NOW. 40 
309 
ones for family use. When planting the Squash¬ 
es, Citrons, Ac . bo sure to remember a nice lot 
of Melons for the b; ya. As wo like to have our 
garden look tKly the whole summer through, we 
always have a lot of Turnip plants to put in the 
rows after the Onions ami Peas have been taker 
care of. There is always plenty oi' them to ma¬ 
ture, and thus no empty places are left for 
weeds to establish themselves. 
If farmers' wives would only see to the seeds 
and plants, and to having thorn put in the 
growing season. The water is supplied in any 
desirable heads or quantity, generally at 12}^ 
cents an inch, though in some localities it costs 
25 cents an inch. It takes about six inches of 
water, running twelve hours, to thoroughly irri¬ 
gate an aero of land. Vegetables should ho 
watered at least twice a week to make a good 
growth ; the coat, therefore, for water alone, 
will be $1.50 each week per acre, besides the 
coat of labor in attending to the same. Here, 
as in all other places, tho gardener finds his 
MOLUCCELLA L/CVI8. 
ground at the proper time, I believe that nine 
out of ten farmers would take care of them, and 
wo would not so often hear the complaints over 
poor gardens or none at all. 
CALIFORNIAN VEGETABLES. 
BY WM. 0. L. DBEW. 
Two decades have hardly passed since tho first 
vegetables were raised in the Golden State. In 
this short period it has been fully demonstrated 
that no land in the civilized world, is superior 
for the production of vegetables, fruit, or grain. 
The great essential is a supply of water. From 
November to May, except in seasons like that of 
1877, there is usually a copious supply of this 
much needed element. From May to November, 
however, tho supply is the reverse, there being 
very little or none from natural sources. Con¬ 
sequently, it has to be furnished by artificial 
means. To supply this vast system of irrigation, 
ditches have been constructed throughout every 
county in the State, and on land where water 
from this source can be secured, vegetables, 
which have no superiors, can be raised. 
Irrigation is usually commenced in the second 
week in May, and must be kept up during the 
plants liable to the attacks of garden pests. Of 
these, the worst is the 
GOPHER. 
This is our earliest and most troublesome pest. 
Hardly has the planter deposited the seed in the 
earth, before this mischief-maker has It resur¬ 
rected. Fine seeds are not generally disturbed 
to any great extent; but squash, cucumber and 
melon-seeds are seldom left unmolested, acres 
being often cleared by the gopher, very few 
hills being missed. The only sure remedy is to 
poison the seeds. This may be done by soaking 
them in a solution of strychnia for twenty-four 
hours before planting, or by opening them and 
working in a small quantity of the strychnine, 
and planting one or two of these poisonous seeds 
in every hill, especially la the outside ones. 
THE STRIPED OR CUCUMBER BUG, 
is one of the most annoying fellows we have to 
deal with. Many are the plans that have been 
proposed to conquer this invincible insect. Of 
these, the best and safest, is to keep one's eyes 
open, and so soon as it makes its appearance, to 
dust the plants with wood-ashes in the early 
morning ; this will prevent very great devasta¬ 
tions, but will not entirely subdue the scourge. 
GREEN LICE. 
These insects, which are such an annoyance to 
the florist, also disgust the gardener. They in¬ 
fest his Cabbage, Lettuce and Salad plants, and. 
in fact, anything in the shape of plants, so long 
as they are grven and tender. After trying every 
remedy that was given in onr horticultural press 
to subdue theso pests, I tried soapsuds. This I 
found to be tho great long-looked-for. It should 
be made rather strong, and applied in the eve¬ 
ning. The next day, if you examine, you will 
see them dying by thousands. Two applications 
will clean the worst iofosted plants; they should 
be washed off with clean water. 
THE CUT-WORM 
and the Brown Squash bug, also givo many a 
great deal of trouble. I have never been both¬ 
ered with them. Birds, also, are troublesome, as 
they will clear large tracts of the finest seed be- 
foro it has hardly sprouted. 
