190 
AMERICAN A GRICE LTURIST. 
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no matter if the sets have lost their leaves, so long 
as there is a green stem and a good root, they will 
grow. In all northern localities we advise, by all 
means, to plant upon ridges. It is a good plan to 
place rows of well rotted manure three feet apart, 
and then with the plow tarn up ridges over the 
manure, and finish them with the spade. The 
ridges being made, level their tops, and set the 
plants every 15 inches. A common trowel, or an 
implement made from a shingle or other thin board, 
is the best thing for setting them. Thrust this 
straight down, and by moving it back and forth, 
open a hole ; put in the plant down to the last eye. 
Then put in the trowel, or wooden substitute, a 
few inches away from the plant, and crowd the 
earth firmly up to it, filling the hole thus made 
with a stroke of the implement. If the soil of the 
ridges is very dry, it will be well to make the holes 
for the plants, fill them with water, and let it soak 
away, and then set the plants. Provide for a few 
more plants than are likely to be needed; these 
may be set out, close together in a convenient 
place, to be drawn upon to replace any that may 
die in the ridges. The after-culture consists in 
keeping the ridges clear of weeds, and after the 
vines run and cover the ground, occasionally lift 
them by running a hoe handle or other stick under 
them, and prevent them from taking root. 
Tool Mouses and Tools. 
In a large garden it is a great convenience to 
have a garden house of some kind. A portion of a 
shed or other out-building, or a room made in the 
barn will answer. Its object is a place where the 
tools, and whatever else belongs to the garden, 
may be always found when wanted, and to which 
they may be returned when not in use, unexposed 
to storm and dew. We have known a board placed 
as a roof against a fence, with doors below, to 
answer well, but it is much better to have a room, 
with a place for seeds, and wall room enough to 
allow each tool to be hung up, and a bench on 
which to do needed work. The habit of returning 
tools to a fixed place is easily established, and will 
save much time iu hunting for one when needed. 
All, save large implements, like the lawn mower, 
can be hung up, wooden pegs being more conven¬ 
ient than nails. There should be a place for labels, 
twine, wire, and all other things likely to be 
suddenly needed. The cupboard or other place for 
seeds, should have lock and key, and here should 
be kept Paris green and other poisons, where only 
those who are to use them can get at them. 
Begiituing Gardesiing in May. 
A large number of our readers will no doubt 
change their place of residence on the first of this 
month, and must begin their gardening late, if at 
all. This should be no discouragement, as all but 
the very early crops will do well if sown now. But 
no time should be lost, as every day is of impor¬ 
tance. Such plants as tomatoes, early cabbages, 
egg plants, and peppers, can be bought of those 
who raise them for sale. With beaus, sweet-corn, 
melons, squashes, aud all the tender vegetables, 
this month is early enough in all the Northern 
States. Even grape vines, and other small fruits 
may yet be planted, if dormant plants can be 
had. For the flower garden, most of the bedding 
plants may be purchased in pots, ready to be 
turned out and seeds of the desirable annuals sown. 
What is Mulching;? 
Having used the term Mulch, for these many 
years, we were desirous of learniug its origin, and 
after much search through cyclopaedias and dic¬ 
tionaries, find it is derived from the Hebrew word 
for partly rotten straw. Loudon says : “ Mulching 
consists in laying a circle of litter around newly 
planted trees to retain the natural humidity of the 
soil.” Really, mulching is whatever will prevent 
evaporation from the soil, and in American practice 
is even extended to mellow earth, keeping the sur¬ 
face of the soil light by coustant stirring so that it 
will be a poor conductor of heat. Still, by mulch¬ 
ing, is generally understood the placing of some 
material upon the soil that will prevent evapora¬ 
tion, and it is of little consequence what this mate¬ 
rial may be. Chips, sticks, tan-bark, sawdust, 
straw, litter from the stables, leaves, grass, or small 
stones—whatever will cover the ground and pre¬ 
vent evaporation may be used as a mulch. We have 
known coal ashes to be used, and much virtue 
ascribed to the ashes, while they only prevented 
too rapid evaporation. We once visited a place 
upon which there were many fine evergreens ; the 
owner claimed that his success in planting was due 
to placing flat stones from a neighboring quarry 
around the newly set trees. The stones, no doubt, 
did excellent service, as any other stones would 
have done—they simply served to keep the ground 
beneath them moist—as a mulch. The action of a 
mulch being merely mechanical, it makes no differ¬ 
ence as to the material. The natural mulch is 
leaves, which not only prevent evaporation from 
below, but allow the rain to pass between them to 
add to the moisture of the soil. It is no doubt 
within the experience of every one that the earth 
beneath a stone, a board, or whatever has laid upon 
the surface, is always moist. This condition may 
be produced over a large surface, by merely cover¬ 
ing it with any material that will prevent evapora¬ 
tion. With all newly set plants, whether trees or 
small plants in the garden, a little litter, or what¬ 
ever may be at hand will be of great benefit. In 
an article on p. 206, we have given an account of 
some French experiments in covering the soil with 
an impervious material. Let any one who doubts 
its value mulch a part of his strawberry-bed, and 
leave a part of it uncovered ; we are sure that he 
will be convinced of the value of mulching. 
That Urape "Vine. 
Over a large portion of the country it is the cus¬ 
tom to move on the first of May. In villages, espe¬ 
cially, the new tenant is likely to find in his yard 
an old and neglected grapevine, the buds of which 
may have already started, even if the shoots have 
not begun to elongate. We receive each year in¬ 
quiries as to what may be done with such a vine, 
and as these come quite too late for a reply to be of 
service, we anticipate them. One who has such a 
vine, and cuts it now, will find it bleeds abundantly, | 
aud whether, as some contend, this is of no injury, 
it is a great nuisance, which it is desirable to avoid. 
