124 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[April, 
EBm B:- ■ - -- 
Onions .—Sow as early as possible in rows 12 to 15 
inches apart, in soil which has been highly ma¬ 
nured. Plant sets and potato and top onions. 
Bxrsley— Sow in hot-bed after soaking in warm 
water for a few hours, or in open ground. 
Parsnips. —Sow new seed at once in rich soil. 
Teas. —Sow Dan. O’Rourke, or Carter’s First Crop, 
for the earliest, just as soon as the ground can be 
got ready ; double rows six inches apart are best for 
convenience in “sticking.” Do not sow the wrinkled 
sorts until the ground is dry, otherwise they will rot. 
The Alpha is the earliest of these. Have a plenty of 
brush for sticking the peas as soon as they are up ; 
if left until they fall over, they never do so well. 
Peppers are treated the same as Egg Plants. 
Polishes are not injured by cold, and should be 
sown early, in rich, light soil, in rows 12 in. apart. 
Salsify and Scorzonera. —Sow in rows 15 in. apart, 
as early as possible. The seeds are of such a shape, 
that they sow better by hand than with a drill. 
Spinach. —Sow for second early in rows one foot 
apart. The fall sown beds must have the soil 
worked between the rows, to hasten the growth. 
Tomato. —Sow seeds in liot-bed. Transplant those 
large enough to boxes or a cold-frame. Provide 
materials for trellises. 
Turnips. —Sow a few early kinds ; as soon as up, 
sift on plaster or fine ashes, to keep oil’ the “ flea.” 
Potatoes. —Plant as soon as the soil is dry enough. 
Look carefully after the “potato beetle,” and 
destroy them by hand-picking or Paris green, pre¬ 
pared according to directions given in previous 
numbers of the American Agriculturist. 
iLawsa aaa«l Flower 
Under this head are included the ornamental 
portions of a place, whether large or small. Those 
who have large places keep a competent gardener, 
and our hints are for those who look after their 
grounds themselves. * 
Laying out of Grounds. —We receive , numerous 
requests from those who wish us to lay out their 
grounds; they send us a sketch of the place as it 
is, and ask us to draw a plan for improving it,, and 
one even goes so far as to ask that we mark the 
place for every tree and shrub, and moreover to 
tell where they are to be obtained. A plan for a 
place should not be made without seeing its sur¬ 
roundings, unless it be a town yard or village lot, 
as each place should be planned with reference to 
its near and distant views. Those who make such 
requests can have little idea of the time required, 
or the amount of thought that must be given to 
comply with them. We must, of necessity, decline 
all such requests. Let those who wish to lay out 
new or improve old grounds, and do not wish to em¬ 
ploy some one to do it, procure some work upon the 
subject, and adapt the principles to the case in hand. 
Front Yards in a Town or Village. —Do not attempt 
to reproduce a plan made for several acres, but 
make the best of the small area. Where all is for¬ 
mal, the grounds must also be so, and picturesque 
plan ting out of the question. Often a single bed 
of ornamental plants, or a handsome specimen 
plant, surrounded by grass, with a few shrubs along 
the boundaries, and vines at the house, are all that 
can be had. With only these simple materials the 
yard, if well kept, will be more attractive than one 
filled with a promiscuous lot of flowering plants. 
Larger Places, where there is half an acre or 
more between the house and the street, afford more 
opportunity for tasteful arrangement. The two 
important points are the lawn and the approaches, 
whether drives or walks, and they should be so 
planned with reference to one another, as to secure 
the gneatest unbroken expanse of grass, and the 
most convenient approach to the house. 
The Lawn is the chief element of beauty in all 
places, whether large or small; if cut up by need¬ 
less paths or by too many flower beds, its effect is 
frittered away, and it looks like a mere appendage 
to the paths and beds, rather than the ground work 
in which these are made. The lawn is expected to 
last many years, and the work must be thorough, 
The ground should be drained if need-be, leveled, 
or graded, and prepared better than for any field 
crop; then sow Red-top, Kentucky Blue-grass, or, 
in light soils, Rhode Island Bent, with a pint of 
White Clover to the bushel, if desired, using from 
three bushels to the acre, on rich land, to five 
bushels on poorer soil. In small yards it is better 
to lay sods, if a good turf can be had ; and in large 
lawns lay a margin of turf along the walks and 
roads, and around any beds made in the lawn. 
