1882 .] 
A.MERICAR AGRICULTURIST. 
year after year, without applying manure, he would 
fail, and every one would laugh at him. Yet a fruit 
grower will carry off a crop, year after year from 
his orchard, without returning anything to the soil, 
and thinks that varieties have run out. Manuring 
the orchard is the first step towards good fruit. 
The next is thinning. In March last it was shown 
by an article from a correspondent, where fruit 
from peach-trees that had been thinned brought 
double the price of that from unthinned trees. 
This increased price was paid because the peaches 
were larger and better. And the same holds good 
with pears and apples. “ But it is too much trouble 
to thin the fruit on an apple-tree.” Then don’t do 
it. But is it too much trouble ? Try it on a single 
tree. After the fruit has fairly set, go over the tree 
by means of step-ladders, and remove two-thirds of 
the young apples; keep an account of the cost, and 
at harvest-time an account of the returns from the 
fruit from this tree. It will then be easy to deter¬ 
mine whether it pays to thin or not. 
Insects on Garden Vegetables. 
In some localities one or more of the Cabbage 
Worms is still troublesome. The most common of 
these are the caterpillars of medium-sized butter¬ 
flies, the wings of which are white, with a few 
black spots; there are three distinct species, but 
all are similar in their habits. Wherever these but¬ 
terflies are seen flitting about over the cabbage and 
cauliflower plants, trouble from “worms” may 
soon be expected. Safety consists in attacking 
them early. Some worms eat into the forming head, 
and when they have thus hidden, nothing can be 
done. In small gardens, hand-picking will an¬ 
swer, but where there are many cabbages, this is 
not practicable. The Persian Insect Powder, the 
Pyrethrum, is the best, and a safe application (see 
article on its use on page 252). In former volumes 
we have given the experience of those who have 
successfully used hot water, to reach the plant at 
the temperature of 160°. There are iii some locali¬ 
ties cabbage worms which come from other butter¬ 
flies, but they are to be treated in the same man¬ 
ner. The large green caterpillar, of the 5-spotted 
Sphinx, known as the “ Tomato Worm,” is most 
destructive ; it will soon leave nothing but bare 
stems upon a tomato plant, eating the green fruit 
as well as the leaves. When the tomatoes are sup¬ 
ported by some kind of a trellis, as they always 
should be in a garden, worms may be detected by 
the quantity of large pellets of droppings found 
upon the ground. Where these are seen, the worm 
should be sought for. Stems without leaves also 
indicate its presence. When not eating, it will be 
found close to the stems, on their underside, and 
as it is of nearly the same color, may escape no¬ 
tice. The “worms” are never very numerous, 
and hand-picking is the best way to deal with 
them. In spite of the horn at the tail-end, they 
can neither sting nor bite. Frequently one of 
these will be found with its body nearly covered 
with small egg-shaped white cocoons, often mis¬ 
taken for eggs. Worms with these should not be 
destroyed, as they are too weak to do much dam¬ 
age, and the parasitic insects should have time to 
leave these cocoons, as they are our friends, and 
should be encouraged. The Tomato-worm may 
sometimes be found on potatoes. 
Transplanting. 
This month and next there will be much trans¬ 
planting from the seed-beds of late cabbages, cel¬ 
ery, and other plants. It is the custom with many 
to wait until there is an indication of rain, and thus 
hurry up the work in order to take advantage of 
cloudy and wet weather. This is well enough, 
though by no means necessary. In transplanting, 
as much depends upon taking up the plants as upon 
setting them out, and if both these are properly 
done, we need not wait for a rain. In taking up 
plants from the seed-bed, we wish to preserve 
as many of the fine fibrous roots as possible ; hence 
the first step is to water the bed, in order to soften 
the soil and thus prevent breaking the roots. Have 
at hand an old pan or other vessel, in which there 
is some rich loamy earth mixed with water to form 
a mixture like thick cream or thin batter; keep 
this well stirred and as the seedlings are taken up, 
draw their roots through this until they are thor¬ 
oughly coated. In taking up the plants, they 
should be examined ; cabbages and cauliflowers, for 
example, often go “blind,” as gardeners say—that 
is, the growing bud becomes obliterated ; these will 
never form a head, and should be rejected with 
those that have malformed roots or crooked stems. 
With the roots thus protected the seedling plants 
may remain for several days, if anything prevents 
setting them. It should always be done with plants 
that are to be sent to a distance. On a large scale, 
market gardeners depend upon rapid work and on 
keeping the plants constantly wet. In putting out 
the plants, the dibble is generally used. This is a 
stick an inch or so through, about a foot long, and 
with a convenient handle, usually the natural crook 
of a branch of some hard-wood tree. The dibble 
is pushed into the soil to make a hole, the plant is 
put in, and then the dibble is thrust in again near 
the plant, and with a sidewise movement the earth 
is crowded up firmly against its root. Wlien the 
dibble is again withdrawn, some of the surface soil 
is pushed in to fill the hole it has made. To make 
sure of close contact of the earth with the root, the 
planter usually goes over the row and presses the 
soil with his feet. In settiug cabbages, cauliflowers, 
and other plants that make a stem, they may be put 
an inch or so deeper than they were in the seed¬ 
bed. Those which, like celery, have no distinct 
stem, should be set no deeper than they were before. 
Tiie Lawn in Summer. 
In the spring months, when there are frequent 
showers, and the grass is in rapid growth, the lawn- 
mower may be used as often as once a week with 
decided benefit. But in our climate, with its ex¬ 
tremes and uucertainties, such fixed rules, as “ mow 
once a week,” will lead to trouble, if followed. 
