1 64 = 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
mulch is on the better ; not only to retain moisture, 
hut it will be needed to keep the fruit clean. Good 
growers find a profit in giving a dressing of guano 
as the fruit is growing, and before a rain. 
KitcHien and Market Garden. 
Those who come into the possession of a garden 
ground this month need not be discouraged by the 
lateness of the season, as, save a few things, satis¬ 
factory crops may be had of nearly all vegetables. 
Plants of tomato, cabbage, and some others, can be 
purchased in most places, or had of a neighbor. 
Sowing of all tender things, corns, beans, squash¬ 
es, and all that family, and others, may be done as 
soon as cold nights are over, and local experience 
shows that it is safe to plant corn. 
Succession Crops of radishes, lettuce, spinach, etc., 
should be put in at intervals of a week or ten days. 
Varieties .—For a list of the well-tested kinds, see 
Feb. Notes. For novelties, see catalogues. 
Horse Culture.—Where the garden is large en¬ 
ough, it is a great gain to do most of the cultiva¬ 
tion with a horse implement. The rows should be 
long, and wide enough apart for a narrow cultiva¬ 
tor ; these are made to work at 24 to 30 inches. 
Asparagus .—Those who know no better prefer 
white, or blanched asparagus, which is obtained by 
covering the beds with several inches of litter. 
Green is vastly better, as people are finding out. 
For family use the shoots are none the worse for 
being so large that they have sprouted or broken a 
little at the head or top, but for market it must be 
close and firm. Cutting is best done with an ordi¬ 
nary butcher-knife, cutting about two inches below 
the surface, and always away from the crown, so 
as not to injure other shoots. In favorable weather 
it must be cut every day, and sometimes twice a 
day. Wash, and stand upright in boxes, if not to 
be bunched at once. Bunching- and bunchers are 
treated in full in February and May of last year ; 
some half dozen kinds of bunchers are figured. 
Beans .—Sow bush sorts in drills 30 in. apart, and 
drop the beans about 3 in. apart in the drills ; cover 
2 in. or less. Lima Beans may wait until cold rains 
are over and the ground warm. Make rich hills, 4 
feet apart each way; set a pole 8 or 10 feet high in 
each. Press the beans into the soil eye down, 6 or 
8 to each pole ; when well up, thin to four. 
Beets .—Thin the early planting as soon as large 
enough, and keep clean. Sow the main crop, as 
soon as the weather is settled, in drills 15 in. apart. 
Cabbages and Cauliflower. —Plants in hot-beds 
should be well hardened ofE and ready to set out. 
Set the plants 18x30 in. apart, down deep, and press 
the soil very firmly around the roots. Seed for late 
crops may be sown. Market gardeners usually make 
two sowings, 10 or 15 days apart, to be sure to have 
plants in abundance. Later cauliflower seed is 
sown about two weeks later than cabbage seed. 
Carrots may be sown the same as beets ; the main 
crop is put in after the soil is well warmed, using a 
great abundance of seed, so that the young plants 
can break through the ground. 
Celery .—A correspondent writes for directions for 
“ a farmer to grow celery; not for a market gar¬ 
dener.” We think that the plan that those follow 
who grow it for a living, is likely to be the best for 
our farmer friend. He can either buy or raise his 
plants; if he buys, from the middle of June to the 
middle of July will be as early as he can get them. 
To raise the plants, the seed should be in as soon 
as possible; it should have been sown last month. 
Prepare a rich seed-bed, and sow the seed in shal¬ 
low drills 10 inches apart, covering hut slightly, and 
go over the bed with a light roller, or pat the soil 
down with the back of a spade, to bring it in close 
contact with the seeds, and insure germination. 
Some put radish seed in with the celery, in order to 
see the rows sooner ; working the soil must begin 
early and the plants weeded as soon as weeds can 
be seen. When the plants are 3 or 4 inches high, 
the tops are cut off, to make them more stocky. 
Some of the dwarf solid kinds are preferred to the 
tall sorts, as they are easier to manage, and give as 
much edible stalk as the tall kinds. 
Corn .—A little of some of the early sorts may be 
put in at a venture, before it is safe to risk a large 
planting. We prefer drills made to hills in the gar¬ 
den. Enrich the drills, 3 or 4 feet apart, according to 
the variety, and drop the seed about 6 inches apart. 
Cucumbers .—Seeds may be sown as soon as the 
season will allow, and plants from the hot-bed set 
out. If there are no hand-lights, a box, basket, or 
other shelter, may be turned over the plants at night. 
Make the hills 4 to 6 feet apart, and put in an 
abundance of seeds, as the bugs will take their share. 
Dandelion .—Those who esteem the wild dande¬ 
lion will find the improved cultivated sorts enough 
superior to pay for growing them, for either greens 
or salad. Sow seeds this month. 
Egg Plant .—These must not go out until the 
weather is quite warm—in the climate of New 
York the first week in June. Keep the young 
plants in a growing condition, by maintaining a 
high temperature and avoiding chills. Look out 
that no stray potato beetles get among them. 
Horseradish is always grown from “ sets,” or 
pieces of slender roots 4 to 6 inches long. Market 
gardeners always plant it as a second crop, between 
rows of early cabbages or beets. Put in sets half 
way between the rows and 18 inches apart, making 
holes with a light crow-bar, 10 inches deep. In the 
family garden plant it by itself 18 inches each way. 
Kohlrabi .—A choice and delicate vegetable, when 
well grown, and very poor otherwise. Transplant 
from hot-bed, or sow seeds in rich ground, thin¬ 
ning to 8 or 10 inches. Use when young and ten¬ 
der, the “ bulbs ” not larger than a tea-cup. 
