148 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r Ftbruary 20, UOiA- 
fruits are produced in the third year ; the trees are in full crop at 
the fifth, and after five years bearing the trees are replaced, or are 
seldom left over a dozen years on account of the yellows and the 
susceptibility to red spider. They are grown by the 100 acre in 
Delaware. Bradley’s fertiliser is used extensively in Peach culture, 
a good sprinkling around each tree before rain. In some years 
good fruit can be purchased at two for 1 cent. 
Grapes are grown in vineyards about St. Louis, Missouri, on 
espaliers, three wires about 18 inches apart. Six feet is allowed 
between the rows or trellises. The Vines are mostly trained or 
treated on the spur system, but the rod also obtains. The fruit is 
mostly used for wine making. In New York State at the foot of 
Catshill Mountains on the banks of the Hudson river. Grapes are 
grown on the single rod system—r.e., as cordons. The shoots are 
stopped two joints beyond the fruit, and all laterals are kept closely 
pinched until the fruit is set, after which all growth is allowed to 
remain so as to prevent the sun scorching the berries, thinning out the 
growths only where they are very much crowded. Concord is the 
favourite Grape grown for dessert, it being a black oval kind. 
Manure is applied in the fall and forked in then. Fertilisers are 
applied during growth before rain. After the Grapes are cut the 
knife is brought into play, cutting away all useless wood, so as to 
let in sun and air for the perfecting of the wood and buds. When 
the leaves begin to turn yellow the current year’s wood is cut back, 
the final pruning being done early in spring, or a month to six 
weeks before activity commences. In spur-pruning three or four 
buds are left, whilst rods are pruned to a plump bud on well- 
ripened wood. 
Cultivators in the United States employ artificial manures 
largely, the object being to get the crops up and growing away 
quickly, so that they may be less susceptible of injury from insect 
pests, and better able to contend with the trying ordeal of the he.it 
and drought. Our informant says the Maine farmer formed his 
own artificial manure as follows ;—Taking care of all the bones, 
they were bruised on a hard substance with a hammer, or half-inch 
bones were purchased. These were saturated with urine, placing 
in a tub or hole in the ground in a dry place and kept dry, with 
wood ashes in equal proportion to the bones, or 1 bushel half-inch 
bones saturated with urine and 1 bushel wood ashes, the latter 
being also saturated with urine, covering with dry earth 2 inches 
thick. In about three weeks the bones are dissolved, when a bushel 
of pigeon or fowl dung is added, the whole being well in¬ 
corporated, which form a paste-like mass, in which state it is 
placed in a dry place, and by spring it forms a hard mass, which, 
however, breaks up readily, and being fine is readily applied to 
any crop rec|uiring a stimulus, a good handful being sufficient for 
a couple of square yards. 
In concluding these notes I desire to state that our prompter 
strongly advises those who are doing w’ell here to leave it alone. 
They may do as well, perhaps better, in the United States as 
far as money is concerned, but it will be had at a sacrifice of home en¬ 
joyments, and of trying conditions of climate to which all do not 
become acclimatised satisfactorily to themselves. Those that can¬ 
not from incapacity, lack of energy and physical force do here 
will not succeed there, it being no uncommon occurrence to find 
numbers picking up a precarious existence in the Atlantic seaports, 
whose one cry is to get sufficient money to pay their return 
passage to England. “A man,” he says, “ that cannot on occasion 
work his way among civilised communities by land or sea has 
no claim to that designation, being little better than an old 
woman.” —Utilitarian. 
PLANT FOOD. 
(^Continued from page 104.') 
