90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
be -without a grape vine or two. A fence, 
shed, or side of the bam may be used to train 
the vine upon. Now is the time to get the 
vine ; a vine with roots one or two years old 
is better than an older one ; make a large hole 
for the roots and spread them evenly. When 
the buds start and the shoots have grown an 
inch or two rub off all but the strongest one. 
It is safe to say that the Concord will suit 
the greatest number of localities, and if there 
is room for others select those varieties that 
have been found to succeed in the locality. 
U.itclBen and JIai-ket Uarden. 
Those who failed to make good use of the fair 
weather of last autumn to plow and manure 
all vacant garden ground will find all the 
more to do now. 
The garden tools 
should also be in 
readiness. A sim¬ 
ple and easily made 
hand-marker, for 
use in seed beds, is 
shown in figure 3. 
It is made by tack- 
• • Fie:. 3. — HAND-MARKER, 
mg upon a six- K 
inch board narrow cleats, 2 to 4 inches apart, 
with a handle inserted at a suitable angle. 
With this the little drills can be quickly 
made. A larger marker on much the same 
plan can be made for general garden use. 
Many err in sowing their garden seeds too 
early. There is nothing gained in sowing 
until the soil is sufficiently dry and warm for 
the seed to start into growth at once. The 
tender sorts, such as beans, com, cucumbers, 
okra,, pumpkin, squash, and melons, should 
mot be sown in the open ground until the 
chilly nights are over. A seed drill is a great 
saving of time, and relief to the 
back, and will, pay even in a mod¬ 
erate-sized garden. A simple 
home-made seed-sower is shown 
in figure 4. A hole is punched 
in the bottom of an ordinary tin 
fruit-can of a size to allow the 
seed to drop properly, and a 
handle split and fitted to the edge 
by large tacks.... Odds and 
Ends: Order seeds at once, if not 
already done.... Secure pea- 
brush and bean-poles before the 
leaves start. . . . Get the manure 
Fig- 4 j n good shape by turning over the 
heaps.... Be prepared to meet the “ potato- 
bug ” on its first appearance. Catch the white 
butterfly, the parent of the cabbage worm... 
Secure needed hired help before work presses. 
Flower Garden and Lawn. 
The planning for the planting of orna¬ 
mental trees should have been done before 
the time for setting them. Evergreens may 
be left until later, and will need more care ; 
their roots should never be allowed to be¬ 
come dry. The lawn will need a dressing of 
some kind ; ashes, guano, or some other fer¬ 
tilizer may be applied; use manure only when 
it is fine and thoroughly rotted, with no weed 
seeds alive in it. For new lawns upon a heavy 
soil, sow Kentucky Blue Grass; on light 
sandy soil, Red-top,with white Clover, is best; 
all the way from three to six bushels to the 
acre are advised. Sow half the seed in one 
direction and cross-sow with the other half. 
This work should be done as soon as the land 
has been put in the proper condition. Where 
sodding is to be done, first thoroughly enrich 
the soil, make the surface even, and to press 
the sods down firmly use a board and heavy 
pounder. If the walks and drives need re¬ 
pairs, attend to them when the ground has 
settled. Beds of bulbs may be uncovered as 
soon as the frosty nights are over. If beds of 
flowers are to be planted the designs should 
be made, and their location in the grounds, 
and other details decided upon beforehand. 
Greenhouse and. Window Plants. 
The increasing heat of the sun is favorable 
to flowering, but also to the rapid propaga¬ 
tion of insect pests. Fumigate with tobacco, 
when practicable, and if this cannot be done, 
syringe with tobacco water at frequent in¬ 
tervals. For the Red Spider, thorough drench¬ 
ing the foliage with water is the most ef¬ 
fectual. Abundant fresh air will be needed ; 
and for this the windows and sashes may be 
left open much of the day time; this will 
help to harden off the plants that are soon 
to go out-of-doors. Fuchsias and other plants 
that have been resting may now be started 
into growth. Bedding plants should be 
propagated rapidly. Sow seeds of annual flow¬ 
ering plants for transplanting to the borders. 
