262 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[J ULY, 
inches; if rough it may be trodden down by the 
feet to that depth, but if short aud heavy, it need 
only be patted down by the fork; for, if the heat¬ 
ing material is short and wet, being too much 
trodden down it will “ fire-fang,” or burn itself 
out. On the manure, place 4 or 6 inches of soil 
previously prepared by having at least one- 
fourth of its bulk well pulverized manure. It is 
now ready for planting. The plants should 
be about 7 inches apart each way, or, about fifty 
under each sash. If the weather is mild after 
planting, the sashes must be lifted so as to ensure 
thorough ventilation, but they need not be cov¬ 
ered at night with mats or shutters until frost 
comes. Through November no other covering 
except straw mats will be necessary; but from 
December onward the mats must be covered 
by shutters so as to entirely protect the lettuce 
from frost, or at least prevent it from getting 
frozen hard; a slight frost would not materially 
injure it, but if kept entirely clear of frost so much 
the better. If due attention has been given to 
the crop it will be ready for market about 
Christmas, or at least a portion of it, as it varies 
from Christmas until the end of January. At this 
season it brings at wholesale, if a fair crop, an 
average of $10 per 100 heads, giving, say clear 
of all contingencies, $4 per sash. Now to con¬ 
tinue the use of the sashes, a reserve of plants 
must be on hand, that have been planted thickly 
in cold-frames, to plant in the liot-beds as soon 
as the first crop has been cut out. This is a sim¬ 
ple matter now, for everything is ready, and all 
that is necessary is to fork up the soil a-fresh 
and plant as before; following the same process 
of protecting at night with mats and shutters, 
and ventilating during fine weather. The crop 
will come in by the first of April; at this time the 
price is sometimes lower, but rarely lower than 
$3 per sash. About the first of April is in 
time to plant the third crop of lettuce which 
Avill come in about the middle of May, bringing, 
say, $2 per sash. Thus the three crops give in 
the aggregate, $9 per sash. These prices are a 
fair average for the winter and spring of 1870. 
Let us look at the first cost and receipts of, say, 
200 saslies, 3X6, at $3.00 each.$600 
Construction of pits for same. 200 
200 '/2 inch Pine shutters, @$1.50. 300 
130 straw mats. @$1.00. 150 
Labor of one person from 1st. Oct. to 1st June. 300 
Cost of selling $1,SOO at 10 per cent. ISO 
20 loads manure at $3 per load. . 60 
$1,700 
Product of the three crops of 200 sashes at $9 each $1,800 
Profit over all.$ 10 
It will be understood that $1,250 of this 
amount of expenditure is capital invested in 
material that will keep in good working order, 
with a little repairing, for a dozen years. I have 
sashes in use now which have been in the service 
for 20 years, which may still do duty 10 years 
longer. I 'think it safe to say that the yearly 
profit at present prices (and they are better than 
they were twenty years ago), of 200 sashes 
properly worked in lettuce thus grown, would 
give from $800 to $1,000 a year to a man who 
was not afraid of putting his own shoulder to 
the wheel. It must not be supposed that 2,000 
sashes would give a profit in the same ratio. 
For the reason as I have before said, in writing 
on vegetable products, that one man having a 
large quantity of a perishable article on hand 
will often experience a difficulty in selling it. 
A Holler Barrow.— An implement in which 
the garden roller and wheel-barrow are com¬ 
bined, is in use in the public grounds and gar¬ 
dens in England. The engraving renders any 
description unnecessary. When used as a roller 
it may be brought to the desired weight by 
placing stones in the box, which is made of iron 
plate. It is emptied by lifting the handle and 
dumping the contents. It possesses advantages 
over a common wheel-barrow, as it is not, like 
that, liable to cut up the walks and lawns—a 
great annoyance, especially in wet weather. The 
implement is found useful in carrying away cut 
grass and fallen leaves, and in bringing ferti¬ 
lizers on to lawns, or in general garden traffic. 
Summer Propagation of Shrubs. 
Those who wish to multiply such shrubs as 
they have in their gardens, generally divide a 
clump or remove suckers, as the case may be. 
