 from the tree, as the slightest bruise causes decay. 

 ' The stock must be occasionally overhauled anyhow 

 \ to take out such as will be found, from various 

 \ accidents, in a decaying state. Apples, for commer- 

 I cial purposes, are usually barrelled-up, with chaff 

 ! or other light substance between each layer; and 

 I some pears, such as Lawrence, will bear the same 

 \ \ treatment ; but such preserved fruit are never equal 

 i in quality to those preserved in a more open way 

 j on shelves. 



1 \ VEGETABLE GARDEN. 



! i Lettuces sown last month will now be large 

 j I enough to set out for permanent growth. A com- 

 \ * mon hotbed frame, set on a bed of leaves or spent 

 j stable-manure, will enable one to enjoy delicious 

 j salad all through the latter part of winter, where 

 sufficient protection against severe frosts can be se- 

 cured. In this division of our Hints, it is more of 

 an object to preserve them through the winter for 

 the purpose of setting out in the open air in spring. 

 In the warmer States this can be readily effected 

 by their being set out in the open air in a (sheltered 

 place. Here in Pennsylvania they often do very 

 well by having the ground thrown into ridges about 

 six inches deep, running east and west, and the 

 'plants set out on the northern .'ides. They have a 

 little straw thrown over them in severe weather, 

 and get through the winter admirably, heading 

 r early in spring. The Early York Cabbage is ex- 

 ^ tensively grown the same way. Where the climate 

 ^ is too severe to allow of this, they must be put 



291 



under cover of shatters, as bel'ore described in our i 

 Hif?ts, 



Cabbages can be preserved in such a cellar, though 

 most prefer them in the open air. One way is to 

 pack them cl^osely together with their roots upper- 

 most, and tlien cover them with soil, on which 

 straw or litter is thrown to keep them from freez- 

 ing. By being packed this way, the water cannot 

 get into the hearts, which is one of the chief causes 

 of their rotting. Where plenty of boards can be 

 had, they may be packed with their heads upper- 

 most, and the rain Kept off by the material. 



Brocoli and Endive may be taken up with balls 

 of earth, and set in cool cellars closely together^ and 

 they will grow sufficiently — the former to produce 

 good head, and the latter to blanch beautifully all 

 through the winter. 



Asparagus beds should be cleaned, by having the 

 old stems cut off and the soils from the alley ways 

 dug out and thrown over the beds. It keeps the 

 frost from the roots, and thus permits them to grow 

 and lay up matter all winter for next spring's 

 growth. Very early in spring the soil should be 

 raked back into the alleys, so as to leave the roots 

 but a few inches under the soil, as the nearer they 

 are then to the sun's rays the earlier will the 

 crop be. 



Celery must have continued attention to blanch- 

 ing as it grows, care being exercised to prevent the 

 soil from entering the heart. Where very fine re- 

 sults are desired, the plants should be protected 

 from early severe frosts, so as to enable the plants 

 to grow without injury as long as possible. 



Roots of most kinds, such as Carrots, Beets, etc., 

 should be taken up before the frost is severe. They 

 all keep best packed in sand in the open air, but it 

 is too inconvenient to get at them in winter ; hence 

 cellars are employed to preserve them in. Cellars 

 for this purpose should be cool, say with a temper- 

 ature of about 45°, and not at all dry. It is not 

 meant that it should be damp, as the roots will be- 

 come rotten, but it must be moist enough to pre- 

 vent shrivelling. 



However, if any protection can be given so as to 

 enable one to get at the pit in frosty weather, most 

 things keep better so than in any way. Celery 

 keeps very well packed in earth so that the frost 

 does not get at it ; but it must be laid with the tops 

 sloping, so that the water may be kept out of the 

 heart. 



