1864] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
997 
Spinach .—Sow at intervals for late use. The 
crop to winter over may be left until next month. 
Squashes .—Use or market the summer sorts be¬ 
fore they get too old. Reserve the earliest for seed. 
Winter sorts are still subject to attacks of insects, 
and need watching. Destroy the squash bug and 
its eggs. The Hubbard and Yokohama varieties 
are eatable at any time, after they get large enough. 
Sweet Potatoes .—Keep clear of weeds and prevent 
the vines from striking root, by moving them. 
Tomatoes.—See last month’s Calendar. Select 
the earliest and smoothest fruit for seed. 
Turnips.—Thin the long kinds as soon as large 
enough, and give ashes and plaster, if insects at¬ 
tack them. Plant the round sorts On ground left 
by peas, potatoes, etc. The Red-top Strap-leaf, 
and White Strap-leaf, are among the best. 
Weeds .—Follow the advice so often repeated. 
Keep them in subjection by horse-power, hand- 
power, or both. See description of Purslane, p. 245. 
Fruit Garden. 
Those who have an abundance of small fruits 
will preserve a good supply for winter use in bot¬ 
tles or by drying. Sufficient directions' for preserv¬ 
ing are given in former volumes, and the whole 
matter is briefly summed up on page 1S1, for June. 
Let nothing of the fruit kind be wasted, while there 
are men in hospitals who will prize it above gold. 
Bottled or dried fruits require but little sugar and 
are better for the sick than jellies or jams. 
Blackberries .—The New Rochelle is the variety 
most generally cultivated, and is black long before 
it is thoroughly ripe. If left on the vines until 
perfectly ripened they are sweet and excellent. 
Oun-ants .—Cultivators differ as to the time of 
pruning, some performing the operation as soOn 
as the fruit is off, while others leave it until early 
winter or spring. Our own plan is to remove 
suckers and superfluous shoots*now, and leave the 
general pruning until the leaves have fallen. 
Dwarf Trees .—Thin the fruit and control the 
growth by pinching as directed last month. 
Oi-apes.— If the vines have been properly trained, 
but little now needs to be done, except to pinch 
off the laterals and the new growth from the ends 
»f the fruiting canes, as often as needed. Use the 
hoe freely. Insects will continue to be trouble¬ 
some, and hand-picking must be the chief reliance. 
If the bunches show any decaying berries, remove 
them by means of the scissors. Young vines, not 
yet fruiting, need the same care to secure the best 
possible growth of wood. If not watched, the 
caterpillars will seriously damage the young growth. 
Keep all securely tied to the trellis or stakes. 
^Raspberries .—Allow only two or three of the 
strongest shoots of each root to grow, and remove 
the rest. Promote the growth by forking in around 
the roots a dressing of weli decomposed manure. 
Strawberries .—Clip the runners and weed those 
cultivated in hills. Sufficient is said elsewhere on : 
varieties and the propagation of plants. 
Flower Garden ami Lawn. 
This is an uncomfortable month for the cultiva¬ 
tor of flowers. The heats are trying to vegetation, 
and in grounds of any extent, a general watering is 
impossible. The most that one can hope to do is 
to keep plants newly set this spring from perish¬ 
ing. If a tree or shrub ceases to grow, or looks 
sickly, remove the earth around it, give that over 
the roots a thorough soaking, replace as before, 
and give a mulch. One such application will prob¬ 
ably save the plant until rains come. Laying out 
of new grounds or any improvements in the pres¬ 
ent plans may be projected and put into execution 
now, and lists of plants made, in order to be ready 
for the autumn planting of trees and shrubs. 
Box Edging may have its final clipping now. 
Budding .—All ornamental shrubs propagated in 
this way may be worked, if the directions given 
in detail on page 228 are observed. 
Bulbs. —If any spring sorts remain in the ground, 
take them up as soon as the foliage withers, and 
keep them in a dry, cool place until autumn. 
Climbers. —Provide proper supports and 6ee that 
they cling to them. They often need a little help. 