Leek .—Weed the early-sown, or sow at once. 
Lettuce .—Transplant from hot-bed or seed-bed to 
rich soil, 12 to 15 in. each way. Sow for a later crop. 
Martijnia, the unripe pods of which are esteemed 
for pickles wherever known, is sown when the soil 
is warm. Give the plants 3 feet each way. 
Melons, Musk .—Set out those started on sods, 
and sow seeds in plenty in hills 6 feet each way. 
Melons, Water .—Many of the seeds are imper¬ 
fect, and when good often slow in coming. Sow 
liberally, in warm rich soil in hills 8 feet apart. 
Squash .—Treat the same as cucumbers. Put the 
bush sorts 4 feet and late kinds 8 feet each way. 
Manure abundantly and watch for insects. 
Sweet Potatoes .—See article on this culture in Feb. 
last. Do not plant too early. 
Tomatoes .—The plants still in the hot-heds should 
be hardened off by giving full exposure on mild 
LANCE-HEADED HOE. 
days. In poor sandy soil, which gives the earliest 
crops, mark off 3 feet each way and in heavy soil 
4 feet, putting at the crossings a shovelful of good 
manure, or a handful of Peruvian guano, working 
either well with the soil before setting the plants. 
In gardens they should always have a trellis, of 
some kind, to keep the vines in shape and the fruit 
from the ground. We have given various styles, 
and any one can make a support with a few poles. 
Turnips .—It is too late to sow the flat kinds. If 
those now growing are.troubled by the “flea,” 
dust with lime. If the white worm is at the root, 
dig all up and destroy, as they will come to no good. 
Odds and Ends .—Label every sowing, with kind 
and date....Weeds can be destroyed easily when 
young, that in a few days will give trouble—keep 
ahead of them. A long-toothed steel rake does splen¬ 
did work_Have slaked lime in readiness for vari¬ 
ous insects, and where potatoes are grown, Paris 
green.Liquid manure, from cow manure, and 
weak, or guano, a teaspoonful to the gallon, maybe 
used with effect on most plants, except in a dry 
time.... Some of the hand cultivators now in use 
are greatly superior to the hoe, and will do, in intel¬ 
ligent hands, much more and better work....A 
lance-headed hoe is one of the most useful imple¬ 
ments one can have. The head, see engraving, is 
of heavy steel plate, 41 in. long by 21 wide at the 
top, fixed to the handle as shown. Any blacksmith 
can make one, which if kept sharp will do wonderful 
execution.....Herbs, used for seasoning, such as 
Sage, Thyme, Sweet Marjoram, etc., should be pro¬ 
vided. Sow thinly, in rows a foot apart, and when 
large enough thin the plants to 6 inches, and 
transplant the thinnings, if needed. Finally—weed. 
Flower (.ardeii and Lawn. 
See last months notes on preparatory work. If 
one begins operations this month, it is well not to 
attempt too much; make the best of what is found 
on the place ; neatness and good keeping are always 
pleasing, and will compensate for lack of display. 
The Lawn .—In case grass must be sown, or wait 
until next fall, prepare the soil thoroughly, and 
sow either Kentucky Blue Glass, Red-Top, or that 
variety of it called R. I. Bent, with about a quart . 
of white clover to the bushel. On rich soil three, 
and on poor five bushels to the acre will be needed. 
Divide into two or three parcels, sowing each in a 
different direction. Roll well. Cultivators differ 
as to the utility of sowing oats with the grass seed; 
at this late season it will be well to sow a quart of 
oats with each bushel of seed, as the oat plants will 
then not be too thick, and will afford a much 
needed shade to the young grass. In making a 
new lawn, if possible, sod the margins next the 
roads, flower-beds, etc. If the plot is small and 
turf can be procured, sod the whole; lay it with 
care, and pat or pound it down well. Old lawns and 
those sown early will need mowing, and for this a 
Lawn Mower is indispensable, on even a small 
place. Where there are so many good machines, 
we cannot advise one in preference to another. 
The machine should be used every 8 or 10 days, ac¬ 
cording to the growth; when mowed often the 
clippings may be left on the grass. Annual seeds 
will disappear before frequent mowing. 
Perennial Weeds must be dug, pulled, or cut. Cut- | 
ting with a knife or spud just below the surface 
will kill most of them. The English put a few I 
drops of oil of vitriol in the heart of each plain- | 
tain or other large weed. We have not tried it. I 
Bedding Out .—The plants used for making showy | 
beds are almost wholly tender things from the 
greenhouse, and should not be set until the weather 
is settled. Give them rich soil, and if cold, sharp 
winds come, shelter them. 
Cannas, Gladioluses, Tiger Flowers, and similar j 
plants, should now be put out. A clump of cannas i 
alone, set with reference to hight, is very effective. > 
Set in deep rich soil, 3 to 4 feet apart each way. j 
Annuals from hot-beds and window-boxes may 
be transplanted, first hardening them by proper 
exposure. Sow tender ones in the open ground. 
Perennials may still be set, as with few excep¬ 
tions, they bear removal when well started into 
growth. See catalogues for kinds. Do not omit the 
garden phloxes for a gorgeous summer show, or 
chrysanthemums for a late one. 
Dahlias may be set, and as soon as they need it 
must be tied to a stake. 
Climbers add much to the beauty of a place ; they 
may he used to decorate the veranda, or to screen 
fences or other objects it is desired to hide. We 
once saw a woodpile, that must remain in sight, 
converted into a “thing of beauty” by the free 
use of climbers, and looked like a wall of verdure 
and flowers. For varieties, see article on p. 185. 
Evergreens may be set this month as well as any 
other, if caution be taken to keep the roots from 