It will readily be seen that a good general manure ought to be 
composed of material which will yield ammonia and phosphoric 
acid in the largest proportion, and with a less amount of potash 
and lime. It is at this point that the difference betw'een farming 
and gardening practice is most pronounced, and I think not in favour 
of the latter. The gardener purchases a manure, necessarily ex¬ 
pensive, and applies it to all kinds of crops. The farmer, on the 
other hand, if he purchase a special manure, selects one w'hich 
exactly suits his crop. If for Turnips, a phosphatic one with a 
good per-centage of ammonia. If for Beans, then a potassic com¬ 
pound is chosen. Or, he may, by the application of a simple dress¬ 
ing of nitrate to his AVheat or hay, increase the crop by 50 per cent, 
at a small outlay. But I think in most gardens manuring might be 
much simplified ; for if in good heart there ought to be a sufficient 
quantity of potash to serve any crop in gardens. A dressing of 
quicklime will do much to set this free, as well as form a corrective 
to those acids which cause sourness, while the texture of the soil 
is sure to be improved. But even if quicklime is not applied, I 
incline to believe (for on this point I can only speak from results, 
unconfirmed by science) that the employment of superphosphates, 
or one or other of the materials which supply ammonia, will of 
themselves set free sufficient potash for the need of crops. If that 
be so, gardeners may safely employ for garden use either super¬ 
phosphate of lime or ground phosphates, to which, if required, 
nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia may be added, either at the 
time of application or some lime there after. Either kind of manure 
is best applied as a surface dressing, and the time to select for 
application is while the ground is wet. Superphosphate, especially 
when newly made, destroys every bit of vegetable life it comes; 
in contact with ; consequently care is necessary to sow on the soil 
alone, though during wet weather less harm follows, as the rain 
washes the foliage clean before mischief ensues. The action of 
superphosphate is greatly quickened w^hen applied whilst the 
ground is wet, and when rain follows its application. The moisture 
in the soil and atmosphere causes a quickened root action, and the 
more soluble of the phosphates are at once brought into contact 
with these young roots, with the result that immediate and con¬ 
tinued benefit follows. 
It always seems to me that there is a tendency to treat chemical 
manures in a mechanical manner—just so much to be given at a 
particular time, and leave the rest to Nature. Now, it is just- 
possible and very probable that a dressing of manure applied in the- 
manner just noted will put a plant into a condition ready to receive 
a further supply. The action of superphosphate in particular is to-- 
increase the number of active, feeding roots, and I have many times 
been interested to watch the rapidity with which new roots come 
upwards to the surfacing on potted plants, spreading over, and 
quickly getting into contact with every little piece of it. Much the- 
same thing occurs in the case of inside borders, ivhich are regularly 
watered at short intervals. The tips of the roots protrude through 
the surface, and no doubt enjoy themselves very much. Of course, 
it is very necessary to exercise judgment as to when to leave off' 
manuring, as also to take into consideration the animal manure 
which the crop may have at command. In the case of Celery, for 
instance, which is planted in soil with the addition of 2 inches or 
more of good cow manure clo.se beneath the roots, the continued 
application of either superphosphate or of ammonia would simply 
result in the loss of the crop during a moderately severe winter,, 
while a dressing not later than midsummer would have the effect 
of quickening growth without any danger of bad effects when 
growth ought to have ceased. Much the same remark would apply 
with regard to Onions which are grown for keeping; but if we want 
either Celery or Onions of a large size rapidly, without taking into- 
account the question of keeping, then repeated surfacings is the 
best thing to do. This brings us next to consider the part of the 
plant we wish to use, and the best method of manuring in order to 
get the best results in each case. Both Celery and Onions are- 
biennials, and the life work we wish them to fulfil is simply to 
make the most of their first year. The same remark applies to- 
Turnips, Carrots, Beetroots, and Parsnips. We endeavour to cram 
them with carbohydrates, and find a light open soil enriched with 
phosphates and kept duly moist gives the best results. Potatoes- 
represent a different class altogether. Like Jerusalem Artichokes, 
and Dahlias among flowers, the plant at the same time it is 
endeavouring to reach its highest destiny—the production of flowers- 
and seeds—is also forming an underground stem with buds to carry 
its life work on in the succeeding year. In ordinary circumstances- 
to manure highly for these crops is to defeat the promotion of 
these underground stems. In each case we secure a magnificent 
top growth with floivers, fine and in abundance in the case of the 
Dahlia, but the tubers are sure to be small, and in the case of the- 
vegetables possibly not abundant. You see, if we wanted fine top 
growth exclusively nitrogenous manures would be the very thing 
but in order to get what we do want just sufficient nitrogenous- 
manures to give the plant a robust start must be employed, and a. 
manure of a potassic nature, or one that will bring latent potash 
into working order, be the predominating substance ; and so with- 
Peas and other legumes. A nitrogenous manure will form a 
magnificent crop of haulm, but in order to secure' flowers and Peas 
potash is absolutely necessary. In our own case these crops are 
never directly manured, but if manure were needed it would be- 
applied of a kind either to free potash or to yield it directly. 
I think it is no uncommon occurrence that the particular- 
elements wanting during rapid growth in the summer months is 
not so much any chemical or animal manures, but that wonderful 
combination of oxygen and hydrogen called water. The mere fact 
that from 75 to 95 per cent, of the structure of the plant is simply 
water, would of itself point to the absolute necessity of a moist 
soil to keep up a full supply during hot weather, but when it is 
further understood that water is the medium by which the gaseous 
agents and minerals are conveyed from the soil and throughout 
the plant economy, and that the roots themselves are absolutely 
