168 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
under glass, or iu-doors, are to be set out when the 
weather is settled and warm. Poles sk or seven 
feet out of the ground are tall enough. The mid- 
dle or last of the mouth is quite early enough for 
Linias, in most places. 
Beets. — Thin and weed those sown early, and sow 
caj-ly sorts as directed last month. 
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts. — Same as cabbage. 
Cabbage. — Sow seed of the medium and late sorts 
in the open ground. As soon as (lie plants appear, 
they are lialjlc to the attacks of the "flea," an in- 
sect which in some ])lace3 renders it very difflcuR 
to raise them. A sifting of ashes, air slacked lime, 
or soot will be of some use. Plants raised under 
glass are generally ready to be put out. In trans- 
planting, reject such as have malformed roots, or 
appear unhealthy. Set the smaller kinds two feet 
apart each way. Well enriched soil (lime with the 
manure is useful) and frequent hoeing arc essential 
to success. A bit of paper, or a leaf put around the 
stem at setting, will keep off the cut worm and is 
worth trying where the number to be set is not large. 
Capsicums or Rppers may still be sown under 
glass. Do not set out plants until settled warm 
weather, and then give them a favorable exposure. 
Carrots. — Sow Early Ilorn for first crop. Weed 
and thin those sown last month. As soon as the 
rows of 3'ouug carrots can be seen, pass a weeding 
hoe between them. Thin to four or six inches. 
CauUfiowcr. — The general treatment is the same 
as cabbage. They need a very rich soil. Those 
already jdantcd sliould have frequent hoeings. For 
the late crop, seed may be sown in the open grouad. 
Celery. — Sow seeds in the open ground. Thin 
young plants staricd under glass and shade during 
the heat of the day, until they get hardened. 
Cress or Pejjpcr-grass. — Sow for succession. 
Corn. — Tlie jirincipal crop should not be put in 
until " corn planting time," but a small patch of an 
early sort may be planted to take its chances. 
Cucumbers. — Plants started in pots, or on sods, are 
to be set in hills when frosty nights are over. Have 
at hand some kind of box, or cover, to protect them 
during the night, A bo.x covered with any open 
fabric will keep off the bugs. A few hills may be 
planted in the hot-beds or cold frames as soon as 
other things are out, and they will come forward 
rapidly. Sow in open ground when well warmed. 
Ejij Planl.i. — If those in the hotbed get too large 
before it is safe to put them out, pot them or trans- 
plant to another bed. A warm rich place should 
be eho?cu, and planting out only be done when 
there is prospect of continued warm weather. 
Herbs. — Sow all sorts of seasoning stuffs. 
Kohlrabi. — Treat like cabbage.— ifffo. — See April. 
Lettuce. — Transplant from frame or seed bed into 
rich soil, a foot each way. Sow seeds in open border. 
Martijnia. — The pods of this are fine for pickles. 
Sow in hills three feet apart at corn planting time. 
Mdons. — Treat as encumbers. Manure in the 
hills, which should be at least 6 or 8 feet apart. 
iVrt.<^n-(i«»i.— Sow in warm soil, and when the 
plants are up, give them brush to climb upon. 
Okra. — The dwarf does best at the North. Sow 
where it is to stand, in rows two feet apart, and thin 
to two feet in the rows. Do not sow until June, 
unless in a very warm jjlaee. 
Onions. — If the sowing is not already done, at- 
tend to it the first thing. See last month. 
Parsley. — Sow as directed last month. 
Parsnip. — Sow fresh seed earlj' in deep rich soil. 
Peas. — Iloe and draw the earth towards them. 
Supply brush before they fall over. Sow late sorts 
and put in a row of dwarfs when there is space. 
Potatoes. — ^Finish planting. Iloe those that are up. 
Radishes. — Sow seed evei-y two weeks for succes- 
sion. Give a sifting of ashes or soot to the young 
plants, if there are any signs of insects. 
