The April Number of . . 
The Mustialian Gardener 
Flower Garden— 
Horticultural 
Cultivation 
Remedy for Red Spider 
Ute. Ete. 
Vegetables— 
Seasonable Notes 
CONT AINS— 
The Orechard— 
Notes by W. J. Allen 
Prize Essay of the Burnley School 
of Agriculture —When a Tree © 
should Bear— The Need of 
Light — Root [Systems—{Im- 
portance of Sound Leaves, &c 
Stoek— 
Diseases of Farm Animals—‘Soil 
Exhaustion — Locality — Over- 
stocking, &c 
The Poultry Yard— 
Export Poultry. 
TME FLOWER G&RDEN 
Floriculture. 
Avrumy digging, pruning, planting, and trans- 
Planting, will occupy much time in large gar- 
dens, Preparations for planting should parti- 
cularly be made and the plants set out at the 
. first opportunity, so that all possible advantage 
py) be taken of the short winter season. The 
Majority of kinds of hardy bulbs should be 
planted during the month. Care must be taken 
not to bury these too deeply. Aga rule the depth 
Of soil above the top of the bulb should be equal 
to twice the depth of the bulb itself. To grow 
bulbs to perfection the soil must be enriched 
with well decayed stable manure, and this 
should be dug in deeply so that little or none of 
Tt comes in contact with the bulbs Bulbs and 
tubers of crocuses, suowdrops, anemones, and 
Yanunculi should be surrounded by sand, as 
Contact with rich soil often destroys the young 
delicate roots as fast as they emerge from the 
caudex of the bulbs. 
Main lots of annuals may now be sown. 
Those with yery small seeds should be sown in 
boxes or very small beds of fine sandy soil and 
very lightly covered. The soil should also be 
thoroughly soaked before sowing, so that the 
Seed may not be washed out of place, as is often 
done. Larger seeds may be sown to advantage in 
Patches in the open borders, where they are to 
remain. 
Chysanthemums will be in full bloom and 
require attention in staking and tying. Liquid 
Manure applied at this time improves the color 
ot many varieties and increases the size of all 
Considerably, The best varieties of crysanthe- 
mums should now be marked for future propa- 
gation Where there is much digging to do a 
8reat deal of labor may be saved by hoeing the 
Orders twice during the autumn and winter to 
stroy all weeds. It is the weeds that cause so 
Much labor if allowed to grow amongst the 
Plants, The hoeing takes comparatively little 
time, and all is kept neat until the digging can 
© done towards the spring, which is the proper 
time, When the digging is done early in the 
Winter weeds spring up soon after, and this 
Necessitates treading over the ground to destroy 
6m when the soil is soaked with the winter 
Tains, In preparing and planting shrubberies 
Steater care Steals exercised than is some- 
times the case. Where the soil is poor it is as 
necessary to use manure as itis in the case of 
vegetables, and it would be a difficult matter to 
use too much. Poor ground as a rule should be 
broken up much deeper than rich or medium 
soils. Many shrubs delight in extra rich ground, 
and it is necessary to enrich the soil for these 
by working in a little manure where they are to 
be planted. 
In planting new shrubberies one of the most 
important. points lies in allowing room for the 
full development of each individual specimen. 
Another equally important point is taking into 
consideration tho ultimate height attained by 
them. As the characteristics of trees and shrubs 
are so well known and are carefully pointed ont 
in the various nursery catalogues, there can be 
little excuse for making mistakes in planting 
them. Asarule the planting in small gardens 
should be precisely the same as in larger ones, 
except that the back rows, which in large places 
would consist of trees, are left out. Thus, what- 
ever width of border is to be planted, the com- 
mencement is the same. The front row of a 
shrubbery is planted 3 to 4 ft. from the edge of 
the drive or walk, the second r w 10 ft., the 
third row 18 ft.. and the fourth row 30 ft. from 
the edge. Where the shrubbery is backed by a 
plantation of trees these latter are planted at 
regular distances over whatever space is appor- 
tioned to them. The front row of shrubs should 
consist of dwarf kinas, growing to a height of 
some 2 ft.; the second row.of those which are 
some 6 ft, high when fully developed ; the third 
row of those attaining some 10 ft. in height; 
and the fourth or back row of shrubs or tree- 
shrubs. which when fully growing average some 
18 to 2U ft. in height, Beyond this line, but at 
some considerable distance—say, 40 ft. at least 
—forest trees may be planted as mentioned 
above. These are the distances at which it is 
safe to plant the rows, but the distances between 
the shrubs along the rows has also to be con- 
sidered. The correct rule is to allow a space 
between the stems equal to one and a half 
times the ultimate height of the shrubs in any 
particular row. This allows ample space for 
planting (at least for some years) a variety of 
herbaceous plants, bulbs, and other annuals and 
perennials. 
The Hills 
Operations in this department can be started 
much earlier than on the plains. Planting gene- 
rally should be commenced in earnest during 
the month, although it may be necessary to 
water at the time the plants are put in. The 
advantages are so great that no objection can be 
‘buds. 
shrubs, and herbaceons plants of all kinds should 
be put out at once. New ground intended for 
tree-planting, flower borders, etc., should be 
broken up during the month, before it becomes 
saturated with moisture. All hardy tubers and 
bulbs should be in place by the beginning of 
May. The pruning of deciduous shrubs, includ- 
ing roses, may be done at once, S ow during 
the next few weeks any strong-growing annuals. 
These may be sown in the borders direct, simply 
preparing small pitches in the borders and 
covering the seed with rich, sandy soil. Chry- 
santhemums should be kept regularly watered 
with liquid manure to ensure perfect develop- 
ment of flowers. If in exposed positions the 
stems should be securely tied at neat stakes, and 
intended specimens tied close up to the terminal 
I Any of trese in pots may be planted out 
if watered immediately afterwards. 
Cultivation. 
In an interesting article to the Horticultural 
Advertiser on the subject of methods of cultiva- 
tion used in British Columbia and California, 
where the “ dust blanket” is found to be of the 
greatest service, Edward Wallace, of Vic., B.C., 
says— 
The preservation of moisture is not the only 
benefit to be derived from cultivation. It is 
really wonderful what a beneficial effect this 
constant stirring and consequent eration of the 
soil has upon vegetation. An agricultural 
chemist would explain this, The growth of 
everything is stouter, stockier, and also better 
ripened. In sections of California, where both 
cultivation and irrigation are practised, it is in- 
variably the case that fruit produced with irri- 
gation is inferior. True, it is larger, but it has 
not the flavor, nor has it the shipping qualities 
of fruit produced by cultivation. 
As an experiment this season, I planted in 
our herbaceous ground one bed, which was to 
receive no watering. To avoid any underground 
seeprge. the topmost bed on a sloping hill was 
selected. Here we planted a variety of subjects, 
border carnations, pyrethrums, doronicums, 
aquilegias, helianthus, rudbeckias, coreopsis, 
Michaelmas daisies, Shasta daisies, delphiniums 
and many others. Bear in mind that we have , 
three-months’ dry spell. This bed received nog 
one drop of artificial watering, but was culti¢, 
vated frequently and thoroughly. Some, notably 
Coreopsis grandiflora, did better than with 
water, even as regards flowering. Without ex- 
ception the plants are in better shape for sale, 
niuch more sturdy. Even the moisture-loving 
Pyrethrum uliginosum did well, growing three 
feet, from single shoots taken off this Spring. 
Yet, one more argnment in favor of the “ dust 
blankets”? One part of the interior of this 