A New Hulless Oat—“Pringle’s Excelsior.” 
The common Hulless or Skinless Oat 
(though kept in books as a distinct species, 
Avena nuda), is by many botanists thought to 
be merely a form of the cultivated Oat (A. 
sativa). It is periodically brought forward, 
every few years, by speculators and sharpers 
as a novelty ; offered at a price several times 
more than the seedsmen ask for it, and too 
often farmers, to their sorrow, get caught in 
the machinery of clubs, and contracts, etc., 
made use of in selling it. The chief differ¬ 
ences between the Hulless and the common 
Oat are two ; the one has from three to seven 
florets, and consequently grains in each spike- 
let or little flower cluster, while the common 
one has two, or rarely three in each. In all 
the cultivated varieties of the ordinary Oat, 
the grain or seed, is closely surrounded by 
and adheres to one of the palets, or little 
scales, as the husks which make up the chaff 
of the flower cluster are called. In conse¬ 
quence of the seed being free from the husk, 
the grain of the hulless variety when thrashed 
comes out very clean and is very different in 
appearance from the other. So far from the 
Hulless Oat being new, it has been in culti¬ 
vation by the Chinese for ages, and upon the 
Continent of Europe it was known in early 
times. Though many attempts have been 
made to interest farmers in this Oat, it has 
never gained a place among our regular crops. 
Like other oats, the Hulless has degenerated 
in our climate, the crop becoming lighter and 
the grain smaller each year after importation. 
Mr. C. G. Pringle, of Vermont, whose won¬ 
derful success in crossing and producing new 
varieties of wheat, and in raising new and 
most valuable kinds of potatoes are well 
known, has succeeded in producing a new 
Oat. The common Chinese Hulless was 
hybridized with the “ Excelsior,” a variety of 
the common Oat of marked size and vigor. 
The result has been an Oat, which, while it 
has the strength and robust character of the 
best common Oat, retains the peculiarity of 
the naked seed. The engraving, of half the 
real size, gives a panicle which is so densely 
branched that it must be very prolific; the 
straw is remarkably firm, while the grain is 
twice the size of the Chinese. The question 
of most importance in regard to the new 
variety is, will it retain these characters? 
Mr. Pringle has had it in cultivation for a 
number of years without its having shown 
any deterioration, and the fact that it has 
held its own where the common varieties do 
not, gives reason to believe that it is as per¬ 
manent as can be expected of an Oat. Its 
yield is double that of the old Hulless, chief 
use of which is to grind into oatmeal. The 
fine large grain of the hybrid will be espec¬ 
ially valuable for this purpose. We notice 
that B. K. Bliss & Sons have given it the 
name of “Pringle’s Hybridzed Excelsior- 
Hulless Oats,” which, however descriptive, is 
“PRINGLE’S HYBRIDIZED EXCELSIOR-HULLESS OATS.” 
starting a new variety on its career rather 
burdened with name. Should it attain the 
popularity we hope for it, the farmers will, as 
soon as it comes into general use, drop some of 
these titles as superfluous, and it will be either 
“Pringle’s” or the “ Excelsior - Hulless.” 
Green Manuring - .— What is the best 
crop to plow in ? This question is often asked 
and does not admit of a very decisive answer. 
Much depends upon the nature of the soil, 
time of year in which it is wished to manure 
in this manner, climate, etc. If the soil is 
worn out or naturally poor, and a very rapid 
growth is desired to turn under in early au¬ 
tumn, buckwheat is recommended. It is a 
close feeder; and will make a large and 
rapid growth, where many other crops faiL 
Too much cannot be said in favor of the com¬ 
mon red clover as a green manuring crop. 
Its roots mn very deep, and bring up 
much of the fertilizing materials in the sub¬ 
soil to be deposited in the stems and roots, 
especially the latter, which, when turned over 
by the plow, soon decay and yield a supply of 
food for other plants. In the Southern States 