Some shrubs divide very well in these ways, 
but with others the stems thus separated are 
but poorly furnished with roots; and when set 
out, if they live at all, are a long while in be¬ 
coming vigorous plants. It is much better to 
start vigorous little plants from cuttings. Nur¬ 
serymen and florists who do things on a large 
scale, use appliances adapted to the work; and 
the amateur, seeing the extensive propagating 
houses, is apt to think that lie could not suc¬ 
ceed without a similar arrangement. With a 
saucer of clean sand and a supply of water, he 
can do, in summer at least, quite as well in a 
small way as the florist does in his large opera¬ 
tions. We have before described and advocated 
what is called saucer propagation for verbenas 
and other soft wooded plants. Our own suc- 
cessand that of our friends, in multiplying shrubs 
by its use, induces us to commend it to those who 
have choice shrubs which they would like to 
propagate. A saucer or similar dish is filled 
with clean sand—beach sand will do if the salt 
is washed out of it. Cuttings of the green, ten¬ 
der growth of shrubs an inch or so long arc 
stuck in the sand close together. The sand is 
then made thoroughly wet—“ sopping wet,” and 
kept so, the saucer being exposed to full sun¬ 
light. Success depends upon keeping the sand 
always wet; and as evaporation proceeds rapid¬ 
ly in summer, the process requires more care 
than when cuttings arc treated in this way in the 
spring months. The Terrace-pot described by 
Mr. Henderson in May last would obviate the 
necessity for frequent watering. As soon as the 
cuttings show a root, no matter how small, they 
should be potted in small pots of good soil and 
placed in the shade for a few days. Weigelas, 
Spirreas, and a few other shrubs that we have 
tried in this manner succeeded admirably. We 
do not say that all shrubs will do as well, as they 
differ very much in the ease with which they 
strike root. Another method is to use hardened 
or partly ripened wood of the present season’s 
growth, and place the cuttings in a frame cov¬ 
ered by a sash and in a shady place. A substi¬ 
tute for a sash may bo made by tacking a piece 
of muslin over a frame. This will admit suffi¬ 
cient light and prevent too rapid evaporation. 
The earth in which the cuttings are placed should 
be light and sandy, and water must be supplied 
as often as needed. Not only may cuttings of 
shrubs be treated in this manner, but those of 
Geraniums and other plants desired for the 
house in the winter may be rooted with ease. 
Markets near Home. 
The natural gravitation of produce is towards 
the large cities. This is true not only of 
the heavier productions of the farm, but 
fruits and garden .vegetables find their way 
there as well. The small towns and vil¬ 
lages within fifty miles of New York City are 
supplied in good part with fruits and vegetables 
that have first made a journey to the city, and 
are from here distributed to various points. 
The same is doubtless true of other large cities. 
The markets of towns and villages are poorly 
supplied with things that are produced in abund¬ 
ance in their immediate vicinity. Large city mar¬ 
kets present advantages to both producer and 
consumer. The one who raises garden-produce 
is always sure of a sale at some rate; and he 
■who would purchase is quite certain to find any 
article in season that he may desire. On the 
other hand the producer often suffers when 
there is a “glut in the market,” and the pur¬ 
chaser has his articles in all the worse condi¬ 
tion for long travel. We give an instance of 
what was done by a gentleman of our acquaint¬ 
ance last season, as an illustration of what may 
be done towards establishing a market near 
home. This gentleman grows strawberries 
largely, but lie is a little north of New York ; 
and by the time his fruit is ready the market is 
overflowing with berries from New Jersey, and 
he has been obliged to sell his fine fruit tit the 
time when prices were at their lowest. Last 
year he took his fruit to “S.,” a flourishing 
town about ten miles from his place, and had it 
understood that he would bring it regularly 
during the season. Both parties were satisfied 
with the arrangement; the people of “ S.” found 
that they need not send to New York for ber¬ 
ries, and the grower obtained much better re¬ 
turns, as he saved freight and commissions. 
We have no doubt that what was done in this 
instance may be done in many others; and that 
growers who live near towns and villages will 
often do better in the long run to establish a 
market for perishable articles, in small places, 
than take the risks of the enormous competition 
always found in the larger ones. One essen¬ 
tial to success in this matter is to convince the 
customers of the smaller place that the sup¬ 
ply will be sufficient and regular; otherwise 
they will prefer to send to the great centers 
where they know that the supply is certain. 
-- . —.——. »—— >-•-- 
Hotes from the Pines, 
Rhododendrons ! — It is very satisfactory to 
look at that group; to be sure there are only five 
plants; but if one wishes to see them by the 
acre he should go to Parsons & Co’s Nursery 
in Flushing, where they are made a specialty. 
I don’t know how a few dollars can be better 
invested in flowering shrubs than to use them 
for Rhododendrons. Only sorts of proved 
hardiness should be purchased. Many suppose 
that^they require great care and petting, but they 
will grow in any good garden soil except it 
contains too much lime. They will stand a 
great deal of abuse. I have one in flower as I 
write, which two years ago some wretch pulled 
up, broke from it every flower cluster, and left 
it a wreck of a plant, too unsightly to be returned 
to its former place. I put it to bed in a pail, in 
a corner of the backyard for a hospital, and fed 
it on water. It broke finely and in autumn was 
well supplied with foliage and buds and the 
next spring bloomed as well as if nothing had 
happened to it. Aside from the beauty of their 