As no one neglected vine will be like any other, 
we can only give, the most general directions. One 
standing before such a vine will find it to be made 
up of old and new stems, the new ones distinguished 
by their smaller size, brighter appearance, and 
prominent, if not already started buds. One gen¬ 
eral principle must be borne in mind. The growth 
—the shoots—that come from these Duds, and this 
only will bear fruit. When the shoots are but a few 
inches long, the little clusters of fruit buds may be 
seen. To treat such a vine one must imagine that 
wherever a bud is now, there will, in a few weeks, 
be shoots several feet long. Every old vine is likely 
to show vastly more buds than ought to grow. Ab 
a general rule, we may say, take every last year’s 
cane and break off all but the lowest two of these 
buds, and when the leaves of these have expanded, 
cut away the rest of the cane, no matter how long 
it may be. These two lower buds on each cane 
will give all the foliage and fruit—probably more— 
that will be needed. Do this all over the vine, 
recollecting that the shoot from each bud will 
produce by autumn, just such a cane as now bears 
them. Such vines are usually on an arbor of some 
kind, and the new growth should be arranged to 
cover it evenly and be tied where need be to pre¬ 
vent it from getting broken. On old vines, as the 
season advances, vigorous shoots may start out 
from the lower parts, and these, unless wanted to 
fib a bare place, should be broken off. As such 
vines are used in part for shade, the new shoots 
when they have grown as long as needed to prop¬ 
erly cover the arbor, should be stopped in their 
growth by pinching out the growing end ; this will 
cause the leaves to be much larger and help the 
growth of the fruit. As a general thing, all such 
vines are allowed to produce many more shoots 
than are needed, and the whole becomes a tan¬ 
gled mass of leafy stems with very little fruit. 
The Egg: Plant. 
The Egg Plant is perhaps the most thoroughly 
tropical of all garden vegetables, and should not be 
put out until the soil is thoroughly warmed, and 
cool nights are over. In the private garden so few 
plants are needed, that it is hardly worth while to 
be at the trouble of raising them, as they can be 
purchased cheaply. They should be given the 
warmest and richest place in the garden ; let them 
have, when established, liquid manure, and keep 
them growing as rapidly as possible. It is well to 
place a mulch of some kind around the plants, not 
only to keep the soil moist, but to prevent the fruit 
from resting on the ground. There is one great 
drawback to the culture of the Egg Plant. If there 
are any Colorado Potato Beetles anywhere in the 
vicinity, they will leave the potatoes and come to 
the Egg Plants, and unless one makes up his mind 
to an almost daily hand-picking, he had better not 
undertake to cultivate them. 
Cnrranis and Gooseberries. 
The chief draw-back to the culture of currants 
and gooseberries is “the worm,” (more than one, 
but essentially the same in effects and treat¬ 
ment), that makes holes in the leaves early 
in the season, and if not checked will soon 
strip off' all the foliage. This insect is easily 
managed, if taken in time. It is amusing to see 
the remedies given in the English papers and books, 
even the most recent ignoring the poison, White 
Hellebore, so generally used in this country. 
Powdered White Hellebore (not Black) may be had 
at most drug stores. Upon a tablespoonful of this, 
pour a pint or so of boiling water, stirring the two 
well together ; mix this with a pailful of cold water, 
and on the first appearance of holes in the leaves, ap¬ 
ply it freely, using a garden syringe or force pump if 
at hand. More than two applications will rarely be 
needed .—Is it dangerous ?—One English work ad¬ 
vises the use of lime, “as not being dangerous like 
hellebore.” While White Hellebore is a powerful 
medicine, we have never heard of any danger from 
its use, and we know of its application by the acre 
with those who grow fruit for market. It is always 
applied long before the fruit is ripe, and is com¬ 
pletely washed off by the rains. Should it adhere 
to the fruit in any dangerous quantities, its presence 
would be noticed and the berries rejected as soiled. 
If used as directed, it is not possible for a sufficient 
quantity to adhere to the fruit to be eaten un¬ 
noticed, and thus do injury. We look upon it 
as perfectly safe, or we should not advise it. 
TSie White Grub and the June ISmg. 
The ravages of the White Grub are becoming, in 
this country, almost as serious as those of the re¬ 
lated Cockchafer in Europe—indeed the two, 
though belonging to different genera of insects, are 
much alike in their habits. The grub passes (prob¬ 
ably) three years of its life under ground, and is 
not thought of until, in its last year, it suddenly 
calls attention to its existence by the mischief it 
does. A heretofore verdant lawn suddenly becomes 
brown, and the turf may be rolled up like a rug. 
One may look forward to a crop of strawberries, 
and find the plants wilt in the row, in succession. 
The nurseryman may find his rows of apple or other 
young trees suddenly dying, and the flower-grower 
may find his plants wither without apparent cause. 
Few connect these troubles with that noisy insect 
that at evening comes into the house and bumps 
its head against the walls and ceiling, generally 
known as the May aud June-bug, and also as the 
Dor-bug. This insect probably causes more losses 
to cultivators than any other. The grub lives some 
three years under ground, in which state it works 
its worst. If when a plant is seen to suddenly wilt, 
it is probable that a White-grub is at work at the 
root, and the plant should at once be dug up and 
the grub found, before it can make its way to 
others. The only method of effectively destroying 