Mhiibarb. — Plants set last fall or this spring need 
all their leaves. Pull from established plants only. 
Do not cut the leaves, but remove them with a 
quick, but not violent pull in a sidewise direction. 
A few trials will make one quite expert at it. 
Salsify. — Sow early and treat like carrots. 
Spinach. — Hoe, thin and weed the early sown, and 
put in seed for succession. 
Squashes. — The bush sorts are treated the same as 
encumbers and melons. In planting the running 
kinds, the whole land should be rich, as these get 
much nourishment by roots thrown out at the 
joints. Plant when the weather is warm, and give 
the young jjlauts every protection against the 
striped bug. A free sifting of air slaked lime will 
help keep off the striped bug. The black squash 
bug th.at comes later must be hand pielced. 
Sweet Potatoes. — The cultivation of these at the 
North is now very general. If plants were raised 
as directed last month, they should have free ven- 
tilation, and for some time before setting out, be 
exposed entirely, to harden them. Plants may be 
bouglit from those who advertise them, and they 
will go safely by express, a long distance. The time 
of planting varies from the middle of Maj' to the 
middle of .Inne. A good soil and plenty of manure, 
are essential, and the plants may be set in rows or 
hills. Planting in rows is generally preferred in 
the garden. Spread a bountiful dressing of manure 
and then by means of the spade, or plowing two 
furrows togetiicr, form a ridge over it about ten 
inches high, a foot wide at bottom and three or 
four inches wide at the top. Upon this ridge the 
[ilants are to be set 16 inches apart. Set them by 
making an opening with a trowel, and inserting the 
]ilant down to the first leaf. Water the holes if the 
soil is not moist. Where there are more rows than 
one, they arc made 3 feet apart from center to center. 
Tomatoes. — Those under glass are to be trans- 
planted as directed last month, or put out — accord- 
ing to the weather. A slight frost will kill the 
jilant. We have given, in a basket item, a kind of 
shelter that may be employed in the garden ; a 
newspaper tied over a stick, so as to form a shelter 
will keep off a moderate frost. A French plan 
of training the tomato is given in the same article. 
Turnips. — Early turnips are among the most dif- 
ficult vegetables to have good. They are generally 
sown too late. Sow as soon as the ground can 
be worked. Dress with ashes or soot as soon as 
upi, and thin and hoe as soon as large enough. 
Winter Cherry. — Treat the same as tomatoes. 
Weeds. — Begin early if you would be master of 
the situation. It is much easier to destroy a young 
weed tlian an old one. There is but one specific to 
destroy weeds, and that is, a judicious mixture of 
hoe and "elbow grease." 
Flo'wcr Garden and Liawn. 
Those who have garden spots in cities or villages 
must have noticed what a sudden increase there is 
in tlie number of gardeners each spring. These 
chaps, " garners " they call themselves, go about 
" making gardens," and usually know about as 
much about it as the spade they carry with them. 
They can do a wonderful amount of mischief in a 
siiort time in a border containing perennials. They 
break up and scratch over the surface, leaving it so 
that it looks neat, charge a round price, and de- 
part, taking along with them any nice plants that 
can be carried off, which are sold at the next place 
where they do a job. There are some decent 
men in this spring gardening business, but we 
have known many worthless vagabonds. On page 
188 we have said something about 
Amiuals. — The limited list there given contains 
only the indispensibles. For other varieties consult 
the catalogues of the seedsman. In sowing, it is 
well to reserve a part of the seed, to guard against 
failure. The sowing of the remainder at a later 
day will prolong the flowering season of those 
things which do not keep long in bloom. 
Edgings are required to give a neat look to the 
garden. Edging tiles, so much in use abroad, are 
but littl« known here. Box is the generally used 
material, but is not hardy far north of New York. 