> The water and insects mentioned are the only 
real drawbacks to the successful raising of veg¬ 
etables in California. Ho far as tho insects 
are concerned, they conld be managed, but the 
cost of water and tho great trouble in getting it 
on tho land, arc not so easily managed. Then, 
again, sometimes, as in the present season, 
it is wholly impossible to got water. 
In the east it is generally the custom for every 
family that has land, to have their vegetable 
garden ; in California, however, tho case is quito 
different. Here you very seldom find families 
who raise their own supply of vegetables, as 
they depend on obtaining what they need from 
the peddlers or Chinamen. The latter have 
monopolized tho vegotable gardening in Cali¬ 
fornia. They raise and sell vegetables at about 
half the prices at which a respectable white man 
can grow and dispose of them. Many of onr 
best citizens have been driven from making a 
living by raising vegetables to supply our cities, 
by these human outcasts. Tho white man in 
every town and village, who has attempted to 
rawo vegetables for a support, has had to come 
in competition with these slaves—for the China¬ 
man is nothing better, having been sent out 
boro by the head “ boss" at home, to whom 
he has to send his earnings. Ho lives on two 
or three cents a day; and what white man can 
do that ? The Chinese are surely driving every 
white tiller of the soil in this .State to starvation ; 
but this does not como under my heading, so 
I must, refrain from further comment on this 
scourge of California. It will not be necessary 
for me to do moro than to refer to the mon¬ 
sters in the vegetable lino, which have been 
rained in California, as all horticultural joxmnals 
have more or loss referred to them. 
In many parts of the State vegetables of all 
varieties can be had at any season of the year. 
Tho gardener plants his seed all tho year round ; 
in fall he plants for spring ; in spring for sum¬ 
mer, and so on through the year. Tho markets 
of San Francisco are supplied with green peas 
and other delicacies at Christmas. A few notes, 
howover, may not bo out of place in regard to 
some of the popular varieties. Asparagus is not 
as plentiful here as in tho East, but still it is 
raised in considerable quantities, and comes in 
about mid-winter, lasting until April or May, ac¬ 
cording to the dryness of tho season. Beaus 
are raised in largo quantities ; the dwarf varie¬ 
ties being the most popular. They are tough 
and stringy, if not well watered ; they are in 
market very early, and last for a long season. 
Beets grow all the year, and can be had at any 
time. Cabbage is always in market; if water 
oau be obtained they are very rich and tender. 
Carrots are raised in limited quantities ; they 
grow very sweet and tender, and should be a sta- - 
pie crop in this State. Celery does tolerably 
well, but the summer season burns it considera¬ 
bly. Cucumbers grow very large and tender, 
and are a favorite vegetable. Lettuce is more 
generally raised than other kinds of vegetables. 
It grows almost wild, coming np year after year 
from self-sowing. Melons are raised in large 
quantities, some seasons far beyond the demand 
which, however, is immonso. Onions do well, 
making large bulbs in a single season. Parsnips 
are always a good crop. Radishes are in market 
from one year's eml to the other ; and are gener¬ 
ally very tender and crisp. TurnipB are usually 
a failnre. Tomatoes—well 1 it is impossible to 
convey any idea of their growth ; they are al¬ 
ways fine. 
Eldorado, Cal. 
- ♦♦♦ - 
TOMATOES—THEIR CULTURE. 
BY W. H. WHITE. 
Many of our older inhabitants recollect the 
tomato as a plant bearing insignificant fruit, 
grown only as a curiosity, and known as the 
“ Love Apple.” The fruit of to-day is a very 
different article, having been greatly improved 
by the various modes known to the horticulturist. 
In scarcely any one article of production, from 
the garden, has there been a greater transmu¬ 
tation of value and qualities than in the rank 
which at present the tomato assumes. Our 
recollection extends back to the time when 
this esculent was only occasionally found on 
and tumble around in the way. I have tried 
several of these dwarf kinds, Tom Thumb, eto-, 
but they did not amount to much. I must try 
the Gem, and I think it would be a good way to 
plant them with potatoes, if it was not for that 
pest of a beetle. I dislike very much to use 
Paris-green, but I suppose there is no other way 
to save our potatoes." 
