SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Alternate thawings and freezings of tlio 
ground prove more disastrous to small fruit 
plants, Strawberries especially, at this 
season than at any other. AVhon the ground 
thaws very suddenly, it is not a rare oocur- 
rcuce that plants that have not been mulched 
are completely thrown out of the soil. To 
prevent this they should receive a thin coat 
of littery stable manure while the ground is 
still frozen. This protects the plants and 
provides fertility for a good erop. 
Straicberries.—ln this latitude, there is 
rarely anything gained' by planting, if such 
is at all possible, before another month; but 
those contemplating to plant new beds, 
should decide now upon the varieties to he 
selected and the nurseryman of whom to 
order, and not wait till planting time. 
Quality of Plants—Many beginners in 
fruit culture, and some who might know 
better, too, seem' to be entirely ignorant of 
the great difference between plants of the 
same variety. While they are perfectly 
aware of the material dilfcrences in quality 
and prices of the various grades of groceries, 
dry goods, hardware and every kind of mer¬ 
chandise, plants seem plants to them, and 
they select their supply from the source 
where it may be obtained the cheapest, irre¬ 
spective of quality. And yet so great is the 
difference in intrinsic value between plants 
of the same variety, that while first class 
plants may be cheap at two dollars a hun¬ 
dred, others may be dear at a dollar a thou¬ 
sand, in fact they may be dear as a gift if 
the recipient were obliged to plant them. 
Younff and Old Plants .—Good plants are 
not grown as a second or auxiliary crop. In 
all first class nurseries, plants are considered 
of sufficient importance to be grown as a 
main and exclusive crop, no berries being 
allowed to form on plants used for propaga¬ 
tion. And unless such a course is pursued 
it is impossible to produce plants of uniform 
first quality. Old plants will unavoidably 
become intermixed with the young, and 
while under favorable conditions old plants 
may live, no one would knowingly accept 
them in place of young ones any sooner than 
he would a stale loaf of bread for afresh one. 
The accompanying illustralions, show the 
difference between the two kinds. The 
roots of the young plants are succulent, soft, 
and of uniform color and appearance, while 
with old plants the main roots are black, 
wiry and dry, if not entirely dead. A large 
number of poor, weak plants can never 
compensate for even one healthy, vigorous 
growing plant. 
Raspberries are among the earliest starting 
plants and should therefore be planted at 
the very first opportunity after the ground 
Ijccomes fit to be worked. Order your plants 
now so as to have them on hand when 
wanted and if they should arrive before the 
soil or yourself are ready, heel them in a 
•^ry, sheltered spot, or in a cool cellar if the 
ground is frozen; they will only be in the 
l>etter condition for this treatment. 
Don’t plant Raspberries deeper than they 
®tood in the ground before, and cut off all 
®anes to within three or four inches from 
the surface. The same directions apply also 
™ Blackberries. 
vidoGpr'''‘"r '' ‘■•'W vines to pro- 
oiill.niir ^ oonvonioiit fencing and 
ouiijiiiidings w 11 iilTnivi ..11 n ^ 
quired- l)iH iv. <'''0 supports rc- 
ni'Uters ^ ^trellises arc 
cl caimL expense .and the 
10, post and best way to construct them is 
W tlm t "ir"1' Fortunate- 
ly the t.clhs need not be tasteful, for the 
vines wdl cover it and hide all roughness 
YOUNG STRAWBERRY PLANT. 
and ugliness from view. Hence cheapness 
with durability only .are to be sought. 
The construction of the trellis should de¬ 
pend somewhat upon the character of the 
vine to be supported by it. If the vines are 
so hardy that they will not require laying 
down in winter, the trellis should be sub¬ 
stantially built, the supports being well 
seasoned posts of durable wood set deep in 
the ground, for to replace the trellis will be 
difflcult matter and c.an be accomplished 
OLD strawberry PLANT. 
only by seriously disturbing the vines. But 
if the vines will need laying down each win¬ 
ter the trellis need not be so substantial, 
Jakes'driven in the ground ivill serve for 
supports and the strips may be made of any 
*’’®d*JhJSSs JTthTnorthorn side will 
* to rinen and if the variety is late 
lises north and south each side will have a 
supply of sunlight and the ripening will 
be more uniform and nearly perfect. An¬ 
other fault is to make the trellises too close 
together. Unless land is vei'y high-priced, 
the trellises should be ten feet apart. 
This will give room for the passage of a 
wagon between the rows, the vines will be 
all the more vigorous for the greater breadth 
of land to feed from, and air and sunlight 
can pass fi'eely about the vines and fruit. 
A substantial trellis is made by setting 
seasoned Locust or young White Oak posts 
ten feet apart, and reaching four feet above 
the ground. On the top, and one foot and 
two feet from tlie top, nail strips of board, 
or where timber is abundant, light poles 
split in halves. It does not require a skilled 
mechanic to construct such a trellis, the 
matei'ials are cheap, and it will serve its 
puriDose for fifteen to twenty years. In place 
of the posts, stout stakes driven firmly into 
the ground may be used where a structure 
of a ratlier temporaiy nature will answer. 
If the strips are made of boards, I would 
say to use Pine. This is light and sti'ong 
enough to support all the weight it will be 
called upon to bear, is easily nailed and when 
close-grained and free from knots and “wind 
shakes,"’ lasts as well as any hard wood. 
Lately I have noticed considerable wire 
used in place of lumber strips and it appears 
to answer the purpose well. Galvanized 
■n'ire alone should be used, as the dampness 
of the situation will soon rust out wires not 
protected from moisture. Painted wire has 
been used, but from ray experience with it 
in fencing, I would not recommend it for 
trellises. When wire is used the posts may 
be placed at least twenty feet apart, the 
end posts being fiimly braced, as in the con¬ 
struction of wire fenees. The wire used is 
the smooth ware used for fencing. Of course 
barbs are worse than useless. The wire 
must be tightly stretched, as in the con- 
sti'uction of fencing, else the weight of the 
vines will sag it down between the posts. 
As it reduces the number of posts, costs less 
than wooden strips, and lasts fully as long, 
I believe ivire is better than wooden strips 
and shall use it when I next build trellises, 
A leaning trellis for double rows has lately 
been tried and gives the highest satisfac¬ 
tion. Posts four feet long are leaned to¬ 
gether at the top, the bottoms being placed 
on the surface of the ground three feet apart. 
The tops of the posts are so sawed that they 
are horizontal when placed in position and 
a board is nailed along the top to serve the 
double purpose of holding the posts togeth¬ 
er . and supporting the vines ; or else the 
posts are held together by strips nailed to 
their sides and a wire is stretched .along the 
top. The bases are held in place by being 
attached to small stakes driven into the 
ground. These stakes need not be lai-ge, as 
the weight of the vines will soon hold the 
trellis in position. Two strips or two strands 
of wire pass along each side. A row of 
•vines is planted along each side. This trel¬ 
lis saves the labor of setting posts, and 
posts only four feet long arc required, and 
only five strips or striinds whore six would 
be used on single trellises. If.the vines 
require winter covering they need not be 
taken down but corn fodder can be leaned 
against them, or straw or other litter be 
placed over them and held in position by . 
light poles. Jonx 31 . Stahl. 
