8 4 r 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
£Makch, 
compact by pruning. The varieties are many. The 
Early Richmond, a very early excellent cooking 
cherry, succeeds where better sorts fail. Among 
the best for the garden are Black Tartarian, Coe’s 
Transparent, Rockport, Louis Philippe, Late Duke, 
and Black Hawk. 
Plums have been subject to the same drawbacks 
as cherries. By persistent jarring of the trees and 
catching the curculio, good crops may be had. If 
worked on the Canada or wild plum, it may be kept 
small by pruning. Green and Imperial Gages, 
Coe’s Golden Drop, Jefferson, and Washington are 
among the best. The Wild Goose and other natives 
are not curculio proof, but are worth trying. 
Peaches may be kept in a very compact form by 
proper shortening of the branches. Amateurs who 
have the time should look at the Cordon training 
described in the Agriculturist. Those who grow 
peaches on the large scale for market select such 
varieties as will ripen in succession through the 
season, without much regard to quality. For the 
garden, Early Beatrice, Hale’s Early, Early York, 
Oldmixon Free, George the Fourth, and Ward’s 
Late Free, would be a good selection. 
Pears .—Where space is limited, dwarf trees on 
quince may be planted, but standards may be kept 
of moderate size by training as pyramids, and are 
much more productive. The one variety that suc¬ 
ceeds almost everywhere is the Bartlett. If there 
is but one tree on the place it is likely to be this. 
There is a wide range for selection. A few choice 
garden sorts are, Early, Doyenne d’Ete, Clapp’s 
Favorite, Bartlett, Doyenne Boussock. Fall, Duch- 
esse d’Angouleme, (on quince), Belle Lucrative, 
Sheldon, Seckel, Beurre Bose, Louise Bonne de Jer¬ 
sey, (quince). Late Fall and Winter, Beurre d’An¬ 
jou, Lawrence, Vicar of Winkfleld, Winter Nelis. 
Quinces may be raised from cuttings a foot long 
set with only two buds above the surface, or more 
surely by layers. If care is taken with the young 
trees they may be given a handsome form. The 
Apple or Orange is the most generally grown. Rea’s 
Seedling, (rather scarce), is the largest and finest. 
Grapes .—It must be a small yard that has not room 
for one vine, and every farmer’s family should have 
all the grapes they can eat and some to give away. 
Those who grow for market will not look here for 
advice. The universal grape, corresponding in 
popularity to the Bartlett among pears, is the Con¬ 
cord. Every one can grow it, as a cutting of 2 or 
3 buds is very sure to make a plant. Many others ' 
can be raised in the same way, while some must be 
started under glass. Buy only one year old vines ; 
cut back to 2 or 3 buds, and let only one shoot grow. 
The list is a large one, and tastes differ. Concord, 
Creveling, Barry, Eumelan, Senasqua, and Wilder 
are all good black kinds, Catawba and Iona in fa¬ 
vorable localities, Delaware and Salem are among 
the best of the reds. The Croton and Martha are 
the white kinds most likely to succeed. 
Mulberries. —Downing’s Everbearing and the 
Black Persian are the best. 
Kitchen Garden, 
No matter how far south one may live, he likes 
to have his vegetables, or some of them, earlier 
than they can grow from seeds in the open ground, 
hence some glass protection is in common use. A 
spot of ground covered by a frame, upon which are 
glazed sashes, is what is known as a 
Gold Frame .—The frame is 12 inches high at back, 
8 inches in front, and of a size to fit the sash. 
Sashes 3x6 feet are sold by sash makers glazed 
at about S3 each. They may be home-made, or 
old windows may be used. The sash should slope 
towards the sun. Light shutters or mats should 
be at hand to put on at night and very cold days. 
