152 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
May. 
Horticultural Jrprtmrat 
Top-Dressing Lawns. 
Mr. Downing and others recommend pondrette 
as a top-dressing for lawns. Do you approve of 
it, and if so, at what rate per acre should it be 
applied? 
It is also recommended by various authorities 
to use weak guano-water ” for newly planted 
trees and shrubs. And yet I never saw it dis¬ 
tinctly stated in what 'proportions guano and wa¬ 
ter should be mixed for this purpose. Can you 
inform a tyro on this point? 
It would gratify me, and I presume it would 
many of your readers, if you would give us your 
views at length, as to the best mode of improving 
the grass of lawns. Some of us, having our 
grounds already planted with trees and shrubs, 
cannot well plow, manure, and seed down afresh; 
but we can procure guano, poudrette, bone dust, 
charcoal, ashes, &c., to apply as a .top-dressing. 
Now, will you tell us the best thing that can be 
done with these manures as a top-dressing? My 
soil is a clayey loam. G. 
Guano forms a powerful top-dressing for lawns, 
when properly applied. At this season, it must 
be in a state of solution. Many times its bulk of 
water is required, but the solution will be too 
strong for the plants with less than about 80 times 
its quantity of water. It may be applied in the 
spring of the year so as to give about 300 lbs. of 
the solid guano to the acre. 
Sowing the powdered guano late in autumn 
broad-cast over the grass, to be washed in by the 
rains, has been found to produce an excellent re¬ 
sult. The grass at this time consisting principally 
of tough and dry leaves, is not injured by the 
caustic nature of this powerful manure. 
Not having had any experience with poudrette, 
we cannot give precise instructions, but if applied 
to grass, autumn is unquestionably the best time 
for the application. 
No perfect lawn, such as will endure drouths 
with impunity, and retain its fresh green through 
the heat of summer, can be had without a deeply 
trenched and deeply enriched soil. But top- 
dressings with any good manure will serve materi¬ 
ally to lessen the difficulty, and liquid manure is 
still more efficacious. The application of the drain¬ 
age of sewers, has been found to effect wonders, 
in some experiments in Britain; its effect could 
not be less in our dryer climate. The pcrfedt free¬ 
dom with which the fertilizing portions of liquid 
manure diffuse themselves through the soil, gives 
it extraordinary efficacy. Charcoal, in itself, pos¬ 
sesses little or no fertilizing power; bone dust and 
ashes, in moderate quantities, would generally be 
useful. —**— 
Trench-plowing Gardens. 
Many persons who are well satisfied of the emi¬ 
nent advantages which would result from trenching 
their gardens, are deterred from it on account of 
the cost. For these, trench-plowing is just the 
thing. This, as every one may know, differs 
from sub-soiling by turning up and mixing 
with top-soil that portion beneath the ordinary 
depth of the furrow, while the sub-soil plow only 
loosens without raising to the surface. The sub¬ 
soil plow will always be found highly advantage¬ 
ous in preparing for the trench-plow, which will 
perform its work much deeper and more perfect¬ 
ly if the sub-soil has been previously pulverized. 
We have lately seen a description of a trench 
plow, with a narrow share and mold-board, and 
with a high arching beam, whose lower side was 
twenty inches above the point of the share. It 
followed in the ordinary furrow', and the horses 
were attached to it by means of a dial clevis, so as 
to throw the plow on one side, and both animals 
could walk on the hard ground, instead of the off 
horse being compelled to tread upon the deep, 
mellow earth in the furrow, which is not. only dif¬ 
ficult for the animal, but injurious to the soil. 
Soils deepened in this way, and well manured, 
will not suffer as other soils from drouth, and 
most garden crops grown upon them will be large, 
fine, and uniformly of high quality 
Management of Old Orchards. 
Many old orchards, now to be seen in all parts 
of the country, have rough and mossy trunks, and 
thick masses of stunted or half dead branches; 
bearing, as a matter of course, but small crops of 
fruit, with specimens too small, and too deficient in 
flavor, either for profitable marketing or for home 
use. Those who may have such orchards in their 
possession, will find some excellent hints in the 
following statement, condensed from the report of 
Daniel Stickney, of Lebanon, N. H., to the 
Connecticut River Valley Agricultural Society. 
I commenced with my trees nine years ago 
last April. They had been neglected till their 
tops were a complete hedge of green and dry 
branches. I first removed all the dry limbs, and 
all the green ones that interfered; leaving the 
heart of the trees in proper condition for growth. 
In one year, I commenced grafting about one- 
fourth of the remaining top, using grafting w r ax, 
and watching the trees through the season, and 
carefully removing all new sprouts which would 
overgrow the scions. I commenced at the top, 
and inserted grafts for three successive years—by 
which time enough were growing to form a good 
new top, removing all redundant sprouts in the 
mean time. The fourth year, all the remaining 
branches were cut off. The first grafts fruited 
the fourth year, and have never since failed to 
yield a fair crop. The orchard has about 30 trees, 
and I have gathered from it this year 36 barrels 
of grafted fruit, of about ten choice varieties. 
Encouraged by my success, I have commenced 
an older and much decayed orchard, which now 
promises equal success; and I conclude that no 
outlay on the farm is more sure or will pay more 
liberally than our old orchards, if managed as 
they should be.” 
Sulphur for Cueculio. —Fumigating plum and 
nectarine trees early in the morning to repel the 
curculio, has been tried to some extent lately, 
and where the insects are not very numerous, has 
been attended with success. The following mode, 
which appeared in a late number of the Michigan 
Farmer, appears to be of more easy application 
and of more certain results:—A pan is filled with 
chips, with sulphur intermixed, and being subjec¬ 
ted to slow combustion, so as to remain three or 
four days, is placed under the tree. This is well 
worthy of trial by those who are not afraid of the 
smell of brimstone, but its efficacy can be 
proved by experience. . 
