102 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
verna, of which Robinson, in his work on “ Alpine 
Plants,” says : “ Tufts of it taken up and forced in 
mid-winter, form beautiful objects in pots or bas¬ 
kets in the conservatory.” Of course, whatever 
may be done in the “conservatory,” may be ac¬ 
complished by the careful window gardener. Those 
who cultivate window plants, may derive much 
pleasure from forcing the common plants of the 
garden. If these, such as Dicentra spectabilis, 
(“ Bleeding Heart ”), Astilbe Japonica , often called 
Spiraea, and even such low-growing shrubs as 
Deutzia gracilis, Spireea Thunbergii, in fact, any of 
the early flowering herbaceous plants or shrubs, are 
potted in autumn and brought to the window' in 
February, they will flower abundantly, and when 
done may be set out in the border to recuperate. 
A Pruner for Blackberry Bushes. 
The annual cutting away of the old canes of 
blackberry, raspberry, and other prickly plants, is 
■BLACKBERRY PRUNER. 
not a desirable job, and with the ordinary pruning 
knives and shears, one is quite sure to come out of 
the battle well scarred. Several pruning knives for 
this work have been contrived, and we have illus¬ 
trated a number of them, We now give engrav¬ 
ings of one designed by Mr. J. A. Umfreville, of 
Rhode Island, who sends sketch¬ 
es of his contrivance, as a partial 
return for the many useful hints 
be has received from the American 
Agriculturist. Figure 1 shows the 
pruner complete ; the rod is of 
i-inch iron, and 30 inches long, 
with the blade at one end, and a 
handle at the other. The cutting 
portion, or knife, shown in figure 
-IjfclN—-r 
Fig. 2. —BLABE. 
2 , is made from an old saw-blade ; it is 21 in. long, 
and 11 in. wide ; the cutting portion is a triangular 
notch i in. across at the lower or open part, and the 
edges made very 
sharp. The cutter is t e3= ~* =SB=aiB - 
attached to the rod Fig. 3. 
by making in that a : —5 -o- 5 -] 
dove-tail notch, as 
shown in fig. 3. The 
Fig. 4. 
cutter being placed in the notch, with the brass 
strip, fig. 4, over it, all are riveted firmly together 
by means of rivets put through holes made for the 
purpose. This is evidently a useful implement for 
pruning blackberries and similar shrubs ; it is of 
course used with a sudden pull towards the opera¬ 
tor, and needs to be, as an implement made after 
this pattern would be, very strong in all its parts. 
What Strawberries Shall I Plant? 
The strawberry is the fruit of the people. If one 
has room to raise no other fruit, he tries to find a 
place for the strawberry bed, knowing that freshly 
picked strawberries, ripened upon the vines, are 
about the greatest luxury that poor mortals can 
enjoy. When asked as to varieties 10 or 15 years 
ago, we could only answer, “ plant the ‘ Wilson,’ ” 
for that was then the only one that one could set 
out with the hope of getting strawberries. The 
“ Wilson ” was a safe variety to plant, as one who 
had vines was very sure to pick berries—to be sure 
they required much sugar to make them eatable, 
but they were strawberries—and other varieties of 
the day gave but meagre returns. But matters 
have changed of late years, and we have several va¬ 
rieties, quite as sure to produce fruit as the Wil¬ 
son, and fruit of much better quality. No fruit is 
more affected by the character of the soil than the 
strawberry. The stiff'clay soil on the place of the 
late Mr. Knox, a few years ago known as the 
“Strawberry King,” gave him results with the 
“Jucunda,” and other foreign kinds, that no one else 
could equal. The truth is, that certain varieties 
are best for light soils, and others most suited for 
heavy soils. If asked to name the best one variety, 
without regard to soil, the variety from which one 
would get fair returns wherever planted, we should 
say “ Charles Downing.” This is a far better fruit 
than the “Wilson,” and apparently equally relia¬ 
ble. After an experience of several years, we are 
safe in saying, if we could have but one variety 
for family use, it would be “ Charles Downing.” 
For earlier varieties, “Downer’s Prolific” for 
light, and “ Nicanor ” for heavy soils are to be com¬ 
mended. Among later varieties there are, for light 
soils, “Seth Boyden,” “Green Prolific,” and 
“Kentucky.” For heavy soils, “Triomphe de 
Gand,” and “Jucunda.” Of course there are 
other claimants for popularity, such as “ Col. Che¬ 
ney,” “ Monarch of the West,” “ Great American,” 
and others, which are worthy of trial, but we have 
given above those which have been tested for sev¬ 
eral years in a great variety of localities." We ad¬ 
vise those about to plant strawberries, as we do 
those intending to plant vegetables : put in your 
main crop of well tested varieties, and then try of 
the newer kinds all you can afford to test. To nov¬ 
ices in strawberry culture, we would say, a plant 
can not bear fruit until it has made one season’s 
growth. If set this spring, and well cultivated, a 
good crop may be had next spring. If the plants 
are set in the fall, they give but a partial crop the 
next spring, and a full one the year following. If 
runners are struck in pots in June and July, and 
set out in August, as we have shown in former vol¬ 
umes, then a full crop may be gathered the spring 
following. For ordinary garden culture, the plants 
may be set a foot apart in rows 18 inches apart, in 
highly manured soil—the earlier, the better. 
-—» l»i c-- 
Protecting Plants in Spring. 