Seeds may be sown in such a frame much earlier 
than in the open ground, and the young plants pro¬ 
tected from cold nights w ;l l grow rapidly. The 
sashes must be lifted at the „-«Der end and held 
open by a stick during the warmei part of the day, 
and in warm days be taken off. Here the heat of 
the sun is retained by covering at night, but in 
Hot-Beds heating material is used to warm the 
soil; this is usually fermenting manure. The 
simplest hot-bed for ordinary gardens is made by 
digging a pit 2i feet deep and of a length and width 
to suit the sashes; this is planked up all around, 
the rear planking reaching 12 inches, and the front 
4 inches above the surface of the ground, the ends 
sloping from back to front, which should face the 
south. The heating material may be stable manure 
brought into active heat by turning a few times at 
intervals of a few days, or a part this and a part 
leaves. A good plan is to put in a foot of leaves, 
then 18 inches of manure, or it may be all manure, 
in both cases trodden down evenly and firmly, over 
this place 6 inches of good soil, or if boxes are 
used, (see page 99), only enough to make the sur¬ 
face even. There should be strips across the frame 
from front to rear for the sashes to run upon. The 
heat may be very violent at first, when it falls to 
90° sow the seeds in rows about 4 inches apart, or 
what is better, set in the boxes in which they have 
already been sown. Another method is to build up 
a square pile of fermenting manure or alternate 
layers of manure and leaves, beating it firm with 
the fork and keeping it compact. This should be 
two feet wider and longer than the frame, made 
like that described for the cold frame, which is here 
set upon the manure instead of upon the ground. 
Soil is to be placed upon the manure, or boxes may 
be used. Great care in opening in the day and 
closing and covering at night are demanded, and 
unless one has time to give it proper attention, he 
had better rely upon 
Window-Boxes, which are well nailed flat boxes 
about 3 inches deep and of any convenient size 
otherwise. These are to be nearly filled with good 
soil, the seeds sown, and then set in the window of 
the kitchen or other warm room. Of course water 
must be given as needed, and when the plants are 
large enough to handle, with three leaves besides 
the seed-leaves, they are to be transplanted to other 
boxes and set an inch or two apart, and shaded 
until they recover. If they grow so large as to 
crowd, transplant again. We have given directions 
over and over again about hot-beds, frames, and 
the like, but every season there are many to whom 
these things are all new and strange, whose inqui¬ 
ries we have to regard. 
Varieties .—Every year new sorts of vegetables are 
offered for which superior excellence is claimed. 
We test all such, and so do others who are on the 
look-out for novelties. In the following list we give 
the names of varieties that not only have been 
tested on our own ground, but have received gen¬ 
eral approval. 
Asparagus. —Conover’s Colossal is the best. Seeds 
may be sown or plants one and two years old pur¬ 
chased. In field culture for market set the plants 
at least 2 feet apart each way, (some set 3 x 4), and 
cultivate by horse implements. In small gardens 
rows 2 feet apart with the plants a foot apart will 
be better than closer. Remove the covering from 
old beds and give a dressing of well rotted manure, 
forked in carefully so as not to injure the crowns. 
Beans must not be planted until there is no dan¬ 
ger of frost. Early Valentine and Dwarf Wax are 
good bush sorts for early snaps. Caseknife, Large 
and Small Limas, are best pole sorts for shelling ; 
for snaps the Giant Wax and Asparagus bean. 
Beets may be sown after the ground is thawed, in 
rows one foot apart, sowing thickly to give plenty 
of beet greens. The best early is Egyptian Blood, 
Bassano is good, and for late the Long Blood. 
Borecole or Kale, and Brussel's Sprouts are varieties 
of the cabbage, and require the same treatment. Of 
Borecole, the kind known as German Greens is 
most popular. The Dwarf Brussel’s Sprouts are best. 
Cabbages .—Set out plants from the cold frame in 
which they were wintered, as soon as the ground is 
clear of frost. Sow seeds for second early in hot¬ 
beds this month. Jersey Wakefield for earliest, 
Early Winningstadt and Early Summer, and Ulm 
Savoy for medium, and Drumhead, Flat Dutch, 
Drumhead Savoy, and Red Dutch for late. 
Cauliflower .—Sow Early Paris and Early Erfurt 
in hot-beds the same as cabbages. Give them the 
richest spot in the garden, and careful watering and 
cultivation ; even then they often fail; but they are 
so fine that it pays to take the trouble even if one 
can only get a partial crop. Set out plants that 
were wintered in cold frames. 
