172 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[Mat, 
er early or late spring is the better season. The time is 
of more importanoe with large trees than with small, 
as the dealers take up their small stock in advance, and 
the trees can almost always be had in a dormant state. 
For larger trees, probably the time when the swelling of 
the buds shows that vegetation is active, is the best, if 
one can have a choice, but better earlier than later, when 
the new growth has actually begun. We have moved 
trees with success when the new tender shoots were 3 
to 4 inches long, but we had only about 5 miles to bring 
them, and a damp spell immediately followed; of course 
much will depend upon the weather in such cases. The 
most important consideration whether the trees are large 
or small, is to keep the roots from becoming dry. If 
the roots once get dry, that is the end of the tree, as no 
after care will save it. Experienced dealers knowing 
this, take special pains to so pack their trees, that unless 
detained on the way by some accident, they usually 
reach the buyer in good condition. Careless buyers can 
in an hour or two kill the trees past all remedy. If the 
bundle or box is opened and the roots of a part are left 
exposed to the sun and wind while others are being set 
out, the last planted trees will die, and the seller be 
blamed. When the trees are received, whether large or 
small, have a puddle ready, mixing water with loamy 
soil to make mud as thick as cream, and as fast as the 
trees are taken out of the package, put their roots in this, 
work them around—with the hands if need be—until 
every root is covered, then put them in a shady place 
with the roots well covered with soil, and they will keep 
without injury for several days. The Norway Spruce, 
on account of its adaptability to a great variety of situ¬ 
ations, its rapid growth, and its density, is more fre¬ 
quently used for screens than any other. If a single 
row is used, the trees should stand 6 feet apart ; if a 
double row, they may be 10 feet apart, with the second 
row 10 feet distant, its trees opposite the intervals of the 
lirst row. For a more immediate shelter, some set a 
row of white willow or cotton wood between the spruces, 
putting cuttings after the spruces are well established, 
at 2 feet apart ; the willow’s are thinned as the ever¬ 
greens need the room. The White Pine may be treated 
in a similar manner. Our advertising columns give 
the addresses of several dealers in small evergreens. In 
mentioning the special dealers in tree seeds last month, 
the name of H. M. Thompson, St. Francis, Wis., was 
omitted ; he deals largely in both seeds and seedlings. 
Southern Cow Peas, 
At the close of an article descriptive of Cow Peas, given 
last month, we stated that we expected an article upon 
their cultivation ; this has come to hand, but we are quite 
unable to make room for it, and it must be deferred until 
another month. For those who wish to try the crop, we 
here give the essential points on planting, hoping to pub¬ 
lish the entire article soon. The crop is grown with suc¬ 
cess in Virginia, and judging from the mass of herbage 
the plants produced in our trial referred to last month, we 
should judge them worthy of attention in more northern 
localities. 
Even poor land will grow cow peas. On very poor land 
the peas are sown the end of April, the crop turned under 
to enrich the land, and a second sowing immediately 
made. The peas mustnot be sown until the soil is warm; 
the land is well plowed, and a bushel of seed for good 
land, and 5 or 6 pecks for poor, is sown broadcast, and 
harrowed in, or covered by a light plow ; sown in June 
or July, the seed should be plowed in deep. The Red, 
Clay, Black, and Whippoorwill, are the kinds most es¬ 
teemed for fodder, and they do better on poor soils. The 
Lady, White Table, and Crowder varieties require richer 
soils, and are the kinds cultivated for table use ; they are 
often sown between rows of corn at the last working. 
Cow peas are often cultivated in orchards, serving to 
shade the ground around young trees, and at the same 
time furnishing a valuable crop of fodder. The after man¬ 
agement and other matters will be found in the article 
when published. 
Asparagus Bunches and Bunching. 
