134 
July, 1890. 
/ O R CHRR D / RM p \ GARDEN \ 
Vejflahle Moles for July. 
Even at the North the first of July marks 
the line between the gathering of the early 
crops of vegetables and preparation for set- 
ting the late crops. Just now in most 
places the winter cabbage crop is the most 
important matter at hand. In this latitude 
and southward it is vet early enough to 
sow the seed for this crop In fact, one of 
the main reasons for failure in growing 
good winter cabbage in the South is that 
our growers have followed practices which 
are all right northward but unsuited to our 
climate. Here the best weather for cab- 
bage growth is late in autumn and. in win- 
ters like the last one, all winter. In study- 
ing the conditions of climate here at our 
Experiment Station, we will this season sow 
cabbage seed at intervals up to the last 
week in August, and hope to be able in a 
few seasons to demonstrate that we can 
grow our winter supply of cabbage, which 
is now mainly brought from north and 
west of us. North of central Virginia the 
main crop of winter cabbage should be set 
early in July. If you have not prepared 
good strong plants. buy them at once from a 
grower, and insist on having large plants 
that have been grown slowly in soil of mod- 
erate fertility and not crowded and drawn 
up. It is important at this planting to have 
tough stout plants. Little slim plants that 
have been grown rapidly in crowded beds 
are almost worthless for setting out under 
the hot suns of July. In growing winter 
cabbage on a large scale we have always 
bad the best success by planting on strong 
clay soil of a moist character. We prefer a 
piece of land in sod from which a hay 
crop has just been cut. We prefer to turn 
the sod with a heavy double Michigan, or 
other plow arranged in a similar manner, 
using a three-horse team to thoroughly bury 
and cover the sod. Spread a heavy coat of 
manure after plowing and then harrow it 
well with a disc or cutaway harrow. Mark 
out the rows with a light one-horse cabbage 
plow with the moldboard off, three feet 
apart, and set the plants 2% feet in the row. 
Begin to run a cultivator through the rows 
as soon as the plants are established. There 
is an old superstition in some parts of the 
country that cabbages should not be culti- 
vated in “dog days.” Don’t pay any atten- 
tion to the dog days in this way, but keep 
the cultivator going. No deep culture is 
needed if you have a sod under them. The 
crop will be vastly aided if a coat of lime of 
4b bushels per acre can be added as well as 
the manure. When the worms come, some 
good fresh pyrethruin powder may prove 
useful, but the best way I ever tried to cir- 
cumvent the worms is the plan proposed 
years ago, by my old friend Peter Hender- 
son, to make them grc w too fast for the 
worms. Therefore, at the last working of 
the crop, I give a top dressing of a highly 
ammoniated superphosphate around the 
plants at the rate of 300 pounds per acre. I 
have never failed to get ahead of the de- 
vourers in this way. Premium Late Flat 
Dutch cabbage from the best Ameiican- 
grown seed is as good a variety as any. For 
home use Drumhead Savoy is excellent. 
If you have grown good plants of Curled 
Scotch kale, set them out in the same way 
as cabbages, and have kale that is kale in 
Winter. Set Brussels Sprouts also. In this 
latitude all of them, as well as Collards, 
should be set in August. 
It is not too late even as far north as 
New Jersey to set the Southern Queen or 
Hayman sweet potato, but no time should 
be lost. 
The crop of cucumbers for pickles should 
now be planted. Use well-roited manure 
in the hills and make them 4% to 5 feet 
each way. Let the surface of the “hill” be 
a little lower than the general surface of 
the land. Every ones knows, of course, that 
the crop should be cut with a short stem 
and not pulled from the vines. 
Corn for table use may still be planted. 
Stowell’s Evergreen and Egyptian are best. 
From Virginia southward the planting may 
be continued to the last of the month. 
Growing Celery in Beds. 