Dahlias. —Keep tied up as directed last month. 
Remove imperfect blooms and those, the beauty of 
which has passed. The borer makes its way into 
the stems; watch for and dig it out carefully. Keep 
| rose-bugs and grasshoppers away from the flowers. 
Fuchsias. —If these have partial shade they will 
keep blooming all summer. Put in cuttings for 
plants to winter over. They root very readily 
in sand or sandy soil, and Will make good plants. 
Gladiolus. —These are now large enough to .push 
their flower stalks, and heed tying to heat stakes. 
Hoeing. —During the dry Season the hoe and rake 
must be kept in use, not only to remove weeds, but 
to loosen the soil and help sustain the plants. 
Hollyhocks.— Sow this month, and the plants will 
bloom next year. Save the best for seed. 
Insects. —Though these are not as troublesome as 
in former months, there is still need of watchful¬ 
ness. Dusting of liihe or ashes, and syringing with 
whale-oil soap will be needed. Above all, hand-pick¬ 
ing is the great remedy. When an insect is caught 
and crushed he is sure to be of no further trouble. 
Layers. —Almost everything in the way of woody 
plants, and the firmer herbaceous ones, can be 
multiplied by layers. See Orchard and Nursery. 
Mignonette. —Sow in pots for a late bloom. 
Pansies. —Sow this month for plants to flower in 
spriiig, choosing a partially shaded spot. Favorite 
kinds may be multiplied by cuttings and layers. 
Perennials.— A year may be saved by sowing the 
seed of most of them now. Fox-gloves, Sweet 
Williams, Lychnis, and many others will make 
plants strong enough to endure the winter and 
will generally flower next year. 
Potted .Plants. —Those set about the grounds 
must not suffer for want of water. Loosen the sur¬ 
face of the soil ih the pots and keep out weeds, 
itoses.—Layer the new growth and keep off insects. 
Seeds. —The finest' flowers should be marked aud 
seed Collected from them as soon as ripe. Some 
sced vessels, such as Pansy and Phlox, scatter their 
seed when they burst. All such are to be gathered 
before fully ripe, and put under a sieve to dry.. 
Verbenas. —An abundance of natural layers may 
be found, or they may be made in a few days by 
pegging down the branches. Pot of some of these 
to keep for blooming in the house. 
Weeds. —They grow rapidly now and will need 
a frequent application of the hoe and rake. 
Greesi and IIot-5I«uses. 
The general directions of last month are to be 
followed. See that none of the plants are burned 
by the sun. All repairs should be made in ami>le 
time to have all in readiness for the return of the 
plants. If new structures are to he built, it should 
be done at once. Overhaul and repair heating ap¬ 
paratus, lay in a stock of fuel, and a supply of pot¬ 
ting earth. The present is the proper time to sow 
a large number of florist’s plants that are raised 
from seed, as Calceolarias, Chinese Primroses, etc. 
Small seeds should be sown in very fine soil, and 
in watering take care not to wash them Out. 
Cold Grapery. 
The fruit will usually begin to ripen by the mid¬ 
dle or end of the month, and as it progresses, the 
watering should be discontinued, and ail sudden 
atmospheric changes guarded against, though a free 
ventilation is to be kept up. When 'the fruit is 
ripe the upper ventilators may be' left ; open at 
night. Mildew is likely to appear in warm, damp 
days, and is to be counteracted by the use of sul¬ 
phur and dryness of the air, as hinted last month. 
Apiary iia August. 
Prepared by til. Quinby—By Request. 
The season for early honey in many places has 
been propitious. Many colonies, particularly the 
Italians, have already filled combs with honey, that 
ought to be occupied with brood. With the old 
box hive there is only the partial remedy of adding 
surplus boxes. But with the movable comb hive, 
the matter can be controlled admirably, by substi¬ 
tuting empty combs for full ones, as recommended 
last month. When the honey can not be removed, 
the bees will be obliged to store the buckwheat 
honey gathered this month, mostly in the boxes.' 
Give ample room by adding all boxes needed. 