Walks and Roads. —These are matters of necessity, 
and not of ornament; nothing is more distressing 
than to see all sorts of “ serpentine ” walks leading 
no-wliere. A curved line is more pleasing than a 
straight one, and in large places the walks and 
roads often properly have such a form, but it is 
absurd to make a crooked path on a small place 
because some one else has one. Each place must 
be treated according to the relation of the house to 
the road; to secure au unbroken lawn, the walk 
and drive may both be at one side of the front; it 
is often advisable to have two entrances, the road 
curving from one up to the house, and leaving it 
at a similar curve to reach the other gate. Or the 
road may form a turn in front of the house, and one 
entrance answer. The location of the road requires 
careful consideration, as does that of the walks ; 
never make such a walk as will induce visitors to 
take a “ short cut” across the lawn, to reach the 
house. A good foundation of broken stone is 
essential to permanent and dry roads and paths. 
Trees. —Two common mistakes are made ; select¬ 
ing trees that will grow too large, and planting too 
thickly. Young trees make little show, and the 
place looks naked. Imagine how it will look 
twenty years hence, and set trees accordingly ; for 
an immediate effect do not fill in with large-grow¬ 
ing trees, and expect to cut the surplus out, foryou 
won’t do it, but use shrubs. Do not set trees too 
near the house ; light and air are not to be shut 
out. Use both evergreens and deciduous trees, and 
do not plant certain sorts because every one else 
does. The Purple and Weeping Beech ; the Cut- 
leaved Birch; the Yellow-wood, or Virgilia ( Clad- 
rastis) ; the Red-bud, or Judas-tree ( Cercis ); the 
Kolrc.uteria ; the Chinese Weeping Cypress {Glyp- 
tostrobus) ; the Deciduous Cypress ( Taxodium ); the 
Sweet-gum ( Liquidambar ); the Tulip-tree ; several 
native and Chinese Magnolias; the Oak-leaved 
Mountain Ash; the Gingko ; are only a few among 
the readily obtained deciduous trees that might be 
planted more frequently than they are, and avoid 
the monotony now so common. 
Shrubs. —An abundance of these is desirable ; 
they may be judiciously planted to conceal the 
boundaries, may be set in clumps, and singly. 
Former volumes describe many desirable native 
shrubs, and the catalogues describe the exotics. 
Flowers. —There are four distinct garden classes 
of flowers, each of which has its uses. 1. The 
hardy herbaceous perennials, which bloom in the 
same place for several years, such as the colum¬ 
bines, some spiraeas, phloxes, chrysanthemums, etc. 
2. Annuals : those which are raised from the seed 
each year : balsams, Drummond’s phloxes, petu¬ 
nias, asters, and a host of others. 3. Bedding 
plants, which are tender exotics, raised from cut¬ 
tings, of which a new supply must be purchased, or 
raised in a greenhouse, each year; such as verbenas, 
geraniums, heliotropes, etc. 4. Bulbs, of which 
there are the hardy, planted in autumn, to flower 
early in spring, like hyacinths and tulips ; and the 
tender, which are set out in spring, to be taken up 
in the fall, such as gladiolus, tiger-flowers, tube¬ 
roses, etc.; the cannas are treated the same, though 
they are tubers, rather than bulbs. To produce 
striking effects, plants of either of these classes are 
set out in masses, in separate beds all of one color, 
or a few contrasting kinds in the same bed, arranged 
in circles or other well defined patterns. In many 
cases, instead of flowers, brilliant beds may be 
made with what are called 
“Foliage Plants ,” i. e., those with bright leaves; 
prominent among them are the Coleus (see p. 141.), 
centaurea, achyranthes, etc. These are propagated 
under glass from cuttings. They have the advan¬ 
tage over flowering plants of growing in places too 
much shaded for those to bloom freely. 
Cut Flowers .—Where plants are grown in masses, 
flowers can not usually be cut without injury to the 
effect. There should be a reserve bed where 
Candy-tuft, Mignonette, Sweet Alyssum, helio¬ 
tropes, pinks and other favorites are grown in 
abundance, and may be cut freely. 
Climbers are useful for shade and ornament, and 
some may be planted in the smallest grounds. Wis¬ 
taria, Trumpet and Virginia Creepers, Honeysuckle 
and Akebia are favorite woody climbers; among 
the annuals are sweet-peas, nasturtiums, hyacinth- 
bean, the various morning glories, and several of 
the gourd-family, including the Wild Balsam Apple, 
described on page 140. The fragrant Madeira Vine 
grows from a tuber. 
WreesaSioBJse jibbiiI Winslow darden. 
As the season advances plants will grow rapidly 
and will need more water_Give air whenever the 
outside temperature will allow_Plants to go into 
the open ground need to be hardened off before set¬ 
ting out; the more hardy may be put in a frame, 
where they can be covered with sashes at night.... 
Insects will also increase rapidly, and care must not 
he relaxed....The propagation of bedding plants 
should be kept up, and seeds of tender annuals be 
sown in the house. 
Commereial Matters—Market Prices. 