“ I don't nse Paris-green in my gardens. A 
small patch can he kept clean by hand, and I 
think that even on large pieces, it would be as 
cheap and efficacious to hire children to knock 
them off into tin pans and kill them, especially 
in such a season as the >-aat, when we have had 
so much rain to wash the poison off, making it 
neoessary to put. it on so much oftener, and you 
cannot trust small ohildren to handle it. I think 
if you save the money you would spend for 
Paris-green, and pay so much a quart for the 
beetles, it would not cost any more. There 
would then be no danger of poisoning, and some 
poor people who need it, would get a little work.” 
- *-*■•* -- 
A FARMER’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
BY MINNIE E. ELLIS. 
As land is not so much of a consideration with 
us as with villagers—wo have one-half of an 
acre in our garden, which is about twice as long 
as it is wide. A rod apart through its breadth, 
are rows of Currants, Gooseberries and Rasp¬ 
berries, while the Strawberries are in rows on 
one side. By thus having all of tho small fruits 
iti the garden, they get thoroughly manured and 
cultivated without any special effort. Onr 
“Gudeman" makes a practice of plowing the 
garden in the fall and covering it. with manure 
before plowing again in the spring. Then, after 
cultivating it thoroughly, it is marked off in 
rows parallel with the bushes, and far enough 
apart to allow a horso to go through. By this 
means we save a great deal of hand labor. Very 
early in the spring, a narrow strip of land is 
prepared on one side for Lettuce, Onions and 
Peas. Of the last., we plant three kinds: very 
early, medium and late. We thus have peas for 
weeks in succession without tho troublo of plant¬ 
ing them at different times. 
Jnst here I would say that tho saving of one’s 
own seeds, so far as possible, is tho duty of every 
man’s wife that haa a garden. It is light work 
and very quickly done, if the husband will but 
set out the different vegetables to raise teed 
from at the same time that he puti» in the garden 
seeds in the spring. IIo will find that he can, in 
this way, raiBO most of his seed much easici 
than he can buy them, bebides being sure of 
fresh Beed every time. 
First, in preparing a garden, be sure and make 
an Asparagus bud, a little to one side from the 
main garden, ancl make it largo enough for 
wife to have a row of Sage, a little Wormwood 
and Saffron, and a few other useful things, 
which are sure to be needed. It does not take 
half the time to raise them that it does to go to 
the druggist's after them; and moreover, if 
raised at home, they will cost you nothing. If 
other families are as fond of something fresh in 
the spring as ours, each one would also have a 
row of Spiuach. If left to seed itself the fall 
before, it comes up almost as soon as the snow 
is off the ground, and makes excellent greens. 
About the first of March wo sow Tomato seeds 
in a box in the house, and when they are about 
two inches high we transplant them in a shallow 
box, and every pleasant day set them out on the 
south side of the house for a few hours, and by 
the time the ground is warm enough to set them 
in the garden, they are just as stocky and hardy 
as if transplanted half a dozen times, each one 
in a dish by itself, which would vt quire too much 
space in an ordinary-sized kitchen. We also 
raise in the house, in the same way, our early 
Cabbage plants and a few Turnip plants. The 
latter are as acceptable for cooking, through the 
harvest season, as the former. For our late 
Cabbage we sow the seeds in hills in the garden 
when we put in the other seeds, and when they 
get nicely growing, pull up all but one, and thus 
we save transplanting and have just as good 
Cabbage. We plant the Gorman Wax Bean sev¬ 
eral different times for snap beans, as it excels 
all others for that purpose; bat wo devote a 
much larger space of ground to those we use for 
dry beans. By having a good large garden, you 
can have sweet-corn enough for summer use, 
and also sufficient to dry lor winter. 
Of course, a few rows of Early Potatoes should 
be in every garden for summer use ; and do not 
neglect to have a row of Salsiry and Parsnips. 
They will be duly appreciated in the spring. 
They can be buried in the ground in the fall, 
where they will be out of the way of the plow 
and keep just as well as if left where they 
grow. 
We have a place prepared purposely for the 
vineB away from the garden, so as not to have 
them broken by being trampled upon, and they 
are always carefully hoed by the “ head of the 
household.” We always plant Cucumber vines 
enough to insure having plenty of very small 