By the middle of the month our northern 
readers should get in their celery crop. I 
hope some may test, in a small way, the bed 
method of culture, which 1 have described 
in previous letters. In this method we set 
the plants in beds on the surface, the rows 
running crosswise the bed one foot apart, 
with the plants set six inches from each 
other, eleven in a row. The earthing is 
done by having two light boards with the 
ends drawn out into handles eighteen inches 
longer than the rows on each side. These 
are set on edge between the rows of plants, 
and kept nearly so by sticks stuck in the 
soil. A wontman stands on either side and 
shovels the loose earth in between the boards. 
Then, grasping the handles, the upper edges 
of the boards are brought together with a 
few short raps, each man releases his left 
hand and grasps his board with both, and 
sets it for the next row, leaving the soil 
standing in a oharp ridge between the la.-t 
two. Another man follow s and grasps each 
plant with one hand, pulling the soil down 
around it with the other. After the whole 
bed has been gone over with this first hand- 
ling the men with the hilling boards go over 
again and set up a second series of ridges, 
which are not pulled dow n at once, but left 
until the celery gets again well abo\ e them. 
This process is carried on until there is dan- 
ger of hard freezing weather, when the 
whole bed is covered w ith soil and a thick 
layer is carried up on the sides of the bed. 
The whole is then covered with forest leaves 
thickly, and cornstalks, bean pules or boards 
laid over to prevent their blowing off. In 
this way the celery can be dug at any time. 
A space of eight feet is left between the 
beds for soil and this space is kept constant- 
ly plowed to supply loose earth. In this 
latitude the setting of celery should be done 
from middle to last of August, and heavy 
covering of the beds will not be needed. 
The chief trouble here last winter was that 
celery would not stop growing all winter. 
But whatever method is used always plant 
on the surface and dvm't make the old fash- 
ioned trenches. 
Putting out Plants in Summer. 
In setting out plants of any kind in hot 
weather it is always best if possible to begin 
just before rain is expected than to plant 
at once after a rain. The handling of wet 
soil will make it bake hard and check the 
growth of the plants. Sweet potatoes do bet- 
ter set in moderately dry soil, taking the 
plants from a bucket of water and setting 
them dripping in the soil to puddle them- 
selves. Puddling the roots in hot weather 
previous to planting is not good if the 
ground is dry, for the water is absorbed 
from the puddling clay and a hard dry crust 
left around the roots. In this latitude sweet 
potato plants can be set until the end of 
July. Now is the time here to set out late 
tomato plants to take the place of the fail- 
ing ones. The ripenings of the early toma- 
toes, which began here the last of May, will 
by this time extend to our northern friends 
who have taken pains to forward them 
plants. If you are seeking to improve your 
tomatoes, pay more attention to the general 
character of the plant than to the particular 
fruit you select. Take seed from a vigorous 
and productive plant which produces as a 
crop fruit more nearly like what you want, 
and don't expect to make any impro\ ement 
by saving seed from a solitary good speci- 
men on a plant otherwise bad. Dwarf 
Champion is still the earliest with us and 
we have 40 varieties. One other variety 
ripened a single fruit May 25th. but the 
Champion as I write (June 6th,) shows the 
most ripe fruit. This tomato test is deve- 
loping much for future interest. — W. F. 
Massey. 
CUNULCTEP BY PRO*. F. L.AMSON SCRIBNKR, 
Botanist, Experiment Station, Knoxville, Tenn. 
Apple Rust and Cedar Apple*. 
The group of fungi which contains the 
well known Wheat Rust, includes a number 
of species which attack our pomaceius 
fruits, the most common beii g the Apple 
Rust ( Rcestelia pirata). A portion of the life 
of (his fungus is spent upon the Red Cedar, 
and wherever the Red Cedar grows there 
we may expect to find the Apple Rust. 
Most orchardist probably have noticed this 
fungus, or rather the effects caused by it, 
up n their fruit trees, but doubtless they 
have attributed what they have seen to in- 
sects. Insects are often blamed for injuries 
which are really caused by parasitic fungi. 