The following condensed, comprehensive tables, care¬ 
fully prepared specially for the American Agriculturist, 
from our daily record during the year, show at a glance 
the transactions for the month ending March 13th, 1S7G, 
and for the corresponding month last year: 
1. TRANSACTIONS AT TM NEW YOKE MARKETS'. 
Receh'TS. Flour. Wheat. Corn. Rye. Harley Oats 
21 d 'a this m’t,h293,000 729,000 1,471,000 33,000 151,000 1 010 000 
23 d’s last m'tli211,000 1,007,000 1,309,000 13,500 425,000 411.000 
Sams. Flour. Wheat. Corn. Rye. Harley. Oats 
21 d’s this mM1i34G,000 1,911,000 1,617,000 33,000 336,000 841000 
28 d’s last m’Ui287,0(J0 1,694,000 2,226,000 28,000 296,000 714,000 
H. Comparison with same period at this lime last year. 
I’ltciciPTS. Flour. Wheal. Corn. Rye. Barley. Oats. 
21 days 1876. .293,000 729,000 1,471,000 33,000 151,000 1,016,000 
23 days 1875..264,000 673,000 2,327,000 4,300 205,000 623,000 
Sai.es. Flour. Wheat. Corn. Rye. Barley. Oats. 
24 days 1876 . 346,000 1,911,000 1,617,000 33,000 336,000 841,000 
23 days 1S75..331,000 2,321,000 2,763,000 28,000 297,000 989,000 
3. Stock of grain in store at Mew York. 
Wheat. Corn. Rye. Barley. Oats. Malt. 
bush. hush. bush. bush. bush. bush. 
Mar. 6, 1876. .4,473,653 302,02G 82,562 441,078 757,457 377,278 
Jan. 10,1876..5,802,293 663,982 100,741 325,101 l,0SO,300 307,43S 
Jlec. 7, 1875. .5,878,036 816,962 99,908 305,961 1,252,005 253,364 
Oct. 11,1875..2,332,502 1,682,246 10,910 21,688 439,69S 261,428 
May 11, 1815.. 969,804 1,542,924 16,124 16.537 545,209 229,655 
Mar. 8, 1875..2,665,775 2.274,614 45,756 234,071 854,601 154,973 
Jan. 11,1875..3.675,122 1,019,900 50,889 191,470 877,014 115,617 
Nov. 9, 1874. .3,6S0,141 1,727,510 19,123 117,185 794,722 135,882 
4. Exportsfrom Mew York. Jan. 1, to March 9. 
Four. Wheat. Corn. Rye. Barley. Oats. Peas. 
bbls. bush. bush. bush. bush. bush. bush. 
1876.. .357.773 2,9'0,068 2,630,905 15,387 - 46,266 198,153 
1875.. .336.828 2,492,999 2,766,568 3,168 90 22,264 102.595 
1874.. .451.520 5,833,405 2,026,686 190,985 - -- 21,993 
1873.. .325.386 868,737 2,778,029 1,004 6,700 4,977 
1872.. .165.416 1,001,991 2,974,419 135,787 - - 5,717 
Gold has been up to 115, and down to 112%, closing 
March 11 at 114%, as against 112% on Feb. 12, and 112% 
on Jan. 13... The Breadstuff movement, through the 
past month, has been fairly active, but generally at lower 
prices. The export demand has been good, especially 
toward the close, at the ruling figures, favored by the 
later arid more encouraging market advices from Europe. 
The business for shipment has been largely in Flour, 
Spring Wheat, and mixed Western Corn. Some export 
purchases of Rye, Peas, and even Oats have also been re¬ 
ported. A shipment of some 40,000 bushels Oats was 
recently made by steam to Liverpool. This was mostly 
of through freight. The dealings in Canada Wheat, and 
in Canada Peas, in the wholesale line, have been ex¬ 
clusively for export. Toward the close, the better grades 
of Wheat were held mere confidently. Considerable 
part of the Spring Wheat now here is represented ns 
sprouted, owing, partly, to the very mild, open weather. 
On Friday, March 10, sales of Sprouted No. 1 Spring 
(Minnesota) were made in this market as low as $1.2S@ 
$1.29, in store and afloat, while bids of $1.35, in store, 
were refused for prime. New York grades of grain now 
form the basis of a large proportion of the dealings, 
notably so in the instances of Corn....The Provision 
trade lias been quite active, and at the close, the market 
lias been quoted firmer for Pork. Lard, Bacon, Beef, But¬ 
ter, and Cheese. Eggs, unsettled and close weak in 
price, under large supplies, and an unusually moderate 
inquiry, for the season... Cotton has been quoted lower, 
with a fair movement reported.... Hops, and Clover Seed, 