Old box is to be reset when it gets too ragged, or 
thin below. Break the old plants up so as to 
leave a bit of root to each, and set anew, leaving 
the tops about 3 inches .above the surface. Cuttings 
are sometimes used, but as all are not sure to grow, 
it is not safe to make edging from them. It is 
better to leave the cuttings in a nursery bed for a 
year, and then use the rooted ones. Ivy may be 
trained to make a neat edging.and Thrift, Moss Pink, 
and Stone Crops are used more or less. 
Bedding Plants will, for the most part, go out 
this month. Every one must have Verbenas, Sal- 
vias, and Heliotropes. The number of plants 
now sold by florists as bedders, is large, and we re- 
fer to their catalogues for the list. In sowing seeds 
do not forget to provide for the future In the way of 
Pere7i7iials a7id Bicnniah.—'Xhcsc are best sowniu 
a reserve bed, where they will be out of sight, but 
not out of mind. Delphiniums, Pentstemons, 
Aquilegias, Phloxes, Foxgloves, Hollylioeks, and 
others, are easily raised in abundance, and there is 
always the chance of getting some new variety 
among the seedlings. Among the 
Bulbs for spring planting, Japan Lilies, and Glad- 
ioluses, are the most used, and with them alone a 
great show may be made. Then there are the bril- 
liant Tigridia, or Mexican Tiger Flower, the Am- 
ayllis or Jacobean Lily, Oxalisc?, and other desir- 
able bulbs sold at this season. Not forgetting the 
Tuberose, the most fragrant of all garden favorites. 
Bulbs that have been well kept, should be set in 
rich soil. Plant offsets by themselves to make 
flowering bulbs for another year. One is surer of 
flowers if he buys bulbs forwarded in pots. 
Label everything, but especially those bulbs and 
roots that are to be taken up in autumn. A smooth 
pine stick smeared with white lead and written 
with a lead pencil will last for a single season. Do 
not neglect to seize upon every favorable place to set 
Climbers. — If too late to put out perennial ones, 
sow annuals, such as the flner Ipomeas, Cypress 
Vine, Sweet Pea, Canary Bird Flower. It is 
rather late to start Coboea, Lophospermnms, and 
M.anrandias from the seed, but small plants may 
be had of the florists. 
Dahlias are to be started if it has not been al- 
ready done. Put in a hot bed or frame, and cover 
the roots with earth. If there is no glass, put in a 
warm spot out of doors and cover over at night to 
keep them warm. AVlien the buds start, divide 
the roots so as to have a root to each bud. 
Spring Bulbs, as they pass out of flower, should 
not be disturbed so long as their leaves continue 
green and vigorous. When they fade, lift them. 
Hoses. — The slugs must be syringed with whale 
oil soap, and the bugs picked by h.aud. Turn the 
tender sorts from their pots into the borders. 
Laums will need to be mowed as soon as the grass 
is long enough to be cut by machine or scythe, and 
Euergreen trees may be planted upon the lawn and 
in the groimds, as directed under Orchard and 
Nursery. 
Green and Hot-ITou§c$. 
The amateur should be in no haste to bring his 
plants out of doors. The time for doing this must 
be governed by the character of the season, and it 
is better to be much too late than a little too early. 
If the plants are properly innred by abundant ven- 
tilation, they will be prepared for the change, and 
will not mind it. The hardiest things, such as 
roses and the bedding plants, should come out first. 
There are many things that may be turned out of 
their pots, others do better to have the pots plung- 
ed in the border up to their rims. When a pot is 
plunged, put some coal ashes at the bottom of the 
hole, to prevent worms from finding their way into 
the pot. The house, in summer time, too often 
presents a desolate and neglected appearance. 
With a slight shade and abundant ventilation there 
arc many things that do better if left in the house. 
Among the things to turn iuto the border, are 
Fuchsias. These are very fine when grown to a 
tall stem for the purpose of ornamenting the bor- 
der. They will, of course, require stakes. Likewise 
Abutilons, striatum and venosum, make fine plants 
