March, 1891. 
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ORCHARD fepf'oARDE N 
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old vine, for the purpose of throwing all 
the strength of growth in the grafts. But 
if a vineyard was pruned short for the pur- 
pose of getting both canes and fruit of 
course we would have to save some bearing 
wood for fruit, but there being but little 
the layered grafts would make a fair 
growth but not equal to where all are cut 
off. After the layers are well rooted, 
which will be after the second year, one 
can dig out the old vines and have a new 
and better vineyard. — J. Stayman. 
Grafting Wild Grape Vines and Large 
Native Plum Trees. 
Some years ago I recommended the above 
to those who were clearing land; told them 
how to do the work as it was done here by 
myself with the appearance of success; but 
now I find that it was not sound logic, and 
that I went too fast. It will do on vines 
that are not too thick and on trees not too 
old; will work all right if properly man- 
aged. 
It the vines are cut off at the ground, 
and about four canes allowed to grow, that 
will start from the stump, they will make 
an enormous growth. The following spring 
these canes should be laid in the ground 
for about four feet from the stump out, six 
inches deep, the end brought upright, and 
be grafted three inches from the surface. 
On such canes the grafting of the grape is 
about as sure as any other kind of grafting. 
If they all grow two of them can be taken 
up and set elsewhere. 
The plum trees that are over two inches 
in diameter should be headed hack, and the 
strongest sprouts may then he budded in 
August, or grafted the following spring. 
In this -way I manage to get a new fruit 
much sooner than to wait on a small tree. 
—Samuel Miller, Mo. 
Hints for March. 
Preparatory Work - Early Peas—Cahhage and 
Lettuce Plante— Sawing Celery Seed— Early Beets 
for Market amt Table— How to get Early Radishes— 
Spring-sown Spinach— Raising Tomato Plants— 
Treatment of Cauliflower Plants— Changes in Cli- 
mate— Spring-sown Turnips— Bedding Sweet Pota- 
toes for Plants— Planting Irish Potatoes— Starting 
Egg Plants and Peppers. 
With the advent of March, gardeners, 
even at the North, get restless and begin to 
bestir themselves. In latitudes where frost 
is still hard, of course little can be done ex- 
cept preparatory work outside and prepara- 
tion under glass for forwarding such things 
as cannot be put out until the ground is 
warm and frosts are over. If, however, 
during the winter, plans for the season's 
work have been carefully thought out, the 
wide awake gardener will be ready to take 
the first opportunity for carrying them into 
effect. The readers of the Orchard and 
Garden are scattered over such a wide 
range of latitude that we must keep in 
mind constantly the needs of all, and while 
writing for growers at the North we have 
to remember that here and southward there 
are many who read these notes. As I write 
here early in February, we here in the 
Italy-like climate of eastern North Carolina 
who are busy getting our crops of early 
peas and Irish potatoes in the ground, with 
violets and hyacinths blooming in our yards 
find it hard to realize that even a month 
hence our readers at the North will still 
have snow storms and frozen ground to 
contend with. 
* * 
* 
The first garden crop in the open ground 
is the pea crop. These should be gotten in 
as early as the ground can be worked. In 
many places in the North where the ground 
is of a sandy character this can be done in 
March, though by far the larger part of the 
country north of Mason and Dixon's line 
even these must be deferred until April. It 
is never advisable to put in any crop until 
the soil can be worked in a mellow condi- 
tion. In this latitude a second sowing of 
peas should be made early in March to suc- 
ceed those sown in January and February. 
Peas sown here after the middle of March 
will rarely succeed well. 
* * 
# 
For first early we have found Tate’s Non- 
pariel, Early Victor, and Eclipse the earliest. 
But for family use we prefer to start with 
the Alpha and Me Lean’s Premium Gem and 
follow with Yorkshire Hero, Blue Imperial 
and Champion of England. The first three 
sorts named are the earliest market peas we 
know, and are largely used by the truck 
farmers about Norfolk and in eastern North 
Carolina. 
* * 
* 
Seed of Winningstadt, Fottler's Bruns- 
wick and Henderson's Succession cabbage 
sown now in cold frames will come in nice- 
ly as a succession crop to the Early Wake- 
field and Early Summer sown last month. 
The best kinds of lettuce to start now for 
transplanting to the open ground for head- 
ing, are The Deacon, Henderson’s New York 
and Salamander. These sorts have given 
us more satisfaction for spring planting 
than any others. 
* * 
* 
About the last of the month get a bed 
ready for sowing celery seed. The soil 
should be light and well enriched and if on 
the shady side of a high fence all the better. 
Make the surface smooth and fine and mark 
out lines, not furrows, six or eight inches 
apart. Scatter the seeds rather thickly on 
these lines, and then beat smooth with the 
back of a spade, which will give cover 
enough. Then have a,t hand some old gun- 
ny bags or some old matting and lay it all 
over the bed. This will prevent the surface 
drying and give the neccessary darkness to 
favor germination. As soon as the seeds 
sprout, prop the cover up off them and grad- 
ually take it away altogether and give them 
full light. In the latitude of North Caro- 
lina, the second week in April will be time 
enough for this, for if started too early the 
plants in this climate may run to seed. 
* * 
* 
The early turnip rooted beets are among 
the things which the gardener wants to get 
in early. They will stand light frosts if not 
caught just as they are coming through, 
and when the ground can he gotten in order 
in the latitude of Philadelphia it would be 
well to risk a few this month, but then the 
main sowing should be in April. In North 
Carolina and southward they can be sown 
any time after the middle of February. The 
Egyptian is still desirable as a market sort 
for the earliest, on account of its small top 
and quick growth, but its inferior quality 
should shut it out of the family garden. 
We sow Bassano and Eclipse. Some object 
to the light color of the Bassano and its large 
top is unhandy for a bunching sort for mar- 
ket, but for table use it has not yet had an 
equal among the earliest, in my opinion. 
Dewing’s or Bastian’s Blood Turnip beet 
are best for a succession crop. 
* -* 
* 
Sow Wood’s Early Frame radish and 
protect with a covering of straw in severe 
weather, follow with a sowing of Chartier 
radish. These are the best of radishes for 
spring. The Chartier will grow to a very 
large size before getting at all pithy. The 
land for radishes must be made very rich, 
as to be good they must be grown very 
quickly. 
* * 
* 
A sowing of Prickly Seeded spinach may 
be made this month, but I have never had 
much satisfaction from spring sown spin- 
ach, as it runs to seed so rapidly. It can 
however he economically made to occupy in 
the early season land which will be used for 
more tender crops later on. I have fre- 
quently made my first sowing of snap 
beans between the rows of spinach and by 
the time they were started enough to need 
all the space the spinach could be chopped 
out. By a little care and forethought these 
early crops like spinach and lettuce need 
not occupy space to the exclusion of other 
spring crops. 
* * 
* 
Tomatoes should be spotted out in cold 
frames early in March and a month later in 
New Jersey. After going into the frames 
they should be kept close for a while except 
in bright sunshine, but when once estab- 
lished no opportunity should be lost to give 
them exposure to the air so as to get them 
hardened to the outer air by the time it will 
do to transplant to the open ground. 
* * 
* 
Cauliflower plants grown in frames during 
the winter should he hardened off so that by 
the middle of the month in New Jersey the 
sashes can be stripped off and used on other 
frames. In North Carolina and southward 
these should now be beginning to head and 
the crop should be off by the middle of 
April. Much later than this the heading of 
cauliflowers is very uncertain in this cli- 
mate. 