When the colony is 6trong, and all boxes nearly full, 
only wanting some of the corners filled out, (Uffiieh 
will often take long enough to half fill empty ones;) 
there is a great saving of precious time by making 
holes through the top of empty boxes, and setting 
them on the hive, putting those part full above 
them. By the time the upper ones are finished, the 
lower ones will be ready to raise in the same'way. 
This gives room for double the number df bees to 
labor at the same time. Any boxes of clover h’oii- 
ey nearly full, should be removed on the first of the 
month, to prevent the mixing Of buckwheat honey 
with it, which will make it darker. Boxes that are 
full may be kept safe from the moth worm, with 
the least trouble, by leaving them on the hive until 
autumn. The honey will not be nearly so white, as 
if removed as soon as filled. The boxes will also 
be in the way of empty boxes that ought now to 
supply their places. The greater quantity and purer 
quality of the honey will induce most bee-keepers 
to remove it, and destroy the worms if they hatch, 
with a little burning brimstone. W’hCfe there is 
no buckwheat raised, all boxes may be removed 
now. When the bees begin to take the honey from 
the unsealed cells, it is time to remove them. Look 
carefully for diseased stocks. Drive out any found, 
to begin anew. Any queenless colonies discovered 
now, should be supplied by dividing a buckwheat 
swarm that may issue this month, giving them the 
half containing the queen, and returning the re¬ 
mainder to the parent 6tock. To ascertain where 
the queen is, divide the swarm equally, put in two 
hives, a few feet apart. In a few minutes those 
without a queen will be attracted to the hive con¬ 
taining her, which should be covered to keep them 
out, then shake them out by the old hive. If it is 
desirable to rear Italian queens late in the season, 
when the black drones have disappeared, for the 
sake of securing purity, a stock in which bright 
colored drones are numerous, should be selected 
and rendered queenless. When honey fails in flow¬ 
ers, they should be fed a little each day, or the 
drones may be destroyed. 
-— ---CO----— 
Exhibition Tables at IJie Office of 
tlie American AgricnSturist. 
The following articles have been placed on our tables 
for exhibition since our last report: 
Fruits .—Strawberries : Brooklyn Scarlet, Empress 
Eugenie, Marguerite, Monitor, Prince Frederic William, 
and Russell’s Prolific, by Win. S. Carpenter, Rye, N. Y. 
_Basket of several varieties'; E. C. Cortelyou, Staten 
Island....Triomphe de Gand and Austin: Wm. Quin, 
New York city_Russell’s Fro'tfie; A. J. Ctjywood, 
Modena, N.Y... .Heins’ White, very fine ; Wm. F. Heins, 
Morrisania, N. Y.—— Gooseberries, very fine; George 
Mayland, Brooklyn, N. Y....American White; Robert 
B. Dore, New Yolk city.- Currants: Fine specimens 
of La Versaflaise; Cherry, Red Dutch, Red Grape, Short 
Branched Red, Champagne, Globe de Sablons, White 
Dutch, and Prince Albert; E. Williams, Mont Clair, 
N. J .. Red Dutch ; Elsie Wheeler, West Orange, N. J. 
_ Blackberries: New Rochelle, first of the season ; C. 
S. Pell, New York Orphan Asylum. 
Flowers., etc.—W hite Cactus in bloom ; B. Van Gil- 
lerwas, 86th street. New York city.Bouquets, cut 
flowers, Chinese Hydrangea, Roses, Heliotropes, Fuch 
sias, etc.; Miss'A. M. Cortelyou, Westfield, Staten Island. 
_Chinese Pinks, 21 varieties: Charles kuttler, Wes 
Hoboken, N. J._Poppies, very fine; C. S. Pel], N. Y'. f 
Orphan Asylum. Dahlias, fine and first of the season; 
C. W. Moore, New York city.Fuchsias, Geraniums, 
Nasturtiums, Cannas, White Roses, Hollyhocks, Er>’hri- 
na or Coral Tree, etc.; O. Judd, Flushing, N.Y — Tnm». 