As soon as the earth ceases to receive heat from 
the sun, cooling begins. The earth, when the sup¬ 
ply of heat is withdrawn, begins to give off heat by 
radiation—the heat passing off into space, and when 
the surface becomes sufficiently cooled, the mois¬ 
ture iu the air condenses, and we have dew or frost, 
as it may be. If we cover the surface with a mat, 
or board shutter, this cooling is checked, and if the 
mat or shutter is raised up on supports several feet 
above the earth, no dew or frost is deposited. The 
earth gives off heat as before, but instead of its 
passing off into space, it is received by the mat or 
shutter, and a good part of it is reflected to the 
earth again, and neither dew nor frost appear upon 
the space beneath. It is not necessary that the 
protecting screen be a mat or a shutter, as one of 
cotton cloth, or even of newspaper, will serve nearly 
as well. What is true of the effect of cooling upon 
the earth itself is equally true of the plants that are 
growing in it—indeed, these are more readily affect¬ 
ed. When the upper layer of earth cools, the layer 
below imparts its heat to the upper one, and the 
cooling goes on slowly. The plants have not this 
reserve to draw upon, and cool much more rapidly. 
Even our hardiest plants can not make any growth 
when the temperature is too much reduced, and 
though the days may be warm, the loss of heat at 
night is so great that they remain stationary, while 
more tender plants, if not killed outright, are so 
chilled and checked in their growth that they never 
fairly recover. It is by avoiding these alternations 
of heat and cold that so much is gained by the use 
of cold-frames for lettuce and a few other plants, 
as described by Mr. Peter Henderson, on p. G3, last 
month. The earth within the frame, and also the 
plants, receive the sun’s rays during the warmer 
part of the day, but in the afternoon, as soon as the 
heat of the sun begins to decline, the sashes are 
closed tight, and mats, or shutters, to prevent loss 
of heat, are placed over the glass. Our people seem 
very slow to avail themselves of the great advan¬ 
tages offered by cold frames, and wait for their 
lettuce, radishes, and early spring vegetables until 
they can be had in the open ground without aid ; 
and they do not put out their tomato, and other 
plants, until settled warm weather. These remarks 
are not intended for market gardeners, who know 
that if they are to have early crops of any kind, 
they must “ forward ” them by every means within 
their knowledge, but for those who have private 
HAND LIGHT. 
gardens, and who, rarely, by complying with the 
conditions we have stated, have their spring vege¬ 
tables, until long after they are offered for sale. 
The uses of the cold-frame were mentioned last 
month (besides Mr. Henderson’s article) in the 
monthly Notes about work. Aside from the cold- 
frame, small frames, or what the English call a 
“hand-light,” and the French, a “ cloche ,” or bell- 
glass, may be made useful in every private garden. 
Even a frame a foot square and 8 inches high, with 
a piece of bleached muslin (cotton cloth) tacked 
over one end, will be found most useful. This, if 
turned over a cluster or 
“ hill ” of plants early in the 
afternoon, and removed late 
in the morning, when the 
sun is well up, will often do 
wonders in the way of help¬ 
ing plants. Even later in the 
season, while the days are 
sufficiently warm, the nights 
are cool, and such a cover¬ 
ing is of great use. Try a 
frame of this kind over 
a hill of cucumbers, or 
early squashes, and you will never be without a 
stock of them. The next step in advance, is to use 
the frame, but replace the muslin by a pane of 
glass,—in short, a very small cold-frame. We were 
led to these remarks by a note from “ S. M.,” Her¬ 
kimer Co., N. Y., who sends us a sketch of a “ plant 
protector ” which he uses, and which is given in the 
engraving. Our correspondent writes as follows : 
“ Its merit consists in its cheapness; a few nails, 
a couple feet of l-incli board, and a single pane of 
glass, being all that is required. The glass slides in 
grooves cut in the sides, and is held in position by 
the button. By turning the button, the glass may 
be moved downwards in the grooves, and held at 
any hight by turning the button upward, so that it 
will press the under surface of the glass, and thus 
give the amount of ventilation desired. When 
it is desired to shade the plant, the high board 
back may be turned toward the sun.” 
“S. M.” gives no dimensions; we have repro¬ 
duced his drawing just as he sent it. The frame 
seems too tall in proportion to its width, and any 
slant greater than 45°, causes a loss of light. What 
we would impress upon our gardening friends is, 
the great utility of these small frames, which each 
one may build according to his notion, as we are 
sure that when once tried they will not be aban¬ 
doned. They will be found useful in every garden, 
early in the season for early lettuce, cauliflowers, 
etc., and even still more valuable in protecting 
tomatoes, egg-plants, and other things that- get 
“set-back” during our hot days and cool nights. 
What may be Sowed with Clover Seed. 
Some two months ago, in making up a circular to 
accompany the American Agriculturist Microscope, 
we indicated that one of its uses, and an import¬ 
ant one to farmers, was, that it would enable them 
to carefully examine the finer seeds before sow¬ 
ing, and to distinguish the seeds of weeds from 
those of the crop. In the natural distribution of 
seeds, it would appear that the scattering of the 
seeds of weeds was most carefully provided for. 
But however abundantly these are disseminated by 
natural agencies, the careless farmer sows them 
broad-cast by the handful, and does what Nature 
can not do—he puts them in well prepared soil, 
where they will be sure to grow. To take an illustra¬ 
tion in season. In this very month of March, hun¬ 
dreds of farmers will be sowing their clover “on 
the last snow,” as many try to do. Next summer, 
or later, we shall have from some of these same 
farmers, letters and specimens. The letters will be 
to this purport: “A new weed has appeared in their 
fields, or meadows, threatens to kill out everything 
else ; what is it, and how shall we get rid of it. It 
never was known here before this year—where did 
it come from ? ” Of course we shall try to answer 
each inquiry as well as we can. The where did it 
come from? we can answer now—“you carefully 
sowed it, that cool March day, with your clover 