With the first drouth the grass on the lawn show's a 
diminished growth, and is often really at a stand¬ 
still. At such times, nothing worse can be done to 
the grass than to cut it. All that there is above 
ground is needed to sustain the root, and inciden¬ 
tally to shade the surface. In the treatment of the 
lawn, as in all other gardening operations, some 
thought should be given to the present condition 
of the plants, and the object to be gained by any 
operation. The kind of grass varies the time or 
frequency of cutting. A fine, thick bottom-growth 
of June-grass, or Blue-grass, may be kept pretty 
closely shaven. But many front yards and lawns 
have a Timothy or Herd’s-grass sod, and if this is al¬ 
lowed to grow 8 to 12 inches high and then cut, it 
will leave a woody stubble, and if dry weather pre¬ 
vails, it will be a long time before a new growth 
from the roots comes up, the plot in the mean¬ 
time having the appearance of a burned-over sur¬ 
face, or a dry stubble at best. 
Take Care of the Saslies. 
The sashes of liot-beds and cold-frames meet 
with more injuries while out of use than during 
real service. When the weather no longer requires 
them upon the frames, they are usually left with 
one edge resting on the rear of the frame, to be 
ready if a sudden cold spell requires them to be 
put on again. Many years ago we left our sashes 
thus, but one day, hearing a sudden noise, we 
looked out in time to see our whole stock of sashes 
up in the air. A sudden whirlwind had passed 
over, and took them up as if they were sheets of 
paper. The going up did not injure them ; it was 
the coming down that was costly. Even a less vio¬ 
lent wind than a small cyclone will overturn and 
damage sashes, if left in this manner; and they 
are liable to injury from other causes. It is safer 
to always stack them at the ends of the frames, 
laying down a couple of pieces of scantling to 
keep the bottom one from contact with the ground, 
and place them evenly one upon another, putting 
the shutters at the top. Even when thus placed, it 
is well to put a log or heavy bit of timber on top, 
to prevent a violent gust from displacing them. If 
235 
a sudden change of weather makes sashes neces¬ 
sary, they w'ill be at hand for use, and the slight 
labor in stacking them will be more than repaid in 
the saving of glass. 
WIiicH is tlie ISest Garden Label ? 
Is a question that has for some time exercised 
our friends across the water. When the “Society 
of Arts” proposed an exhibition, at which premi¬ 
ums were to be awarded, we felt that we should, 
have something, conclusive. The exhibition was 
held, but premiums were not awarded, and ex¬ 
hibitors were told to try again. What is worse, the 
label question has broken out in the papers more 
profusely than before. In all this tmeertainty, we 
congratulate ourselves on the fact, that for all 
trees, shrubs, and plants that remain in place year 
after year, the very best is No Label. Of course, 
with temporary plants, at least until we get well 
acquainted with them, we must mark them, and 
for this a permanent label is not needed; but for 
all other thiugs, a record is simpler, and answers 
even better than the best label. This should be 
made in some permanent form, to be kept in the 
house for safety, while a copy in a memorandum- 
book may be for ready reference. Fruit trees and 
plants are usually in rows, and to make the record, 
we have only to rule a piece of paper with perpen¬ 
dicular and cross lines to divide it.into squares. 
Number the tops 1, 2, 3, etc., for the rows ; at the 
left-hand side number in the same manner for the 
trees in the row. As the squares stand for trees, 
they must he marked; they may be large enough 
to write in the name, or some understood abbrevi¬ 
ation of it; as, “Bal.,” for Baldwin Apple; “D. 
A.,” for Duchesse d’Angouleme Pear, and so on. 
Or where the varieties are not very numerous, each 
may have a number; let No. 1, wherever it may 
occur, stand for Early Harvest Apple, or for Bart¬ 
lett Pear. Either method is simple and easily 
carried out. If one would know the name of the 
8th tree in the 4tli row, he has only to run down 
on the 4th row of squares until he meets the 8th 
row on the 6ide, and there he should find a sign to 
tell him the name of the tree. If one must use 
labels upon trees and shrubs, the simplest we have 
found is sheet-zinc, cut in the shape of a long tri¬ 
angle. Let it be 6 or 8 inches long, an inch at the 
broad end, and taper to a point. Write upon it, 
near the large end, with a common lead-pencil; coil 
the small end around a twig ; it will expand with¬ 
out injuring the tree, and last for 20 or more years. 
Injuring' the Asparagus Bed, 
Much harm may be done by continuing the cut¬ 
ting too long. The fact that shoots continue to be 
produced, should not tempt us to appropriate all 
that grow. The shoots we have been enjoying this 
season all came from strong buds, formed at the 
crown of the root last summer. If we want a sim¬ 
ilar crop next spring, we must give the plants a 
chance to prepare for it. This production of new 
shoots as fast as others have been cut, has more or 
less exhausted the plant. It can only recover by 
the help of the green tops. Allow these to grow, 
and they will not only repair damages, but prepare 
a stock of buds to afford new shoots for next 
year. Near New York City the cutting stops early 
in June, the usual rule being to cease when early 
peas are ready.—In this country it is customary to 
cover the bed, before the ground freezes, with 
coarse manure , in spring the coarse stuff is raked 
oil' and the fine portions forked into the surface, 
taking care to not injure the roots. Some English 
growers have found it beneficial to apply manure 
dressing as soon as the cutting is over. Nitrate of 
Soda, dissolved in plenty of water, and applied, 
has given most excellent results, and some advise 
using as much as 2 lbs. to the square yard. This 
seems to us rather heavy, and we advise to experi¬ 
ment at first with half that quantity. Inland, be¬ 
yond the influence of the sea, good results have 
followed the application of salt, not to exceed 5 
bushels to the acre. The weeds which start in the 
bed should be cut away with the hoe until the 