Carrots.— For table use the Early Horn is best for 
both early and late ; it is not so large a cropper as 
Long Orange and others. Sow in rows a foot apart. 
Celery. —Sow seeds in a slight hot-bed, or early in 
the open ground. Dwarf White, Boston Market, 
and Dwarf Crimson are best. 
Chives start early in the spring; clear away the 
old tops and spade under some manure. Propagate 
by dividing old clumps. 
Corn must not be sown till all danger of frost is 
past. Among the best are Early Minnesota, Tri¬ 
umph, Moore’s Concord, Mexican, and Stowell’s 
Evergreen. If planted every two weeks until the 
last of June, a succession may be had until late fall. 
Cucumbers. —Sow on the earth-side of pieces of 
sod and place in a hot-bed ; set these in the hills 
when frosts are over, or prepare a few hills in the 
open ground with fermenting stable manure, and 
cover with a hand glass. Either method will give 
a crop far in advance of the open ground plantings ; 
Early Russian, White Spine ; Green Prickly is to 
be sown in June, for pickles. 
Egg Plant. —Sow in the warmest part of the hot¬ 
bed, as the seeds require more heat than most other, 
Long Purple is earliest, Black Pekin and Improved 
New York are largest and best. 
Horseradish is easily grown from sets in well-ma¬ 
nured ground, and the product is much better if 
planted anew every year. Set two feet apart and 
one foot in the rows. It may be planted between 
the rows of early cabbages, as they will be out of 
the way before that has made much growth. 
Kohl-Rabi. —Sow Early White in open ground in 
rows two feet apart, or sow in seed-bed and trans¬ 
plant in rows ten inches apart. 
Leek. —Take up those left in the ground over 
winter. Sow seeds of Large Flag the same as onions. 
Lettuce. —Set out plants from the hot-bed and cold 
frame as soon as large enough to handle and frosts 
are over. Sow seeds for second early, uncover and 
loosen the soil around that sown last fall in the 
open ground. The varieties are many; we have 
found Early Simpson, Hanson, and Tennis Ball to 
be satisfactory. 
Melons require similar treatment to cucumbers. 
White Japan, Cassaba, Hackensack, and Ward’s 
Nectar are all good, and the catalogues give others ; 
do not plant until the ground is warm. 
Onions.— Sow Yellow Danvers and Early Red in 
drills 15 inches apart in an abundantly manured 
soil. A good dressing of wood ashes may be given 
after the plants are well up. Onions from seed are 
not certain south of New York. In such localities 
sets must be planted ; both seeds and sets should 
be got in early. Also put out potato and tep onions. 
Parsley seeds need soaking for a few hours in 
warm water before sowing. Sow early. Thin to 4 
inches. The Double or Moss Curled is best. 
Parsnips. —Sow early in deep, rich soil; the Hol¬ 
low Crown or Cup in 18 inch drills; dig roots which 
were left in the ground over winter. 
Peas.— It is our practice to put iu a few rows of 
Daniel O’Rourke or Carter’s First Crop as soon as 
the ground is thawed. They may now and then 
fail, but the risk is worth taking. These are not 
of so good quality as the wrinkled sorts which will 
rot if sown before the 6oil becomes somewhat dry 
and warm. The best early wrinkled pea is Alpha. 
For main crop there is nothing better than Cham¬ 
pion of England, but there are numbers in the cata¬ 
logues that may be tried. In small gardens the 
dwarfs, which need no stakes, are valuable, as they 
can be put in various spare places, between rows of 
later plants and thus utilize every foot of ground. 
Little Gem and Blue Peter are both excellent. Sow 
the tall varieties in double rows 6 inches apart, and 
set the brush between them. 
Peppers.— Treat the same as egg plants. Squash 
for pickling and Sweet Mountain for 6tuffed pickles. 
Potatoes. —Only early sorts should find a place in 
the garden. A few may be forwarded by starting 
the sets in boxes of earth in a hot-bed, and some 