In February last we figured and described the 
Asparagus Buncher invented by Mr. S. B. Conover, 
and in contrast with it the very primitive form still 
in use by many asparagus growers. The Revue 
Horticole in the same month gave engraviugs of 
four different bunchers in use in different parts of 
France ; these we reproduce, not only because it is 
interesting to learn how gardening operations are 
done in other countries, but because these differ¬ 
ent devices may afford some useful hints to those 
who may desire to make something of the kind for 
their own use. We may remark here that aspara¬ 
gus is in France one of the leading vegetables, and 
while large areas are devoted to field culture, there 
are also immense establishments for forcing it un¬ 
der glass; these two sources arc supplemented by 
that put up in cans, of which large quantities are 
preserved for home use and for export. From one 
or another of these those who can afford it can en¬ 
joy asparagus all the year round. The number of 
these bunchers at home and abroad show that the 
necessity for putting up asparagus in neat bunches 
is generally recognized; if any novice in asparagus 
culture doubts that careful preparation of this crop 
pays, let him send to market a lot of loose shoots, 
or even a lot of bunches carelessly put up, with 
uneven ends and buts, and he will be fully con¬ 
vinced that when he has raised the crop he has ac¬ 
complished only one step towards turning it into 
money. In regard to the size of the bunches, that 
differs in this country with the season ; the length 
is 8 or 9 inches, and the diameter through the cen¬ 
ter, from 4 inches early, to 5 inches later. In 
the French markets where articles are often pur¬ 
chased in small quantities, the large bunches are 
divided to make half and quarter bunches, and the 
Fig. 3.— SARTROUVILLE BUNCHER—EMPTY. 
marketmen have bunchers for doing this. Figure 
1 shows the oldest of the French bunchers ; it will 
be seen to consist of two pairs of wooden scissors 
with curved blades, to each short arm of one of 
these is fixed a wooden rod, which passes through 
a hole in the corresponding arm of the other, allow¬ 
ing the two to be placed at the desired distance 
apart; the scissor-like ends may be opened or 
closed, and held at the proper point by a string 
tied across the rods. The apparatus in figure 2 is 
called the “Normand Buncher, and is in very com¬ 
mon use. It consists of two boards each with a 
U-shaped opening; the rear one has a thin piece 
across it to even the ends of the shoots, and near 
the bottom four square rods, upon which the front 
piece slides; a part of the front piece has a thin 
board over it to add strength. In figures 3 and 4 
are shown the “ Sartrouville Buncher,” both empty 
and filled ; its construction is shown so clearly that 
explanation is not needed; none of the parts are 
movable, the peculiarity about this is the back 
board, so contrived as to bring the tip of the shoots 
Fig. 4.— SARTROUVILLE BUNCHER—FILLED. 
close together ; when the frame is nearly full, the 
shoots are passed in through the wedge-shaped 
opening above. Figures 5 and 6 show closed and 
open a more complicated affair; it is the form sold 
by the implement dealers in France, and known as 
the “ Argenteuil Buncher.” The board E slides in 
grooves in the frame D, D, and carries the two 
pieces Rand C; the end A, is like that in the pre¬ 
ceding, arranged to draw down the bunch. The 
cross-piece Ris merely for strength, and the circles 
near E indicate that underneath are cavities for the 
ends of the fingers, to facilitate the pulling out of 
the board. With all the conveniences that we have 
put before our readers, they should be able to fix 
upon one which will do the work neatly, and what 
is also important where there is a large crop, 
quickly. To have the asparagus appear in the 
market in the best possible manner, there are sev¬ 
eral precautions to be observed. It is customary 
for the cutter to lay the shoots in handfuls along 
Fig. 5.— ARGENTEUIL BUNCHER—CLOSED. 
the rows ; these should not be allowed to remain 
long, as they will curl and wilt; in all handling 
keep the heads all one way. As soon as possible after 
cutting, wash, assort, and bunch; at least two 
sizes should be made, and the bunches should be 
of even quality all through. Take pains to have 
the heads very even, and cut the buts neatly and 
square. Tie the bunches very tight, or they will 
become loose in transportation. The fault with all 
the French bunchers is that they have no means of 
pressing the shoots, a difficulty overcome in Mr. 
Conover’s buncher, which allows the bunch to be 
held under strong pressure until the ties are put 
on. Use fiat ties; strong bass is generally used, 
and probably Cuba bass would be better than the 
native or Russia ; figure 4 shows the usual method 
of tying in France, where willow twigs are em¬ 
ployed. When made up, the bunches should al¬ 
ways stand upright; if laid down they will become 
crooked. If obliged to keep the asparagus for a 
day or two before sending to market, stand the 
bunches in a tub, with an inch or so of water, and 
cover them from the light; keep in a cool cellar. 
